Crown Prince Sultan receives FMs of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE and Jordan

Meeting tackled outcome of 6th ministerial meeting of Forum for the Future

UN General Assembly urges investigations into Israel’s crimes in Gaza

Arab, Islamic countries condemn Houthis’ assaults on Saudi Arabia

Abbas says won’t run in coming presidential Palestinian elections

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, The Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense And Aviation and Inspector General received Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Sabah Al Salim AL Sabah, Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister, Minster of Foreign Affairs; Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah, the Bahraini Foreign Minister; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Foreign Minister and Nasir Joudeh, the Jordanian Foreign Minister.

They conveyed greetings of their countries" leaders to the Crown Prince. In turn, the Crown prince also sent his greetings to their countries" leaders.

During the reception, the Crown Prince was briefed on the Ministerial meeting of the Forum for the Future currently held in Marrakech.

The meting was attended by Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Saudi Al Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and a number of high ranking officials.

Meanwhile, The United Nations General Assembly Thursday, by a recorded vote of 114 in favor to 18 against, with 44 abstentions, adopted a resolution giving Israel and the Palestinians three months to undertake 'independent, credible investigations' into serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law committed during the conflict in Gaza that broke in late December 2008.

By its decision, the 192-member Assembly endorsed the report of the world body's Geneva-based Human Rights Council on its twelfth special session, which had considered, on 15 and 16 October 2009, the output of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.

That Mission was led by renowned South African Jurist Richard Goldstone, and its report, widely known as the 'Goldstone Report', concluded that both Israel and Hamas had committed possible war crimes during the conflict.

The Assembly requested Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to send the Goldstone Report to the Security Council. It further recommended that the Swiss Government, as depositary of the Geneva Convention relating to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, take steps convene 'as soon as possible' a Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, on measures to enforce that Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

Finally, the text, drafted by Arab League and Non-Aligned Movement delegations, asked the Secretary-General to report back within three months on the implementation of the resolution, with a view to considering further action by relevant United Nations bodies, including the Security Council.

In doing so, they decided to remain 'seized' of the issue.

'Tonight is a very important night in the history of the General Assembly; in the history of fighting impunity and seeking accountability', the Permanent Observer for Palestine said after the vote. He thanked the Assembly for its consideration of the Goldstone Report, and to those States that had submitted, co-sponsored and voted in favor of the resolution.

'This journey of fighting impunity is a long one,' he said, adding that, in light of the Assembly's request that the Secretary-General send the Goldstone Report the Security Council, he would keep knocking on the Council's door to ensure that body shouldered its responsibility. His delegation was preparing for the Conference of High Contracting Parties and would work closely with the High Commissioner on Human Rights to address the issue of compensation and establishment of a compensation fund. 'International law is on our side,' he said.

Those voting against the resolution were: Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, the Netherlands, Palau, Panama, Poland, Slovakia, Macedonia, Ukraine and the USA. Those abstaining were: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Samoa, San Marino, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Tonga, Uganda, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

All other countries voted in favor of the resolution - including EU member states Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia - except States that were absent. Switzerland, a depositary of the Fourth Geneva Conventions mentioned in the resolution, also voted in favor.

Absent were Bhutan, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Kiribati, Madagascar, Sao Tome Principe, Seychelles, Togo, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Israel on Friday rejected a U.N. General Assembly resolution urging an investigation into a report saying war crimes were committed in Gaza, and condemned the world body vote as "completely detached from realities", Reuters reported.

The resolution, endorsing a report on the Gaza war commissioned by the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council, was nonbinding and seen as unlikely to force Israel to investigate the findings.

But Israel has responded with outrage to the findings issued in September by a panel led by South African jurist Richard Goldstone, seeing the document as an Arab bid to undermine the reputations of its military and political leaders.

The resolution, approved by 114 countries followed Goldstone in calling on Israel to undertake within three months credible investigations into the report’s charges.

Goldstone’s report blasted both sides in the conflict but was harsher toward Israel which refused to cooperate with the judge’s investigation.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia said on Friday its offensive against Yemeni rebels would continue until it had cleared them from its territory after gunmen infiltrated into the kingdom and attacked border guards.

A Saudi government adviser said on Thursday Riyadh had launched heavy air strikes on rebels in northern Yemen after the Shiite insurgents' cross-border raid this week.

But, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Friday the strikes were "focused on infiltrators in Jebel Dukhan and other targets within the range of operations within Saudi territory."

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, has become increasingly anxious about instability in Yemen, which is facing a Shiite insurgency in the north, separatist sentiment in the south and a growing threat from resurgent al-Qaeda fighters.

"The entry of the gunmen to Saudi territory, the aggression against border patrols ... and (their) presence on Saudi soil is a violation of sovereignty that gives the kingdom every right to take all measures to end this illegitimate presence," SPA reported, citing an official source.

"The operations will continue until all sites within Saudi territory are cleansed of any hostile element."

Riyadh will take unspecified measures to prevent any future incursion by the Yemeni rebels, the source said, adding that armed forces units have been deployed to back border guards.

On Thursday, Saudi government officials said the air force had bombed Yemeni rebels, who had seized a border area inside the kingdom, which they said had been recaptured. The officials said at least 40 rebels had been killed in the fighting.

Yemen's government -- which has long dismissed accusations by rebels that it has colluded with Riyadh to combat them -- has denied that Saudi planes had struck across the border.

At least 40 of the rebels surrendered during the air strike in the Jebel Dukhan region, an Al Arabiya correspondent told the Saudi-owned network from the region in a telephone interview, citing unnamed sources.

The reporter added that Saudi aircraft and artillery were still pounding targets.

Aljazeera television quoted a rebel spokesman as saying the Saudi air force had raided six locations inside Yemen.

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday a security officer was killed and 11 were wounded in an attack by gunmen who had crossed the border from Yemen -- the first such reported incursion since the long-running Houthi revolt flared up again in August.

The Shiite rebels, known as Houthis after the family of their leader, have previously accused Saudi Arabia of backing Yemen's armed forces in the conflict. Sana’a had denied this.

The 1,500 km (930 miles) border with Yemen is a security worry for Riyadh, which is building a high-tech border fence to prevent infiltration.

U.S.-allied Arab countries such as mainly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Egypt fear Shiite power Iran could gain influence in Yemen through the Houthis. The rebels deny getting any help from Tehran, which has offered to mediate in the conflict.

Yemen's army launched Operation Scorched Earth in August to crush the rebellion. Aid groups say around 150,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, which first broke out in 2004.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he is unwilling to run for the next presidential elections.

In a televised speech to the Palestinian people, the President said that “I told the members of the PLO Executive and Fatah Central Committees that I am not willing to run for the next presidential elections. This decision is not a sort of bargaining, maneuvering or bidding.”

He added that “We appreciate the US stances regarding settlements and annexation of Jerusalem, but we were surprised that it is biased to the Israeli stance. The problem which needs to be dealt with is the Israeli government which refuses all that [halting settlement activities]. Israel also demands a resumption of negotiations without adhering to any reference.”

He addressed the Israeli government and public by saying: Peace is more important than any political gain of any party.