December 8, 2006

DURING HIS MEETING WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER AND SAUDI AMBASSADORS: CROWN PRINCE SULTAN BIN ABDUL AZIZ: OUR MISSION IS PRESTIGIOUS AND WE HAVE TO ACCEPT CRITICISM AND OVERRIDE THE OBSTACLES THAT SERVE INTENTIONS THAT DO NOT CONCERN US. PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL OFFERS HIS THANKS TO THE LEADERSHIP FOR THE ROYAL APPROVAL OF CONVENING THE GENERAL MEETING OF HEADS OF MISSIONS ABROAD. AT THE UN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA RENEWS ITS CALL FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO DISCUSS THE SITUATION IN PALESTINE AND THE REGION. Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, received at his palace in Riyadh Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Saudi ambassadors on the occasion of their periodical meeting in Riyadh. Speaking on the occasion, Prince Saud thanked Crown Prince Sultan for receiving the ambassadors who came to listen to his advice. He cast light on the mission of his ministry abroad, vowing that the ambassadors and other staff would honor the royal confidence bestowed on them. Speaking on behalf of the ambassadors, Dr. Nizar Bin Obeid Madani, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said after having listened to the advice of the custodian of the two holy mosques, the ambassadors need also to come at your audience for further encouragement. He said the ambassadors are keen to take the responsibility of representing the leadership, government and culture of the people while abroad. Addressing the Saudi diplomatic corps, Crown Prince Sultan paid tribute to the experience of Prince Saud Al-Faisal as long-serving leader of the Saudi diplomacy. Crown Prince Sultan also hailed the performance of Saudi ambassadors abroad, wishing them every success in their highly-prestigious mission. The Crown Prince said: "your mission is prestigious and we have to accept criticism and override the obstacles that serve intentions that do not concern us. He reminded them that they represent the cradle of Islam and the religion's most sacred places, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. The audience was attended by Prince Dr. Turki Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Kabeer, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs; Prince Mohammed Bin Faisal Bin Turki, Director General of the European Union Administration at the Foreign Ministry; Prince Khalid Bin Saud Bin Khalid, Director General for Financial and administrative Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Prince Mohammed Bin Saud Bin Khalid, Director General of Information Center at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and senior protocol officials. On the other hand Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister expressed his thanks and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for the royal approval of convening the general meeting of heads of kingdom's missions abroad and for their audience with them. In a speech delivered at the closing session of the meeting in Riyadh, Prince Saud commended the royal directives that will be a way to be pursued by the ministry and missions abroad, noting that the directives included commitment to the great ideals and values of the Islamic religion which call for peace, amicability and enhancement of tolerant and human relations. The King and the Crown Prince also laid stress on serving Saudi citizens abroad, taking care of their interests, assisting them, highlighting the kingdom's civilized and honorable image, being keen on its international reputation and position and enhancing its relations with countries and international organizations in accordance with the kingdom's position at the regional and international arenas. Prince Saud also thanked the chairman of the Shoura Council and ministers for attending the meeting and their valuable contribution which have had the desired positive effects on activating and developing the diplomatic performance. The prince believed that such meetings, that will be periodically held, will contribute to upgrading the performance and efficiency of the Saudi diplomat to achieve the kingdom's interests and to enhance its status and leading role at the international arena. The general meeting of heads of Saudi missions abroad which was held in Riyadh on November 25-29 issued a final statement. It said that upon a royal approval, the Saudi ambassadors held the meeting aiming at activation of contacts between the foreign ministry and Saudi embassies, discussion of all ways to enhance diplomatic action, preservation of the kingdom's interests and care for its citizens abroad in accordance with the royal directives. It noted that Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the foreign minister and the ambassadors had an audience with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz. they listened to the king's directives to be the best ones who represent the kingdom and its great Islamic values abroad, defend its interests, give priority to citizens' service and care for their affairs, defend their interests abroad and enlighten them on the regulations of the countries in which they work. Accompanied by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, the ambassadors had also an audience with Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General who commended the concrete role being played by the kingdom's ambassadors and urged them on exerting more efforts in the service of their religion and homeland, the statement said. It noted that the ambassadors were directed by the speech of the foreign minister as a document, a working program, and a general framework of the meeting. the speech outlined the goals of the meeting aiming to develop levels of diplomatic performance abroad in all political, economic, consular, administrative and financial fields; the service of citizens; and employment of modern technological means to upgrade the service of diplomatic action and training and qualification of diplomatic cadres for raising the standards of performance. The statement indicated that the ambassadors held 25 sessions and held meetings with chairman of Shoura Council; assistant minister of interior for security affairs; ministers of culture and information, petroleum and mineral resources, finance, economy and planning; chairman of general investment authority; assistant chief of general intelligence for operations; undersecretaries of Hajj ministry; and chairman of commerce and industry chambers in the kingdom. During the meetings, they reviewed the kingdom's policy, efforts of concerned governmental bodies and activation of coordination between them and the Saudi embassies in the service of political, economic, and informatics fields. On the other hand the United Nations marked on November 29, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people with urgent calls for re-launching the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, special meetings of the General Assembly and related committees and film shows and exhibitions. The lives of civilians must be preserved at any price, she stressed, adding that only then could dialogue be resumed and a political solution achieved. The Chairman of the Committee of the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Paul Badji introduced a number of draft resolutions on the issues now under consideration by the Assembly. The Chairman of Palestinian Rights Committee said at the International Day of Solidarity that in spite of their frustration, the Palestinian people had reasons for hope, especially because the need to establish a sovereign, democratic, viable and contiguous State of Palestine, living side by side and in peace with a secure Israel, had now become almost universally acknowledged and accepted, the Chairman of the Palestinian Rights Committee said at an observance event held at Headquarters. As representatives of Governments, civil society and other members of the international community expressed the hope that the Palestinians would be able to exercise their inalienable rights, Committee Chairman Paul Badji of Senegal said the Road Map set out by the Middle East Quartet charted the way towards a final peaceful settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. However, determined and robust political action to see the process through was sorely missing. He said the observance held under the auspices of the body formally known as the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People -- provided an opportunity to reiterate the common resolve to advance the cause of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. The Palestinian parliamentary elections had been a major success, laying the groundwork for a future democratic State, in spite of some visible political rivalries. There had also been international efforts to encourage dialogue and negotiations, particularly the recent peace initiative of France, Spain, and Italy, as well as a growing consensus on the need to convene an international conference on the Middle East inspired by the 1991 Madrid Middle East Peace Conference. The Permanent Observer for Palestine read a statement in which Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, noted that this year's observance had greater significance than ever before, due to the progressive steps taken towards the strengthening of the Palestinian political regime through the democratic system. The international community had verified the transparency and honesty of the presidential, legislative and municipal elections, despite their having been held under the most difficult circumstances. For the first time in history, a people under occupation and deprived of their freedom had exercised their democratic rights. In light of the results, the new Government must adhere to legitimacy and to the resolutions to which the Palestine Liberation Organization, the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people, was committed. Justice and logic necessitated that each party must exert all possible efforts to fulfil its obligations and commitments, he said. The Palestinian Authority had exerted its utmost efforts to end all forms of violence against Israel, and had reached a unilateral ceasefire. It called upon Israel to end all its aggressive military actions in order to reach a comprehensive and mutual ceasefire. That would create the right atmosphere and provide the necessary groundwork for the resumption of negotiations and the attainment of a just solution based on signed agreements, the two-State solution and the Road Map adopted under Security Council resolution 1515. The time had come for the convening of an international conference to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict on all tracks, and for the Quartet to play the role of an honest intermediary. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan emphasized that clear majorities of both Palestinians and Israelis wanted a negotiated, two-State solution that would end the occupation, establish an independent State of Palestine, and ensure Israel's security. The leaders of both sides were genuinely committed to lifting their peoples out of decades of pain and uncertainty, and while the parties themselves bore the primary responsibility for finding their way towards peace, the international community could not escape its own responsibility to contribute to such a solution. However, he expressed his profound dismay at the continued elusiveness of a peaceful settlement. While there had been a glimmer of hope that the announced ceasefire in Gaza could give way to a period of calm, both sides must avoid any action that could jeopardize further progress, and the ceasefire should be extended to the West Bank. Israel must exercise maximum restraint and uphold its responsibility to protect Palestinian civilians under international law, and the Palestinian Authority must take credible action to prevent attacks against Israeli civilians and territory. Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa ( Bahrain), President of the General Assembly, said this year's commemoration was taking place against a background of tragic developments on the ground, marked by huge casualties and the deteriorating situation of the Palestinian people inside the Occupied Territory. Both parties to the conflict were invited to redouble their efforts to establish conditions that would lead to dialogue in order to reach a just and permanent solution, in the interests of both peoples. The situation in the Occupied Territory required immediate attention. A recent report pointed to the great difficulties suffered by the Palestinian people, who were far from fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals, she said. Among those difficulties was an unemployment rate of 34 per cent in the Occupied Territory in general and 44 per cent in the Gaza Strip. Poverty had reached almost 50 per cent in general and 70 per cent in the Gaza Strip. The World Health Organization had pointed out an acute scarcity of safe drinking water, which reflected negatively on the health of the population, she said. There were also electric power shortages. The highest purpose of the United Nations was to stand in solidarity with the peoples of the world and to make their lives more peaceful and prosperous. Other speakers included the President of the Security Council and the Chairman of the General Assembly's Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories. Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, reading out a message from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, noted that, since the Territory's partition, the majority of Palestinians had been living as refugees in their own homeland, in neighbouring countries or in the Diaspora. The rest of the Palestinian people were still living under a colonial occupation that continued to devour their land through the construction of the apartheid wall, the erection of colonial settlements and the isolation of East Jerusalem by surrounding walls. The General Assembly resolution designating each 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was a forthright call to enable them to attain their national right to self-determination and to establish their own independent State. He said the noble and humanitarian principles of the United Nations were the "shores of safety", where every weak nation or State hoped to find sanctuary from the powerful who sought domination. Accordingly, it was natural for a people like the Palestinians to continue to look up to the Organization to attain their national rights. Regrettably, the innumerable United Nations recommendations were not implemented, the obstacle having always been Israel's refusal to comply, encouraged by the veto power that prevented the Security Council from adopting resolutions. Thus, a message of double standards was sent out. This year, the commemoration had more significance than ever before, due to the progressive steps taken towards the strengthening of the Palestinian political regime through the democratic system, he said. The international community had verified the transparency and honesty of the presidential, legislative and municipal elections, despite their having been held under the most difficult circumstances. For the first time in history, a people under occupation and deprived of their freedom had exercised their democratic rights. In light of the results, the new Government must adhere to legitimacy and to the resolutions to which the Palestine Liberation Organization, the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people, was committed. He said those were Palestinian and international commitments and resolutions, which constituted the basis for a just peace, despite the fact that, prior to the elections, the Israeli Government had declared 14 points of reservation regarding the Road Map, denied the existence of a Palestinian partner, and chosen a "unilateral solution". In addition to their suffering, the Palestinian people had been subjected to a financial and economic siege, which had exacerbated poverty to an unprecedented level. That had been accompanied by continued daily aggression by the Israeli occupying forces, manifested in killings, the destruction of houses and the bulldozing of agricultural lands. The number of Palestinians killed since September 2000 exceeded 4,300 people, about a third of them children. Since June this year, more than 510 people had been killed, most recently in the Beit Hanoun massacre of 8 November. Justice and logic necessitated that each party must exert all possible efforts to fulfil its obligations and commitments, he said. The Palestinian Authority had exerted its utmost efforts to end all forms of violence against Israel, and had reached a unilateral ceasefire. It called upon Israel to end all its aggressive military actions in order to reach a comprehensive and mutual ceasefire. That would create the right atmosphere and provide the necessary groundwork for the resumption of negotiations and the attainment of a just solution based on signed agreements, the two-State solution and the Road Map adopted under Security Council resolution 1515. The time had come for the convening of an international conference to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict on all tracks, and for the Quartet to play the role of an honest intermediary. Yahya A. Mahmassani, Permanent Observer for the League of Arab States to the United Nations, speaking on behalf of Secretary-General Amre Moussa, noted the unprecedented deterioration in the situation of the Palestinian people. The Israelis were continuing their military aggression and flagrantly violating international humanitarian law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel's actions in Beit Hanoun had elicited anger, and in recent months it had caused hundreds of deaths and injuries to Palestinian civilians, including many women and children. Israel also carried out the systematic destruction of Palestinian infrastructure, closure of crossing points and collective sanctions against towns and villages. In short, it had transformed the Occupied Territory into a prison, denying Palestinians the right to a stable, secure and dignified life. Noting Israel's detention of Palestinian officials and Legislative Council members, he said those actions were intended to paralyze the democratically elected Government. Arab funds had been offered to help the Palestinians deal with the embargo on assistance, and the Arab League considered as positive the European Union's temporary mechanism to alleviate suffering. However, the situation had been made worse by the economic blockade and by Israel's failure to transfer revenues to the Palestinian Authority, which had left 160,000 Government servants without a salary for months. The result had been a drop in services provided by the Palestinian Authority, especially health care and education. Criticizing Israel's insistence that it lacked a Palestinian partner, he said that, in reality, it was attempting to impose an Israeli peace through such actions as its expansion of settlements and construction of a racist separation wall, which impeded Arab and international attempts to re-launch the peace process. The Arab League had spoken with one voice in favour of an effort to re-launch the peace process under the direct auspices of the Security Council as the body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. It had also expressed discontent with the Council's role in dealing with the conflict and criticized the use of the veto by the United States. There was a need to convene an international conference in which Arabs and Israelis could participate, alongside the permanent Council members, in order to breathe new life into the Middle East peace process. Farouk Kaddoumi, Head of the Political Department, Palestine Liberation Organization, expressed his gratitude for the Committee's continuing efforts on behalf of Palestine and the Palestinian people's struggle to attain their inalienable rights, including that of returning to their homes and establishing an independent State. He was also grateful to Heads of State and Government, as well as international organizations that had shown their support for the Palestinian people and to all friends of Palestine who had participated in the observance and sent letters of solidarity. Also speaking were the representatives of Cuba (on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement), United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia, Kuwait, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Yousef S.M. Algahrah from the Saudi Arabian permanent delegation, reaffirmed the Kingdom's solidarity with the Palestinian people, rejected the actions of all those who purported to be working towards a comprehensive settlement, but were actually trying to redraw well-established maps and sow discord. The Israeli Government was able to continue its hostile practices and exercise its disdain for international law, particularly the Geneva Conventions, because of the passivity of the international community and the Security Council. Israel's claim that it had withdrawn from the Gaza Strip was a rouse, as was its claim of support for the principles of the Road Map and the Arab Peace initiative. He said that Israel's recalcitrance and arrogance had shaken the international community's faith in the organizations that were supposed to be working for peace in the Middle East. The international community must play its role. Pressure must be brought to bear on Israel, so that United Nations resolutions were implemented and respected. The King of Saudi Arabia had invited all parties to discuss peace and to search for ways to end the terrorism exercised by Israel, which appeared to have no limits. Turning to the situation in Lebanon, he called on all parties in that country to work to ensure unity and to reject all terrorist acts, which threatened to destabilize the country. Saudi Arabia also regretted all acts of violence in Iraq, due to matters of religion, faith or religious intolerance and called on all parties to work for unity and to stop any actions that might inflame the situation. At the same time, he reiterated the importance of the State's sovereignty and integrity, as well as the need to preserve and promote the "Iraqi identity". Future initiatives on Iraq must be internally developed and driven, he added. In Amman, the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states a joint meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdulilah Al-Khatib, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abu Al-Gheit and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the fringes of the regional future forum due to be held at the dead sea region. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the foreign minister of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia headed the kingdom's delegation to the meeting. The meeting discussed the latest developments in the region, peace process in the Middle East, Iranian nuclear file, situations in the Palestinian territories and latest developments at the regional and international arenas. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the foreign minister of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia arrived in Amman at the head of the Saudi delegation to attend the meetings of the 3rd Ministerial Council of the Forum of the Future. At Amman airport, Prince Saud was received by Jordan's Foreign Minister Abdulilah Al-Khatib, Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Abdul Rahman Bin Nasser Al-Ohali and a number of officials. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister and Head of the Saudi delegation to the meetings of international future forum held in the dead sea area in central Jordan, met on the sidelines of the forum with foreign ministers of Germany, Spain, Denmark, Britain, the Chief of EU foreign policy and Arab League Secretary General, who were participating in the meetings of the forum. During the meetings, agenda items and issues of common interest were discussed. Later, Prince Saud Al-Faisal left Amman after participating in the forum meetings which began in the dead sea area. At the opening of the international forum to help encourage democracy efforts in the region, Jordan's Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit said Prolonged Middle East conflicts threaten regional reforms, «Our region is burdened with tensions and several crisis and the prolongation of these crisis without rapid and just solution will slowdown reforms efforts,» al-Bakhit said in the Forum for the Future conference held at Jordan's Dead Sea. Al-Bakhit also stressed that the Palestinian-Israeli crisis was the core problem facing Middle Eastern countries. «The crisis in Iraq, Lebanon and other areas and the escalation of terrorism are side effects to the Palestinian problem,» he said. «Solving justly the Palestinian issue would take away the breeding ground from under the extremist control.» The Forum, sponsored by Jordan and Russia, is aimed at helping countries and organizations to develop political, economic and social reforms, the Associated Press reported. Foreign ministers from the G-8 group of industrialized nations _ the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia _ as well as their Arab, Muslim and other European counterparts attended Friday's meetings. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, who met Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to renew the long-stalled peace process, also was at the conference. Rice also met with foreign ministers from Jordan, Egypt and Gulf countries at the forum to «discuss and outline an Arab position focusing on the centrality of the Palestinian issue.» President of the Third Forum for the Future, Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib stressed that the intensive political activity carried by His Majesty King Abdullah II during the past days and holding the forum stress the necessity of facing great regional challenges. Khatib stressed, in a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the importance of uniting efforts to face such challenges on the regional and international levels. As for the Palestinian issue, Khatib stressed that the Palestinian issue is the core issue in the Middle East conflict, noting to the importance of achieving tangible progress on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Russian Minister said that his country is against sanctions on Iran, stressing the importance of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, stressing importance of all countries to cooperate with IAEA. Answering a question on the Arab-Israeli conflict, Lavrov said that his country is concerned on implementing the international resolutions regarding this issue, especially the roadmap plan, pointing that this plan needs to handle the Jerusalem and refugees issues in the negotiations of the final situation. Deliberations of the Third Forum for the Future concluded at the King Hussein Convention Center at the Dead Sea shores. Conferee stressed their desire to continue cooperation to achieve goals of this important dialogue and partnership. They also stressed importance for internal reform, noting to the responsibility of national governments to shoulder main responsibility in supporting agendas of reform. They also stressed support for finding a just and comprehensive solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict according to the peace process and UN Security Council resolutions, welcoming the agreement between Israel and the PNA to ceasefire. They voiced support for importance of woman empowerment in MENA, expressing worry over the devastating situation in Iraq. British Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett said that the Third Forum for the Future is a chance for the different civil society institutions to create partnership and exchange views and dialogue. In press statement on the sidelines of the forum, Beckett described the forum as a distinguished meeting, which discusses main issues, such as culture, education and peace opportunities in addition to more economic and social opportunities. She stressed that her government will continue to support Palestinians, peace and stability in Lebanon, noting to the importance of Syria's involvement in the regional peace process. In Scranton University, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi ambassador to the US, has underscored the importance of more international cooperation for enhancing the pillars of the global peace. 'The kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its partners in the international community will continue to work for realizing this mission', he said while speaking at Scranton University. Citing the current dangers in the Middle East, he said these dangers include the continuation of the Israeli occupation, humiliation of the Palestinians and denying them their rights, identity and homeland. 'In addition, there is the international anxiety over the Iranian nuclear program as well as the sufferings of the Iraqi people', he added. Prince Turki hailed the existing cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the US in the field of fighting terrorism. 'The kingdom has been advocating realization of peace and stability in the middle east', he said, adding nothing can justify the failure to make the middle east a prosperous region as it was in the past. He pointed out to the assistance extended by Saudi Arabia to Iraq and Lebanon, and its support to the efforts of the Arab League in Iraq, and said the solution of the Iraqi problem should only come from the Iraqis themselves and their leadership. Prince Turki said it is high time to draw a comprehensive strategy for tackling the roots of the Middle East problem, represented by the Palestinian Israeli dispute which has been undermining the global stability. He noted that terrorists have been exploiting this dispute to justify their evil deeds and recruiting supporters. 'The Palestinians have been for a long time suffering from injustice and denial of human and national rights', he said. Prince Turki said just and durable peace in the Middle East could be realized through diplomatic negotiations and building confidence between the parties of the dispute. He underlined the importance of carrying out the Arab Peace Initiative and the road map for bringing about peace in the region. Mayor of Scranton Kreis Doharti awarded Prince Turki an honorary citizenship certificate. Meanwhile, a dinner party hosted by the president of Scranton University in honour of Prince Turki, was attended by the mayor of the city as well as members of the academic staff and a number of dignitaries in the city.