JEDDAH, 28 June — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, will visit France today for talks with President Jacques Chirac on strengthening bilateral relations and Middle East peace. He will then go to Alexandria on Monday to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
A Royal Court announcement said Prince Abdullah would be on a private visit to France from today to Monday. “The crown prince will visit Egypt at the invitation of President Hosni Mubarak from Monday to Wednesday,” it added.
The crown prince, who has been in Casablanca on a private visit after a four-nation tour, is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Paris for talks on proposals to end nine-months of Israeli violence against Palestinians.
Powell, who began his Middle East tour yesterday meeting President Mubarak in Alexandria, has played down expectations of what he could achieve during the trip, his second to the region in four months.
Prince Abdullah brought the Palestinian issue to world focus during his four-nation trip which took him to Syria, Germany, Sweden and Morocco.
In an interview with Der Spiegel, the crown prince warned that the Middle East is on the verge of another war, saying “we are all sitting on a powder keg which can explode at any time.” On Monday, in an interview with London’s Financial Times, the Saudi leader blasted Washington’s one-sided support to Israel and called for a more effective and balanced US and European role to achieve a just and lasting Middle East peace settlement. He also urged an international force to monitor the cease-fire between Palestinians and Israel.
