JEDDAH, 5 March — The 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference yesterday threw its weight behind the Kingdom’s proposal for peace in the Middle East and urged the United States to do the same. The peace plan proposed by Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, was “an initiative geared toward the achievement of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East,” OIC chief Abdelouahed Belkeziz said in a statement.
The plan had “ample chances of success, particularly after the international and regional support it has met with,” Belkeziz said. But he added that the “key role lies in the hands of the United States, which needs to throw in its weight to realize the move’s objectives.” It was also “incumbent upon Israel to rise to the occasion and respond to this initiative without obfuscation, particularly as this initiative has earned the support of the Islamic states.”
Prince Abdullah announced on Feb. 17 that he supported full Arab ties with Israel in exchange for a complete withdrawal by the Jewish state from territories occupied in the 1967 Middle East war. He intends to put his proposals to the Arab summit scheduled to open in Beirut on March 27 and to turn them into an Arab peace plan.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa held talks in Jeddah yesterday with the crown prince. Talks focused on “Prince Abdullah’s ideas for peace in the Middle East” as well as the latest Arab and international developments.
Syrian President Bashar Assad was scheduled to visit the Kingdom today for talks with Saudi leaders on the peace plan. Bashar called on Sunday for a peace based on all UN resolutions, including the right of return of Palestinian refugees.
At the United Nations, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Saudi proposals were useful to end the Arab-Israeli conflict. “When the killing is going on, it is even more urgent to intensify the search for peace. The crown prince’s ideas are still very useful and should be pursued,” he added. “What is happening should not detract us from the search for a durable solution and the attempt to bring the parties to the table.”
Algeria also announced its support for the Saudi peace plan yesterday. “We welcome this peace initiative which has already received the backing of a large number of world leaders. We hope it will put an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people,” Abdelaziz Belkhadim, Algeria’s state minister for foreign affairs, said.
In a related development, the Kingdom’s popular committee for the support of Palestinian Mujahedeen yesterday transferred SR3.46 million to the Palestinian Liberation Organization, according to Abdul Raheem Jamoos, director of the committee’s office in Riyadh. Jamoos underscored Riyadh’s moral, political and material support for the Palestinians in order to enable them to restore their legitimate rights.
