JEDDAH/BEIRUT, 24 March — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, said yesterday that he presented the new proposals to establish peace in the Middle East to prove that Arabs and Muslims are peace-loving people and not warmongers. “I also thought this peace initiative would be in service of Islam, which is a religion of peace,” he added.
Speaking to prominent personalities, who had participated in the recently-concluded “Symposium on Islam & Dialogue on Civilization” in Riyadh, the crown prince said that circumstances had compelled him to come forward with the peace proposals. “I looked for a solution everywhere. All doors were closed. But the Israeli aggression raged unabated with the Palestinians responding with stones. In view of these circumstances, I presented the peace proposals. I also wanted to test how serious they (Israelis) are,” he added.
Prince Abdullah expressed the hope that the Israelis would be able to live in peace with the Arabs if they accept the peace proposals. He also hoped that the Arab summit scheduled for March 27-28 in Beirut would take up the proposal.
The Saudi leader praised former Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, who was present among the audience, for his efforts in serving Islam. “He was removed from power (premiership) because he spoke up for Islam. They attacked him and stripped him off everything. But in God’s eyes he will definitely find a better position. Unfortunately, such a thing happened in an Islamic country...Turkey. A day will come when they could well regret their actions against Islam,” he said.
Meanwhile, Egyptian government sources yesterday denied a report aired by Al-Jazeera television that President Hosni Mubarak was not attending the summit, and confirmed that Mubarak would attend the summit. Sources in the Lebanese capital said Al-Jazeera had blundered by airing the news without confirmation, adding that it could affect the television’s credibility.
In Damascus, Syrian leaders yesterday held talks here with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on the Palestinian issue and ways to boost Arab solidarity ahead of next week’s Arab summit. Talks between Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hariri focused on the “Arab situation, preparations for the summit and its agenda,” the SANA news agency reported.
Hariri earlier met with Syrian counterpart Muhammad Miro on “ways to boost Arab solidarity, the Palestinian intifada and their right to free their land and establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.” They also discussed the “return of Palestinian refugees to their homes and Israel’s withdrawal from the Golan Heights and the remainder of territories in southern Lebanon,” the news agency said.
