HOUSTON, Texas, 29 April — A senior Saudi official yesterday predicted that a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis could be concluded “very quickly” if only Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would return to the negotiating table.
Adel Al-Jubair, foreign policy adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, also told “Fox News Sunday” that the Israeli Cabinet’s decision to accept a US proposal to end the standoff in the Ramallah headquarters of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was promising.
“It’s a great achievement,” he added on CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. “It seems that if the Israeli government could bring itself to take further steps then it would go a long way toward putting the peace process back on the track,” he added.
The crown prince, who is now in the United States, presented an eight-point peace plan to President George W. Bush during their meeting in Texas, last Thursday. The plan included an end to Israeli military action in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, speaking to ABC’s “This Week” program, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said that US plans to depose Saddam Hussein would be unnecessary if the Iraqi president agrees to arms inspections. “If Iraq accepts these inspectors, then we don’t see there is any reason for attacks,” he told the US television.
Prince Saud refuted the accusation as ridiculous that the Kingdom was funding terrorism by providing humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians. Speaking to ABC television, he said Riyadh extended aid to Palestinian families through international relief organizations.
Al-Jubair said Israeli-Palestinian agreement could be swift if the two sides returned to the positions outlined before the talks broke off in September 2000, sparking the violence that has since claimed the lives of at least 1,315 Palestinians and 458 Israelis.
“They were extremely close to an agreement. They can go back, and they can wrap it up very quickly,” Al-Jubair said. “The Palestinians are willing to do so. It’s Prime Minister Sharon who has been unwilling to come to the negotiating table and negotiate seriously,” he added.
Prince Abdullah attended a reception held in his honor by Saudi Aramco in Houston, Texas on Saturday. Houston Mayor Lee Brown underscored the importance of the royal visit and said it would contribute to enhancing the existing friendly relations. The crown prince received a certificate of honorary citizenship from Texas state’s Secretary Geoffrey Canner.
