RIYADH, 4 February 2003 — Saudi Arabia yesterday called on Baghdad to cooperate fully with UN arms inspectors in order to find a peaceful solution to the standoff with the United States and avert a potentially devastating war.
The Council of Ministers, chaired by Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, also urged all parties to find a peaceful solution to the crisis to safeguard the security and peace of the region.
“The Cabinet hopes that the Iraqi government will cooperate fully with international (arms) inspectors in order to find a peaceful solution that would avert war,” Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy said, quoting a Cabinet statement.
The statement said that Prince Abdullah briefed ministers on the Kingdom’s “continued efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis.” The prince voiced the “Kingdom’s concern to spare Iraq the war and safeguard the security of its people and its territorial integrity.”
Riyadh, Washington’s main ally in the Gulf, has so far resisted US pressure to take part in a war against Baghdad and has insisted that the crisis should be resolved by peaceful means.
Al-Farsy said the Cabinet meeting also reviewed the tragic situation of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. The meeting urged the international community to put an end to the Palestinian tragedy.
The Cabinet meeting approved alteration of Article 26 of the National Company for Cooperative Insurance’s (NCCI) bylaw. Following the change, a person holding 20 shares will have the right to participate in the company’s general assembly meeting.
