RIYADH, 16 March 2003 — Saudi Arabia yesterday welcomed Washington’s move to kick-start the Middle East peace process but said swift and concrete steps were still required to end the deadlock.
US President George W. Bush said on Friday he would unveil a long-delayed peace plan when a new Palestinian prime minister with “real authority” takes office, hoping to deflect Arab and European criticism of US policy ahead of a possible war on Iraq.
“While the Kingdom welcomes these confirmations, it stresses the need for swift action to start implementing the road map and the provisions of the Arab peace initiative,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted an official as saying.
“The Kingdom calls for concrete and effective measures to activate the peace process and end the deadlock,” he said.
The Kingdom also urged an end to the continued Israeli aggressions against the defenseless Palestinian people, a halt to Israeli settlement activity in occupied Arab land and establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The official also said that the Kingdom was following up with great interest the assurances given by British Prime Minister Tony Blair that his country was committed to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by 2005.
Bahrain also reacted positively to Bush’s announcement. An official spokesman said Manama wanted London and Washington “to continue to sponsor the peace process in order to assure the security and stability of the region and to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
A Palestinian official said yesterday that the Palestinian Authority is moving fast to appoint a new prime minister.
“The creation of the post of prime minister is being carried out in an expeditious manner,” Palestinian Cabinet member Saeb Erekat said.
The Palestinian Parliament will vote tomorrow on a bill defining the powers of the prime minister, Erekat added.
If approved, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat would ratify the bill and then officially ask Mahmoud Abbas, widely known as Abu Mazen, to be prime minister and form a new Palestinian Cabinet.
Condoleezza Rice, Bush’s national security adviser, said in an interview that once he is sworn in, the new prime minister may be invited to the White House to meet with Bush.
