JEDDAH, 2 September 2003 — Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, yesterday revealed plans to strengthen military cooperation with Poland.
“A team of Saudi and Polish officials will meet in Riyadh this evening to discuss prospects of cooperation,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after talks with the Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski here, Prince Sultan said Riyadh would soon send a military attache to Warsaw. Poland has already established a military attache in the Kingdom.
Asked about the presence of Polish forces in Iraq, the prince said: “We welcome all countries that help achieve peace in Iraq” but called for a greater UN role in Iraq. “We hope all these (peacekeeping efforts) will come under the umbrella of the United Nations.”
The Polish minister described his talks with Prince Sultan as important and fruitful. “Poland considers Saudi Arabia as an important country in the Middle East... We would like to expand military cooperation with it,” he said.
Szmajdzinski said Prince Sultan had promised to visit Poland shortly.
“Our talks also covered the present situation in Iraq and the need to restore peace and stability there,” he pointed out.
During his meeting with Szmajdzinski earlier, Prince Sultan welcomed the minister to the Kingdom.
“Saudi Arabia is happy to have good relations with Poland at government and private sector levels,” he said.
Szmajdzinski, who is on his first visit to the Kingdom, said Warsaw wanted to increase cooperation between the two countries to further the benefit and progress of both Poles and Saudis.
The meeting was attended by Prince Khaled ibn Sultan, assistant defense and aviation minister for military affairs, Dr. Nizar Madani, assistant foreign minister, and Gen. Saleh Al-Mahya, chief of staff.
The Polish side was represented by the country’s ambassador to Riyadh, the head of national security at the president’s office, and the deputy ministers of foreign affairs and defense.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Prince Naif held talks with the Polish defense minister on issues of mutual concern, the Saudi Press Agency said. The talks were also attended by senior officials including Maj. Gen. Saud ibn Saleh Al-Dawood, acting director of the interior minister’s office for studies and research.
Prince Naif also met with Dr. Essam Ahmad Al-Bashir, the Sudanese minister of guidance and endowments.
