RIYADH, 9 January 2005 — Crown Prince Abdullah held wide-ranging talks with former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, who is leading a delegation to a tripartite meeting of officials from Saudi Arabia, Japan and Egypt here. On behalf of the Kingdom, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who co-chaired the “Japan-Arab Dialogue”, said that this meeting will “substantially contribute to the cause of peace and prosperity in the Arab world”.
The talks with Prince Abdullah at Al-Yamama Palace focused on a host of bilateral, regional and international issues, while the Japan-Arab dialogue to be continued today sought to address growing concerns about safety and security of the region at a time when Palestinian presidential election takes place today and the Iraqi National Assembly elections are scheduled for Jan. 30. These two events are directly linked to the peace and stability of the Middle East region.
The three countries taking part in the dialogue renewed their pledge to curb terrorism, share information on the issue of reforms and vowed to boost political, economic, social and cultural links. Reconstruction assistance to Iraq, the Middle East peace process and socio-economic development of the Arab world topped the agenda of the dialogue at the opening session.
Referring to the contributions made by the Japan-Arab dialogue, Prince Saud said that “joint efforts are required to face challenges facing our nations”. He called on the partner countries to give a practical shape to the ideas and objectives discussed during the last two sessions of Japan-Arab Dialogue, which are based on the vision set forth during the visit of Crown Prince Abdullah to Japan a few years ago.
In his opening address, Hashimoto also stressed the urgent need to restore normality to the Middle East. He said that “this meeting seeks to discuss the Middle East peace process in addition to the issue of nation building in Iraq.”
