PARIS, 16 April 2005 — Saudi Arabia and France yesterday welcomed Syrian commitment to withdraw its troops from Lebanon as Crown Prince Abdullah disclosed that the remaining Syrian forces would leave the country within a week.
“The withdrawal of Syrian forces is definite and the remaining troops will leave within a week,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the crown prince as telling Arab ambassadors in Paris before leaving for Morocco.
In a joint communiqué issued at the end of Prince Abdullah’s three-day official visit to France, the two countries also offered their full support to restart the Middle East peace process.
They commended the Algiers summit for emphasizing its commitment to the Arab peace initiative, originally proposed by the crown prince.
Prince Abdullah rejected foreign pressure to introduce reforms in Arab countries. “The real reforms come from within the country, not from outside. Every Arab country is treading the reform path. But imposing reform from outside will not be acceptable,” he told the ambassadors.
Prince Abdullah held two rounds of talks with President Jacques Chirac on issues of mutual concern and ways of strengthening bilateral ties. He also met with Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin to discuss major global issues.
“With regard to the situation in Lebanon, the two countries have been informed of Syrian commitment on withdrawal in compliance with Security Council Resolution 1559,” the communiqué said.
Saudi Arabia and France support Lebanon’s independence as well as its security and stability. “We are looking forward to the formation of a Lebanese government in the near future and holding of free and democratic elections within the specified time,” it added.
The two countries expressed their support to the Security Council decision to form an international panel to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and asked the Lebanese authorities to cooperate with the panel to bring out the truth and punish the guilty.
Riyadh and Paris called for the resumption of Mideast peace talks on the basis of UN resolutions and the peace road map that aims to solve the issue by setting up two independent states living side by side in peace and security.
The communiqué emphasized the two countries’ commitment to the security and stability of Iraq and the need to protect its unity and independence. They called for the participation of all Iraqi groups in the political process.
They called for bolstering international cooperation to combat terrorism and its financiers. “They intend to deepen their cooperation in this area within the framework of the United Nations,” the communiqué said.
France commended Saudi Arabia’s moderate oil policy that aims to achieve world market stability and promote world economic growth. “The two sides agreed to strengthen their economic, investment and cultural cooperation within the framework of their strategic relations,” the statement said.
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, thanked Paris for its support to Riyadh’s accession to the World Trade Organization and free trade agreement between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Prince Abdullah was all praise for President Chirac for his understanding and sympathetic stand with regard to Arab and Islamic countries.
He described his talks with Chirac as successful and said that they would serve Arab interests. He stressed the need to strengthen Arab unity, which he felt would resolve all disputes. He denounced Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people. He said he saw improvement in US President George W. Bush’s attitude toward Arab countries.
Chirac yesterday accompanied Prince Abdullah and his accompanying delegation to Orly Airport to see them off. Prince Abdullah later arrived in Casablanca on a private visit.
Earlier yesterday, Prince Abdullah met with Koshiro Matsura, director general of UNESCO, who lauded Saudi Arabia’s support for the organization as well as its progress in the field of education.
He also received Mukhtar Talib, director of the Arab World Institute, and praised the institute’s services in promoting Arab culture and Arab-Western relations. Prince Abdullah donated one million euros to the institute.
