RIYADH, 30 November 2005 — Crown Prince Sultan, who held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari here yesterday, called upon the Iraqi people to stand together in the face of the trying times they are going through.
“We love the Iraqi people and hope they will stand united for the betterment of their country and to protect it from all evil,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the crown prince as saying.
Jaafari had earlier met with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and discussed with him the current developments in Iraq. He thanked the king for his efforts to bolster Iraq’s unity.
Prince Sultan said the Iraqi government is capable of restoring the country’s security and stability. He described Iraq’s new political experiment as a difficult one but hoped that the Iraqis would be able to overcome all difficulties.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Prince Sultan, Jaafari said his visit to the Kingdom was aimed at strengthening the deep-rooted relations between the two Arab neighbors.
He commended the Kingdom’s “noble support” of Iraq at difficult times. “I have visited the Kingdom in 1991 while I was in the opposition and several times after the fall of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein,” he said.
He said terrorism was the common enemy of both Saudi Arabia and Iraq. He said the joint stand of the Kingdom and Iraq would have great impact on the Arab and Islamic worlds.
He said he had explained to King Abdullah and Prince Sultan the present situation in his country. “We discussed the political situation and experiment in Iraq, its future and present security developments,” he said.
Jaafari said the talks also focused on strengthening trade relations between the two countries. He appreciated the understanding shown by Saudi officials during talks.
