TUNIS, 2 February 2007 — Interior Minister Prince Naif has said that the offer by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to host talks among Palestinian factions showed the Kingdom’s keenness to protect the interests of the Palestinian people.
Prince Naif, who is the honorary president of Arab Interior Ministers’ Council, was speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the 24th annual session of the council in Tunis late Wednesday. The prince said he hoped that the inter-Palestinian talks would achieve harmony and unity among the feuding Palestinian factiuons.
In an unprecedented call on Monday, King Abdullah invited leaders of the warring Palestinian groups for “an emergency meeting in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah in order to discuss issues of dispute without any bias and without any interference from any party.”
King Abdullah expressed his hope that the proposed Makkah meeting would bring about a solution to the conflict.
The king said the Saudi government and people would not stand as mere spectators in the face of the ongoing fighting between the Palestinian factions. He urged the Palestinian factions to settle their differences through dialogue and said their infighting was a shame and tarnished the image of the Palestinian national struggle.
The Arab ministers emphasized their commitment to fighting terrorism and promised unspecified security aid to Iraq and Lebanon. “Referring to the importance of the security challenges which Arab countries face at present the ministers underlined their concern to redouble efforts in the face of terrorism which is at the top of their preoccupations,” said a statement at the end of the meeting.
Ministers from the 16 of the 22 members of the Arab League present endorsed a new protocol in their struggle against terrorism. They also adopted new measures recommended by security forces covering anti-terrorist measures; border, port and airport security; technical steps and tourists’ safety.
Speaking on efforts to tackle the menace of terrorism and extremism, Prince Naif stressed the need for countering them intellectually as well because “military confrontation alone is not enough to contain it.”
The prince urged the media establishments and research centers to conduct studies on the precept that the security efforts alone cannot guarantee success in combating terrorism.
