RIYADH, 3 April 2007 — The Kingdom could be a major player in the Middle East peace process, said Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Ugo Intini yesterday.
Intini, who made a brief stopover in the capital on his way to Baghdad, spoke to newsmen at the Italian Embassy before meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Turki Mohamed Al-Kabeer.
“I have come here to discuss the recent regional developments with particular focus on the current crisis in Iraq,” said Intini, pointing out that he chose to meet with Saudi officials since the Kingdom is a key player in the region.
Intini praised Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s peace initiative and also praised the king for his efforts to engage Iran. He warned that problems in Iraq, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Iran and Syria could lead to serious consequences in the region. Intini said that a multilateral approach supported by the Saudi leadership for a negotiated settlement to the Middle East crisis would be the ideal solution.
“A multilateral approach supported with soft diplomacy and clear comprehension of ground situation will pave the way for peace in the region,” he said.
The deputy minister said he was happy to see the EU’s role to help end Israel’s war with Lebanon last summer.
“But it must be clear that Lebanon is not the main problem,” he said. “The main problem of the Middle East is the Palestinian issue. Palestine is the mother of all the crises in the Middle East. The crisis in Lebanon is linked to Palestine. The crisis in Palestine is linked to Iraq. The crisis in Iraq is linked to Afghanistan and Palestine as a chain is linked to other countries in the region. Therefore we have to involve all regional countries in the peace process.”
He called the Israeli response to the Saudi initiative as an important development in the Middle East. “To achieve peace, we need strong governments in Palestine and Israel supported by firm conviction from the United States,” he said.
