JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday called for international efforts to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden. The two leaders also discussed the global financial crisis and Middle East peace, during a brief visit by Sarkozy to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
King Abdullah and Sarkozy underscored “the need to reinforce international efforts to preserve shipping security in the Gulf of Aden,” SPA said.
Their call comes a day before the expiry of a $25-million ransom which Somali pirates are demanding for the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star seized two weeks ago.
Sarkozy arrived in Jeddah yesterday for a brief visit to the Kingdom after addressing a UN aid conference in Qatar, where he said EU assistance to poorer countries — pledged at $61 billion this year — would not be sacrificed.
“While we are all facing these growing deficits and rising unemployment, we have decided not to sacrifice the millennium objectives but to fulfill the promises made to you regarding public aid for development,” he said.
