RIYADH, 1 Nobember — British Prime Minister Tony Blair held talks here yesterday with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and renewed his call for a viable Palestinian state. He also commended the Kingdom’s support for the ongoing war against terrorism.
King Fahd and Blair discussed the latest global developments, especially the present situation in Afghanistan and the Middle East peace, the Saudi Press Agency said. The talks were attended by Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, and other top officials.
The Saudi crown prince and the British premier later held a separate meeting and stressed the importance of “finding a quick solution” to the Palestinian issue, leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“The two leaders also discussed ways of strengthening bilateral ties and the ongoing international efforts to fight terrorism,” the SPA said. Speaking to reporters, Blair said that he had reached an agreement with Saudi leaders to work for a broad based government in a reconstructed Afghanistan. Blair described his talks with King Fahd as “very interesting”.
Blair told a press conference: “I have had discussions about the need to make sure that in reconstructing Afghanistan we have as broad based a government as possible, and we agreed to make sure that in the future there is a government for Afghanistan that includes all the main groups.”
“They (the Saudis) are very much part of the international coalition against terrorism,” Blair stressed, adding that strong political and economic links existed between Saudi Arabia and Britain.
On the tensions in the Middle East, the prime minister said: “It’s vital that we restart the peace process on the basis that there is security for Israel, and justice and equality of treatment for the Palestinians”.
Addressing the Saudi Shoura Council, he stressed that the war in Afghanistan was not against Islam but part of a fight against terrorists. “This is a struggle between the forces of order and those of anarchy, and the latter cannot be allowed to prevail,” he told a closed session of the 120-member council. “Terrorism puts at risk the lives and economic well-being of people in countries all over the world,” said the prime minister.
During their debate with Blair, the Shoura members highlighted the suffering of Palestinian people under the oppressive rule of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon. Then Blair said peace would never be achieved without talks. Referring to the US-led bombings on Afghanistan, Blair said: “People want us to do everything we can to minimize civilian casualties in the action we take. And we do.” Blair arrived in Riyadh from Syria, where President Bashar Assad criticized the US military action, which he said, was killing hundreds of civilians. Saudi officials have said that they back the global fight against “terrorism” but want the air strikes against Afghanistan concluded swiftly.
