JEDDAH, 3 June 2003 — Saudi Arabia has urged G-8 leaders to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict and eliminate weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East region.
“I emphasize the importance of making serious efforts to end the Arab-Israeli conflict,” Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, told the G-8 summit on Sunday.
“I also draw your attention to an equally important issue, which is the elimination of weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East region,” the crown prince said, addressing the leaders of the United States, Britain, France, Japan, Germany, Canada, Russia and Italy.
Prince Abdullah linked the worsening economic condition in Arab countries to the deteriorating political and economic situation in the Palestinian territories, and the repercussions of the Iraq war.
He noted the Kingdom’s efforts to bring about political and economic reforms in the Arab world. Prince Abdullah himself had presented an initiative to improve the Arab condition at the Arab League summit in Beirut last year.
“We call upon the international community to make efforts to ensure peace and stability by removing the center of tension in the region, especially the Arab-Israeli conflict, by implementing the Middle East road map and the Arab peace plan,” he explained. He commended US President George W. Bush’s initiative to establish a free trade zone with the Middle East within the next 10 years.
“There is no doubt that such initiatives will have a big role in accelerating development plans in the region, in terms of increasing foreign investment, opening markets and reducing unemployment,” he said.
He also commended French President Jacques Chirac for his call for the participation of poor countries in development and for respecting the cultural idiosyncracies of communities.
“There are chronic problems obstructing development in the region. Development requires stability and confidence,” he said.
He also underscored the progress achieved by the international community in combating terror and its financiers.
“But there is more work to be done. Terrorism is a criminal phenomenon. It has no nation or religion. Our stand against it is clear and firm. We condemn all forms of terrorism and support all global efforts to combat it,” he said.
“We have tightened control on donations so that they will not leak into the hands of suspect parties. We are also in the process of enacting legislation stipulating that donations going out of the country be channeled through a single authority, which will work in accordance with regulations ensuring total transparency and clarity,” the crown prince added.
Prince Abdullah emphasized the need to find solutions to such problems as drugs and money laundering, which are closely related to international terrorism.
“We believe that the global fight against terrorism must also be directed against drugs as the success in combating drugs will facilitate the fight against terror,” he said.
In Evian, leaders of G-8 industrial nations expressed confidence their battered economies will bounce back this year and issued a warning to North Korea and Iran over nuclear weapons at their summit yesterday.
“We are confident in the capacity of recovery of our economies,” said French President Jacques Chirac at the Group of Eight summit. Uncertainties linked to the Iraq war had disappeared, oil prices were down as were interest rates, Chirac said, adding: “All conditions have converged to ensure recovery.”
Turning to weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, leaders warned North Korea and Iran on their nuclear programs and said all countries must help fight the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
A G-8 statement said North Korea’s uranium and plutonium programs were a “clear breach of international obligations” and strongly urged Pyongyang “to visibly, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle any nuclear weapons programs.” G-8 leaders voiced worries about “proliferation implications of Iran’s advanced nuclear program.”
“We urge Iran to sign and implement an International Atomic Energy Agency Additional Protocol without delay or conditions,” the G-8 said. Chirac said G8 leaders were hoping that diplomatic efforts would convince Iran to accept rigorous international controls on its program.
In related business, the G8 created a counter-terrorism agency which will provide money, expertise and training for the war on global terror. The Counter-Terrorism Action Group (CTAG) will focus on building political will and coordinating anti-terror assistance, said a statement.
Fears that terrorists could shoot down passenger aircraft with hand-held missiles led the G8 to approve tighter controls of such weapons. Summit leaders also agreed to bolster security of radioactive materials to prevent them from being used by terrorists to build a radiological “dirty bomb.”
