JEDDAH, 14 September 2003 — Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal said yesterday that the Kingdom was extremely distressed by Israel’s threat to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
“If it happens, it will be the height of impudence and interference in the affairs of the Palestinians. It will be the final nail in the coffin of the peace process,” Prince Saud told reporters here. “What they are trying to do is to ring the death knell of the road map and prevent peace from being established in the Middle East... and hopefully this won’t be left unchecked by the international community and the United States in particular,” he added.
The prince also said Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, telephoned the US administration to express his concerns over the potential dangers of Israel’s decision. “It could prove an explosive situation for the region,” he quoted the crown prince as saying.
The foreign minister would not confirm a suggestion that Prince Abdullah’s historic visit to Russia was a sign the Kingdom is trying to forge alternative strategic ties to those with the US.
“We have common interests with Russia, and having good relations with Russia is an incentive on its own,” he said.
“The Kingdom does not strengthen relations with one nation because of another. We believe in having strong ties with all nations, especially those that share common interests with us,” he added.
The minister refused to speculate about the motives behind a foiled assault on him by two Libyans in a Cairo hotel lobby when he was on his way to an Arab League meeting.
“I have nothing to say on the matter except that it is currently under investigation in Egypt,” he said. Asked whether he thought the attack could have been politically motivated, he said: “I hope that is not the case.”
Prince Saud also called for a central role for the United Nations in postwar Iraq to help re-establish security and independent Iraqi rule.
Referring to reports of the Israeli interference in Iraqi affairs, he said the matter was to be tackled by the interim Iraqi government.
He also reiterated Riyadh’s criticism of a US congressional report that implied the Kingdom’s complicity in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on US cities, which Washington blames on Al-Qaeda.
The report was released in July with a section on Saudi Arabia still classified. Washington rejected Saudi requests to declassify it on the grounds it would compromise intelligence.
