RIYADH, 17 February 2005 — Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who led the Saudi delegation to the funeral of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, has called for the quick capture of Hariri’s assassins to avoid unpleasant consequences.
Prince Saud emphasized the importance of speedy investigations into Monday’s bomb blast in downtown Beirut that killed Hariri and 16 others. “This is essential to find and punish the culprits to avoid unpleasant consequences,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Prince Saud as saying in the Lebanese capital.
Prince Saud conveyed the condolences of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah to Hariri’s family. “Words fail to express the sorrow and pain felt by Lebanon and its friends as a result of the big loss,” he said.
On Tuesday, speaking to reporters in Riyadh, Prince Saud said the people of Lebanon were capable of ensuring a fair and just investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assassination of Hariri.
He was addressing a joint press conference with his French counterpart Michel Barnier who reiterated the call for an international inquiry “because we want the truth to be disclosed. Lebanese people want this and the international community wants this.”
The press conference, held at the Foreign Ministry, was attended by senior officials of the ministry and members of the French delegation. During the visit, his first visit to the Kingdom and the Gulf as foreign minister, Barnier also discussed bilateral relations and what needed to be done to give them a further boost.
Prince Saud said he discussed with his French counterpart the situation in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon. “Undoubtedly, we also reviewed our distinguished bilateral relations and agreed to push forward with these relations.”
Asked about the French call for an international inquiry into the assassination of Hariri, Prince Saud said Lebanon “is an independent state and its judiciary is independent and we will wait to see what the Lebanese judiciary says on the issue of Hariri’s assassination.”
On his part, the French minister said the letter from President Chirac which he handed over to the Crown Prince reiterates the French desire for enhancing political, economic and cultural relations with the Kingdom. He observed: “As said by Prince Saud, we reviewed together many issues, including those of common interest, since we believe that stability in the Middle East means stability for European countries. This, of course, applies to our views on the core issue of Palestinian-Israeli conflict and our ongoing dialogue with Iran. We hope to get out of Iraq by democratic and peaceful means.”
