NEW YORK, 18 September 2005 — Crown Prince Sultan yesterday demanded Israel withdraw from more occupied Arab territories after its Gaza pullout, indicating there can be no change in the collective Arab stand on Israel unless occupation ends.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Prince Sultan said Arabs had reiterated their commitment to a just and lasting peace through the Arab peace plan, initiated by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and endorsed by Arab leaders in their Beirut summit in 2002.
“We have followed the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza very closely,” he said. “This withdrawal should be followed by further withdrawals from the Palestinian and Arab territories occupied since 1967, and lead to the realization of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Saudi Arabia’s position on the 57-year-old Arab-Israeli conflict is significant for Israel to be accepted by Arab states and the Islamic world. The Kingdom is the Arab world’s economic powerhouse and is home to Islam’s two holiest mosques. Islam’s third-holiest mosque, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is in the old city of Jerusalem.
The Arab peace plan calls for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which would all be part of an independent Palestinian state. The Arabs also demand Israel give up the Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria.
In return for Israel surrendering the territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war, Arab states have said they will offer the Jewish state normal relations and peace. But Israel has so far rejected the peace plan.
During the interview, the crown prince dismissed as a “wrong notion” that there was discrimination against women in Saudi Arabia. “We are fighting for women’s rights,” he told the news agency, adding that under Islam women should be respected.
On the issue of UN reform, the crown prince expressed support in his written remarks for reforming the Security Council, expanding its membership and improving its effectiveness in preserving international peace and security.
On Iraq, Prince Sultan expressed hope that the country would be able to overcome its differences. He stressed Iraq’s links to the Arab world, ties which Iraq’s minority Sunni Arabs have sought. “The most important thing is Iraq’s unity and Arab identity, as well as the preservation of its sovereignty, stability and territorial integrity and guaranteed rights for all Iraqis, regardless of sect or political affiliation,” he said.
There are concerns among Arabs that a US-backed Iraq might break away from the rest of the Arab world and that continued violence and political disputes could lead to civil war and the breakup of the country.
