PARIS, 21 July 2006 — Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, criticized Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon that has killed hundreds.
“We cannot let Israel pursue its actions,” the crown prince told reporters yesterday following a meeting with French President Jacques Chirac at the Elysee Palace. “We cannot tolerate that Israel plays with the lives of citizens, civilians, women, old people and children,” Prince Sultan added.
The crown prince reiterated his country’s support for an international peacekeeping presence separating Israel and Lebanon.
Following a meeting with French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal criticized Israel’s heavy-handed actions against the Lebanese people.
“The Lebanese crisis today has reminded us of the arrogance which characterizes Israel’s policies toward its Arab neighbors,” he said to the press. “An entire country has been destroyed as a result of the capture of two soldiers.”
In the crown prince’s second meeting with the French president, the two leaders discussed the international effort to stop the hostilities against the Lebanese people. Prince Saud, Economy and Planning Minister Khaled Al-Gosaibi and French Defense Minister Michele Alliot Marie attended the meeting.
The Saudi delegation and its French hosts also agreed on exploring the horizons of cooperation between the two countries.
The official announcement of the visit said the meetings “will permit the evocation of questions of a regional and international nature, in particular the situation in Lebanon, the Middle East and Iraq, as well as Iran. On the level of bilateral relations, the different political, civil and military aspects (of our relations) will be examined, as well as those of an economic nature. We desire to reinforce our cooperation in all these domains at a time when the Kingdom engages itself in a process of economic and social reforms.”
