JEDDAH, 24 October 2007 — Crown Prince Sultan said yesterday that the coming US-sponsored Middle East peace summit should tackle core issues of the Arab-Israeli conflict and ensure total Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories.
“The conference should also reach a final solution to the conflict within a timeframe, enabling the Palestinian people to receive their legitimate rights guaranteed by international charters, agreements and resolutions,” the prince said.
In an interview with Kuwait’s Al-Rai Arabic newspaper, on the eve of his visit to the country, Prince Sultan said the Arab side has already reaffirmed its commitment to peace by endorsing the peace proposal made by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah when he was crown prince.
The proposal, known as the Arab Peace Initiative, was relaunched at the Arab League summit in Riyadh earlier this year. “Israel must prove its serious desire for peace by stopping its aggressive practices and oppressive measures against the Palestinians and by complying with UN resolutions,” the prince said.
Asked whether the Palestinians would be able to run their own state in view of the infighting, Sultan said the international community must support the Palestinians in establishing an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. “I am sure that Palestinians are capable of running their state and manage the affairs of their citizens,” the prince said.
In a wide-ranging interview that also dealt with domestic reforms, the fight against terrorism, privatization and GCC relations, Prince Sultan said Saudi Arabia would not allow any Saudi militant to travel to Iraq to fight alongside resistance groups against the US-led occupation forces. “If some Saudis are found in Iraq, they might have gone through entry points other than those along the borders of the two countries,” the crown prince said. He also said that the contract for building a fence along the Saudi-Iraqi border would be awarded very soon.
Sultan reiterated Saudi Arabia’s determination to flush out terrorists from the country and commended the Saudi security forces for their pre-emptive operations to crush Al-Qaeda militants. He also called for global efforts to eradicate terrorist ideology from people’s minds.
The crown prince said the government would continue its political and economic reforms. “The issuance of the executive bylaw of the Succession Law, the new Judiciary Law and the Court of Grievances Law reflects the king’s determination to develop the state’s institutions and preserve the state’s stability and cultural achievements,” he said.
Sultan said King Abdullah had given top priority to education and the employment of young Saudi men and women. “The government has allocated SR4 billion to establish technical colleges and vocational training institutions for both men and women.” Under the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, he said, more than 35,000 would receive support for pursuing their higher studies within the Kingdom and abroad.
He said the Kingdom was making steady progress in its privatization program, which aims at citizens participating in public institutions and projects. “We are not looking at the speed of the privatization train but at its safe arrival at the station of success.”
Sultan also spoke about Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West and emphasized the need for keeping the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction. “We urge all countries in the region to respect all international resolutions that impose controls on nuclear programs,” he said and hoped the standoff would end peacefully.
