RIYADH, 22 November 2007 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held talks with Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair with the talks centering on the Middle East peace conference to be held in Annapolis, Maryland on Nov. 27. Both hoped the conference would lead to a just and comprehensive peace in the region.
“The meeting discussed international efforts to revive the Middle East peace process, especially the peace conference to be held in Annapolis on Nov. 27, 2007,” the Saudi Press Agency reported after the two leaders met at the king’s Janadriya ranch outside Riyadh.
“They also discussed the possible outcome of the conference — achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region,” SPA said. The talks were attended by senior princes and officials including Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Chief of Intelligence Prince Muqrin.
Bush had spoken to the king by telephone on Tuesday to invite him formally to attend the Annapolis peace summit. Blair arrived in the Saudi capital yesterday from Egypt.
Crown Prince Sultan, on a visit to Moscow, said Saudi Arabia wanted the conference to focus on “core issues, at the forefront of which is the creation of an independent Palestinian state.” He told Russia’s Itar-Tass in an interview that the conference should set a timetable for solving various aspects of the conflict — an apparent reference to peace efforts between Israel and Lebanon and Syria.
