SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held talks here yesterday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the prospects of establishing a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East that would ensure the formation of an independent Palestinian state.
The Saudi-Egyptian talks also focused on Cairo’s efforts to reconcile Palestinian factions and unify them, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
King Abdullah was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Intelligence Chief Prince Muqrin, Education Minister Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, State Minister Abdul Aziz Al-Khuwaiter, Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf and Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja.
King Abdullah also attended a tripartite summit in Sharm El-Sheikh with Mubarak and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, SPA said, adding that the three leaders discussed a number of vital issues relating to strengthening joint action.
King Abdullah and his delegation returned to Jeddah later in the day. The king’s visit to Sharm El-Sheikh comes two days after Mubarak visited Jeddah and held talks with the monarch on the latest developments in the Palestinian issue. The two leaders stressed the need to revive the Middle East peace process on the basis of the Arab peace initiative.
In a separate development, King Abdullah issued a royal decree yesterday appointing Abdul Mohsen bin Abdul Aziz Al-Tuwaijri assistant deputy commander of the National Guard with the rank of minister.
