RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Saturday congratulated US President Barack Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel Al-Jubeir conveyed the greetings of the king and Saudi people to the president. In a statement on the occasion, Al-Jubeir said the world was pinning great hopes on the US president’s continuous efforts to settle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He also praised Obama’s Cairo address to reach out to the Muslim world.
US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James B. Smith said he was delighted over Obama winning the most coveted prize. “We are honored that our new president has been chosen for an award that captures the desire of the world for peace,” he said.
He added: “This desire and vision was first shared by President Obama with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in June and then publicly expressed in his seminal address to the world in Cairo entitled ‘A New Beginning.’”
In that speech, Obama said that the US seeks a new start with the Muslim world that is based on mutual interest and mutual respect — “one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles, principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”
