Saudi Foreign Minister Stresses Importance of Palestinian Statehood
September 27, 2011
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal delivered a statement issued on Monday to the 66th session United Nations General Assembly in New York in which he stressed the critical nature of ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to Middle East peace. “The Arab-Israeli conflict still predominates and overshadows all issues of the Middle East. No other regional conflict is more influential upon world peace,” he said.
When addressing the necessity of Middle East peace, Prince Saud highlighted the efforts by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to secure peace in the region and the lack of cooperation from the Israelis. “The Arab states have clearly expressed, through the Arab Peace Initiative launched by Saudi Arabia and adopted by the Beirut Arab Summit in 2004, their commitment to achieving just and comprehensive peace based on the rules of international law. However, we were not met by any reciprocal commitment from Israel.”
Throughout his statement Prince Saud reemphasized the strife Palestinians face under Israeli occupation and stressed the lengths the Kingdom has gone, and will continue to go, to protect the Palestinians and ensure that they receive basic life necessities from which they are currently deprived.
Prince Saud concluded his statement calling for an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and asking attending nations to support Palestinian statehood. “As a result of the continued Israeli intransigence and disrupt of the peace process, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls upon all Member States of the United Nations to recognize the Stale of Palestine on the border of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital; and to grant it full membership of the United Nations.”
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الكلمة باللغة العربية
