Saudis say will attend Mideast peace conference
Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal says kingdom supports and will attend US sponsored peace conference scheduled for later this year
“We are interested in the peace conference,” said Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal at a joint press briefing with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
“When we get an invitation from the minister (Rice) to attend, when this takes place, we will discuss it and we will make sure that we attend” the conference, al-Faisal said.
Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and its presence at a peace conference with the Jewish State would be a diplomatic breakthrough. Al-Faisal also said Saudi Arabia would reopen an embassy in Iraq and continue to support US efforts to pacify the country. He said the timing for the reopening was secret. Saudi Arabia has not had an embassy in Baghdad since the first Gulf War in 1990.
“We expressed our hope (to Rice) that we will work closely with Iraq regarding security aspects, especially terrorism,” the foreign minister said. A regional heavyweight and a top US-ally, Saudi Arabia has been blamed for not being supportive enough of American efforts in Iraq.
The foreign minister insisted his country was supportive of the Iraqi government.
“As an indication of our good intentions, we let their (soccer) team win,” Al-Faisal said, referring to Iraq’s soccer victory over Saudi Arabia in the final of the Asia Cup earlier this week.
Sources in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office welcomed the Saudi announcement saying "this is an important development. The prime minister has said before that he is looking forward to the moderate Arab nations to join the (peace) process.
"Saudi Arabia is an important, pragmatic power… we need more moderate Arab nations to show their support for Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas).
"This is the beginning of the creation of a moderate counter power to the axis of evil, headed by Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hizbullah," added the sources.
"This sends and important step in the evolution of the Middle East dialogue. The prime minister has gone to great lengths to make this happen, and we hope to see his efforts materialness."
