Jordan Times
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Saudi King commends bilateral ties
King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia commended the strong relations between Jordan and Saudi Arabia, stressing that
contacts and consultations between him and His Majesty King Abdullah are continuing with a view to realise the interests of
the two countries and the Arab nation.
In an interview with the chief editor of Al Rai Arabic daily, Abdul Wahab Zgheilat, that was published on Wednesday, the
Saudi leader highlighted “the brotherly ties with His Majesty King Abdullah, which are built on mutual trust.”
He stressed that these relations between the two neighbouring Arab countries “are built on the strong basis of blood,
religion and a common shared destiny.”
The Saudi King called for combined efforts to stand up to the dangers and challenges currently facing the Arab world, its
interests and resources.
“Wherever you look, you will find more than one Arab country suffering from serious crises, some of which reach the level
of a civil war. There is the tragic situation in Palestine and the escalating situation between the brotherly Palestinians,
the developments in Iraq and the crisis in Lebanon. There are also dangers facing Sudan and the situation in Somalia,” he
told Al Rai on the eve of his visit to Jordan.
The King stressed that it is the role and the responsibility of Saudi Arabia to address Arab differences and unify ranks,
emphasising that his country is just carrying out its duty and is not vying to take any country’s role when doing so.
“This is our destiny and there is no way but to continue to shoulder our responsibilities towards our nation and we are
fully aware that shirking them will lead to unpleasant results,” said the Saudi leader.
On Palestine, he said the situation between the Palestinian Fateh and Hamas movements, after their Mecca Agreement reached
in February 2007, was promising, however, the situation changed three months later.
He urged the two groups to reconcile their differences and unify their ranks because the present situation “serves the
usurpers of the Palestinian territories, harms the just Palestinian cause immensely and might kill hopes of establishing an
independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
On Iraq, the King said all forms of violence, killing, destruction of houses of worship and targeting the capabilities of
the Iraqi people should stop because all of this does not bode well for the entire region.
He added that the Iraqi people should reach a consensus and place the interest of their country above all other considerations.
The King urged them to overcome sectarian strife, emphasising that Saudi Arabia will continue to support all efforts seeking
to realise a consensus and overcome the current situation.
On Lebanon, the Saudi King stressed his country’s keenness to end the differences between the political powers in the country
and preserve its stability and security.
He said all political powers in Lebanon should realise that there is no way out of the situation except by meeting, talking
and viewing each other as partners not rivals.