Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Foreign Minister, headed the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the high-level meeting on the rule of law at national and international arenas held at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York yesterday at the start of the meetings of the 67th session of U.N. General Assembly. Addressing the meeting, the Prince stressed the commitment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the rule of law in compatible with the form sets by United Nations Charter, also emphasizing that this Charter which stipulates the importance of freedom, sovereignty, and justice for all people shall remain in mind during our efforts to create a bright future for our generations. He pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded on the teachings of Islamic religion and Sharia, which is the basis of justice, as well as the Prophet's Sunnah, noting that these principles include various forms of human cooperation and harmony and that based on these principles, the Kingdom has its law and governance. The Prince said, 'We come from different cultures and represent various religions and concepts which may seem as contradictory and non-compatible, but in fact they are in harmony and our goal is united to create a world in which we abandon intolerance and differences to live in lasting security and peace, pointing out that the Islamic legal thought is consistent in its origins with the concept of the rule of law. Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz said, 'The principles of Islamic Sharia that govern the Kingdom are a model for a complete and integrated law, based on the principles of Shura (Consultation), justice, equality and dignity. In Sharia, there is no room to differentiate between people because of their colors, races, and languages. Sharia orders the respect for human rights which in Islam include civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. The importance of human rights in Islamic Sharia exceeds its being a mere law, but they are a holy pillar of our beliefs which is an integral part that cannot be bargained or interpreted. The Prince said, 'Emanating from its commitment to the Charter of the United Nations, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been exerting all efforts to be one of active members of the United Nations Organization, and its obligations have not stopped in issuing appropriate national legislation and commitment to international resolutions of United Nations General Assembly and Security Council, but they have surpassed them in exerting all efforts to achieve the rights and justice. The Initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for founding United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center is one of the examples of our commitment to collective actions to preserve international peace and security. He added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stresses the importance of the principle of sovereignty, and the right of every State to exercise its independent political freedom of in its territory without external threats to use force. On the sidelines of the meetings of United Nations General Assembly, Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, met here yesterday with Belgian Deputy Premier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs Didier Reynders. The Prince also met with Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr St?re. During the meetings, they discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues of common concern.
