King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and the visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday discussed the global financial crisis and efforts exerted to curb its negative impact on the world economy. President Sarkozy is also the chairman of the current session of the European Union. King Abdullah and President Sarkozy reviewed the outcome of the recent G20 summit in Washington. They also discussed the importance of consolidating the joint international efforts to preserve security and safety of navigation in the gulf of Aden, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. The talks also dealt with the regional developments, particularly the Palestinian issue and the need to reach a just and comprehensive solution that guarantees the right of the Palestinian people in self-determination and establishment of their own independent state on their national soil in accordance with the resolutions of the international legitimacy and the Arab peace initiative. The talks also covered the situation in Lebanon and Iraq in addition to events at the international scene and the position of the two countries toward them. The two leaders also discussed the prospects for cooperation between the two friendly countries and ways of strengthening them in all fields to serve their common interests. President Sarkozy lauded the initiative of the King Abdullah calling for dialogue among followers of monotheistic religions, cultures and civilizations and its major success in the participation of a large number of world leaders at the United Nations headquarters in New York recently. Later in the evening, President Sarkozy left Jeddah. The meeting between King Abdullah and President Sarkozy was attended by Prince Abdulrahman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah Region, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, Prince Miqren Bin Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence and the Saudi Ambassador to France Dr. Muhammad Bin Ismael Aal Al-Sheikh. On the French side, the meeting was attended by Michele Alliot-Marie, Minister of Interior, Bernard Kouchner, Foreign Minister, Christine Lagarde, Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment, Bertrand Besancenot, French Ambassador to the Kingdom, and Admiral Edouard Guillad, Chief of Staff to the French President, and others. __
