Saudi Arabia said Saturday Israel's settlements policy remains a “major obstacle” to Mideast peace efforts, and that freezing settlement growth was already an internationally agreed requirement. “The illegal settlements... constitute a major obstacle to peace talks,” Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, said in a joint news conference with Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. “A freeze on settlements is one of the main commitments of the peace process. It is not a Palestinian condition to resuming negotiations as Israel is trying to promote,” he said. His comments came a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Israelis and Palestinians to resume peace talks without preconditions, mentioning specifically Arab demands that Israel stop building and expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Westerwelle said a settlement freeze was part of the 2002 “road map” set out for peace by the West. “The road map conditions constitute an important building block for reviving the peace process,” he told reporters. “This also includes freezing of settlement activities.” “This is not only the view and the position of the German government. It is also the position expressed by the European Union as a whole.” German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle met with his Saudi counterpart in Riyadh for peace and trade talks, on the second leg of his Middle East tour. Prince Saud stressed the need for concerted efforts for the denuclearization of the Middle East with a particular reference to the Israeli nuclear program. He appreciated a plan revealed by his German counterpart about facilitating visa procedures for Saudi nationals. Prince Saud said that the Iranian nuclear issue also came under discussion with a particular reference to efforts made by the 5+1 Group. Prince Saud and Westerwelle also discussed the situation in Yemen, the issue of terrorism and Afghanistan as well as ways to boost economic cooperation between the two countries, officials said. Westerwelle also held talks with Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh, and Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf. The chief executive of the German railways group Deutsche Bahn, Ruediger Grube, is one of those accompanying Westerwelle - suggesting that he might sign deals to upgrade the rail network in the region. This is Westerwelle's first trip to Saudi Arabia since assuming office.
