RIYADH: King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, issued a call Saturday to the president of Iraq and his country's political parties to meet in Riyadh after the Haj season to “resolve all problems facing the formation of a government”. In a statement released by Saudi Press Agency, King Abdullah addressed President Jalal Talabani and the Iraqi people directly to initiate the meeting under the auspices of the Arab League. “(It will be) a gathering for you to discuss, consult, and decide which noble path to take, and in which honorable direction to head,” the King said. “Everyone is aware that you are at a crossroads requiring all the efforts you can muster to unite and rise above the wounds, rid yourselves of the ghost of conflicts, and extinguish the fire of hateful sectarianism.” The statement continued by saying that “your solidarity and your standing together is your strength and our strength”, and called for “patience and wisdom” so that “we can form an impenetrable barrier in the face of those seeking to cause strife, whatever their approach, whatever their motives.” In this way, King Abdullah said, the Iraqi people will be able to “rebuild the Land of Two Rivers (Iraq) that once was, and will again be – God willing – with our Arab brothers an impregnable fortress against every group, division, or interference that benefits only the enemies of the Ummah”. Describing Saudi Arabia as a “second home” for Iraqis, the King offered the Kingdom's “full readiness” to extend the hand of help and support the decisions reached by the meeting to return peace and security to Iraq. “Hope does not die,” he said, citing the efforts of those who would “weaken the resolve to bring stability to the Arab and the Islamic Ummah”. The proposed post-Haj meeting in Riyadh provides a response, he continued, to those Iraqis concerned for their country's unity, honor and prosperity, and who are calling for sacrifice for the sake of Iraqi security. They are now offered, King Abdullah said, the opportunity for Iraq to find a way out of “its crises and ordeals”. The Arab League responded immediately to King Abdullah's statement, with Secretary General Amr Moussa welcoming the initiative. “This represents a move for the good to solve the Iraqi crisis,” Moussa told Okaz/Saudi Gazette, adding his gratitude to King Abdullah for his efforts to end political differences in Iraq.
