British Prime Minister Tony Blair received here today Prince Saud al-Faisal, the foreign minister, and Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the secretary general of the national security council. The meeting was attended by Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a number of British officials. In a statement to pressmen, Prince Saud said that he had conveyed a message from the Custodian of theTtwo Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, to Blair pertaining to the tragedy of Lebanon. "We believe that the crisis will not end without the restoration of the authority of the Lebanese state on all Lebanese territories', he said, adding that the first step in this path will be ceasefire and ending bloodshed. He described as excellent the outcome of his talks with Blair, and said 'we have agreed that the real solution will be restoration of Lebanon to its independence and sovereignty on all of its territories. The first step should be ceasefire, and stopping the ongoing practices , he said and added 'the sons of the Lebanese are being killed and the country's infrastructure installations are being destroyed without a sin committed by the Lebanese. Prince Saud said the Kingdom calls on America, Britain and all concerned parties to extend support to the Lebanese people , and added 'the matter is not pertaining to a party, but it is pertaining to Lebanon and its people. Prince Saud said when the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice left for the Middle East, she was aiming at reaching an agreement to stop fighting and to begin the process of restoration of Lebanon's authority on its territories. "When she reaches such an agreement, we hope that she will announce that during the conference of Rome', he added.
