Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, held here today a periodic press briefing. At the outset of the briefing, Prince Saud delivered the following press statement: In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful In its recent meeting, the Council of Ministers underscored very clearly the policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is based on the principles of truthfulness and transparency in dealing with Arab and Islamic issues, commitment to covenants and pledges, giving precedence to national Arab interest over foreign alliances, and capitalizing on international relations to serve crucial Arab causes. This policy is based on the Kingdom's keenness to promote the Arab solidarity according to the document of covenant and solidarity sanctioned by the Arab leaders at Tunis summit. The recent Saudi political effort within the Arab League and on the Arab and international arenas focused on this framework. The Kingdom has been looking forward to Damascus summit to achieve these goals. However, what we have so far regrettably observed through the circumstances connected to the summit, that they are not suggestive of this desired or hoped results. The Palestinian issue remains the crucial Arab cause, which has most of the attention and tireless efforts of the government of Saudi Arabia to reinstate the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people on the basis of international legitimacy and resolutions, and the Arab peace initiative. While this issue is plagued with international dimensions and complications due to Israeli foreign occupation of the Arab territories, and requires redoubled efforts on the international arena, the problem of Lebanon could be a model to resolve the crisis within the Arab house. Particularly as the Arab League has reached an integrated and balanced plan to solve crisis that responds to demands of all Lebanese parties and achieves balance amongst themselves, away from control of the decision-making or halting it by the parliamentary majority or minority. The initiative received full Arab unanimity without exception, including Syria. The initiative also enjoyed widespread international support by virtue of the tireless efforts of the Kingdom and its Arab brethren on the international arena. An objective of these efforts is to distance Lebanon from any outside interventions that would complicate the situation. --More
