October 7, 2005

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES AND THE CROWN PRINCE REVIEW WITH THE US UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE WAYS OF ENHANCING BILATERAL RELATIONS. PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL: FIGHTING TERRORISM WILL SUCCEED AFTER THE ELIMINATION OF TENSION ZONES. SAUDI ARABIA PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN ACHIEVING PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz held talks with Karen Hughes, US undersecretary for public diplomacy and a close aide to US President George W. Bush. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, received in Jeddah the U.S. Undersecretary of State for General Diplomatic Affairs Karen Hughes and her accompanying delegation. During the meeting, she conveyed the greetings of President George W. Bush of the United States of America. In turn, Prince Sultan sent his greetings to the president. She expressed pleasure of her visit to the Kingdom and the welcome of Crown Prince to her, hoping her visit would lead to further enhancement of relations between the two countries. The audience was attended by Prince Dr. Mishaal Ibn Abdullah Ibn Masaad, Supervisor of private information at the Crown Prince's office; U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom James Oberwetter and U.S. Consul General in Jeddah Natiana Kelver. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, had received in Jeddah the U.S. Undersecretary of State for General Diplomatic Affairs Karen Hughes and her accompanying delegation. During the meeting, she conveyed the greetings of President George W. Bush of the United States of America. In turn, Prince Sultan sent his greetings to the president. She expressed pleasure of her visit to the Kingdom and the welcome of Crown Prince to her, hoping her visit would lead to further enhancement of relations between the two countries. The audience was attended by Prince Dr. Mishaal Ibn Abdullah Ibn Masaad, Supervisor of private information at the Crown Prince's office; U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom James Oberwetter and U.S. Consul General in Jeddah Natiana Kelver. Hughes commended Saudi Arabia's efforts in fighting terrorism. "I salute the Kingdom's efforts to work with us to combat terrorism," she said. Her comments came as Bush, in a memorandum to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said Saudi Arabia was cooperating in the war on terrorism. Hughes is on a regional tour aimed at improving the image of the United States, widely reviled in the Arab and Muslim world over its 2003 invasion of Iraq and support for Israel. "One of my missions is to listen. I hope to listen, to seek to understand, to show respect," said Hughes. Hughes also met with Saudi journalists. Turki Al-Sudairy, chairman of the Saudi Journalists Association, thanked Bush for his efforts to improve Saudi-US ties despite an anti-Saudi campaign by a section of the American media. During the meeting, she also praised King Abdullah for promoting tolerance and dialogue in Saudi society. Women students and teachers attended a lecture from US envoy Karen Hughes on the advantages of democracy and equal rights for women. Hughes, Under Secretary for public diplomacy, met with students in Jeddah as part of her Middle East goodwill tour Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to hear what Arabs and Muslims felt about the United States and report back to President Bush. Hughes introduced herself in a well-prepared Arabic and Islamic social framework in an attempt to appeal to the audience. Eschewing issues of US policy, she instead introduced herself as a working mother of two and a grandmother . She then quickly shifted gears by expressing her deep and sincere wish to see the day when Saudi women have equal rights. She said she understands that Saudi Arabia has different customs than the US. But the most important thing is that Saudi women are encouraged to speak out on such issues. Hughes meeting with students was mainly focused on emphasizing the idea of students exchange and assessing the students desire to study journalism in the US. She encouraged students to study there. Hughes denied that her main mission is mainly to improve America's image but that she is holding dialogue as the best way to bridge that gap between the two cultures. Part of this dialogue, she said, must be about policy since it affects people's lives. Hughes was also accompanied with Dina Habib Powell, assistant secretary for Education and Culture Affairs, who talked to the audience in both English and Arabic. Powel expressed her happiness to be among Saudi students and to have that opportunity to talk to them. She also encouraged them to go to the US and study there raising a question about the number of those who would like to go to the US and study journalism there. Saudi female students were vocal about their beliefs and questioning the American democracy. They went as far as to suggest better solutions for more understanding such as teaching the Western media about their society in universities and schools. Ebtihaj Minyawi, a Saudi journalist and one of the attendees, said Hughes has come to Saudi Arabia loaded with a huge amount of defensive answers to questions not asked. She gave many answers to questions that she wasn't asked as if she had a message that she had to convey regardless whether the audience wanted to hear it or not, she said. Minyawi said Hughes was trying hard to help her administration create new US allies among the new generation. Dr. Ali Al-Harabi, a columnist, said efforts by the Bush administration are only an attempt to build a sort of political democracy with the people in the region. On the other hand speaking to reporters at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal discussed a wide range of issues, including the worsening situation in Iraq, Iran's role in the region, and America's public diplomacy efforts in the Arab world. Prince Saud warned that the situation in Iraq is very dangerous and could lead to disintegration if things continue as they are. "There seems to be no dynamic now that is pulling the country together. All the dynamics there are pushing the people away from each other," he said. The greatest threat to Iraqi unity is not the Kurdish demand for an autonomous region, Prince Saud said, but efforts to divide Iraq's Arab population into Sunnis and Shiites. "Unless something is done to bring the people of Iraq together, a constitution alone or an election alone won't do it. And this is what we are suggesting, that the Arabs of Iraq should be urged to unite, that the Shiites of Iraq should open channels and bring their brethren the Sunnis away from the resistance groups and into the political process that is going on," Prince Saud said. "Guns don't speak, they just kill." Saudi Arabia fears that a disintegration of Iraq would draw neighbouring countries into conflict, Prince Saud said. In the event of a split, the country would divide into three parts Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite which would fight over Iraq's natural resources. Iran would help the Shiites, while Turkey has made it clear it will not allow a Kurdish state on its border. "I don't see how the Arab countries are going to be left out of the conflict in one way or another," he said. "I think this is what is going to happen if things continue as they are." Despite the seriousness of the situation, Prince Saud said he does not think Iraq has crossed the threshold into civil war. "Not yet. I think it can be retrieved," he stated. Prince Saud pointed out that both the United States and Saudi Arabia have the same objective vis-à-vis Iraq. "We agree on the objective, and that is important. We all want a free Iraq, we all want a prosperous Iraq and a united Iraq," he said. As for Iran's role in Iraq, Prince Saud warned that Iranian efforts to interfere in Iraq would be "very dangerous." Asked if he feared a U.S.-Iranian conflict, Prince Saud replied, "I don't see one looming." He said that Saudi Arabia has a "very frank" relationship with Iran, and that Iran and Saudi Arabia had always agreed upon a policy of a Gulf region free of weapons of mass destruction. "So when we worry it is a worry that emanates from previous discussion that we have and in which there were assurances that we are pursuing the same policy for the region," he said. "We will continue to have dialogue with them, we will mention these worries that we have to them, and we are sure that we can reach an accommodation in which all the interests of the countries of the region are taken in a collective manner." Turning to America's public diplomacy efforts in the Arab world, Prince Saud remarked that the Arab view of America is basically a healthy one under a surface of anger at a perceived double-standard in the U.S. handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "They [Arabs] still remember that America is the land of self-determination, the land that dealt with the world on principle father than on the interests of its business community like the continental powers of Europe. This basic healthy background is just below the surface and can emerge if the Palestinian question is justly settled," he said. Prince Saud recounted that, according to U.S. officials, after Hurricane Katrina, ordinary Saudis flooded the U.S. Embassy's telephone lines asking what they could do to help. "Now that, under any circumstances, could not be considered an inimical feeling on the part of the Saudis for the American people," he commented. Remarking on the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, Prince Saud said, "Let the cards fall where they may and let the guilty come out whoever they are. That can only be a healthy thing for the future of the region and for the future of Lebanon." The Foreign Minister confirmed that fighting terrorism will only succeed after the elimination of tension zones. Following is the transcript of the interview: Transcript of the interview given by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to U.S. print journalists at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC, September 22, 2005 QUESTION: Can I ask you about Syria. Is the Saudi government doing anything to urge the Syrian government to cooperate on Lebanon, on the Hariri assassination, on the issue of Iraq? Is there any effort to get them to do more than they have in the past, anything new? PRINCE SAUD: We have very good relations with Syria. Syria is an Arab country, and we continuously talk on issues of mutual interest and particularly those that affect the national interests of each country and the general interests of the Arab world. For Iraq, as you know, we are also members of the contiguous states to Iraq, and that's an initiative that we had started, that King Abdullah had started, and the main purpose and the main aim of this grouping is one, to keep the countries of the region out of interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq, and second, to help the government of Iraq to establish unity and to ensure the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq. So we do talk about these issues collectively and bilaterally QUESTION: But you're not doing anything new to try to pressure them, on Iraq or on the Syrians. PRINCE SAUD: We talk of course continuously. We cannot put more pressure than talk. QUESTION: Can we get your analysis of the situation in Iraq now, and how it's affecting your country? PRINCE SAUD: Iraq, it's a very dangerous situation and a very threatening situation because the impression is that it is gradually going towards disintegration. There seems to be no dynamic now that is pulling the country together. All the dynamics there are pushing the people away from each other. The special position of the Kurds in Iraq is nothing new. This is not the threat to the unity of Iraq, so a special position for a Kurdish area in Iraq would not threaten the territorial integrity of Iraq. But what is dangerous is this effort to separate the Arab population of Iraq into Shiite and Sunni groups that will be at loggerheads. And if that happens, which is something that was never the case in Iraq, there was even at the time of Saddam Hussein no real problems between Shiites and Sunnis, they were living in the same places and the same areas peacefully, intermarrying, normal life between the Shiites and the Sunnis, because they are all Arabs. If you have a tribe like the Shammar tribe, which is half Shiite and half Sunni, they are still Shammar. I remember a line from the book Shogun, where the priest was asking the Japanese lady, But you are a Christian. But I'm also Japanese. These people are Sunni but they are also Arab, and they live together, there are no differences between them. But now they've been separated. QUESTION: Why do you think this happened? PRINCE SAUD: This happened because from the word go the Sunnis were put as the enemy. QUESTION: Is there anything the United States or other powers could have done to avert this? PRINCE SAUD: I think by not putting every Sunni as a Baathist criminal would have been the way of dividing the good people from the bad people. But all the military forces were considered a threat, and all the Baathists were considered a threat, and therefore not dealt with and kept away. With the breakdown of the government and people finding nothing to eat, no salaries being paid to the government or the military, they turned into a resistance group, gradually, and started to cooperate with the resistance factions. And the resistance factions there, or the terrorists if you will, found the fish they could hide among. And that is what the situation is now. The way to go about it is to pull the Sunnis who are only looking for a livelihood, who want only guarantees of their security and safety, away from the terrorists. And the only way you can do that is by using the Arab Shiites to get in contact with them, to assure them of their safety and their well-being, to assure them of the territorial integrity of Iraq, to assure them of being equal citizens in the new Iraq. That is the way to do it. Guns don't speak, they just kill. What you need is somebody to speak and convince people and have the mind work, not just the nerves fear. QUESTION: What is the actual worry Saudi Arabia has as a result of this? PRINCE SAUD: Disintegration. It would bring the countries of the region into conflict. The immediate result is the threat that it would draw the countries of the region into conflict. That is the main worry of all the neighbors of Iraq. QUESTION: Do you have a fear of a US-Iranian conflict? PRINCE SAUD: I don't see one looming, but I'm not the best crystal ball gazer in the world. QUESTION: Your Highness, on the constitution, would it be better if the voters of Iraq rejected the constitution, start over? Or do you see the constitution as a way of ameliorating these trends? PRINCE SAUD: The constitution, I mean, if even the holy books are misinterpreted and misapplied and used in a dangerous way, a constitution can be used in a dangerous, it depends on how you apply it. It is words on a paper, promises of things to come. They can be honestly applied, achieve peace and stability, and if the intent is otherwise, it can be used otherwise. The important thing is not the constitution per se. The constitution, the elections, these are the methods of trying to keep the country together. It is what the people do with the constitution and the election that is important. Now the constitution had a section in it at one time that considered that Iraq was, if I remember the words correctly, a country of different nationality, the Arab population of which is part of the Arab world. What about the rest of Iraq? Is it part of the Arab world? It is now becoming not part of the Arab world. And what would be the advantage to do that and create another divisive element through the constitution when you are looking for stability in Iraq. That has been changed. QUESTION: You said Iraq could bring the countries of the region into conflict. Do you mean that suddenly going to be problems between Iraq and Syria, between Iran and Saudi Arabia, will the Shiites in eastern Saudi Arabia be affected by this? PRINCE SAUD: The country will be divided into at least, to my mind, three parts: Kurdish part, a Sunni part and a Shiite part if things go the way they are. And naturally there will be a struggle between the three for the natural resources of Iraq. Each side will try to get these natural resources to pay for his country. And in doing that, and turning into conflict, of course the Shiites will be helped by Iran; Turkey is not going to allow a Kurdish state on its border and therefore it will enter. The military have already stated that if there were an independent Kurdish state, it is no secret, they made it very clear, and if I don't see how the Arab countries are going to be left out of the conflict in one way or another. QUESTION: You see this as the natural course of the way things are going now. PRINCE SAUD: We don't see any other course that would prevent this from happening. I don't see this as a purpose for policy, to divide Iraq, but I think this is what is going to happen if things continue as they are. But I was going to continue with the constitution. The constitution also has another part, which deals with Iraq, if the copies that we have are the right constitution. They deal with the different governance of Iraq separately. Each governor has the ability to have its own constitution, its own legislature, its own executive branch. If that happens, this is a formula for disintegration for Iraq. And in the United States, you're still fighting the civil war for states' rights, but now it is not on the battlefield but in other ways. And it is the most modern country in the world. Just think what that type of pressure would do to a country like Iraq. QUESTION: Do you blame the United States? Do you think the United States should not have gone into Iraq, and what are you urging the United States at this point to prevent the disintegration of Iraq? PRINCE SAUD: I think what I'm trying to do is to say that unless something is done to bring the people of Iraq together, a constitution alone or an election alone won't do it. And this is what we are suggesting, that the Arabs of Iraq should be urged to unite, that the Shiites of Iraq should open channels and bring their brethren the Sunnis away from the resistance groups and into the political process that is going on. QUESTION: Have you carried this message to people within the American government? PRINCE SAUD: I wouldn't talk to the newspapers in any way different than I would talk to anybody else. QUESTION: Whom else did you speak to? PRINCE SAUD: Everybody that would listen to us. QUESTION: Of those people, whom can you mention? PRINCE SAUD: Anybody who would listen to us. QUESTION: Who are you seeing on this visit? You saw the Secretary of State in New York. PRINCE SAUD: We have one duty to perform here with the Secretary of State and that is to set up the strategic committee that was announced in the final communiqué during the meeting between King Abdullah and the President in Texas. QUESTION: Are you seeing anyone else to share these thoughts? PRINCE SAUD: I saw this morning the Majority Whip of the House. I don't know why they call it the whip, because they had a whip at one time to keep the rank and file of the party in line. QUESTION: Your comments to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York suggested great concern over Iran's role in Iraq. How profound and pervasive do you think that is, and how can it be reversed? I'd also be interested in your analysis of the president of Iran's speech to the U.N. Security Council. PRINCE SAUD: First of all, let me say that I wouldn't say anything about Iran that we don't say to Iran directly. We have a very frank, open relationship with them in which we speak frankly. Iran is an old nation, a great nation with a lot of history, and a great potential for the future and to be a stabilizing force in our region. Our contacts with them are always aimed at talking about this role that Iran can play in the region as a stabilizing country in the region. And they perceive of themselves as playing a large role that is comparative to their history and their size and their power. We always try to convince them that a leading nation in a region has to take into consideration the interests of the smaller nations of the region, and not only its own. That's a sign of leadership. You take the interests of the other countries in your strategy. Therefore decisions like going into weapons of mass destruction cannot be handled independently, but must take into consideration the interests of other countries. And the policy that we had agreed with them upon was always to make the Gulf region, along with the Middle East in general, free of weapons of mass destruction. So when we worry it is a worry that emanates from previous discussion that we have and in which there were assurances that we are pursuing the same policy for the region. We will continue to have dialogue with them, we will mention these worries that we have to them, and we are sure that we can reach an accommodation in which all the interests of the countries of the region are taken in a collective manner so that we can make sure this region of ours, which is an important region in the world, is secure and is stable. QUESTION: Do you think Iran playing an increasingly negative role in Iraq? There are reports from the region of weapons shipments, etc. PRINCE SAUD: We are members of the contiguous group of Iraq, and Iran is one of the important members of that group, that group was established basically to keep people from not interfering in Iraq. Now Iraq is a member of that group, and they complain of interference from Iran. This is my comment: If this is true and there is interference, especially in these separate governors that we are talking about, because they are contiguous to Iran and they are relatively calm so they can move easily in it. If there is an effort to do some interference, that would be the place, and that would be very dangerous. QUESTION: What kind of interference are they complaining about? PRINCE SAUD: People coming in, money being brought in, interference in the political life, weapons too. QUESTION: The late Prime Minister Hariri had such a long and close history with your country, and we now have an investigation that has implicated a number of officials in Lebanon who have extremely close ties to the Syrian government and who have interviews going on in Damascus in which the investigator is speaking with senior people in the Syrian government. What is your perspective on that process, and if it should emerge that even more evidence of Syrian relationship with that particular tragedy should emerge, what consequences would flow from that in your view? PRINCE SAUD: Prime Minister Hariri not only had relations with Saudi Arabia, but he had close relations with many Saudis, and I personally have lost a great and close friend in the death of Mr. Hariri. So the personal loss is immeasurable. On the other hand, to speculate on the result of what is being pursued, as to who the responsible official before it comes out, clearly who is to blame and who is not to blame, I think he would be the first to avoid speculating on the guilt or innocence of anybody unless proven by the courts. One of the important decisions that the government of Lebanon has done is to leave the responsible people who are doing the investigation free from interference and to say that the courts also will be free from interference in looking at this issue. This issue, if it is handled legally through the legal institutions and not interfere politically, let the cards fall where they may, and let the guilty come out whoever they are. That can only be a healthy thing for the future of the region and for the future of Lebanon. QUESTION: Karen Hughes is leaving this weekend for her first trip to the region, including a stop in Saudi Arabia. What kind of challenge does she face in convincing the Islamic world of good U.S. intent, and what is your message to her? PRINCE SAUD: America will deal with the region on its principles. America is not unknown to the region. It had no bad history with the region. It wasn't part of the Crusades, it wasn't part of the imperial period, it is known as the country that helped the region achieve independence. So the knowledge of the people of the Middle East of the United States is a healthy one all in all. It is only recently and mainly because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that perceptions changed, but I think they changed without losing the basic admiration of the people of the Arab world for America. They still remember that America is the land of self-determination, the land that dealt with the world on principle rather than on the interests of its business community like the continental powers of Europe. This basic healthy background is just below the surface and can emerge if the Palestinian question is justly settled, and people would return to the perceptions that they had on America. We in Saudi Arabia are sure that the intentions of the United States are not imperialistic in the region, and we have direct proof of that. We had 500,000 American troops on our territory during the war for the liberation of Kuwait. When the war finished, these 500,000 troops left. I wonder if the Parliament of England had 500,000 troops in Saudi Arabia they would have left. What do you think, you were ambassador there? PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL (Saudi Ambassador to the U.S.): I think now they would leave. A hundred years ago, may be not. PRINCE SAUD: This is something. It is indicative that America harbors no bad intentions about the region, and people know this instinctively. They cannot understand, they cannot conceive why a country with so many principles has a double standard on the issue of Palestine. This is the frustration of every Saudi. And if you meet any Saudi, you will find this as the only frustration. And they are mad. They are mad because they know the good part of the United States, and they are mad because they see this as inconsistent with the other side. And one of the most interesting developments that I have heard, the American ambassador told me that after this Hurricane Katrina that the telephone lines of the embassy were flooded by calls from ordinary citizens asking what they can do to help. Now that under any circumstances could not be considered an inimical feeling on the part of the Saudis for the American people. QUESTION: It seems the administration does not agree with your analysis of Iraq. PRINCE SAUD: It is not the first time. QUESTION: One might even suggest that the disagreement between yourself, the Saudi leadership on one side and America on the other, seems deeper than it might even be on Israel-Palestinian issues. PRINCE SAUD: We agree on one thing. We agree on the objective, and that is important. We all want a free Iraq, we all want a prosperous Iraq and a united Iraq. QUESTION: It is your neighbourhood, you're living next door. I'm very curious to know, I'm sure this administration values your perspective and views. PRINCE SAUD: America's neighbourhood is much wider than ours. QUESTION: I wonder if you can candidly tell us a little more about your discussions with administration officials about something like this, and whether they are listening, do they tell you they disagree, or that you're wrong? PRINCE SAUD: I promise not to tell the administration what I tell you and I am not going to tell you what I tell the administration. QUESTION: What's your perception, some people say they're living in a world of their own ideology or imagination, or good intentions, whatever it is. What's your analysis? PRINCE SAUD: No, they have a point to make. They say people doubted there would be an election, and there was an election, and the majority of the Iraq people voted for it, and it is out. They say the same thing about the constitution, you are worrying about the constitution, but once people work on the constitution, you will see that it will come out right and it will unite Iraq and they might prove to be right. They are not going willy-nilly without a policy in this. They have specific objectives, they have specific actions to be taken. Their purpose is clear to them and they are pursuing it. QUESTION: Do you believe Iraq has crossed the threshold into a civil war? PRINCE SAUD: Not yet. QUESTION: Is it close? PRINCE SAUD: I think it can be retrieved, I hope it can be retrieved. QUESTION: Internal security of Saudi Arabia. PRINCE SAUD: Thank God it is good. QUESTION: Do you support sending Iran to the Security Council? PRINCE SAUD: It's tough. I think for my country, we prefer to talk to them. Even when we have bilateral problems, we prefer to talk to them. They are people who listen, they are people who will talk and give and take. There is always a chance when you talk. But when you confront each other, it is tough. QUESTION: Do you think Iran wants a nuclear weapon? PRINCE SAUD: I hope they don't. QUESTION: Your government recently pardoned the Libyans who were accused of sponsoring the plot against the then-Crown Prince. Does that indicate that your government no longer sees them as being guilty, as taking part in the plot? Secondly, are you disappointed in the response of the U.S. government in this regard, because this would appear to be an act of terrorism, and the government of the United States has not really addressed the issue very clearly in terms of condemning Libya. PRINCE SAUD: If we wanted to prove their guilt, we would have gone through the trial. But we said we would stop the trial for the benefit of Arab solidarity. In the meantime, we hope that they have learned also that this manner of dealing with issues is counterproductive, even to their own interests. We hope they will desist from further actions of this kind. Remember, there is always a trial in absentia. PRINCE TURKI: And also, the attorney general was willing to take the case, which means he had evidence. Meantime Prince Saud Al-Faisal addressed the Council on Foreign Relations, and said: the last time I addressed the members of this council, my subject was: The United States of America and Saudi Arabia: A relationship threatened by misconceptions. I had explained then that there had been an unjustified intense onslaught on Saudi Arabia which at times was purposefully malicious and used Saudi Arabia as an Orwellian scapegoat for all the pain, anger and frustration that resulted from the horrific tragedy of September 11, 2001. I said at the time that sooner or later both of our countries will have to abandon recriminations and concentrate on what can be done to restore our healthy relationship and deal with the common threat. I am pleased to report today that both Saudi Arabia and the United States have taken effective and meaningful measures to do just that... I truly believe that Saudi Arabia and the United States must join forces and cooperate to overcome a whole range of tribulations facing our world today... ..We share a common cause to act together against the forces of hatred, violence, and perverted beliefs that offer nothing but the spread of chaos and anarchy... ..Terrorism is a malignant cancer. No country is immune from its ugly peril. The Arab World has been its main victimnearly a quarter of a million deaths over the past 25 years, including the 11,000-plus lives lost in Iraq... ..In the last two years, Saudi Arabia alone has witnessed more than 24 terrorist attacks, causing the death and injuries of numerous innocent citizens and foreign nationals. 129 terrorists were killed and 17 of them wounded and captured... ..Recently, the concept of the "global war on terror" has been modified to a "global struggle against violent extremism." It is a reflection of the fact that it is not only a military confrontation, but also an ideological campaign for the hearts and minds of those susceptible to the recruitment to terrorism... ..This is fully in tune with the conclusions of The Counter-terrorism International Conference convened by Saudi Arabia and held in Riyadh last February... ..A basic recommendation of the conference concluded that dealing with the causes of terrorism is as important as dealing with the terrorists themselves. Serious attempts should be made to solve regional and international conflicts peacefully, so that terrorists are denied the opportunity of exploiting the suffering of peoples under unjust conditions for spreading their misguided ideology and finding a fertile ground for recruitment... ..We have an old and wise Arabic saying: in translation it is rendered as follows: "Your true friend is he who tells you the truth and not he who agrees with you all the time."It is in this spirit that I must discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the prospect for peace. There has always been sensitivity and reluctance to discuss the full dimensions of this issue in this country... ..Instead of confronting this conflict head on, several ancillary and diversionary issues are raised, such as irreconcilable value systems and clashes between civilizations, as cause of the differences that separate the Islamic and Arabic world and the United States... ..The truth of the matter is that this conflict is the main overriding issue that separates us. It is the oldest and most persisting conflict in our region; it requires our immediate and concentrated attention... ..Avoiding the resolution of this conflict on its merits caused a great human tragedy and extraordinary suffering that befell both the Palestinian and Israeli people... ..A new approach is necessary to correct and rectify the negotiation process itself. There must be clear and definite steps in accordance with a well-defined timetable that is monitored and verified on the ground by neutral observers. Any deviation from the original course must be subjected to appropriate sanctions... ..The United States and the international community must make the immediate resolution of this conflict an imperative priority. Once this tragic conflict is resolved, it is not at all far-fetched to conclude that the other conflicts in the region would probably dissipate and fade and the forces behind violent extremism and terrorism would vanish into oblivion... All it takes is the will of honest people to realize the futility of the conflict and appreciate the benefits of peace. All it needs is a firm partnership between all of us -- the US, Saudi Arabia, and the international community -- that looks beyond the petty differences that divide us to the greater forces that unite us.