RIYADH, May 11: Saudi Arabia has for the first time come out with conditions for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
In an interview published on Saturday, Crown Prince Abdullah said: “The withdrawal of their (Israel’s) forces will not be enough for itself. They must return to their pre-1967 borders, end their occupation of Jerusalem (Al Quds) and allow refugees to return to their homeland. Moreover, Syria should get the Golan Heights and Lebanon its remaining occupied land.”
The interview was published in Asharq Al-Awsat, an Arabic-language daily.
“If this can end the plight of five million Palestinians and restore the lands of three countries, ensuring stability in the region, wouldn’t (full diplomatic relations) be a price worth paying?” Prince Abdullah asked when asked about diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.
In recent days Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Peres, have been calling upon the Saudi leadership to negotiate directly with the Israelis on the peace initiative, in the process granting an informal recognition to the Jewish state.
During the interview Crown Prince Abdullah also touched on the issue of giving refuge to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. “We requested President Musharraf to release Nawaz and the President honoured our request. We appreciate that. We want to see Pakistan free of chaos and problems. We have very good relations with President Musharraf.”
About the issue of attacks on Iraq, Prince Abdullah said there was no need to declare war against any country that complies with United Nations resolutions.
“Global relations are based on international law. The US can deal with Iraq the same way it did with the neighbour Cuba, despite their differences,” he said, calling upon Baghdad to implement all UN resolutions.
“The US administration has promised us it will do good on the Iraqi issue,” he pointed out. “We are trying to cool down the situation but we believe that the Iraqi leadership alone can solve this crisis and foil the efforts of those who try to escalate the conflict.”
He reiterated Riyadh’s opposition to any attack on Iraq and said he hoped that things would not reach that stage.
Prince Abdullah said he had frank and open talks with President George W. Bush during his visit to the United States last month.
“My intention was to get the Saudi, Arab and the Islamic voice, especially the voice of the Palestinians, heard by the decision makers in the US,” he added.
“I was fully convinced that there is no conflict between the US and Arab interests.”
Referring to some US press reports that there were heated arguments between him and Vice President Dick Cheney during their meeting last month, the Crown Prince said: “We exchanged our views frankly, with mutual respect.
