October 22, 2002	Tuesday	Sha’aban 15,1423

RIYADH, Oct 21: Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, in talks with US Middle East envoy William Burns, urged the United States to take a just stand in the Middle East conflict.

Burns, who is on a regional tour, delivered a letter from US President George Bush to King Fahd on Sunday night.

Washington sent Burns to the region last week to assure Washington’s Arab allies of its commitment to making progress on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as it tries to rally Arab support for an attack on Iraq.

Saudi Arabia has said it opposed any attack on Iraq and would not participate in any strike against its neighbour.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said King Fahd and Burns discussed bilateral cooperation and the situation on the Arab and global arenas, particularly “what the Palestinian people are facing from murder and destruction at the hands of Israeli forces”.

“The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques renewed his call to the United States and the international community to stand by what is right until the Palestinian people achieve their stolen rights and establish an independent state,” it added.

Burns said on Sunday during a visit to Jordan that a quartet of international mediators had made significant progress on a peace plan that set out steps towards a Palestinian state alongside Israel.—Reuters