August 08, 2007	Wednesday	Rajab 23, 1428

RIYADH, Aug 7: Saudi Arabia is sending a delegation to Iraq next week to explore the possibility of reopening of the kingdom's embassy in Baghdad, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Faisal announced at a press conference in Jeddah on Tuesday.

“A Saudi delegation will head to Iraq next week to look into when it would be possible to open an embassy in Iraq,” Prince Saud told reporters in Jeddah. “The Saudi Embassy will take care of the interests of both countries.”

During the visit of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates to Saudi Arabia last week, Saudi Arabia had consented to explore the possibility of opening an embassy in Baghdad.

During the press conference, the Saudi foreign minister once again underlined the responsibility of the Iraqi government to achieve comprehensive national reconciliation for all Iraqis, adopt economic reform, provide security and services to all Iraqis and ensure equality among citizens whatever their beliefs, ethnicity and political affiliation.

Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in Baghdad after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia in recent months has kept a distance with the Maliki government and Riyadh has been under increasing US pressure to support the incumbent, US-sponsored Maliki government in Baghdad.

During the press conference, Prince Saud said the recent pullout of Sunni ministers from Maliki's Shiite-led government and the decision of five others to boycott the Cabinet will not prompt Saudi Arabia to change its decision to send the delegation. Prince Saud also underlined that the Arab Committee for the verification of the truth about the events in Gaza, formed by the Arab, “is still conducting intensive contacts in order to achieve the national reconciliation and the return of the Palestinian situation in Gaza to the legal framework in conformity with the constitutional frameworks”.

Commenting on the Middle East Peace Conference convened by President Bush, Prince Saud stressed that the success of the conference depends on addressing the central issues of the conflict, including a comprehensive solution to the Palestine issue, a viable Palestinian state, dismantling of settlements, resolving the problem of refugees, and the issue of Al Quds.

Last week, Saudi National Security Council Secretary General Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz visited Moscow to see President Putin, underlining the importance Riyadh assigned to Moscow in the current scenario.