Addressing a joint news conference with visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton here last night, Al-Faisal said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia underscores the importance of the regional and international efforts focusing on guaranteeing that the Middle East, including the Gulf, turns to be mass destruction weapons, particularly nuclear weapons, free zone and that such standards be imposed on all countries of the region without exception, including the Israeli nuclear program. He added that history witnessed that no weapon introduced into the region remained unused.
On regional and international issues, Al-Faisal said that the peace process was on top of these issues, whereas the existing efforts and updates were reviewed, adding that ‘we appreciate the U.S. government’s early moves to revive the peace process, and push towards addressing the key issues of the conflict, within the framework of two-state solution, aiming at the establishment of an integral, viable and independent Palestinian state, and at the same time we agree on the illegitimacy or illegality of Israeli settlements’.
He said the Kingdom underlines the importance of launching the peace process with comprehensiveness to tackle all key issues simultaneously according to certain references and within clear timetable, taking in mind that the step-by-step and confidence-building policies have fallen short of achieving their goals, most evident of which is Israel’s current government rejection to resume negotiations from where they were adjourned.
The Iranian file was among the agenda of discussion with the US secretary of state, Al-Faisal said, adding that, the Kingdom reiterates its support for the efforts of the 5+1 group to solve the crisis peacefully and through dialogue. "We call for the continuation of these efforts," he said. "We also call on Iran to positively respond to them to dash out regional and international suspicion towards its nuclear program, particularly that the efforts of this group guarantee Iran’s and the region’s countries right of peaceful use of nuclear energy according to the standards, measures and supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency."
He said his meeting with Clinton also discussed the latest developments in Yemen, welcoming the Yemeni government’s decision to ceasefire in North Yemen and hoping that the other parties comply with this decision to bring about security and stability in Yemen and work towards enhancing the national unity, development and prosperity of Yemen.