|
“A Voice of Peace; A Move Towards
Stability” at the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania, November
28, 2006
Thank you, Father Pilarz, for the kind introduction. Both of us
share common roots at Georgetown University – a place where I
was a student, and you were a professor, prior to coming here.
We also have shared time together during your tour of the Kingdom.
We must do that again. I’m glad to see this school under
such strong leadership, and I thank you for the opportunity to be
with you today.
I always find it rewarding to share remarks at colleges and
universities. They offer an opportunity for a free exchange
of ideas, and a campus always seems alive with the energy of those
who wish to make contributions to the world. Today, and in
our world, there are plenty of opportunities for all of us to
contribute.
I want to talk specifically about the potential for
contributions in the Middle East, an area that unfortunately has
its share of problems.
It concerns me that so many of Saudi Arabia’s neighbors are
struggling to find peace and stability. Terrorism continues to
plague us all. Al Qaeda and its offshoots take advantage of
the political turmoil to advance their agenda and ethos. We
have worked with your government and other allies to bring them to
heel. By taking a global approach, that includes
police action, financial tracking and religious challenges to
them, we can definitely defeat the terrorists.
In Lebanon, the threat of greater instability increased with
the assassination of cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel. In
Palestine, the Israeli occupation continues to humiliate the
Palestinians and deny them their inalienable rights to an identity
and a country. Iran’s nuclear program continues to create
concern for the world. And we all know of the daily turmoil
and suffering of the Iraqi people.
When looking at these situations – many of them lasting
years, even decades – we can only ask ourselves: where can we
find hope?
Robert Kennedy once said: “Each time a man stands up for an
ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out
against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.”
For decades, Saudi Arabia has worked to fulfill this mission.
The Kingdom, in fact, has been a leading voice of peace and
stability in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia wants to see the
full potential of this beautiful region realized. There is
no reason why the Middle East can not flourish into a vibrant and
prosperous region, as it once was.
To see this accomplished, and to witness a lasting peace, we
must take a comprehensive and coordinated approach.
With regard to Iran, Saudi Arabia has consistently engaged them
in an open discourse. Our experience has been that talking
with the Iranians is better than not talking with them.
In Lebanon, we see a nation that was just coming out from
underneath the devastation of over twenty years of civil war.
Assassinations of important leaders such as Rafiq Hariri and
Pierre Gemayel serve to undermine the spirit of the Lebanese
people. Unjust bombardments, such as Israel’s unlawful
incursion last summer, destroy the infrastructure and progress
that has been made.
So as a way to help, the Kingdom continues to support the
ideals of the Lebanese people. We have donated aid in the
amount of $250 million to help Lebanon rebuild Beirut and other
areas after this summer’s Israeli bombardments, and we deposited
one billion dollars in the Lebanese central bank to stabilize the
currency and economy. We continue to monitor their
needs and work with them to bring peace and stability.
Establishing peace has been a challenge as well in Iraq.
Once again, Saudi Arabia has stood up for the ideals of peace and
justice. We continue to support the Arab League in bringing
all Iraqi factions together, and we support the Maliki government
in its efforts to overcome the sectarian strife that is taking so
many innocent lives.
To alleviate the burden the war has taken on the nation, Saudi
Arabia has pledged one billion dollars in support. Of this total,
$500 million are to be provided through the Saudi Development Fund
to finance development projects in the areas of education, health,
infrastructure and housing, in response to direct requests
submitted by the Iraqi Government. The remaining $500 million are
to finance trade between the two countries. Saudi Arabia has also
already provided humanitarian and relief assistance to Iraq
amounting to approximately $88 million. We are also
talking to our Iraqi brethren on relieving their debt to the
Kingdom.
But we still believe the solutions must come from within Iraq.
And the Iraqi people and the Iraqi leadership are the ones that
should determine their government and destiny. We are merely
helping them get there.
For all of these issues, there is a tendency to
compartmentalize and keep them separate. As we have seen,
this is not an approach that will work. What is needed is a
holistic and comprehensive strategy that starts directly with the
root of the problem. And that problem is the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Besides being a conflict between two peoples, the situation
with Palestine and Israel has become an impediment to
international stability. Without forging a solution, we will
continue to be unable to secure lasting peace throughout the
Middle East. And this turmoil, as we have all witnessed,
will be echoed across the world.
Terrorists use the conflict to justify their evil acts around
the world. Extremists use the conflict to recruit people to
their cause. If you could see what people in the Middle East
see on television every night, your opinion would change
dramatically. For too long, the Palestinian people have
endured great injustices and hardships. Many thousands live
in hopeless poverty and thousands more have been uprooted from
their homes. All have been deprived of minimum human and
national rights.
Since peace is manifestly in the interest of the region and the
world at large, it is that much more incumbent on leading powers,
including Saudi Arabia and the United States, to be consistent –
and insistent – in moving Palestine and Israel towards the known
outlines of a durable settlement.
For this to be accomplished, though, we need implementation.
For 50 years, we’ve had ideas and proposals, resolutions and
initiatives. But never has there been an honest and just
implementation, or enforcement, of these agreements.
Right now – even after the events of this summer – we have
the Road Map – as outlined by President Bush – and the
Abdullah Peace Plan. We need to finally bring these parties
to the negotiating table. A lasting and just peace plan can
only result from diplomatic negotiations. Israelis and
Palestinians can begin to build confidence and trust in a process
that takes into account the needs of both sides. Only when
there is trust in the process, can there be trust in the
implementation of the solution.
When this issue is removed from the table – or at the very
least, allowed to move towards resolution – then others who use
it to justify violence or misadventure will be quieted.
Ladies and Gentlemen: More international cooperation is needed
to ensure that peace and stability can triumph in the world.
Saudi Arabia has worked, and will continue to work, with its
international partners to ensure this.
Thank you.
Source:
|
