Merkel Backs King�s Peace Initiatives
Khaled Almaeena
BERLIN, 8 November 2007 � Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday began a landmark state visit to Germany where Chancellor Angela Merkel offered her country�s full support to the king�s peace initiatives to resolve global conflicts.
�We know that you have dedicated your efforts to settle conflicts through peaceful means. We�ll cooperate with you in this area to solve all problems peacefully. This applies not only to your region but the whole world,� Merkel told the king.
King Abdullah�s talks with Merkel focused on the Middle East peace process and the Iran nuclear crisis. Merkel�s spokesman said that apart from bilateral issues and trade relations, the two leaders would discuss the Middle East conflict ahead of the peace conference called by US President George W. Bush later this month. The standoff over Iran�s nuclear enrichment program, the crisis in Pakistan and the situation in Afghanistan were other possible themes, he said.
Merkel was holding talks with the king in the chancellery ahead of a state banquet hosted by President Horst Koehler at his official Berlin residence, Schloss Bellevue. During the banquet, Koehler conferred on the king Germany�s highest medal while Abdullah gave the president the King Abdul Aziz Medallion of the First Order.
Abdullah will visit Berlin�s Brandenburg Gate and City Hall today before leaving the country tomorrow.
Merkel visited Riyadh in February, and Abdullah was last in Germany six years ago, as crown prince. Abdullah is on a European tour, his second after becoming king in August 2005. Previous stops on his current trip were London, Geneva and Rome, where he held a historic meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.
King Abdullah proposed the new Arab Peace
Initiative, which was relaunched at the Arab summit in Riyadh in March, 2007. It offers Israel peace and normal ties if it withdraws from all land seized in the 1967 Six-Day War and allows for the creation of a Palestinian state and return of Palestinian refugees.
Merkel�s meeting with the Saudi monarch comes before leaving tomorrow for weekend talks with President Bush in Texas, which she says will focus on Iran�s nuclear program.
�I appreciate the great role being played by Germany at the European and international levels, and its contributions toward solving regional and global issues,� the king told Merkel while addressing a luncheon hosted by her at the chancellery.
Abdullah highlighted the problems facing the Middle East and sought Germany�s help to defuse the explosive situation in the region, remove weapons of mass destruction and enhance international cooperation to combat terrorism in order to reinforce peace and stability in the world.
�Germany with its strong economic and political position is qualified to play an effective role to establish peace in the world,� the king said. He also emphasized the Kingdom�s desire to strengthen cooperation with Germany. �I am confident that the future of Saudi-German relations will be bright,� he added.
On her part, Chancellor Merkel said the royal visit would take Saudi-German relations to new heights, not only in the economic sectors but also in areas of political, cultural and scientific importance.
Merkel commended the king for meeting Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Tuesday during his visit to Italy. �We have been following up your meeting with the pope with great interest. It was a fruitful meeting and we know that you support interfaith dialogue to resolve all issues and problems,� she said. At the Vatican on Tuesday, Abdullah became the first Saudi king to have an audience with the pope.
Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed his appreciation of the great efforts being made by the king to promote the progress and prosperity of his people, and establish giant economic and scientific projects.
Schroeder said the king�s visit to Germany was highly important. Being an important country in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has contributed to solving many issues and conflicts in the Islamic world, he said.
He noted King Abdullah�s efforts to reconcile Palestinian groups by inviting them for a meeting in Makkah. �Germany intends to have a strong strategic partnership relation with Saudi Arabia, considering its vital position in the Arab and Islamic world and its economic weight.�
Saudi Ambassador to Berlin Dr. Osama Shubokshi said the royal visit would strengthen Saudi-German relations, which date back to more than 78 years. �King Abdullah�s visit has political, economic and cultural importance,� he added.
Shubokshi also spoke of the efforts to stop anti-Saudi smear campaigns in the Western press by removing misconceptions about the Saudi position on violence, extremism and terrorism. He said he refuted allegations against the Kingdom while taking part in a number of seminars.
Source: Arab News
