Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah urged Monday U.S. president George Bush to help advance a broad settlement of the Middle East conflict that would call on Israel to withdraw from Arab lands occupied in the 1967 war in exchange for full normalization with all Arab states.
From his side, the United States President urged Saudi Arabia to contribute economic aid for the Palestinians.
White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley said Monday that if the disengagement plan is carried out successfully, it would help the parties move toward the broader issues.
‘So the focus has been very much what we can all do — the United States, Saudis and others — to assist the Palestinians to be able to develop the institutions of a democratic state that is prepared to take responsibility for the territory that they are going to get,’ Hadley said.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that she personally discussed with the prince ‘the need for everyone to support, including financially, the Palestinians as they move forward.’
Yet, Saudi foreign affairs adviser Adel al-Jubeir warned against the unilateral character of Israel’s disengagement plan, saying decisions over how land should be divided up should be worked out through a process of give and take.
