Riyadh, November 18: France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy and Saudi King Abdullah agreed in talks on the need to restart Middle East peace talks, a French official said on Wednesday.
In three hours of “deep” talks late Tuesday at Abdullah’s Janadiriyah desert farm, north of Riyadh, the leaders “were agreed on the need for rapid steps to relaunch the peace process,” an official of the French presidency said.
King Abdullah is “on the same wavelength” as France on the need to relaunch the peace process, the official said.
Sarkozy arrived in the Saudi capital on Tuesday for an overnight stay to discuss mainly regional political issues and build a closer working relationship.
The two leaders discussed the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Iran’s nuclear programme, Lebanese politics and other key issues over a three-hour meeting.
The presidency official would not comment on reports that France is offering to host a new Middle East peace conference.
But in a Saudi newspaper interview, Sarkozy said: “I told (Syrian) President (Bashar al-) Assad … and (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu: France is ready to facilitate the resumption of talks, if the parties consider that we can be helpful.”
Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that Israel’s decision to build 900 new homes in annexed Palestinian East Jerusalem constituted a “major obstacle” to efforts to restart Middle East peace talks.
“We feel that a settlement is a major obstacle in the way of the peace process … in east Jerusalem in particular,” foreign ministry spokesman Osama Nugali said when asked about Israel’s decision on Tuesday to expand the illegal Gilo settlement in Israeli-occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem.
“Unless there are decisive measures taken in regard to these policies, it is too difficult to advance the peace process,” Nugali said.
The Saudi and French leaders also discussed Iran, the presidency official said.
Sarkozy stressed that Iran needs to quickly accept offers to enter dialogue.
On October 21, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, offered Tehran a deal to ship its low-enriched uranium stock out of the country for processing abroad into reactor fuel.
Tehran has yet to accept the offer.
On his third trip in two years to Riyadh, the French president was also seeking to boost a personal relationship with the king and France’s role in Middle East regional politics.
The two also touched on Lebanon’s formation of a unity government after months of political infighting.
In an apparent reference to Saudi attacks on Yemeni Huthi rebels along the border, Sarkozy voiced support for Riyadh’s right to defend its territory, the Saudi official news agency SPA reported.
The two likewise touched on economic relations, including French group Alstom’s bid to supply locomotives for the high-speed Mecca-Medina railway now under construction.
The bid, to be decided next spring, faces tough competition from Germany, Spain, China and South Korea, according to the official.
Before leaving later on Wednesday for Qatar, Sarkozy was also due to meet Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz and King Abdullah’s son Prince Mitab bin Abdullah who commands the Saudi National Guard.
—Agencies