Saudi Arabia, Malaysia urge for restoration of Palestinian rights
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia strongly believe that there will never be peace and stability in West Asia unless the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people are restored and realized.
Kuala Lumpur and Riyadh have also condemned Israeli military aggression which has caused the loss of lives of many Palestinians and led to the derailment of the West Asian peace process, Malaysian news agency BERNAMA said.
In a joint communique issued Tuesday following the end of an eight-day visit to Malaysia by Saudi Arabian Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Sultan Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, they said, "Saudi Arabia and Malaysia unequivocally condemn the flagrant Israeli aggression on Islamic sites under the protection of the Israeli forces which led to the massacre of many innocent Palestinian people.
"Both countries are deeply concerned with the grave situation that has befallen their Palestinian brothers that was caused by Israeli military aggression and which has derailed the peace process," the communiqué said.
It said the rights of the Palestinians included the establishment of their own independent state with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital and also the return of the occupied Syrian Golan to the borders of June 4, 1967.
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia also stressed the religious sensitivity and the significance of Al Quds Al Sharif to the whole Islamic world and called for unity among the Muslims to make every effort to stop the aggression and sacrileges inflicted on Islamic holy places.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in violence which erupted on Sept 28 following a controversial visit by an Israeli politician to a Jerusalem shrine holy to both Muslims and Jews.
Both countries also supported a recommendation of the Arab League Summit which met recently in Cairo that a war crime tribunal be set up by the United Nations to bring to justice those responsible for Palestinian deaths.
On a bilateral note, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia agreed to further enhance their existing close relations including by promoting cooperation in fields such as trade and economy, science and technology, defense, finance, religious affairs, tourism, culture, youth and sports.
"In particular, the two countries agree to work together to help improve the international regulatory system and the international financial order," the document said.
While in Malaysia, Prince Sultan met Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar and Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak.
Both countries also agreed to encourage closer interaction between the business community to benefit fully from trade and investment opportunities available in both countries.
"Malaysia reiterated its strong support for the membership of Saudi Arabia in the World Trade Organization which would further strengthen the position of Islamic and developing countries," the communique said.