Saudi Arabia calls for reviving peace, demands US, France pressure Israel

King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz said telephone calls they received from US President Bill Clinton and French President Jacques Chirac addressed the needs to revive the Middle East peace process and exert pressure on Israel to abide by international legitimacy resolutions.

In a statement on Monday following a meeting of the Saudi Cabinet chaired by Crown Prince Abdullah, Saudi Information Minister Fuad al-Farisi discussed the content of talks he and King Fahd had with leaders of several countries, including Presidents Clinton and Chirac. He went on to say that the Saudi Cabinet was acquainted with developments, especially regarding the situation in the Gulf region, and the peace process in the Middle East region, which should be free from mass-annihilation weapons.

He said the Cabinet discussed the positive results and constructive talks held by former Iranian President Akbar Hashami Rafsanjani with Saudi officials in boosting bilateral relations between the two countries. The Cabinet approved the implementation of the Gulf Cooperation Council's common agricultural policy, adjusted and approved by the GCC higher council in its 17th session, held in Doha in 1996.

The Cabinet also approved the cultural agreement signed between Saudi Arabia and Morocco in Casablanca on March 2, 1997.