ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN SAUDI ARABIA, 4 - 5 SEPTEMBER

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan flew from Doha, Qatar, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, 4 September.

He went straight into talks and a working lunch with Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, which covered implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), in all its aspects.  The Secretary-General briefed Prince Saud on his efforts so far to persuade Israel to lift the air, land and sea blockade on Lebanon, which they agreed was unjustifiable and unsustainable.  They also agreed that this was an opportunity to revive the peace process in the Middle East on all tracks.

Later in the afternoon, the Secretary-General was received by His Majesty, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince and Defence Minister Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud.  The Secretary-General reviewed his current tour of the region, which took him to Lebanon, Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jordan, Syria, Iran and Qatar, and which focused on implementation of Security Council resolution 1701.

In a press conference after their meeting, held jointly with Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Secretary-General said that he was very encouraged by the discussions he had had in the region and added that he “sensed that the Governments realized that this is not only an opportunity to help Lebanon and to stabilize the situation, but to build on it in an attempt to achieve a broader peace”.  The Secretary-General also stated that he agreed with King Abdullah that the key issues and root causes of the conflict in the Middle East must be dealt with, including Palestine, Israel’s blockade on Lebanon and the issue of Lebanon’s borders and Shebaa Farms.

The Secretary-General flew the following morning to Alexandria, Egypt.