Riyadh: Prince Turki Al Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s former ambassador to the United States and Britain, said his handshake with Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon at an international security conference in Munich should not be seen as acquiescence to Israel’s stance on Palestinian autonomy.
Prince Turki, who is currently chairman of King Faisal Centre for Islamic Research and Studies, said what happened at the conference should not be taken out of context or misunderstood.
In a press statement issued on Sunday, the prince said: At Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon indirectly pointed to me saying, "An envoy of a country possessing a lot of oil refused to sit with me in the same session", adding, "Saudi Arabia with all its wealth has not given a penny to the Palestinian [National] Authority".
In reply, Prince Turki said: "I had objected to sit with him in the same session, not because he is the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, but because of his rude behaviour towards Turkish Ambassador to Israel Ahmet Oguz Celikkol. I had also rejected his claim on my country's support for the Palestinian [National] Authority and reminded him that the Kingdom has provided more than $500 million in the last five years to the Palestinian [National] Authority so that it can work."
"Then Mr Ayalon had asked me to come to the podium for shaking hands to show that there are no ill-feelings. I had pointed to him to come down from the podium to me. When we stood face to face, he had apologised for what he had said and I replied that I accepted his apology not only for me, but also for the Turkish ambassador. Ayalon was with US Senator Joseph Lieberman in the session and at first he objected my refusal to sit down with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, but after hearing my words, he expressed his regret for misunderstanding what I had done and he commended my immediate clarification of the situation," Prince Turki, brother of Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud Al Faisal, said, adding that this event should not be taken out of its context or misunderstood.
"My strong objections and denunciations of Israel's policies and its measures against the Palestinians have not changed. It is clear that Israel and its Arab neighbours want peace, but it cannot be expected that the Arab neighbours tolerate what amounts to theft," he said.
The handshake between Prince Turki and Ayalon during a panel discussion over the weekend settled a public diplomatic spat about seating arrangements. On Saturday, a panel convened on the topic of the Middle East peace process, was to include Prince Turki and Ayalon, as well as the Turkish foreign minister, US Sen. Joe Lieberman and senior Egyptian and Russian officials.
But the panel was split into two, according to reports, and in the subsequent question-and-answer session, Prince Turki stood up in the audience and said it was not he who had objected to sitting with Ayalon, but rather it was probably done due to Ayalon's "boorish behaviour" with Turkey’s envoy to Israel recently. The prince was referring to a public dressing down Ayalon gave to Turkish Ambassador Oguz Celikkol recently.
