Gulf | Saudi Arabia
Saudi initiative is a 'life jacket' for warring rival factions
A number of Saudi political analysts have described the Saudi initiative of calling upon rival Palestinian factions to stop fighting and meet in Makkah as a 'life jacket' that was thrown at the right time.
- By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 January 30, 2007
Riyadh: A number of Saudi political analysts have described the Saudi initiative of calling upon rival Palestinian factions to stop fighting and meet in Makkah as a 'life jacket' that was thrown at the right time.
King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz made on Sunday an urgent appeal to the Fatah and Hamas factions to halt fighting and come to the negotiating table. The king called upon Palestinians to resort to reason and listen to language of dialogue over the language of arms, noting that what is happening on Palestinian soil is disgraceful and has tarnished the history of honourable national struggle of the Palestinians who have been martyred for the liberation of their homeland.
Contacts were made between senior Saudi officials and Palestinian leaders inside and outside the Palestinian territories.
The Palestinian ambassador in Riyadh, Jamal Shoubaki, told Gulf News that the invitation of King Abdullah for the Palestinian leaders to meet in Saudi Arabic comes at the right time. He added that this invitation represents a 'rescue' after the dispute between Fatah and Hamas reached a dangerous stage.
He disclosed that arrangements are underway to set a date for the meeting following the agreement of all Palestinian parties.
He expressed hope that the meeting will be held soon, adding that the Saudi leadership is the only party who can fix the date for the meeting. He pointed out that he expects Makkah Meeting to gather from Hamas side, all factions including the leaders based in Damascus.
On the other hand, Abdullah Al Dossary, a Saudi political analyst, noted that the Saudi initiative would put an end to the tragic situation in the Palestinian territories and solve the disputes between the warring factions.
The editor-in-chief of Al Riyadh newspaper, Turki Al Sudairi said that the selection of Makkah as a venue for the meeting aims at adding a spiritual dimension to the negotiations.
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