Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister called for peaceful solutions to multiple world crises during his address to the 78th UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan stressed the importance of human rights to Saudi Arabia, saying: “Our country has enacted a number of laws, and has also amended existing laws, in order to promote the dignity of the citizen and protect livelihoods and decent living while ensuring protection for all.”
He reaffirmed the Kingdom’s support for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “that allows the Palestinian people to have an independent state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Prince Faisal also called for solutions to the conflicts and crises in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine and Sudan.
“The Kingdom affirms its keenness on the security and stability of the Republic of Yemen and supports all efforts aimed at resolving the crisis in Yemen, and alleviating the human suffering of the Yemeni people.”
He called for de-escalation in Sudan, saying Saudi Arabia hosted ceasefire talks between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Jeddah earlier this year with the participation of the US.
“Saudi Arabia is working actively to protect civilians and to guarantee delivery of aid to the population,” he said.
“We have, since the beginning of the crisis, constantly taken humanitarian action by conducting evacuation operations by sea of thousands of Sudanese and citizens of neighboring and brotherly countries.”
King Salman has also launched an initiative to raise funds for the Sudanese people, and decreed $100 million in humanitarian assistance to the country through the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, Prince Faisal said.
Prince Faisal said Saudi Arabia supports calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces in Libya. “The Kingdom stresses the importance of achieving security and stability in Libya ensuring its sovereignty independence and territorial integrity and stopping interference in its internal affairs,” he said.—Agencies
