Saudi Arabia Underscores its Continued Efforts to Resolve Sudan Crisis

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Underscores its Continued Efforts to Resolve Sudan Crisis

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah. (SPA)

The Saudi government underscored on Tuesday its ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis in Sudan and restore security and stability in the country.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah.

The government welcomed the outcomes of the second consultative meeting on boosting coordination on initiatives and peace efforts in Sudan.

The cabinet added that Saudi Arabia will continue to stand by Yemen and its people and encourage de-escalation efforts and preserve calm, hoping that this would pave the way for a comprehensive political solution under the UN-sponsored roadmap.

The ministers reviewed the contacts Saudi Arabia held over the past week with world countries with the aim of developing relations and cooperation in various fields.

The cabinet reviewed several periodic performance reports on the programs of the Saudi Vision 2030, whose many goals have already been realized.

It commended the swift advancement of housing and health sector transformation programs, notably in increasing homeownership rates among Saudi families, delivering thousands of housing units to developmental housing beneficiaries, and improving healthcare accessibility, quality, and life expectancy through efforts dedicated to public health and community vitality.

The cabinet discussed the Kingdom's high rankings in labor-market indicators issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), highlighting the record-breaking increase in Saudis employed in the private sector. The number of Saudi workers in the private sector rose from 1.7 million in 2019 to over 2.3 million in 2024, while the unemployment rate decreased to 6.7% in the first quarter of 2024.

Moreover, the cabinet discussed the submission to FIFA of Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup, reiterating the Kingdom's commitment to delivering an exceptional edition of the tournament.

It also praised UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee to add the "Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area" in the Riyadh region to the World Heritage List. This is the eighth site in Saudi Arabia to be listed, achieving one of the goals of the Vision 2030.

It reviewed the outcomes of the Kingdom’s participation in the meetings held under the Group of Twenty (G20) framework, which highlighted its efforts and initiatives supporting the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs), continued economic progress, and the enhancement of global responses to humanitarian issues.

Reviewing the outcomes of the second Baghdad International Regional Conference on Combating Drugs, the Cabinet underlined the Kingdom's commitment to reinforcing international cooperation in this area and highlighted the success of the security campaign in confronting the threat of drugs and related crimes.



Qatar’s Chief Negotiator Says ‘Frustrated’ by Pace of Gaza Talks

The al-Atal family's tent is seen after it was struck overnight in an Israeli airstrike that killed several family members, in the Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza City, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
The al-Atal family's tent is seen after it was struck overnight in an Israeli airstrike that killed several family members, in the Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza City, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
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Qatar’s Chief Negotiator Says ‘Frustrated’ by Pace of Gaza Talks

The al-Atal family's tent is seen after it was struck overnight in an Israeli airstrike that killed several family members, in the Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza City, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
The al-Atal family's tent is seen after it was struck overnight in an Israeli airstrike that killed several family members, in the Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza City, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)

Qatar's chief negotiator voiced frustration over talks for a truce in Gaza in an interview with AFP, a month after Israel resumed its strikes on the Palestinian territory and another round of negotiations ended without a deal.

"We're definitely frustrated by the slowness, sometimes, of the process in the negotiation. This is an urgent matter. There are lives at stake here if this military operation continues day by day," Mohammed Al-Khulaifi said on Friday.

Qatar, with the United States and Egypt, brokered a truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas which came into force on January 19 and largely halted over a year of war triggered by Palestinian gunmen’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The initial phase of the truce ended in early March, with the two sides unable to agree on the next steps.

Hamas has insisted that negotiations be held for a second phase to the truce, leading to a permanent end to the war, as outlined in the January framework.

Israel, which had called for an extension to the opening phase, resumed air and ground attacks across the Gaza Strip on March 18 after earlier halting the entry of aid.

Late on Thursday, Hamas signaled the group would not accept Israel's newest proposal for a 45-day ceasefire. Israel had wanted the release of 10 living hostages held by Hamas, the group said.

"We've been working continuously in the last days to try to bring the parties together and revive the agreement that has been endorsed by the two sides," the Qatari minister of state said.

"And we will remain committed to this, in spite of the difficulties," he added.