France Stresses Support for Saudi Initiative on Yemen, Condemns Houthi Attacks

The Saudi Foreign Minister during his meeting with his French counterpart in Paris on Wednesday (Prince Faisal bin Farhan Twitter account).
The Saudi Foreign Minister during his meeting with his French counterpart in Paris on Wednesday (Prince Faisal bin Farhan Twitter account).
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France Stresses Support for Saudi Initiative on Yemen, Condemns Houthi Attacks

The Saudi Foreign Minister during his meeting with his French counterpart in Paris on Wednesday (Prince Faisal bin Farhan Twitter account).
The Saudi Foreign Minister during his meeting with his French counterpart in Paris on Wednesday (Prince Faisal bin Farhan Twitter account).

France has stressed its support for the Saudi peace initiative in Yemen, and condemned Houthi militia attacks on Saudi territories, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry following a meeting between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, in Paris.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan met over the past two days with a number of French officials, including the adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, Ambassador Emmanuel Bonne, and French senators.

The French President is expected to visit Saudi Arabia in October, according to well-informed French sources.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that the two parties were seeking to boost their relations in various economic and investment fields, and work on giant projects in Saudi Arabia and France.

Discussions during Prince Faisal’s meetings in Paris also touched on enhancing cooperation in the educational and health sectors and the fields of innovation and technology, as well as exchanging expertise and combating Covid-19 and its variants.

The Iranian nuclear program prevailed over talks on regional affairs. In its statement, the French Foreign Ministry said that Le Drian underlined the need for Tehran to return to the nuclear negotiations, but reaffirmed “France’s commitment to regional security and stability and its determination to respond to issues of concern to France and Saudi Arabia.”

On Yemen, the French minister was keen to stress the “firm condemnation of the attacks carried out by the Houthis against Saudi territories,” and the need to stop hostilities, “proceed with a full and comprehensive political solution, and support the peace initiative presented by Saudi Arabia in March.”

The two sides discussed the situation in Lebanon, as Paris is preparing to hold a virtual conference on Aug. 4, a year after the port explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital, in order to provide humanitarian support to the people who are suffering from deteriorating crises.

Paris is seeking to guarantee the widest participation in order to maximize international support. France had hosted two similar conferences last year, and the French Ministry of Defense organized a meeting in mid-June to provide support to the Lebanese army.

The French Foreign Ministry said that Le Drian emphasized the “urgent” need for Lebanese officials to form a new government “capable of carrying out reforms.”



Saudi FM: We Will Not Tire of Diplomacy to Achieve Gaza Ceasefire, Peace

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attend a press conference, following the Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit held to investigate Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 11, 2024. (Reuters)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attend a press conference, following the Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit held to investigate Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 11, 2024. (Reuters)
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Saudi FM: We Will Not Tire of Diplomacy to Achieve Gaza Ceasefire, Peace

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attend a press conference, following the Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit held to investigate Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 11, 2024. (Reuters)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attend a press conference, following the Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit held to investigate Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 11, 2024. (Reuters)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah stressed on Monday that the only way to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution, which several countries around the world support.

Speaking at the conclusion of the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit that was held in Riyadh, he added that the meeting was a follow-up to “our efforts to put a stop to the Israeli crimes.”

The summit tackled means to bolster joint work and continue cooperation with the international community to stop the war on Gaza and ease regional tensions.

“The establishment of an independent Palestinian state is a main demand and key to ending the conflict in the Middle East,” declared Prince Faisal, calling for more countries to recognize the independent state.

“We must not forget the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are living in fear and suffering displacement. The fastest way to protect them lies in an international resolution for a ceasefire,” he went on to say.

“We want a permanent solution that consolidates peace in the region. The international community and its institutions have been lax in performing their duties towards the Palestinians,” he remarked, adding that the summit will make the world listen to the Arab and Islamic worlds.

Prince Faisal vowed that efforts will continue to achieve the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to reach a ceasefire.

“We will not tire of diplomacy because we believe in peace that we all need and deserve,” he stressed.

Moreover, he underscored the “anger of the Arab and Islamic worlds over the developments in Gaza,” saying the Israeli operations in the sector and West Bank “go beyond ensuring its safety and self-defense, but they are part of an agenda to change the status quo on the ground and destroy prospects for a two-state solution.”

The Arab and Islamic worlds are committed to supporting the Palestinian Authority, said Prince Faisal. “It alone can manage the situation in the West Bank and Gaza and pressure must be exerted on Israel to make it stop undermining its authority,” he stated.

The emergence of a united Arab Islamic position will help ease regional tensions and will have an impact in reaching a solution, he remarked.

Furthermore, he said that the continuation of the war on Gaza is a sign of the international community’s failure. “Priority now lies in ending the war and the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he added.

“We must not allow the international community to forget the truth of the Israeli crimes in Gaza,” he urged.