Monday, October 5, 1998

 

Vol. 34, No. 40

 

Joint statement on United States-Saudi relations

William J Clinton

 

 

�� His Royal Highness Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, First

Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Saudi Arabian National Guard,

visited Washington, D.C. September 23-25, 1998 at the invitation of

Vice President Al Gore.

 

 

� The visit is in the framework of the close, strong and historic

relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States

of America stretching back more than a half century to President

Roosevelt and King Abdul Aziz. It reflects the desire of both

governments to have periodic high-level consultations to assure

coordination of policies that affect mutual interests. Crown Prince

Abdullah was received by President Clinton and Vice President Gore,

as well as Secretary of State Albright. In addition, he received

calls from Secretary of the Treasury Rubin, Secretary of Energy

Richardson and Deputy Secretary of Defense Hamre.

 

 

�� The two sides discussed topics of mutual interest and concern.

Both sides pledged to cooperate fully in the search for

comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East based on

Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and the principle of land

for peace. The United States updated the Crown Prince on America's

efforts to put the peace process back on track. President Clinton

explained the progress made in narrowing the gaps during Ambassador

Dennis Ross's recent visit to the region. Secretary Albright is

meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat in

New York this week to continue this process in an effort to achieve

agreement on the basis of President Clinton's ideas. In this

context, the United States expressed concern about unilateral acts

taken bv either side that undermine confidence in the negotiations.

 

 

� Saudi Arabia expressed its full support for the peace efforts

exerted by the United States and Saudi Arabia's willingness to

support whatever the Palestinian side agrees to in the service of

peace. Saudi Arabia expressed its deep concern about Israeli

unilateral actions, including in Jerusalem, which could prejudge the

outcome of the final status negotiations, and also called on Israel

to fully implement the Oslo and Washington accords and to cooperate

with the United States' initiative to reinvigorate the process. The

United States and Saudi Arabia expect the hvo sides to strictly abide

by their obligations. At the same time, the tvo sides underscored

the importance of resuming negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese

tracks of the peace process as soon as possible in an effort to

facilitate a comprehensive peace. Both countries expressed their

support for the implementation of Resolutions 425 and 426.

 

 

� During their discussion on Iraq, the tvo sides expressed their

serious concern at the Iraqi government's decision to suspend

cooperation with the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) and the

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). They called upon the

Iraqi government to comply with the recent UN Resolution which states

that Iraq's action is totally unacceptable, and which demands that

Iraq resume cooperation with UNSCOM and the IAEA. They agreed that

the only way to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people lies in

strict adherence to all Security Council Resolutions. They expressed

their sympathy with the Iraqi people and satisfaction with UN

resolution 1153 which addresses humanitarian needs.

 

 

� Both countries welcome Iran's stated policy to improve relations

with the states of the region and its renunciation of terrorism, and

hope that these statements will translate into practice.

 

 

� They discussed the situation in Afghanistan, and expressed support

for the efforts of the United Nations and the Organization of Islam

Conference aiming at a peaceful resolution and an end to the

fighting. They called upon Iran and Afghanistan to resolve their

differences by peaceful means. Also, both sides reaffirmed the

danger and threat that terrorism constitutes for international

security and stability. They called on all countries to prevent

terrorists from operating from their soil and assist in bringing

known terrorists to justice. They considered that concerted

international action is an effective vav to combat terrorism.

 

 

� Both sides were united in the view that the current situation in

Kosovo is unacceptable and condemned the harsh measures taken by the

Yugoslav government causing displacement of large segments of the

population of Kosovo. They also noted with concern the recent

nuclear testing in India and Pakistan and called on all states to

sign and ratify the CTBT at the earliest possible date.

 

 

� They reviewed the current state of the international economy.

Both sides agreed on the need to continue to consult closely on these

issues and to continue cooperation to enhance trade and investment

between the two countries. The United States expressed its support

for Saudi Arabia's accession to the World Trade Organization, and

both sides look forward to the increasing trade opportunities and

further integration into the global economy which will flow from

Saudi Arabia's membership in that organization. Both sides agreed to

continue their efforts to complete these important economic

negotiations as soon as possible. The American side welcomed

continued Saudi efforts to enforce measures for protecting

intellectual property rights and looked forward to further progress.

The two sides renewed their intentions to fully consult and cooperate

on the issues related to global climate change and will continue to

assure that measures taken in this regard are based on the state of

scientific evidence and data. They stressed the need to encourage

technical cooperation and scientific research in the fields of water;

agricultural standards, regulations and policies; and specification

and measurements.

 

 

� The two sides stressed the importance of the Kingdom of Saudi

Arabia in the world oil market, and the United States reiterated its

recognition of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a secure and reliable

supplier of energy resources, especially to the United States. NOTE:

An original was not available for verification of the content of this

joint statement. This item Was not received in time for publication

in the appropriate issue.