King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary General, hold talks in Jeddah, Monday. — SPA Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH — King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary General, Monday discussed the crisis in Syria and means to combat the menace of terrorism. “Regional and international developments and efforts to achieve peace and end bloodshed in Syria and other hot spots in the region,” came up during discussions between the two leaders, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The King and the UN chief also discussed “international efforts to combat terrorism under the umbrella of the United Nations,” SPA said. At the opening of the second advisory meeting of the United Nations Counter-terrorism Center here Sunday, the King said: “Among the most important challenges we are currently facing is terror, a phenomenon which the whole international community is responsible for fighting and not one country alone.” Efforts to end bloodshed in Syria also came up for discussion in the Cabinet meeting presided over by King Abdullah. The Council of Ministers reiterated its support for the recent Arab League ministerial meeting statement calling upon the UN Security Council to take all necessary measures to provide security to unarmed civilians in Syria. During the Arab League meeting in Doha, Kofi Annan, the joint UN and Arab League envoy, warned of the growing sectarian violence in Syria, adding that the conflict was already having serious consequences in the region. He called on the international community to work together to push for the implementation of the six-point peace plan. “The crisis is having a regional spillover, in the form of tensions and incidents across the border, abductions of nationals and foreigners, and refugee flows to neighboring states,” Annan warned. On Sunday, at a joint press conference with UN chief, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, accused Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad of “maneuvering” to gain time. Ban described the situation in Syria as deeply troubling. “I once again call on the government of Syria to uphold its responsibilities and abide by the Annan plan,” he said.
