The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirmed that it sees in Iraq an integral part of the Arab and Islamic nation and deals with all Iraqis in an equal way. It supports all efforts to ensure Iraq's unity and sovereignty over all its territory. It stands against any sectarian, confessional, or racial discrimination that leads to the division of the country or transform Iraq into an arena for regional and international schemes. It looks forward to a greater role for the United Nations in this regard. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reaffirmed the importance of supporting the unity of Iraq, safeguarding its independence and sovereignty, and the assumption of neighboring states of their responsibilities to work on unifying Iraq, help in discarding of sectarianism and not interfere in its domestic affairs. This came in the kingdom's speech before the 3d Transatlantic Conference which is being held in Berlin and organized by the Peace Research Institute in Frankfurt in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The following is the text of the speech delivered by Prince Torki bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Kabeer, Deputy Foreign Minister for Multilateral Relations: Your Excellency Chairman/President Excellency Dr. Bernd W.Kubbig Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen At the outset, I would like to extend my thanks to the Institute of Peace Research in Frankfurt for its kind invitation and for organizing this important conference in collaboration with the Fredric Ebert Foundation in this historic city of Berlin. Our thanks are also extended to the Government of Germany for sponsoring the activities of this conference. Undoubtedly, the presence of such an elite gathering of participant politicians and intellectuals with their ideas and visions since the beginning of the conference has enriched its proceedings and discussions and contributed to the forging of common grounds for shared perceptions. Ladies and Gentlemen, The future security of the Middle East is an important issue of concern to the region and to the whole world. Due to advances in science, technology and means of communication, our world has become a small village where the elements are influenced by one another. The significance of the Middle East in political, economic and strategic terms, coupled with common and interrelated interests with other countries necessitate that we communicate and confer in order to generate and promote the spirit of dialogue and understanding between us so that world security and stability are preserved for the benefit of humankind. --more
