Saudi Arabia: Israeli settlements real disruption to peace 

(MENAFN - Arab News) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Saud Al-Faisal welcomed the UN General Assembly decision granting the Palestinians the status of a non-member observer state at the United Nations.

Prince Saud, during his regular press briefing at the premises of the Ministry yesterday said, the decision should constitute a positive factor toward establishing peace.

He further elaborated that the real disruption to peace comes from the absence of political solutions, as well as Israel's refusal to a peaceful resolution to the crisis and its incessant drive to build more settlements.
He expressed hope the UN Security Council would deal positively with the decision of the majority of the international community, in terms of granting the Palestinian people their legitimate rights.

He also stressed the Kingdom's hope that the UN Security Council will put at end to Israel's arrogant policies.

Prince Saud expressed deep regret over the situation in Syria which, he said, is steadily worsening in terms of victims, the number of displaced and the severe destruction witnessed by the Syrian cities under the bombardment of the regime's military machine.

The situation in Syria makes the need for a peaceful transfer of power more pressing, in order to safeguard Syria as a country and people, he said.
He described the new Syrian coalition as a positive step toward unifying the opposition under one umbrella and expressed hope that the international community would deal with the Syrian crisis from all aspects, including the political, security and humanitarian sides.

Prince Saud later received a delegation from the coalition headed by its chief Ahmed Moaz Al-Khatib, state news agency SPA reported. They discussed "developments in Syria and all ongoing international efforts on this matter."

The foreign minister said Saudi Arabia will partake in a "Syrian friends conference", scheduled for next week in Marrakech, Morocco, in the framework of harnessing greater international support for the Syrian cause.

He called on the Yemenis to respond to the peace efforts initiated by the Yemeni government and engage in national dialogue, which their nation direly needs in order to implement the GCC peace initiative and restore integrity and peace to their country.