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Israel 'held secret talks with Saudi royal family'

Agencies
Monday September 25, 2006
Guardian Unlimited

The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, held a secret meeting with a senior member of Saudi Arabia's ruling royal family about a possible peace initiative for the Middle East, a report in Israel said today.

According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the meeting, said to have been held 10 days ago, was likely to be the highest-level contact ever made between an Israeli leader and the Saudi royal house. Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations.
The newspaper reported that some of its sources said the meeting was held with King Abdullah. Others said that the meeting took place with another senior member of the royal family.

A senior Israeli government official, speaking anonymously, told the AP news agency that Mr Olmert did not meet King Abdullah, but would not confirm or deny that the prime minister saw another high-ranking Saudi.

Following Israel's war against Hizbullah guerrillas in Lebanon last month, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have signalled that now is the time for a new push in peacemaking to prevent future conflicts.

"The prime minister was impressed by the moderate, positive stands that the Saudis expressed during the summer, when Israel was fighting Hizbullah," the Israeli official said.

Saudi Arabia has been trying to revive a sweeping regional peace initiative it presented in 2002. Israel rejected the plan at the time, but Mr Olmert has indicated that he might be more open to the Saudi program than was his predecessor, Ariel Sharon.
The Saudi initiative calls for a full Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in 1967 in exchange for normalisation of relations with all Arab countries

Doesn't surprise me.

Concord wrote:Doesn't surprise me.

i was thinking the same! whats new!

old news

I am shocked

Saudi Arabia wanting a "peace initiative" along with Israel? Haha. More like, "stay in power at all cost" initiative and sell their soul to the devil if that's what it takes to stay in power.

MaaaD wrote:The Saudi initiative calls for a full Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in 1967 in exchange for normalisation of relations with all Arab countries

yeap sounds like a good idea , until arab oil runs out

then just nuke em , turn the area into glass !

Mint Tulip wrote:Saudi Arabia wanting a "peace initiative" along with Israel? Haha. More like, "stay in power at all cost" initiative and sell their soul to the devil if that's what it takes to stay in power.

someone who actually has an insightful thing to say. thank god.