Riyadh: The Saudi king has warned of an impending "explosion" in the Middle East saying that it will not only affect the region but will spread all over the world.
"The Middle East region suffers from the longest conflict in our contemporary history which is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Israel's occupation of Arab lands," King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, said in an interview with the Spanish El Pas newspaper and published simultaneously in Al Riyadh newspaper yesterday..
"At this point in time we are exerting efforts to solve this conflict, but we are witnessing an expansion of the crisis to include other countries like Iraq and Lebanon," he said. "This makes the region replete with troubles that pose grave concerns for us. My fears are the fears of all reasonable men that the explosive situation will not be confined to the region but will extend to the whole world," he said.
The Saudi monarch yesterday began a five-nation trip that will take him to Spain, France, Poland, Egypt and Jordan.
King Abdullah also underlined the importance of solving the problem of Iran's nuclear programme peacefully in a way that guarantees all countries in the region to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in accordance with the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency. These standards should be applied on all countries in the region without any exceptions, he added.
Iran's N-programme
King Abdullah noted that his recent meeting with Iranian President Ahmadinejad comes within Iran's continuing contacts with leaders in the region that aim at coordination and consultation for finding a peaceful solution to Iran's problems.
"Iran is a neighbouring country and the meeting between us has been important for talks and exchange of viewpoints on many issues of the region including the nuclear programme, the situation in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine and the growing ideological conflicts. We are looking forward to seeing results on the ground," the Saudi leader said.
He maintained that stability in oil markets and a necessary balance that does not harm development was necessary.
He said regions of conflict offer fertile ground for terrorists to exploit such conditions to spread their tentacles. The Middle East region, unfortunately offers such conditions. Finding solutions for these conflicts will not only put an end to terrorism but at the same time contribute to stability and security of the region and its people.
