COMMENTS BY PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL,
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

26 February 2001

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed the visit by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. This visit is part of long tradition of continuous consultations between the two countries and takes place at a critical time for the region.

With regard to Iraq, the two sides agreed broadly on the need for the international community to ensure that the events which took place August 2, 1990, are not repeated, and on the importance of implementing all U.N. Security Council resolutions dealing with the Iraqi-Kuwaiti situation.

Both countries agreed that there is a need to re-examine the sanctions regime currently in place to find a way to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people, while at the same time ensuring compliance with the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions that deal with the Iraqi-Kuwaiti situation.