Arabs appreciate India's support for Palestine: Saudi envoy

Tuesday, 23 September 2003, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: Describing India as a "great power", Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to India Saleh Mohammed Al-Ghamdi said Arab countries appreciated New Delhi's support for the Palestinian cause. "India is a great power. The Arab countries highly appreciate India's traditional concern and support for the Palestinian cause and hope that this will continue," Al-Ghamdi said in an interview published in two Indian dailies on the occasion of his country's national day Tuesday. He said the Saudi government was keen to strengthen and expand bilateral relations with India based on mutual respect and friendly cooperation. "My endeavour therefore will be to further improve Saudi-India bilateral relations in various fields and expand the scope of cooperation between our two friendly countries," Ghamdi, who took up his post earlier this year, said. He noted that there are about 1.5 million Indians in Saudi Arabia, constituting the largest foreign community in the country and contributing to its development. "This is a testimony to the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two peoples," he said and added Indians in Saudi Arabia were considered a "preferred expatriate community" for their high technical skills, discipline and their peaceful and law-abiding nature. He said a high-level business delegation from the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry was scheduled to visit India in October to explore the possibilities of enhancing trade and investments between the two countries. Asked about Saudi Arabia's views on terrorism, particularly the kind that was inflicted on India, the envoy said: "Terrorism constitutes a threat to the lives of peaceful people and world stability and obstructs development efforts." He "denounced and deplored" the twin terrorist bombings in Mumbai in August and said Saudi Arabia had strongly condemned them. "Acts of terror are against the principles and precepts of all divine religions including the tolerant religion of Islam," he said and added Saudi Arabia had been a victim of terrorism for many years. "The Saudi government is utterly opposed to acts of terrorism and has pursued an anti-terrorism policy by all possible means for many years, both before and since September 11, 2001, and is actively cooperating with international efforts to fight this menace." He emphasised that terrorism had no boundaries, religion or nationality and fighting terror was beyond the capabilities of any single country or society. "It requires unified and collective efforts by the entire international community," he said.
Source: IANS
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