Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal held talks in Washington DC yesterday with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. In a press statement following the meeting, Prince Saud said that he had offered the Kingdom's condolences to the victims of the recent terrorist attacks and reiterated the support of the Saudi government and people in the fight against terrorism, declaring: "This support comes from a country that has suffered from terrorism and knows exactly what it means."

Pointing out that the fight against terrorism is an international battle, he stressed: "We cannot combat terrorism by revenge, but we can do so through an open mind by identifying the real perpetrator, arresting him and bringing him to justice." He added that the world wants justice, not revenge, and this, he said, can be achieved through cooperation and political will, through efforts that have been described by President George W. Bush as "a long and difficult battle that will be won in the end".
In an address aired by Saudi Television last night, Prince Saud praised the stand taken by the United States to ensure respect for Arabs and Muslims in America, and reported that in his talks with Secretary Powell he had stressed the Kingdom's readiness to cooperate to eliminate the scourge of terrorism. The events in New York, he said, targeted not only the United States, but Islam and the Arab World. He reiterated the hope that the handling of this matter will be restrained, and that revenge will be ruled out.
Prince Saud also met in Washington DC yesterday with his German counterpart Joschka Fischer, accompanied by Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz.

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