"... Al-Faisal described sanctions as a long-term solution, and said the threat is more pressing. "But we see the issue in the shorter term because we are closer to the threat. We need immediate resolution rather than gradual resolution," he said.The minister did not identify a preferred short-term resolution...."
... and thanks to "b" (previousely, of MOA) the rest of the text in The News, here
".... It was not immediately clear whether Saud, who spoke in English, was calling for a tough and immediate UN Security Council resolution or another solution to the perceived threat from Iran.
A Saudi foreign policy official on Tuesday stressed Riyadh was not advocating military action but rather a linkage with the Middle East peace process as a faster and more effective means to ease tensions in the region.
"There is no point in our spending all our time on sanctions which will not have an effect in the short term. We need something more tangible," he said, asking not to be identified.
"We don't want a military strike. A military strike, we still believe, will be very counter-productive," he said.
"We need to do something on Israel and the Palestinians . For instance, the US could get Israel to halt (Jewish) settlements" on the occupied West Bank, the official said.
"There is a credibility issue with the US administration on promises it cannot fulfill," he said, referring to the stalled peace process...."
1 comment:
If one believes The News, the Saudi point was Palestine and not a call for war as some might assume:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=98846
...
But Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal sounded less supportive of further sanctions against the Islamic republic, qualifying such measures as a "long-term solution."
"We see the issue in the shorter term because we are closer to the threat . We need an immediate resolution," Saud said in a midnight press conference after meetings with his US counterpart.
It was not immediately clear whether Saud, who spoke in English, was calling for a tough and immediate UN Security Council resolution or another solution to the perceived threat from Iran.
A Saudi foreign policy official on Tuesday stressed Riyadh was not advocating military action but rather a linkage with the Middle East peace process as a faster and more effective means to ease tensions in the region.
"There is no point in our spending all our time on sanctions which will not have an effect in the short term. We need something more tangible," he said, asking not to be identified.
"We don't want a military strike. A military strike, we still believe, will be very counter-productive," he said.
"We need to do something on Israel and the Palestinians . For instance, the US could get Israel to halt (Jewish) settlements" on the occupied West Bank, the official said.
"There is a credibility issue with the US administration on promises it cannot fulfill," he said, referring to the stalled peace process.
...
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