Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, today received visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri.   In a statement to the press, Prime Minister Hariri underscored the importance of the positive stance taken by the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz in support of the defense of Lebanon’s territory, security and safety.   This stance, he said, is not new, since the Kingdom has always supported Lebanon in sensitive and critical circumstances.   He affirmed that the Kingdom’s condemnation of Israel’s aggression against Lebanese territory had a strong impact on the issue in regional and international arenas, saying:  “Saudi Arabia enjoys considerable political weight and significance at the international level, my current visit to the Kingdom coming within the framework of the constant coordination that exists to inform high officials about the latest developments in Lebanon”.

Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz also received Prime Minister Hariri, and discussed ways of finding a solution to the deplorable developments in Lebanon.  In a press conference after the meeting Prince Sultan stated that Saudi Arabia under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz would make every effort to stop the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, and that Crown Prince Abdullah was in full agreement with this.   Responding to a question on whether he hopes the United States will put pressure on Israel, Prince Sultan said that he could not speak on behalf of another state, but that he hoped the United States would side with justice in this case.  Asked if he believed that the Israeli aggression would affect the peace process in the Middle East, he said:  “If this aggression continues, then it might affect the peace process.  If, however, it stops now, then it might not affect it, since peace is more important than anything.”  For his part, Prime Minister Hariri said he had briefed Crown Prince Abdullah and Prince Sultan on what is happening in Lebanon, and expressed confidence that Saudi Arabia would stand on Lebanon’s side in this crisis as it has always done.

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