Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector-General, today concluded a five-day state visit to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.  In a joint communiqué, reference was made to the close friendship and cordial relations that exist between the two countries, and to the Pakistani people's feelings of respect for and appreciation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minsiter and Commander of the National Guard.

The communiqué stated that Prince Sultan was received by Pakistani President Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, and held talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and that both sides agreed to work to support the Saudi-Pakistani joint committee for economic, commercial and technical cooperation, in accordance with decisions taken during Crown Prince Abdullah's visit to Pakistan last year. 
Turning to the regional and international situation, the two sides exchanged views, notably on Kashmir, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq, and the Middle East. Regarding Kashmir, the Saudi side welcomed the resumption of talks between India and Pakistan and praised the efforts exerted in this regard by the Pakistani Prime Minister. The two sides agreed that the realization of peace in the Middle East depends on application of all relevant United Nations resolutions and agreements related to it, such as Israel's withdrawal from occupied Arab territories including the Golan Heights and southern Lebanon.  They also confirmed their support of the right of Palestinians to establish an independent state with Al-Quds as its capital. For Iraq, the two sides confirmed commitment to Iraq's territorial integrity and the importance of implementing UN resolutions related to the issue in order to relieve the suffering of the Iraqi people. The two sides underscored the necessity of maintaining Afghanistan's independence, sovereignty, and regional unity. For Kosovo, the two sides expressed deep concern over the latest developments there and strongly called for an immediate halt to Serb aggression against the Kosovar people, the immediate pull back of Serb forces and their replacement by an international peacekeeping force.
Yesterday evening, Prince Sultan met with the accredited Arab ambassadors to Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, he reiterated that Saudi Arabia is a peace-loving nation and believes in the principle of coexistence and non-interference in the domestic affairs of the others. The Kingdom is also concerned with non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the combat of terrorism, and preservation of human rights in line with the teachings of Islam. Prince Sultan made it clear that Saudi Arabia opposes the Serb policy of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and is working to put an end to the Kosovars' ordeal.

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