3 New York Prince Saud confirmed the Kingdom's adherence to the principles of the international legitimacy as well as the resolutions of the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference which stipulate making the Middle East and the Gulf regions free from weapons of mass-destruction. He expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Iraq and the sectarian calls at the Iraqi arena. 'Such developments will further increase the sufferings of the Iraqis', he said. "We would like to urge the Iraqis to close their ranks and to work collectively for the service of their country, " he added. Prince Saud said the Kingdom attaches a great importance to the problems of sustainable development taking into account the importance of preservation of the environment. 'Despite the fact that the Kingdom is one of the developing countries and it is facing the problems of population growth, yet it extended in the last three decades about four percent of its Gross National Product (GNP) as non-repayable assistance in addition to soft development loans to the poor countries, 'he said, adding that 83 countries had benefited from this assistance. 'Moreover the Kingdom participates in more than 14 regional and international institutions which are concerned with extension of multi-party assistance', he noted.--More1307 Local Time 1007 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/290602