Prince Saud said "Fortunately, there is a great deal of international good will to help. Contributions and funds are available from various sources, and Saudi Arabia has participated in this economic drive. We have already provided about 300 million Riyals in humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people. In the Madrid Conference in October 2003, we offered one billion dollars for reconstruction efforts in Iraq, in the form of soft loans to development projects through bilateral contacts with the Iraqi government, and by financing and guaranteeing Saudi exports to Iraq. Saudi Arabia also made clear its readiness to look into ways to ease the burden of its official debts to Iraq. We provided the Iraqi side with all relevant information in this regard. With the establishment of the Iraqi government, we are looking forward to direct discussions on debt relief. However, the sad realities of daily confrontations and acts of violence persist. If we are to meet the real needs of Iraq, the first priority is to deal with the political issues and resolve them. The political process, which includes the drafting of the new constitution, can only succeed in its purpose if it embraces and reflects the collective will of all Iraqis. The effort of the international community at this time should, as a matter of priority, concentrate on reconciliation and unity of the Iraqi people. This is essential for the establishment of legitimate government institutions, accepted by the people, that would have the ability and means to stabilize the political and security conditions of the country. Under no circumstances should this be construed as diminishing either the importance of reconstruction efforts in Iraq or Saudi Arabia's commitment to this objective. In conclusion, I hope this meeting will achieve concrete results concomitant with the level of influence of the participants. This shall require true resolve and political will to help the Iraqi people achieve their hopes and aspirations after such a long period of hardships and suffering. Thank you for listening," Prince Saud concluded.--SPA1535 Local Time 1235 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/271830