Prince Turki said that even though the international community - people of all faiths, Muslims, Christians and Jews - condemn this wicked perversity, it has driven a wedge between people, spread doubt and divided friends. "Religion cannot and must not be used in any way to justify terror," he said. "The acts of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups are wholly wicked and totally unjustifiable. They defile Islam." He stressed the determination of the Kingdom to pursue its anti-terrorism policy that was put in place long before 9/11. Quoting Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz, he said, "It is the terrorists who are our enemies, and security will be imposed on them by force. Every enemy will be tracked down, no matter how long it takes." Al-Faisal identified four critical areas the international community needed to address in order to be effective in controlling terrorism. First, solidifying international cooperation on all fronts: Politically, financially and in the field of security. Second, putting in place effective preventive measures through intelligence sharing. Third, promoting cultural understanding through betterdialogues between civilizations, cultures and religions and by promoting tolerance and thus defeating the preachers of hate. Fourth, resolving ongoing international conflicts that fuel terrorism. He chose two pertinent cases: Palestine and Iraq. After cataloging a substantial list of statistics supporting the effective undermining of Palestine's infrastructure and society through economic, physical and military measures, Al-Faisal said that Saudi Arabia, along with other Arab countries, has clearly expressed its interest in reaching a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict which will be based on international legitimacy and the principle of peace for land. Crown Prince Abdullah's plan called for total Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, according to UN resolutions, in return for total Arab recognition of Israel. This plan was approved by all the Arab states and welcomed by the United Nations but remains unaccepted by the Israeli government. Saudi Arabia has proposed that American and British forces should be replaced by Muslim forces in Iraq, that the United Nations, America, Britain and Muslim countries should sit down and discuss this proposition in all its aspects and ramifications. "We are still awaiting a response." Prince Turki hoped that with new leadership in the US, there might be a real drive to find a peaceful solution for the region and, in doing so, to cut off the fuel that feeds terrorism. "The battle against terrorism is one, we cannot afford to lose. To win it, we must remain vigilant at all times in order to protect the innocent; we must act fairly in our dealings with individual nations and we must work together - as a unified civilized international community to rid our precious world of this evil."--SPA1111 Local Time 0811 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/224484
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