Jeddah, 26 Aug, The custodian of the two holy mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud emphasized the importance of the interest of the Islamic and Arab nation. "I respect whoever respects me and respect even those who disagree with me; they deserve my respect as long as this disagreement is for the benefit of the nation and not triggered by narrow personal interests" , the monarch said. Commenting on the Israeli war on Lebanon, during an exclusive interview with the Jeddah-based Alsharq Al-Awsat (Middle East) newspaper published today, King Abdullah called on all to provide support for Lebanon to help it overcome its current ordeal. "The support for Lebanon is the duty of all of us", he said, adding that "whoever falls short of supporting Lebanon is in fact falling short of supporting himself, his Arab nation and humanity".

On the general lack of interest in the peace process in the Middle East, King Abdullah said "we have presented the peace initiative which was adopted unanimously by the Arab world and which received an international acceptance even at some circles in Israel", the monarch said, noting the absence of interest (in the Middle East peace process) and the failure of the implementation mechanisms of such initiatives.

As regards the hindrance of the Palestinian issue and peace process, King Abdullah emphasized that circumstances have changed today; unfortunately the world ushered in a foggy situation, and in our region issues have been confused and vision has become dim. He also pointed out that the kingdom's policy is to wait until the a clear vision materializes, but at the same time we work along with all friends and all concerned to forge essetial and fundamental solutions for these problems which threaten the stability of the region and the world at large. On the Iraqi issue, the monarch said "we sincerely feel great sorrow and sadness for the tragedies our brotherly Iraqi people are facing and we pray to allah almighty to enable Iraq overcome these problems and occupy its proper position among the Arab and islamic countries, enjoying stability, security and prosperity." "Some forces don't conceive the nature of Arab and Islamic problems", King Abdullah said, asserting that the kingdom's policy is to solve crises through peaceful means.

Regarding his recent international visits to Asia and Turkey, the monarch asserted that those who view these visits as messages for some countries at the expense of others are mistaken, clarifying that the purpose of his visits was to serve the interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The international relations of Saudi Arabia emanate from our values as we are friends of all and wish all of them peace, King Abdullah said. Also, King Abdullah highlighted the great development witnessed by the kingdom in the field of education, especially in modern and technological sciences.

In this regard, he noted that the university of King Abdullah is open for all Saudi and non-Saudi scholars and the talented in the Arab and Islamic worlds. He also asserted that the increase in the number of universities in the kingdom seeks to forge a qualitative leap in education which he described as the essence for progress.

Regarding the security confrontation which ended last Monday at Aljameah neighborhood in Jeddah, King Abdullah said "the operation was successfully completed and we did not lose any of the brave security men; the souls of citizens are valuable including those of the deviant group".

Explaining the kingdom's anti-terrorism strategy, the king said that it first depends on collecting information; we have for some time traced this cell, and then moved in, he said.

The monarch also said "the orders were that the security men have to wait until all residents leave the area safely despite the enthusiasm of the security men who would like to hasten the result. At this moment, I asked them to wait, exercise self-control as we are not in a hurry". The souls of the citizens are extremely valuable; even the souls of the deviant group members are of concern for us, he said.

King Abdullah asserted that the patient strategy led to solving the crisis without shedding blood. When this group sent message to Prince Mohammed bin naif that they would like to surrender, we assured them of their safety, the monarch said, praying to allah to lead them to the correct path.

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