Discussion Session with Prince Turki Al Faisal

Prince Turki Al Faisal made it clear at the very beginning of his presentation that he intend to eschew theoretical explanations, preferring to make concrete recommendations for action by the international community and above all by the EU. A brilliant master of rhetoric, he demanded that in the Middle East conflict the EU should adopt a nonpartisan approach in its dealings with Israelis and Palestinians, that there should be more crisis resolution instead of mere crisis management, and a more powerful Abbas as the only way of weakening Hamas. It had been a mistake by the EU not to recognize the results of the Palestinian elections. The international community had to take a united stand against Iran, especially with regard to sanctions. And for the pacification of Iraq it was essential to obtain a Security Council resolution to clarify certain territorial issues. When we asked him what, when he looked at the Arab states and his own country, he thought they could and should do, he declared that the Arab world wanted peace with Israel, that nuclear weapons caused nothing but trouble, that there was now good and comprehensive intelligence work on al-Qaeda, and that whereas Saudi Arabia had taken certain steps to improve its human rights situation, it still had a long way to go. However, the country was willing to change.

This report was written by Munich Young Leader Barbara Meincke, Advisor on Human Rights, Faction Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, German Parliament.

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