Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques holds meeting with French

Jeddah, November 29, SPA -- Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud held here today a meeting with French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, the chairman of the current session of the
European Union.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the financial crisis
developments taking place in the world now and the global efforts
exerted to curb its negative impact on the global economy, including
the recent summit meeting of the "Economic Group of Twenty" which was
held in Washington and in which the two leaders participated and its
decisions.

During their meeting at the palace of the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques in Jeddah, the two leaders also discussed the importance of
consolidating the joint international efforts to preserve the
security and safety of navigation in the Gulf of Eden.

The talks also dealt with the regional developments, particularly the
Palestinian issue and the need to reach a just and comprehensive
solution that guarantees the right of the Palestinian people in
self-determination and establishment of their own independent state
on their national soil in accordance with the resolutions of the
international legitimacy and the Arab peace initiative.

The talks also covered the situation in Lebanon and Iraq in addition
to events at the international scene and the position of the two
countries towards them.

The two leaders also discussed the prospects for cooperation between
the two friendly countries and ways of strengthening them in all
fields to serve their common interests.

President Nicolas Sarkozy lauded the initiative of the Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques calling for dialogue among followers of
religions, cultures and civilizations and its major success in the
participation of a large number of world leaders in the meeting held
at the United Nations Headquarters in New York recently in response
to an invitation by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.