Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal met in Jedda yesterday with visiting Chinese Mideast envoy Sun Bigan to discuss bilateral ties and the implementation of a UN resolution on cease-fire in Lebanon. 

 

Sun said China was satisfied with the rapid development of bilateral ties and willing to work with Saudi Arabia to implement the consensus reached by President Hu Jintao and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz on deepening cooperation in various fields. 

 

Al-Faisal said the kingdom has a strong political will to develop its relationship with China. 

 

On the Lebanon situation Sun said China was ready to work with Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to help implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in a bid to ensure Lebanon's stability and progress in the reconstruction process.

 

The Saudi foreign minister said Arab countries would make every effort to help implement the resolution. He added that the international community should help the Lebanese government to control the whole of the country as soon as possible, strengthen the status of their armed forces and push forward the reconstruction process after a cease-fire between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel came into effect Monday. 

 

He also praised China's efforts to help defuse Israel-Lebanon tensions and expressed hope that China would play a bigger role in forming an expanded UN force in Lebanon and the reconstruction process itself.

 

Sun left for home Wednesday evening. He'd also visited Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Egypt.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2006)