CAIRO: Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for African affairs on Wednesday pledged the Kingdom’s continued support for Palestine and Yemen at a top-level meeting of Arab states.

Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Kattan made the commitment on behalf of the country as he attended a ministerial session of the Arab League Council, being held at the organization’s headquarters in Cairo.

Kattan, who was leading the Saudi delegation to the meeting in the Egyptian capital, said resolving the Palestinian issue remained a top priority for Arab League nations.

He added that in 2018 Saudi Arabia provided $160 million for UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) programs and said the Kingdom would continue to offer financial and political support.

The minister also confirmed future Saudi financial backing for the Yemeni people. He condemned the Iranian-backed Houthi militias’ violations against the Yemenis and said the Kingdom was committed to helping bring stability to Yemen. He reiterated Saudi Arabia’s support for the UN envoy there in finding a political solution to the country’s crisis. 

Kattan added that the Kingdom supported a peaceful resolution to the war in Syria in order to maintain the war-torn nation’s integrity and unity in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. He also backed Libyan efforts to rebuild the state and its institutions.

The Cairo gathering was preceded by a consultative meeting attended by heads of delegations and other officials.

The Arab ministers are scheduled to discuss the agenda for a major Arab summit to be held in Tunis later this month. The officials will also hold talks about joint political, economic, social, cultural and security cooperation between Arab countries, as well as the Palestinian issue and Arab-Israel conflict. Latest developments in the region, particularly in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen will be reviewed too.