‘We condemn all killing of civilians’: Saudi FM joins Arab officials at UN Gaza meeting

Ayman Al-Safadi (left), foreign minister of Jordan, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al-Maliki (C) and Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speak after a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. (AFP)
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Updated 24 October 2023
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‘We condemn all killing of civilians’: Saudi FM joins Arab officials at UN Gaza meeting

  • “We are all here together with unified message that more violence is not the answer,” Prince Faisal said
  • High-level session addressed ongoing developments in Gaza and its surroundings

NEW YORK CITY: Prince Faisal bin Farhan condemned the killing of all civilians on Tuesday on the sidelines of a high-level meeting at the UN Security Council headquarters on the Gaza crisis.

Prince Faisal met with other Arab foreign ministers and offcials to discuss the evolving situation in the Middle East, with particular emphasis on the issue of Palestine.

“We are all here together with a unified message that more violence is not the answer,” Prince Faisal said. 

“That all civilian life is deserving of protection and that includes the lives of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. And that's why we are all here, standing together, calling for an immediate cease-fire, for an immediate lifting of the blockade of Gaza and for a return to the peace process,” he added.

The foreign minister called for a return to a “true, serious approach” to resolving the grievances of the Palestinian people.

“Without the international community standing by its existing commitments to the resolution of the Palestinian situation, we will never see a just peace,” he said.

“Without that, we cannot have true security in our region, we are all on one message on this, and we hope the international community will come together to support those ideals.”

Prince Faisal was asked if he condemned Hamas, to which he answered: “We condemn all killing of civilians.”

Prince Faisal’s participation came at the invitation of Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira, who currently presides over the Security Council.

The discussion aimed to address the ongoing developments in Gaza and the surrounding region and highlight the importance of achieving peace and stability, in compliance with international laws.

While in New York, Prince Faisal is scheduled to engage in several meetings on the sidelines of the high-level Security Council session.


Japanese researchers hope to restore coral from Saudi-made structures

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Japanese researchers hope to restore coral from Saudi-made structures

  • Coral skeletons made for Saudi Pavilion at Japan expo last year
  • Results of Japanese study to be revealed at Riyadh Expo 2030

TOKYO: Japanese universities are seeking to restore coral reefs and marine ecosystems after receiving artificial structures that Saudi Arabia made and showcased at last year’s Osaka-Kansai Expo.

The coral skeletons were donated to the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa and Kansai University in Osaka Prefecture, Kyodo News reported at the weekend.

The structures are made from calcium carbonate, a material on which corals are believed to grow more easily compared to artificial alternatives such as concrete or metal.

The skeletal structures were created using 3-D printers, with one piece produced a day during the expo, and displayed across an entire wall in the Saudi Arabia Pavilion, which had an area focusing on sustainable marine environments.

Coral reefs serve as habitats for much marine life, but over 40 percent of the world’s 892 species face possible extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The University of the Ryukyus, which received about 150 of the artificial coral skeletons, will place them in waters off the eastern coast of Okinawa’s main island and then examine their impact on the ecosystem.

Kansai University has placed theirs in the sea around Kagoshima Prefecture’s Yoron Island to observe their growth after transplanting coral polyps onto the structures.

The results of the research are expected to be revealed at the Riyadh Expo in 2030.

“I had never imagined that Japan and Saudi Arabia would cooperate on coral research,” said Masato Ueda, a professor specializing in regenerative medicine at Kansai University.

Ueda said he wants to demonstrate to children that “humanity is attempting to restore the environment.”