Saudi monarch insists on keeping the Middle East free of WMD

Addressing the general debate of the UN General Assembly’s 76th session, King of Saudi Arabia, Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, said on Wednesday .that promoting peace is his Kingdom’s top priority in international affairs.

“The Kingdom insists on the importance of keeping the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction. On this basis, we support international efforts aiming at preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons,” he said.

As world leaders prepare to resume talks with Tehran to reinstate a 2015 nuclear pact, King Salman expressed the hope that the “initial talks will lead to concrete results to build confidence.”

He also addressed the threat of extremism in the region, stressing that Saudi Arabia “continues to fight extremist thinking built on hatred, and keeping in check terrorist organizations and sectarian militias that destroy humanity and nations."

Turning to the conflict in Yemen, he said Houthi rebels keep rejecting the initiatives offered through the United Nations to peacefully resolve the conflict.

“The peace initiative in Yemen, tabled by the Kingdom last March, sought to end the bloodshed and conflict. It ought to put an end to the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people,” the King argued.

“Unfortunately, the terrorist Houthi militias reject peaceful solutions. They have placed their bets on a military option to take over more territory in Yemen,” he added.