(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-28 10:32

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Tuesday urged delegates at a US-sponsored peace gathering to work toward a comprehensive Arab-Israeli settlement by reviving stalled peace talks between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Syria and Lebanon, as early as possible.

US Secretary of State Condolezzaa Rice, left, delivers a closing statement to the media at the Middle East conference in Annapolis, Md., Tuesday Nov. 27, 2007. Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed Tuesday to immediately resume long-stalled talks toward a deal by the end of 2008, using a US-hosted Mideast peace conference to launch their first negotiations in seven years. [Agencies]

In a statement at the Annapolis peace gathering, Prince Saud also said effort must be made to prevent the Middle East from sliding into turmoil and chaos.

"We have come to support the launching of serious and continuing talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis that will address all the core and final status issues," said Saud. "These talks must be followed by the launching of the Syrian and Lebanese tracks at the earliest."

His remarks were echoed by Jordan's foreign minister, Salaheddin al-Bashir.

"In order for the region to enjoy permanent peace, security and stability, peace must be comprehensive," said al-Bashir. "This requires we also address the two other tracks: the Syrian-Israeli peace track including the issue of the occupied Golan Heights; and the Lebanese-Israeli peace track."

Arabs have always called for a comprehensive settlement to a crisis that has plagued the Middle East since 1948. Toward that end, Saudi Arabia proposed a peace initiative in 2002 -- later adopted by the Arab league -- that trades peace with Israel for land seized by the Jewish state in the 1967 Middle East war.

Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi ambassador to Washington, sounded upbeat hours after the conference began.

"You have a sense of seriousness and commitment to this process that we've seen," he said. "The question becomes, can the words be translated into deeds?"

In his statement, Saud stressed that stagnation in the peace process has increased the appeal of extremist ideologies.

"Feelings of despair and frustration have reached a dangerously high level," he said. "It is time to bring this conflict to an end, and to enable the people of the region to divert their energies from war and destruction to peace and development."

"This is the fundamental reason behind this important gathering, and the ultimate benchmark for its success," he added.

Saud ended his statement with an appeal to spare lives and let hope replace despair.

"In Arabic we usually end by saying 'May peace be upon you,' and this time let me say in addition, 'May peace be achieved by you,'" he added.

This is the second time that Saudi Arabia has participated in a peace conference that includes Israel. The previous time was at the Madrid Conference in 1991, the first time Israel and Arabs sat down at same table for peace talks.

There was a lot of speculation about whether the kingdom, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, would attend and whether Saud would shake hands with Israeli officials.

Saud had said before the session that he would not shake Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's hand and would do nothing to normalize relations until after Palestinian statehood and other territorial issues were resolved.

Asked about the "negative message" that Saudi Arabia was sending at a peace gathering, al-Jubeir said: "I don't know that it's a negative message."

"This is a serious effort," he added. "We are not here for theatrics ... We believe that the time for handshakes will come when there is a peace agreement ... and we believe that any attempts to try to convey feelings that we do not yet have would not be productive."