Saudi cabinet welcomes Pakistan-Afghanistan ceasefire deal

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers on Tuesday welcomed the ceasefire agreement signed by Pakistan and Afghanistan, which also envisages establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

As Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman chaired the meeting, the cabinet reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for regional and international efforts to achieve security and peace across the world.

Read more: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia sign mutual defence agreement

Earlier on Monday, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the hope that “this positive step will lead to an end to tensions on the border between the two countries”.

To tackle the issue of terrorism originating from Afghanistan, Turkiye will host the next round of talks on Oct 25 to finalise the details to cover the issue of defining the mechanism to monitor that the Afghan territory isn’t used for carrying out terrorists attacks on Pakistan.

Earlier, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Reuters on Monday that the ceasefire agreement with the Afghan Taliban hinges on their ability to rein in militant attacks on Pakistan from their soil.

Read more: Afghan Taliban must rein in militants for ceasefire to hold: Pakistan

“Anything coming from Afghanistan will be (a) violation of this agreement,” Khawaja Asif said. “Everything hinges on this one clause.”

TWO-STATE SOLUTION

Meanwhile, the Saudi cabinet also deliberated upon the two-state solution, as the crown prince briefed the ministers on the content of a phone call he received from French President Emmanuel Macron.

Read more: Middle East allies ready to ‘straighten out Hamas’ if asked: Trump

The two leaders discussed developments in the Gaza Strip and emphasised the urgent need to alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people, and secure a full Israeli withdrawal.

In this connection, they also agreed on the importance of initiating practical steps to achieve a just peace based on the two-state solution.

On the other hand, CBS, citing sources familiar with the matter, said on Tuesday that Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman plan to meet at the White House on November 18.