WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Former Saudi ambassador to Washington Prince Turki al-Faisal asks the Bush administration to jumpstart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Prince Turki said he was "concerned by Washington's Middle East policy," citing the Palestinian issue as an ongoing catalyst for turmoil across the Islamic world.
"I think the most important thing the U.S. can do is bring peace to Palestine," Prince Turki said to a packed auditorium last Friday at Georgetown University. He pointed to surveys that show public majorities in both Israel and Palestine favoring a two-state solution, adding: "You don't need to be a genius to divine that compromise."
Prince Turki, who decided to step down as ambassador in December after just 15 months on the job, said he found Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent comments suggesting "final status" talks between the two states encouraging, but said the United States needs to push leadership on both sides for anything to be resolved.
