Pakistani delegation meets Saudi Crown Prince in Riyadh

JEDDAH: A high level Pakistani delegation, which is presently visiting Saudi Arabia, held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz on Wednesday in Riyadh.

The delegation has come from Jeddah where a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal was held earlier today.

The delegation was headed by Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and it also included Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.

Both sides discussed bilateral relations and the regional situation with special reference to the Yemen crisis.

Earlier today a statement from the Foreign Office said, “A delegation comprising Chief Minister Punjab Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Mr. Sartaj Aziz and Foreign Secretary Mr. Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has left for Saudi Arabia for consultations with the senior Saudi officials.”

The visit by Shahbaz and Aziz comes hours after US Secretary of State John Kerry telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Tuesday night and exchanged views on Yemen crisis.

The US placed two top figures in Yemen´s Houthi rebellion – Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, and Ahmed Ali Saleh, the son of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh – on its sanctions blacklist on Tuesday, the same day the United Nations Security Council approved an arms embargo on the group.

Also read: UN slaps arms embargo on Yemen rebels

The UN Security Council vote came after Iran, which is accused of backing the rebels, proposed a ceasefire followed by foreign-mediated talks.

Pakistan has been trying to play the role of a mediator in the Yemen conflict, viewed as a regional power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Related: Saudi minister dismisses talks of mediation in Yemen conflict

Last week, Pakistan’s parliament voted for the country to stay neutral in the Yemen conflict, urging the government not send Pakistani troops to join Saudi-led coalition forces fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The unanimous resolution, passed on April 10 after a week debate during a joint parliamentary session, also vowed that Pakistan would come to Saudi Arabia’s defence if the country’s sovereignty or territorial integrity is threatened.

Saudi Arabia had asked Pakistan for military assistance, including ground troops, fighter jets and navy vessels to join the coalition forces in the Yemen operation.