Riyadh
Hardly a single day had passed after His Majesty King Faisal’s visit to the country when the world received new and striking news. News agencies reported the arrival of Their Excellencies Presidents Shukri al‑Quwatli and Gamal Abdel Nasser in Dammam to visit His Majesty King Saud the Magnificent and to consult with him on the pressing issues of the moment.
The warm reception shown by the Saudi people in Dammam and later in Riyadh was a magnificent expression of the love and admiration felt by Arabs across all their lands for their noble leaders—leaders who gathered in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula to determine new, radiant steps along the long road toward freedom, sovereignty, and peace.
The world held its breath as it awaited the joint communiqué issued at the conclusion of the conference—one that reaffirmed that the Arabs are one heart, one rank, and one hand in prosperity and adversity.
We are pleased to record here the text of that historic communiqué:
The Historic Communiqué
“From 17 Safar 1376 AH (22 September 1956) to 19 Safar 1376 AH (24 September 1956), a conference was held in the city of Dammam and subsequently in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The conference brought together His Majesty King Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Excellency President Shukri al‑Quwatli, and Mr. Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Also present were: His Royal Highness Prince Faisal Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Mr. Salah al‑Bitar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Republic; Mr. Ali Sabri, Director of the Political Office of the Egyptian Presidency; Sheikh Yusuf Yassin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Mr. Abdullah al‑Khani, Director of Political Affairs at the Syrian Presidential Palace; and Mr. Mustafa Youssef, Assistant Undersecretary of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In an atmosphere of brotherhood and solidarity, the conference held its second session in implementation of what had been agreed upon in its first meeting in Cairo on 24 Rajab 1375 AH (7 March 1956). It reviewed the events and developments that had unfolded in the international arena and in the Middle East during the six months since the first tripartite meeting. The conference’s perspective—whether in recording events or in drawing logical and practical conclusions—was unified, inspiring confidence in a future in which, by God’s grace, the Arab nation will achieve all it aspires to today and tomorrow.
The conference studied the conditions of the Arab countries in light of the resolutions adopted in its first meeting, devoting great attention to strengthening Arab security, confronting the Israeli threat, and outlining the measures required to complete the provisions of the Arab plan established in the Cairo meeting, so that its implementation may continue with determination and resolve.
The conference examined in particular the issue of the Suez Canal, and there was complete unanimity on the following:
The problem and the circumstances surrounding it concern all Arab countries. Therefore, the conference fully supports Egypt in all its positions, as well as Egypt’s declared readiness to reach a peaceful solution that guarantees its national interests and aligns with the objectives of the United Nations Charter. The conference believes that the means to guarantee the interests of those concerned with navigation in the canal is to enter into negotiations with Egypt—the sovereign owner of the canal—within the spirit of the United Nations Charter and the principles of the Bandung Conference, and away from any form of pressure or any attempt to impose a unilateral solution.
The conference proudly records the firm and unbreakable Arab solidarity that made the participants fully aware of the great responsibility imposed upon them by the gravity of the current circumstances—strengthening their faith and confidence in confronting all difficulties aimed at obstructing the Arab nation’s attainment of independence and its goals. There is no doubt that this had a profound impact on the direction of the conference and its firm, steady steps toward all that the Arab nation hopes for and desires.
It was decided that, God willing, the next meeting of the conference will be held in Damascus.”
19 Safar 1376 AH
Corresponding to 14 September 1956
Source: Adwa’ ‘ala al‑Mamlakah al‑‘Arabiyyah al‑Sa‘udiyyah (1377 AH), by Sheikh Abdullah Balkhair