Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz sends a reply cable of thanks to Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz on the occasion of the success of this year's Hajj

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier inspects the main royal terminal of King Abdulaziz Airport

Ten Saudis returned to Saudia Arabia from detention in the US prison camp at Guantanamo

The Kingdom in a speech before the Un that reaching development and combating poverty is a humanitarian responsibility

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has sent a reply cable of thanks to Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, the Interior Minister and Chairman of the Hajj Supreme Committee, on the occasion of the success of this year's Hajj.

Following is the text of the cable addressed to the minister:

"We have received your cable containing congratulations by you and all those who participated in this year's Hajj on the occasion of the blessed Eid Aladha and the success of the security plans of this year's,1428 H. Hajj.

As we thank you and all our sons who participated in that task from all sectors for their good and noble feelings, we thank the almighty God for the success of the security, services, organizational and preventive plans which were set for serving the pilgrims. Our country considers serving the pilgrims as the prominent historical event in its life and therefore mobilizes all capabilities and powers to ensure the easy and comfortable performance of this great pillar by all Muslims. We thank God that Muslims performed this year's Hajj in serenity and peace.

The increased level of services and organization year after year despite the increasing number of pilgrims every year is due to the sincere efforts by our sons who have been capable of shouldering this responsibility and have exerted sincere efforts which resulted in achieving this success which has been felt by all at all levels. We thank them and may God bless their efforts to serve their religion and homeland."

Earlier, Prince Nayef sent a cable to the king congratulating him on the Eid and highlighting the success of this year's Hajj.

In the cable, Prince Nayef said this year's Hajj succeeded with high levels of skillful performance due to sincere efforts by the command of the Hajj security forces.

Prince Nayef said more than 3,000,000 pilgrims were able to perform Hajj easily and comfortably and highlighted efforts to ease movements of the pilgrims in the holy places.

Prince Nayef said this year's Hajj was free from any unusual events or actions despite the region's situation which required vigilance and caution.

Prince Nayef said this year's Hajj was ideal by all criteria due to the government's efforts and facilities mobilized to serve the pilgrims.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah opened the renovated Royal Terminal at King Abdulaziz International Airport here yesterday. The project included a platform for official receptions and a huge conference hall with advanced facilities. King Abdullah later toured the Royal Terminal and Abdullah Ruhaimy, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, briefed him on the newly constructed airport facilities.

The platform for official receptions covers an area of 8,500 square meters, of which 3,500 square meters were allocated for royal receptions. Two movable sunshades have been put at the platform, Ruhaimy said, adding that they can be operated through remote control.

The platform has four mobile light towers and four escalators. Two more sunshades have been constructed at the entrances of jet ways.

The main reception platform has six fixed sunshades. On the west of the terminal, a 258-car parking garage has been constructed.

Prince Miteb, minister of public works and housing, and other senior princes and officials including Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and Prince Khaled bin Faisal bin Turkic, undersecretary for the National Guard in the Western Region, accompanied the king during the tour. King Abdullah later arrived in Riyadh and was received at the airport by Crown Prince Sultan and senior princes.

Prince Sultan, who is deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, inspected the renovated Royal Pavilion on Thursday before leaving for Riyadh.

Earlier this year, Prince Sultan signed a SR902.91 million contract with Al-Mabani Company to develop and upgrade aviation facilities of the Jeddah airport as part of a massive expansion project to increase its annual capacity to 80 million passengers.

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, paid an inspection visit to the main royal terminal of King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah where he was received by a number of princes and senior officials.

During the visit, the crown prince was briefed on the final stages of the terminal's development project and toured the main reception terminal and other facilities.

On the other hand, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, received here today sons of the late Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussein Alahmar, who was Yemen's parliament speaker. The sons are Sheikh Sadiq bin Abdullah bin Hosain Alahmar, Sheikh Homaid bin Abdullah bin Hussein Alahmar, Sheikh Hosain bin Abdullah bin Hosain Alahmar, Sheikh Hashim bin Abdullah bin Hosain Alahmar, Sheikh Hamdan bin Abdullah bin Hosain Alahmar and Sheikh Qahtan bin Abdullah bin Hosain Alahmar.

The crown prince expressed to the late sheikh's sons condolences on the demise of their father and in turn the sons of Sheikh Abdullah Alahmar thanked the crown prince for his sincere brotherly feelings and for the care provided by the crown prince to the late sheikh during his presence in the kingdom.

The audience was attended by a number of princes and senior officials.

Meanwhile, ten Saudis returned to Saudia Arabia from detention in the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay where suspects al Qaeda militants are held, the Saudi interior ministry said.

Washington has released dozens of Saudis over the past years in an effort to reduce the numbers detained at the controversial camp ahead of finally closing it.

The release brings the number of Saudis remaining in the prison to around 13.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz stated that efforts were underway to bring home the remaining Saudis detained at Guantanamo and that U.S. authorities were cooperating in those efforts.

They have been denied the prisoner of war status that would guarantee them certain rights under international law.

Those repatriated to Saudi Arabia have received financial help from the government to rebuild their lives and many have been allowed to go free.

Concerning the Millennium Summit, KSA asserted that there will be no sustainable development without the presence of the global peace, equality, holding the developing countries rights and achieving the international legitimacy.

This is part of the KSA speech delivered before the UN to follow up the results of the Millennium Summit as follows:

Mr. President

. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia fully supports the statement by the Acting Representative of Pakistan on behalf of the seventy seven and China on this issue.

Mr. President

. Our meeting today comes after seven years of the Millennium Summit, which requires all of us do more work for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by the year in 2015 which we look forward to.

In this regard, Saudi Arabia, believing on the importance of cooperation with the international community, and aware of the many economic and social difficulties the developing nations are facing, the Kingdom attached great importance to development issues and support development efforts in developing countries.

Saudi Arabia continues to support the development in the developing and the least developed countries in particular.

The main objective is to eradicate extreme poverty and mitigation of dearth by helping people who are facing special situations and emergency circumstances and natural disasters.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is considered one of the first countries in the speed of response extend a helping hand to peoples throughout the world.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is considers the primary objective of the millennium to be fighting poverty and helping the least developed countries through the provision of material and moral assistance in order to build infrastructure for the future of these countries and their peoples.

Achieving development and the eradication of poverty is a moral and humanitarian responsibility.

Under the efforts of the Government of Saudi Arabia to support poor countries to reduce poverty, she supported the establishment of a fund to tackle the problems of poverty and mitigating it.

The Fun is affiliate of the Islamic Development Bank; the Kingdom donated one billion dollars as contribution to the Fund.

Saudi assistance is provided through bilateral development cooperation with the recipient countries as well as by institutions and funding bodies of the international multilateral organizations be they regional or international organizations and also through the specialized agencies.

The donations by the Saudi Development Fund reached about six thousand six hundred and fifteen million dollars ($6615) for the funding of three hundred and sixty-nine (369) development projects and programs in sixty-eight (68) countries.

Saudi Arabia had consistently contributed annually for development programs such as UNDP, the United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Population Fund, Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the United Nations Fund for Industrial Development, and the World Food Program, the World Health Organization, UNESCO, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Arab Gulf Program for the Support of United Nations relief organizations where the Kingdom contributed to its financial resources, and the Global Fund to Fighting AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The Kingdom has announced its contribution of eighteen million dollars for the period from 2008 - to 2010 at the rate of six million dollars annually noting that an amount of ten million dollars had already been paid by the Kingdom last to the fund during previously.

The International Program to combat river blindness, which the Saudi contributions in this program has hit forty six (46) million dollars. The Kingdom supported financially and morally with more than (24) billion dollars about fourteen (14) Multilateral Development Foundations and Organizations (Regional and International) such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the International Development Agency, the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believes that ensuring environmental sustainability is an important element. That is why my country has earmarked the amount of $ 300 million dollars during the third OPEC summit held in Riyadh from 16 – to 17 November 2007, so that it becomes the nucleus of research in the field of energy, environment and climate change.

This proves that Saudi Arabia is serious about serving the international community. And this is also to emphasize that oil energy is for construction and development and not a means of dispute and conflict.

It is for the real and substantive attention to be given to environmental protection and to deal with climatic changes.

Saudi Arabia continues in its policy of building bridges of dialogue between producing and consuming countries and the two sides shall always take responsibilities towards developing countries and the fight against poverty, which OPEC has allocated a Fund for International Development contributions covering more than one hundred and twenty countries since its inception about thirty years ago in addition to direct assistance to Member States in the organization.

Mr. President

. Saudi Arabia is one of the first countries that contributed to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals because of the importance she confers to the issues of sustainable development and increase of public expenditure allocations for more than half on education and health services and social development.

Mr. President.

Saudi Arabia stresses the importance of the role of the United Nations and particularly the Economic and Social Councils in supporting international cooperation and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals agreed upon internationally, developing nations ownership of development programs, and activating its role in the Global Dialogue towards the funding mechanisms, achieving universal education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing the rate child mortality and improve health.

All these and other matters must be given high place on the priorities hierarchy of the United Nations.

The success of development depends on the international community's respect for the privacy of cultural habits and of developing countries and to follow the method of development appropriate for this privacy

. Mr. President

. Saudi Arabia believes that the efforts to reform the financial, monetary and international trade requires that such efforts should come through existing institutions and the practice of transparency in trade and financial dealings so as to avoid the weakness that is happening in the global financial markets, and to build a global economic system based on a new partnership between developed and developing countries on the basis of cooperation and interdependence and international economic relations based on justice and equality and is based on mutual benefits and shared responsibility and the need of Developing States to export their products to the markets of developed countries.

Mr. President.

In conclusion, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stresses that there will not be a lasting development or achievement of Millennium Targets without a global peace, equality and preservation of the rights of developing nations, and achieve international legitimacy and a commitment to international law and its provisions circulated to all States without exception, and resolving disputes through peaceful diplomacy to avert wars and conflicts in this century.