Saudi CP to inaugurate Prince Mohamed bin Fahd University

Interior minister says Kingdom among best countries successfully managed to counter terrorism

Reports about social, tourist achievements

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General will inaugurate Prince Mohamed bin Fahd University in the eastern region next Wednesday during his highness visit to the region.

This was announced by Prince Mohamed bin Fahd, the prince of the eastern region. He also expressed his and the local resident’s happiness and gratitude for the Prince Sultan’s care and the inauguration of the university under the auspices of the crown prince, lauding Prince Sultan’s keenness to support the developmental projects in the eastern region.

He underlined that the university has completed all preparations to organize this event, during which the crown prince will give the sign for launching the university to undertake its role in serving the society and to join the other Saudi universities.

Meanwhile, Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Interior Minister, received at his office here last night a number of princes, sheikhs, commanders of security sectors, senior civil and military officials of the Ministry of the Interior and a group of citizens who came to congratulate him on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr.

The meeting was attended by Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Interior Minister; and Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Interior Minister for Security Affairs.

On this occasion, the Interior Minister delivered a speech in which he congratulated the attendees on the blessed Eid Al-Fitr.

Prince Naif said "We thank Allah Almighty for making it easy and safe for Muslims to fast during the blessed month of Ramadan as well as perform Umrah rituals and Eid Al-Fitr Prayer in the Two Holy Mosques. Successful efforts were exerted by security men in executing and implementing the necessary arrangements and plans. We pray Allah Almighty to sustain security and stability of this country".

He stressed that the increasing number of Umrah performers during the blessed month of Ramadan demonstrates the commitment of Muslims to their belief, hoping for Allah's rewards and forgiveness.

"Unfortunately, we live in a troubled world either around us or far away. Thank to Allah Almighty, the wise policy of the leadership of this country and the support of the people for its leadership, we were able to be a stable, safe and secure state", Prince Naif added.

The Interior Minister said that "The clearest evidence is the stand against the events that happened including the conspiracy attempts. The people of this country foiled such attempts. The Kingdom is among the best countries that successfully managed to counter terrorism".

We hope everyone to do his best in contributing to the protection of the religion and homeland from wicked people even if they claim they are from this country, Prince Naif said.

The Interior Minister said "We feel hurt if our young or old people participated in or contributed to an act against their religion and homeland. Therefore, this requires us all to work more on the process of guidance to help them return back to the right path".

Price Naif commended the great efforts made by Ulema (Islamic Scholars), namely the Grand Mufti (of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia).

"Everyone should know that we are not facing individuals only, but also a conflicting ideology. Therefore, Sheikhs should clarify the tolerant Islamic creed which calls for goodness, peace and tolerance," he added.

"Some parents do not pay attention to their sons in terms of where they go and how they think. Parents have to prevent their sons from following the wrong path. If they could not do so, then, there is the state which is able to protect their sons from evils and guide them to the right path", the Interior Minister said.

Prince Naif said "Everyone should equally cooperate with us for the interests of the country. The plans and plots against this country have been exposed.

Hundreds of attempts have been foiled. We always put the citizens in the true picture and we will provide them with more information in the future. All accused people will be referred to the judicial court. We punish (the culprits) by a judicial verdict in order to seek truth and facilitate confession without any pressure".

"Everyone is aware that Islam is being targeted. But, with honor and pride, your country is the place of Islam where its constitution is Quran and Sunnah (Prophet's teachings). Our stand as people and citizens of this country has remained always united ever since the foundation of the Kingdom by the late King Abdulaziz on bases of Islamic creed and Sunnah and not at all on foreign ideas or views", Prince Naif added.

In line with the Kingdom's policy as regards giving more attention to the old and poor people, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz ordered on September 17, 2008 to increase the subsidies allocated for the handicapped registered at the lists of the ministry of social affairs by 100 percent.

This development will increase the subsidies allocated for the handicapped registered at the ministry of social affairs to SR 2,082,000,000 annually.

The ministry of social affairs has been taking care of old and poor people.

The ministry has established 14 orphanages, four orphanages for female orphans and 10 orphanages for male orphans.

The ministry has established 27 rehabilitation centers throughout the Kingdom.

The number of the charitable societies in the Kingdom's regions amounted to 457 including 30 female societies.

The charitable societies extended in 1427-1428 AH more than Sr1.539 billion for carrying out its programs and activities.

The number of cooperative societies has amounted to 160 with 41, 200 members and a capital of about SR 157 million.

The ministry of social affairs has also been giving big attention to the researches and social studies for utilizing them in the social work.

The number of the establishments which are participating in the system of the social insurance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia jumped by the end of 1428 to 163,764.

The establishments of the private sector constituted 99.3 percent of the total number while the establishments of the governmental sector constituted 0.7 percent.

The Saudi establishments participating in the social insurance system amounted to 161844 (98.83 percent) while the number of the non-Saudi establishments amounted to 1053 (064 percent).

According to the available statistics, the number of subscribers of the system of the social insurance, since the implementation of the system in 1-1-1393, up to the end of 1428 amounted to 11,427,557.

The subscribers included about 551,000 in the governmental sector (about 4.8 percent of the total subscribers).

The number of subscribers from the private sector since the implementation of the system up to the end of 1428 amounted to 10,876,540 (95.1 percent of the total number).

The statistics pointed out that the general organization for social insurance (GOSI) spent on the pension's branch up to the end of 1428 more than SR 43 billion. More than about two million subscribers benefited from that.

The number of those who benefited from the branch of vocational hazards amounted to about 1.4 million. Up to the end of 1428 GOSI spent about SR 4 billion on them.

GOSI Invests in most of the national companies and participates as a founder member or shareholder in 57 companies.

The total money invested in these companies amounted to more than SR 33.7 billion up to the end of 1428.

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has been giving the utmost attention to the citizens. In 1426 AH, he ordered raising by 15 percent the salaries of the Saudis working at the public sector, including military and civil services.

In the same year, he ordered allocation of SR 8 billion from the surplus of the budget of the fiscal year 1425-1426 AH for projects of popular housing in the Kingdom's regions.

The King also ordered raising the capitals of some development funds by SR 25 billion.

Meanwhile, the General Investment Fund was supported by SR 20 billion in the budget of the fiscal year 1427-1428 AH.

The initiatives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz have been continuing in the provision of decent livelihoods for the people of this country.

The Cabinet decided in the month of Muharram (this year) to add cost of living allowance in addition to hike in the salaries of state employees and retirees by a cumulative amount of five per cent for three years. In addition, addition the state will bear fifty per cent of customs duties and fees of passports, driving licenses and vehicles registration as well as renewal of residence permits for home employment, along with an increase in social security benefits by 10 per cent.

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz cares for the general conditions of citizens and those with low incomes by extension of grants in kind to all those affected by the cold waves which hit some parts of the Kingdom in the winter of this year. The King also directed and approved urgent assistance worth SR 654 Million for beneficiaries of social security insurance covering winter affected people to face severe cold waves. The total annual amount of direct subsidies has reached an amount of SR 12 billion.

With regard to the crisis of the prices of food commodities, which is essentially a global phenomenon, and in response to the directives of the wise leadership in this context, the cabinet approved in the last spring season other arrangements for long-and short-term bases in order to achieve food security of the Kingdom, and the provision of basic food commodities for citizens and residents, easing the burden borne by the citizens due to significant rise in the prices of sugar, goods , agricultural products and livestock, ensuring the needs of the country's goods without fluctuation or disappearance of some of them.

The Eighth Development Plan 1425 /1430 AH came to build on what has been accomplished in previous plans and to embody a fresh start in the course of development. As such, it has been prepared in accordance with a strategic perspective aimed at achieving sustainable development. The 8th development plan has focused on the priorities, especially putting in the forefront the preservation of the Islamic values, promotion of national unity, national security and social stability in addition to raising the living standards and providing jobs for citizens.

It also came to enhance manpower and raise their efficiency, diversify the economic base and increase the contribution of the private sector in development. It also focused on achieving balanced development between regions of the Kingdom and the development of sciences, technology and Informatics and encouraging scientific research and technological development in addition to the preservation of water resources, development and environmental protection.

Chairman of the Board and Secretary General of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) outlined the strategic plan for tourism development in the kingdom.

He said that this move highlights the importance that is now given to the tourism sector.

'With responsibility for three new sectors as well as development of three more, we will be dealing with antiquities and museums, including exploration, plus accommodation, travel agents, tour operators and tourism master plans,' explained Prince Sultan.

Among current developments, he said classification of hotels had begun, starting in Makkah and Madinah, while a major study was researching possible expansion of a heritage inn chain similar to the parador system in Spain.

'We are also looking at historic palaces to turn these in to accommodation or build rooms around them, plus historic villages - we have five planned and there will be accommodation in these.'

Prince Sultan revealed to the conference that a Red Sea Tourism master plan was also in place while in other developments measures were being implemented to meet the challenge of Saudization in the travel and tourism sector.

'We have three colleges planned and three or four more to come, partnering with major operators such as Accor,' he said.

While explaining that the mandate for the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities was to ensure that tourism adds value to the economy, culture and society, Prince Sultan emphasized that the first major target market was to attract the domestic audience, five million of whom travel overseas each year.

He said that measures were in place to streamline annual vacations to give people more shorter holidays while, in a bid to drive demand, the commission was looking to provide seed capital to event organizers to create MICE attractions in the kingdom.

'We have around 100 events this year, of which 15 are signature events, and there will be a lot more next year.

he said revealing he too had passed his tour operator exam and held license number one.

Turning to visas, he said an e-system was being put in place, and those who came in to Saudi Arabia on a religious visa for Umrah could transfer this to a tourism visa electronically within 12 hours.

'We have also welcomed our first cruise passengers to Jeddah last month, as well as groups - but we are not ready to open up totally. Realistically, we are just at the start of the creation of the service side of tourism, as well as infrastructure, and we want to be in good shape first.'

Other initiatives complementing this expansion included the addition of four more airports, bringing the total to 30, plus the construction of gateway airport cities, starting with Jeddah, which would include accommodation, exhibition and conference facilities to target the meetings sector.

Saudi Arabia seeks to strengthen the tourism sector and overcome the obstacles that impede its development since this sector is an important element to the Saudi national economy and should correspond to the status of Saudi Arabia, its values, the protection and preservation of antiquities and should activate their involvement in cultural and economic development as well as the protection of museums and development of archaeological activity in Saudi Arabia.

The private sector will primarily be entitled with establishing investment tourism facilities; public tourist sites however will be maintained by the system and will not be owned by others. The use and investment of these public sites should take place directly through the state or be leased to the private sector via public competition. The new system states that the Public Authority for Tourism and Antiquities will propose public policies aimed at developing and promoting tourism, antiquities and museums setting in place the required plans and programs to fulfill these objectives and supervising the implementation of these plans with affiliated authorities as well as issuing licenses for tourist activity, professions and resorts and supervising them. In cooperation with other authorities, the authority will organize tourist activity and professions and participate with the ministries of interior and foreign affairs and other affiliated authorities to arrange for tourist visas.

The Public Authority for Tourism and Antiquities is responsible for arranging and monitoring the facilities of tourist resorts. It is also entitled with assessing infrastructure projects of tourist sites in different provinces of Saudi Arabia, setting in place the necessary plans to complete these infrastructures with the cooperation of affiliated authorities and discussing them with provincial councils. The authority can conduct comprehensive surveys on tourist sites in the kingdom, periodically modernize these sites with the cooperation of concerned authorities and evaluate the tourism potentials of each province. The authority is also responsible for overcoming the obstacles that impede tourist activity and suggesting methods and incentives needed for investors in this field as well as participating with affiliated government authorities in preserving public tourist sites.

The Public Authority for Tourism and Antiquities will work towards implementing media and marketing plans so as to encourage investment in the field of tourism. The authority will also support all activities that assist in developing and encouraging tourism, preserving tourist sites, antiquities, national and popular urban heritage, crafts, traditional industries and markets. Efforts will be coordinated between government and non-government authorities.

The Public Authority for Tourism and Antiquities will begin to endorse cooperation and coordination between Saudi Arabia and other countries in order to achieve the objectives of the authority in accordance with observed rules and regulations. The authority will also encourage the private sector to establish companies that plan, develop and invest in tourist sites. The authority will resort to the Supreme Economic Council in the case that there is a need to establish companies fully or partially owned by the state that will be entitled with planning and investing in tourist sites.

With regards to antiquities, the authority will develop a register for Saudi antiquities, set regulations that govern this register and determine the archaeological nature and ages of antiquities. The authority will also work upon protecting, restoring and managing antiquities and preparing them for display as well as protecting and developing urban heritage. This plan will include cities, districts, villages, buildings, crafts, traditional industries and historical sites and investing in them on cultural and economic levels. The authority will also conduct land surveys and excavations and will license parties to assume such tasks in coordination with concerned authorities.

The authority will establish and administer museums, issue licenses to establish private museums and supervise them as well as conduct research and studies, and encourage scientific research in councils of tourism and antiquities along with spreading awareness and knowledge on the importance of domestic tourism and the preservation of antiquities by publishing books and issuing brochures, magazines, periodicals and other sources of information.

The authority will also work to retrieve national antiquities that are present outside of Saudi Arabia in accord with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The authority will also be responsible for organizing exhibitions on travel, tourism and antiquities and will hold meetings, seminars and conferences covering these fields and will communicate with international organizations concerned with tourism, antiquities and museums.

Saudi Council of Ministers had approved a strategic tourism development plan, which aims to boost the Kingdom’s growing tourism sector by making use of its Red Sea coast.

“The plan aims to tackle the problems that obstruct optimum and sustained use of the Red Sea’s tourism potentials, especially in economic, environmental and heritage areas,” said the Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

According to officials at the General Commission for Tourism & Antiquities (GCTA), plans have been made to establish a large number of tourism projects along the Red Sea at a cost of nearly SR150 billion.

The new resorts will be established in arrays in Yanbu, Ras Muhaisen in the Makkah region, Haridha in the Asir region, Fursan in Jizan, and Ras Humaid, Sharma, Qayyal and Dhaffat Al-Wajh in the Tabuk region.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, secretary-general of GCTA, signed a SR2.08 million contract with an international consultancy firm in June 2005 to prepare a plan for the 1,800 km Saudi Red Sea coast.

The plan is in line with government strategy to increase the tourism industry’s share in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) from six to 16 percent by 2020.

The tourism sector, including Haj and Umrah, currently contributes six percent to the Kingdom’s GDP or SR55 billion.

GCTA hopes the new resorts will attract about 19 percent of total domestic tourists and 25 percent of foreign tourists by 2020. Annual tourist spending is valued at SR9.9 billion.

The Cabinet also fixed the annual fees for registering private companies and establishments in the commercial registry as follows: SR1,600 for joint stock and limited partnership companies, SR1,200 for limited liability companies, SR800 for other companies and SR200 for private establishments.

The annual fee for each of the affiliates of private companies will be half their annual fee. Companies and establishments will also be able to pay their fees in advance by up to five years. Amendments of recorded data, access to registries and obtaining other certificates will now cost SR100.