Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Brazilian President discuss bilateral relations, int'l developments

Information minister inaugurates conference on future of press publishing on King Abdullah's behalf

Schmidt praises Saudi Arabia's regional, int'l role

Saudi Arabia pumped 3.200bln. barrels of oil last year

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the accompanying delegation.

An official reception ceremonies were accorded to the president who was also welcomed by Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister, and other senior officials.

Following the ceremonies, a group of the people of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina took memorial pictures with the king and the president.

Then, they greeted the king and thanked him for Saudi relief aid to their state following the floods that swept it. The king presented to them memorial gifts on this occasion.

King Abdullah and President da Silva held a meeting which dealt with aspects of cooperation between the two friendly countries and ways of their further promotion to serve the interests of the two countries and their peoples.

The meeting between the two leaders held at the King's palace also focused on overall events and developments at the regional and international arenas and the positions of the two friendly countries towards them.

At the outset of the meeting, the King decorated the Brazilian President with King Abdulaziz Medallion which is granted to senior leaders of sisterly and friendly countries.

On his part, the Brazilian President decorated the King with the Grand Medallion which is the highest rank medal in Brazil.

During the meeting, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques welcomed President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and wished him a good stay in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Da Silva expressed his thanks to and appreciation of the King for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to him and his accompanying delegation.

The Saudi side at the meeting included Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz, Acting Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Interior; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Mohammed Jamil bin Ahmed Mulla; and Saudi Ambassador to Brazil Mohammed Amin Kurdi. The Brazilian side was comprised of Foreign Minister Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim; Minister of Development, Industry and Trade Miguel Jorge; Brazilian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Sergio Luis Canaes, and a number of officials.

In presence of King Abdullah and Brazilian President da Silva, a general agreement of cooperation was signed at the King's palace in Riyadh on Saturday evening between the Governments of Saudi Arabia and Brazil.

The agreement was signed by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim.

Prince Saud and Amorim also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in the two countries.

Following the signing ceremony, the two ministers exchanged the signed copies.

The ceremony was attended by Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz, Acting Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Interior; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Mohammed Jamil bin Ahmed Mulla; and Saudi Ambassador to Brazil Mohammed Amin Kurdi as well as the official delegation accompanying the Brazilian President.

The Brazilian president visited the headquarters of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). The President was accompanied by a number of businessmen and representatives of the Brazilian Union for Industries and Chambers Of Commerce.

The Brazilian President was briefed by SAGIA's Governor Amr Al-Dabbagh on SAGIA's strategy and plan.

He was also briefed on the systems of investment in Saudi Arabia following measures that have been undertaken by the government to improve the investment environment in the Kingdom.

Al-Dabbagh pointed out that the International Financial Organization, an affiliate of the World Bank, has classified the Kingdom at the first rank at the Middle East level and 16th at the international level in the field of improving the investment environment.

The Kingdom leads the countries of the region and the Arab countries in the list of the most attractive countries in the field of direct foreign investment.

It is worth mentioning that the volume of trade exchange between the Kingdom and Brazil jumped to $5.5 billion in 2008 from $3.2 billion in 2007.

The Kingdom's exports to Brazil in 2008 increased to about $2.9 billion from $1.7 billion in 2007, while Brazil’s exports to the Kingdom hiked to about $2.6 billion in 2008 from $1.5 billion in 2007.

Brazil's President da Silva also paid a visit to King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).

During the visit, the Brazilian President met with the City's President Dr. Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel, Vice President for Scientific Research Dr. Abdullah bin Ahmed Al-Rashid and a number of officials and researchers in the city.

The Brazilian President was briefed by Dr. Al-Suwaiyel on the City's objectives and missions focusing on development and investment in the national system of science and technology, innovation for enhancement of building a knowledge-based society, as well as some scientific accomplishments of the city.

The tour of the Brazilian President in the city included the National Center for Nano Technology which is the most prominent research laboratories and centers in the city.

The Brazilian leader also visited the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Upon his arrival, the Brazilian President was received by Minister of Commerce and Industry Ahmed Zainal; Chairman of the Board of Directors of Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry Abdulrahman Al-Jerisi; members of the Board of Directors of the Chamber; and a number of businessmen.

In a speech before the businessmen, the Brazilian President emphasized his country's desire to strengthen trade relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in all fields, pointing out that the Kingdom is a major economic force and it is possible to create more integration between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Brazil to increase trade exchange between the two countries.

He also said that there are significant opportunities to strengthen and deepen the ties, adding that he agreed with King Abdullah to further relations between the two countries.

For his part, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry Abdulrahman Al-Jerisi delivered a speech in which he said that the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince urge the Saudi business sector to develop joint action in order to promote investment and trade cooperation with all friendly countries, pointing out that the Saudi private sector is playing a prominent role in this field.

He also said that the trade exchange between the two countries is growing rapidly to reach nearly SR 13 billion in 2007.

On the sidelines of the visit, several agreements were signed.

President da Silva, his spouse and their accompanying delegation also visited the National Museum at King Abdulaziz Historical Center.

During the visit, the guests toured the various sections of the museum.

Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khojah received at King Fahd Cultural Center a delegation of Brazilian young people of Santa Catarina Province, Brazil, currently visiting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Khojah welcomed the members of the delegation and handed memorial gifts to them.

The meeting was attended by a number of officials.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah patronized on Sunday the 1st International Media Conference titled "Future of News Publishing" due to be organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information in coordination with International AFRA Organization.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khojah said that the King's patronage of this international conference will be in recognition of media members and their roles in the development of thought and culture, adding that local, Arab and international media will be honored by the King's inauguration of the Conference. Dr. Khojah pointed out that international experts in the press and media industry from all over the world will participate in the conference along with experts and consultants from AFRA and personnel of local press and media.

The Minister of Culture and Information noted that the conference will be accompanied by several events including organizing of an exhibition for sponsoring companies and AFRA Organization for presenting the latest techniques in the field of press publication as well as organization of various workshops to benefit from their experiences in this area.

Dr. Khojah pointed out that the Ministry has taken all necessary arrangements for the organization of the conference and has formed a number of committees for planning and preparing for the conference, which have started their works for a period of time.

Concluding his statement, the Minister of Culture and Information said information and culture members are looking forward to this honor with love and appreciation of the King who patronizes all aspects of culture and information in this generous country.

On the other hand, King Abdullah issued a royal decree appointing Saud bin Saleh bin Hamad Al-Saleh, Secretary General of Supreme Economic Council at a rank of a minister.

The king also issued a royal decree on re-formation of the Council of Capital Market Authority as follows:

1 - Dr Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri, Chairman 2 - Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al-Rashed, Vice-Chairman 3 - Mohammed bin Meghnim Al-Shumrani, member 4 - Mazen bin Abdulrazzaq Al-Rumaih, member 5 - Dr. Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al-Barrak, member.

Furthermore, King Abdullah received the participants in the 27th session of the World Understanding Council which was held under the auspices of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) in Rabegh Province.

The 27th session of the World Understanding Council concluded earlier.

During the reception, Federal Republic of Germany's former chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who is also honorary President of the World Understanding Council, thanked, in a speech, King Abdullah for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to them during their stay in the Kingdom.

Citing his last visit to the Kingdom 30 years ago, the former Chancellor of Germany said he felt a big difference between the Kingdom at that time and the Kingdom today.

He attributed the great strides made in the fields of economy and industry to the prudent leadership of King Abdullah.

On behalf of the World Understanding Council's members, Schmidt pointed out to the contribution of the Kingdom to the development of the region and the world at large.

Quoting the recommendations of the council, he said despite current difficulties in the region and the entire world, hopefully they would be solved and that peace and prosperity would prevail in the region.

In conclusion, he expressed admiration for the role and wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Taking the podium, Sweden's former Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson, who is also Assistant President of the World Understanding Council, thanked the King for warm welcome and for hosting the meeting.

Holding the meeting at King Abdullah Economic City provided a chance to see a site that will soon become a giant station in the world, he stated.

He said the meeting tackled some important issues like the humanitarian situation in the world, economy and environment.

Addressing the gathering which includes former presidents, prime ministers, ministers, assistant presidents and intellectuals, King Abdullah welcomed the guests, thanking them for their visit to the Kingdom and asking them to convey to the world what they have seen in the Kingdom, wishing them a good stay in the Kingdom and continuous health and success.

The audience was attended by Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Abdulrahman bin Saud Al-Kabeer; Prince Mite'b bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs; Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Advisor to the King; Prince Mansour bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, Advisor to the King; Prince Dr. Bandar bin Salman bin Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King.

Prince Salman bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman; Prince Dr. Abdulaziz bin Sattam bin Abdulaziz; Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Secretary General of the National Security Council for Security and Intelligence Affairs; and a number of officials.

King Abdullah held at his ranch this evening a dinner party in honor of the participants in the 27th session of the World Understanding Council.

The banquet was attended by Prince Badr bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Commander of the National Guard; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Abdulrahman bin Saud Al-Kabeer; Prince General Mite'b bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs, other princes, ministers and a number of officials.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah received at his ranch at Al-Janadriya on the outskirts of the city of Riyadh Iran's former President Mohammed Khatami who is visiting the Kingdom to participate in the 27th session of the World Understanding Council.

During the meeting, Khatami conveyed to the king the greetings of the spiritual leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Ali Khamenei'. In turn, the monarch sent his greetings to him. They also exchanged cordial talks on a number of matters of mutual interest.

The audience was attended by Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence.

Also at his Janadriya ranch, King Abdullah received Japan's former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda who is visiting the Kingdom to participate in the 27th session of the World Understanding Council.

During the meeting, a number of matters of mutual interest were reviewed.

The audience was attended by Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence.

On the other hand, Saudi Aramco has released its 2008 Annual Review, reaffirming its role as a leading provider of energy.

The Review summarizes company operations and outlines significant achievements throughout the year.

The Annual Review’s theme, “Setting New Standards: Our Legacy, Our Future,’’ highlights the company’s unmatched track record of reliability, innovations in technology across the petroleum value chain, and its commitment to providing energy to the world while maximizing the value of its petroleum reserves for the benefit of the Kingdom’s citizens.

Ali I. Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors, in the review released recently said: “Saudi Aramco’s prudent management of the world’s largest petroleum reserves and fourth-largest gas reserves was showcased this anniversary year through the company’s ongoing, record capital program to expand oil and gas production capacity, a highlight of which was the rapid progress made on the Khurais development program.

With 1.2 million barrels per day of production capacity, Khurais is the single largest integrated oil project not only in company history but in the history of the global oil industry.”

In his message, Khalid A. Al-Falih, Saudi Aramco President and Chief Executive Officer said: “The year 2008 was marked by turbulence in the global economy and by volatility in the energy sector. In these uncertain times, Saudi Aramco continued to be a rock of stability.

“From the concession signing in 1933 that ultimately led to the discovery and production of the world’s largest proven conventional oil reserves to our present-day industry leadership, Saudi Aramco has continually raised the bar for operational excellence, responsiveness and reliability, innovation and stewardship.

“Our activities reflected Saudi Aramco’s unrivalled position as the world’s most reliable energy provider. This Review showcases our continued success in exploration, production, refining and new forays into petrochemicals.”

The Review notes Saudi Aramco’s role as a force for market stability and a critical contributor to sustained economic growth and development, given the impact of its petroleum exports on markets in both the East and the West.

The company is the number one supplier of crude oil to major economies such as China, Japan, Republic of Korea and India, in addition to being a major supplier to the world’s biggest crude oil consumer and its single largest economy, the United States.

To meet future supply challenges, Saudi Aramco has embarked on the largest capital expenditure program in its history. Part of the company’s project portfolio is the addition of significant oil production capacity and gas processing capacity. Some of this crude oil production capacity will be utilized to offset the natural decline of oil fields, while the rest will be employed to expand production capacity to 12 million bpd in 2009, according to the annual review.

Key figures:

Crude oil production: Total annual production: 3.2 billion barrels Average daily production: 8.9 million barrels per day

Recoverable reserves: Crude oil and condensate: 259.9 billion barrels Gas (dissolved, associated and non-associated): 263 trillion standard cubic feet

NGL production from hydrocarbon gases: 402.2 million barrels

Domestic refining capacities (in thousands of barrels per day): Ras Tanura: 550 Riyadh: 122 Jeddah: 85 Yanbu': 237 Petro Rabigh: 385 (Saudi Aramco ownership 37.5%) SAMREF – Yanbu’: 400 (Saudi Aramco ownership 50%) SASREF – Jubail: 305 (Saudi Aramco ownership 50%) Total domestic refining capacity (including 50% share of SAMREF and SASREF and 37.5% share of Petro Rabigh): 1.49 million barrels per day

2008 exports by region:

Far East: Crude: 52.7 % Refined products: 53.4 % NGL: 45.6 %

Europe: Crude: 5.2% Refined products: 8.2% NGL: 1.3%

Mediterranean: Crude: 7.0% Refined products: 7.4% NGL: 5.4%

U.S.: Crude: 20% Refined products: 1.4% NGL: 1.2%

Other: Crude: 15.1% Refined products: 29.6% NGL: 46.5% *includes sales on behalf of SAMREF & SASREF

Estimated Worldwide Crude Oil and Gas Reserves as of Jan. 1, 2009:

Conventional Crude Oil Reserves (billion barrels): Source: Oil & Gas Journal Saudi Arabia*: 259.9 Iran: 138.4 Iraq: 115 Kuwait: 101.5 UAE: 97.8 Venezuela: 87 Russia: 60

Natural Gas Reserves (trillion cubic feet) Source: Oil & Gas Journal Russia: 1,680 Iran: 974 Qatar: 910.5 Saudi Arabia*: 263 UAE: 214.4 United States: 204.3 Nigeria: 181.9

In Cairo, Saudi ambassador to Egypt Hisham Nazir has highlighted the existing deep-rooted relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt and said the Saudi and Egyptian leaderships are keen on further cementing these ties.

Speaking at the cultural seminar on "Saudi Arabia's pioneering development experience," Nazir said he had been lucky to serve both as Minister of Planning and later as Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

Nazer said the Kingdom's development plans faced, in their initial stage, numerous social, economic and technical difficulties including non-availability of adequate statistical statements for the preparation of the development plans in addition to the lack of specialized cadres, both Saudis and Non-Saudis at that time.

"As a Planning Minister, I had done my best to attract specialized Saudis and benefit from the specialized companies and research centers for the evaluation and revision of the set development plans," Nazer said.

Nazer lauded the wise management of the oil wealth by the Saudi leaderships and its proper utilization for the service of the Saudi citizens and in implementation of gigantic projects for modernization of life in the county in a short span of time.

He also pointed out that the decision of establishing the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu was aimed at lessening the sole dependence of the Kingdom on crude oil and starting heavy and medium industries in the sector of petrochemicals taking the advantage of the unlimited support of the Saudi leadership.

Jubail and Yanbu industrial cities have become an economic miracle, he said.

He urged the Egyptian investors to visit the two cities and look for investment opportunities there.

The Kingdom is keen on benefiting from oil for the development of petrochemical industry and benefiting from petroleum derivatives in addition to developing other sectors like tourism, Hajj and Umrah (minor Hajj) as well as developing the projects of the Two Holy Mosques and the Holy Places for the service of the pilgrims and visitors of the Prophet's Mosque.

Nazer said all expatriates in the Kingdom are subject to certain systems which guarantee the rights of the employers and employees and there are courts which settle disputes which might arise.

At the end of the seminar Mayan Arsalan, the Chairwoman of Royal Cairo Rotary extended a memorial gift to Nazir. The function was attended by a number of officials and Arab diplomats, businessmen and media men.