The 4th anniversary of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' allegiance-pledge

Second Deputy Premier Prince Naif: King Abdullah managed to thwart schemes targeting kingdom, achieve progress

Prince Misha'al: King Abdullah's achievements in four years require much more in other countries

Prince Salman: King Abdullah's achievements is a source of pride for each and every Saudi citizen

Prince Saud Alfaisal: Dialogue over regional, international issues entrench principles of good

Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister, described the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as a leader with great achievements and who has done more for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and highly-valued its status in the international arena.

This came in an interview with the first channel of the Saudi television to mark the fourth anniversary of the pledge of allegiance to the King.

Following is the text of the interview:

Q. Since being granted the pledge of allegiance as King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had concentrated on the concerns of his people. Your Royal Highness, how do you see the achievements reached over the past years?

A. No doubt that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has, since being given the pledge of allegiance as King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, put before him the concerns of his people and country inside and outside as well and, of course, all of them are important but he has a special concern of the peoples affairs inside.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has assumed office amid difficult circumstances engulfing the Kingdom and targeting derailing the Kingdom's internal march but, thanks to Almighty Allah and his own prudence and wisdom, the King has won the game and foiled the plots against the Kingdom through stimulating his people to work hard and honest, each in his profession, for the interest of the nation and citizens. The current situation is a translation of this.

Now, amid the difficult circumstances witnessed by the entire world and which derailed development in many countries, the Kingdom has efficiently passed this examination and, thanks to the royal instructions, has achieved internal stability, comfort and security whereas the rate of growth in the economic field and education and all services in the Kingdom has reached excellent levels which could not be reached in the absence of stability.

The Kingdom was targeted in everything. But thanks to Allah Almighty, it was able, through its prudent leadership, to achieve security and complete stability. It is clear to everybody that, without security, the Kingdom would have not seen the current level of economic and developmental activity. Let me cite the well-known saying that "Capital is usually Coward" and could not be lured except in a secure atmosphere.

Now the Kingdom has become attractive to investments from all over the world. We could see unprecedented movement in the field of stocks and others and we could notice the flow of all foreign currencies inside the Kingdom.

We could say that, according to logic and reality, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is enjoying the best situation in the economic aspect and that all its developmental projects are proceeding in better and comprehensive ways in all parts of the country.

Figures show that the state is pouring money in a generous way on development and services.

Let us appeal to Allah Almighty to continue helping the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in leading the country for more successes and more achievements.

Q. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was able to enhance the role of the Kingdom at the regional and international arenas in different fields. We could cite numerous positions and initiatives over the past years tackling the issues of his nation. Please comment.

A. Yes, it is true. This matter could easily be seen on the ground. At both the Arab and Islamic levels, the Kingdom’s position was prominent and the role of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was characterized by much objectivity for the interest of the Arab nation and the Palestinian issues and for the Islamic nation and the general interest of all countries of the world as well. The position of the Kingdom at all forums and conferences which were held in the Arab or Islamic or international arenas was clear and outstanding. For instance, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has presented a proposal that was adopted as an Arab peace initiative and which was described as meeting the aspirations of Palestine and the world community and he has called for reconciliation and forgetting past Arab differences and for opening new page to forge a strong Arab negotiating position. This is what is going on now.

At the international level, the Kingdom enjoys respect and appreciation. We can cite the selection of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the sole representative of its region in the G-20th group's two meetings in the U.S. and Britain. This is an evidence of the high profile of the Kingdom’s status in the world. Of course, all participants in those conferences were selected for their economic and political status. Here, there is no courtesy at all. Not only that, but the Kingdom's contribution to this group might be the most prominent.

Of course, this is a great achievement which boosted the Kingdom’s profile at the international platforms and made the world explore our views. For instance, we could notice intensive visits of world leaders to the Kingdom seeking to know the Kingdom's views. Let us cite the most recent visit of the U.S. president who frankly said, "I have come here to know and get-acquainted with the ideas and instructions of King Abdullah about what should be done".

When we monitor the U.S. tour of several countries in the region, we find that he started with the Kingdom, a matter which reflects the role of the Kingdom. Countries like the United States are known to have been serious and objective when dealing with international politics. If it were not for the Kingdom’s positive role, the U.S. President could not have found himself saying that the Kingdom is not just an oil producer but it has a political leadership, approach and status. This is the fact. The Kingdom receives respect from all over the world and all countries are seeking cooperation with the Kingdom. Our relations with the countries of the world, east and west, are balanced and on equal footing. We thank Allah Almighty and to the prudence of our leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. Otherwise, this would have not been achieved.

Meanwhile, Prince Misha'al bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of Allegiance-Pledge Commission has commended the major reform efforts exerted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in political, economic, educational and social fields.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on the 4th anniversary of allegiance-pledge to the King, Prince Misha'al said that since the ascension of the King to the throne, the King has assumed the responsibility of achieving the right and justice as well as the service of all citizens without distinction, noting that this approach was established by the great founder late King Abdulaziz and has been pursued by his sons, the Kings, till the era of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the King of Humanity, and the Crown Prince.

Prince Misha'al added, "The Kingdom is no longer today an oil country affecting the world economy only, but it is a state contributes to making decisions regionally and internationally. Perhaps the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to the Kingdom as the first Arab country indicates the Kingdom's position and the extent of the influence of its leader who is dependable today in making the future of the region and all the world.

Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region, has affirmed that Saudi Arabia's achievements at various levels since the ascension to the throne by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, have been a source of pride for all citizens, emphasizing that these achievements emanate from the King's keenness on sensing the needs of citizens and significant achievements in various fields.

Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, has commended the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his keenness on the principle of dialogue as one of the major principles of the Kingdom's foreign policy and the promotion of the good principles of all religions which called for them as bases and guides for building human relations.

In an article titled "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Culture Of Dialogue" marking the 4th anniversary of allegiance-pledge to the King , Prince Saud said that when the King announced his initiative for Arab reconciliation at Kuwait Arab Economic, Social Developmental Summit, it came to meet the urgent need for the Arab nation to close and unify its ranks behind its vital issues to face serious challenges, noting that the initiative was based on the principle of dialogue to purify the atmosphere, to support inter-relations, to achieve Arab solidarity and to preserve the higher national interests.

Prince Saud indicated that this call was not the first one, but it was preceded by the King's patronage of the World Islamic Conference for Dialogue which was held in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and attended by more than 500 Muslim scholars from various parts of the world with various religious and intellectual doctrines.

He added that after the Conference, the King proposed his world initiative for Dialogue Between Followers of Religions and Cultures and he patronized its first round in Madrid with the participation of Spain's King Juan Carlos. The Conference issued important recommendations calling for promotion of good principles of all religions which called for them as bases and guides for building human relations.

These recommendations, including the noble principles, have enjoyed the attention and the blessing of the United Nations General Assembly in its declaration of its high-level meeting held with the participation of many world leaders in mid-November.

Prince Saud said that there are many examples of the principle of dialogue pursued by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in his foreign policy, including the dialogue between Palestinian factions and calling for dialogue between different Iraqi sects, strata and ethnic groups.

He noted that the King's vision and keenness on the principle of dialogue as his approach to a foreign policy have not stopped here only, but the National Dialogue Center represents an actual translation of his earnest and sincere desire to promote the culture of dialogue among Saudi citizens with all their intellectual strata, which aims not only to strengthen the cohesion between the leadership and citizens in drawing the policy of the country and formulation of its future according to national visions based on the teachings of the Holy Quran and Prophet's Sunnah, but also aiming to found an example of our rich Islamic culture and civilization heritage to form a basis for openness to the world and integrating into it under the latest accelerating developments and changes.

On the other hand, Saudi newspapers commented editorially on a number of local, regional and international issues.

Commenting on prospective progress of the Cultural Dialogue, the Makkah-based Al-Nadwa said the culture of dialogue advocated by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz will continue at the internal and external arenas.

The paper believes that the culture is the way for understanding and it is also the right track for eradicating deviant and extremist thought which grows in the darkness and lead to oblivion.

Al-Nadwa pointed out that the authentication of the culture of dialogue is one of the major responsibilities of King Abdulaziz for the national dialogue, adding that under the patronage of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz the Center will organize on 11-7-1430H, a Forum for accredited trainers for spreading the culture of dialogue.

Spreading the culture of dialogue requires qualified persons because the mission Is linked to the true concepts of the Islamic creed which is based on moderation.

"As the Kingdom is the country - the seat of Kaaba towards which the Muslims turn their hearts five times every day, so it becomes its responsibility to spread the principles of moderation and tolerance".

"Moreover, the last few days have witnessed intensive activities and measures to refute the deviant ideas and these comprehensive moves have been combined with the security efforts led to the eradication of terrorism".

As regards the Arab peace initiative, the Jeddah-based Al-Madinah said the Arab peace initiative proposed by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and approved by the Arab countries as a sole and an integrated Arab peace project would be devoid of any amendment, cancellation or addition. "This Arab Project remains the most suitable way of bringing about a just and a comprehensive peace in the region".

The paper said the Arab Foreign Ministers would tackle this issue in the light of the developments in this respect notably the endeavor of US President Barack Obama to settle the Middle East problem in an objective and fair manner as he spelled out at his speech in Cairo earlier this month.

The paper believes that the change in the US stand needs an Arab response based on a well-studied plan that prevents Israel from undermining the peace prospects and Tel Aviv's efforts to deny the Palestinian refugees their right to return to their homeland.

"Israel is keen on usurping the occupied Al-Quds as its capital in violation of the international resolutions and the inalienable Arab rights".

"All should be vigilant and aware of the complicated situation and work towards finding the required means for dealing with Obama’s vision," it added.