Ain-Al-Yaqeen - April 21, 2006

		April 21, 2006

CROWN PRINCE SULTAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ PATRONIZES THE CEREMONY OF HANDING OVER THE 28TH KING FAISAL INTERNATIONAL PRIZE.
PRINCE SULTAN: THE OIL FACILITIES IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA ARE FULLY SECURED AND SAUDI OIL SUPPLIES TO CONSUMERS ABROAD WILL NEVER BE AFFECTED WITH THE GRACE OF ALMIGHTY ALLAH.
THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA DOES NOT BELIEVE IN NUCLEAR WEAPONS AS IT BELIEVES IN THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN LIVES.
SAUDI ARABIA IS KEEN TO DEVELOP ALL PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, BUT WORK IN THIS RESPECT SHOULD BE PERFECT AND USEFUL.
PRINCE KHALID AL-FAISAL WELCOMES THE WINNERS AND PRAISES SCIENTISTS.

On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, patronized the ceremony of handing over of King Faisal 28th International Prize 2006 to winners in the fields of service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Science and Medicine at King Faisal charity foundation building in Riyadh.

Upon Arrival at the venue, Crown Prince Sultan was received by Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the governor of Riyadh region: Prince Khalid Al Faisal, the governor of Assir region, the Director General of King Faisal Charity Foundation, who is also head of the prize's panel: Prince Saad Al Faisal Ibn Abdul Aziz: Prince Bandar Ibn Saud Ibn Khalid, Deputy Director General of the foundation: Dr. Abdullah Bin Salih Al-Othaimeen, Secretary General of KFIP, princes and senior officials.

Prince Sultan distributed the awards of the King Faisal International Prize to seven distinguished scholars at a glittering function. The winners are from the United States, Britain, India, Egypt, Morocco, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Addressing the elite gathering, Prince Khalid Al Faisal thanked the attendees and congratulated the laureates on winning this year's prize.

Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Director General of the King Faisal Foundation, stressed the need for bridging the gap between the Islamic world and others instead of sowing division and creating hatred between different cultures. "We are descendants of the same parents Adam and Eve and God chose us (all people) to build this universe. This noble aspiration could be realized only if we show love, cooperation and the spirit of international brotherhood in our mutual dealings," he observed.

Prince Khalid praised scientists and described them as a light in an era where human beings have no value.

On his part, Dr. Abdullah Al Othaimeen announced the names of winners in the prize's branches.

Sheikh Salih Ibn Abd Al-Rahman Al-Husayyin (Saudi Arabia), General President for Grand Mosque and Prophet's Mosque Affairs, And Sheikh Yusuf Bin Jasim Bin Muhammad Al-Hidji (Kuwait), Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Islamic Charity Commission, were announced co-winners of KFIP in the field of service to Islam.

Al-Husayyin won the prize in recognition of his prominent role in preaching Islamic principles of righteousness, philanthropy, and particularly its moderation and tolerance.

Al-Husayyin is also a recognized researcher in Islamic economics, especially its ability to accommodate contemporary economic ideas.

He is also an ardent supporter of education, being an active member of the supreme councils of five Saudi universities.

Sheikh Al-Hidji is recognized for his distinguished contributions to Islamic Da'wa, education and philanthropy. He is a member of the boards of trustees of four Islamic universities in Africa and Asia and initiator of the College of Shariah at Kuwait University. He is also the founder or co-founder and chairman of several national and international charitable and relief organizations, and founding president of the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society.

Professor Tammam Hassan Omar (Egypt), emeritus Professor at the Darul Uloom College of Cairo University, and Professor Abdul Qader Fassi Fehri (Morocco), director of the Institute for Study and Research of Arabization and Professor of Arabic and Comparative Linguistics at Mohammad V University, were the joint winners for Arabic Language and Literature (Arabic language in modern linguistics).

Professor Omar has been awarded the prize in recognition of his distinguished efforts over the past 50 years to establish modern Arabic linguistics, an endeavor that has been reinforced by his profound knowledge of the Arabic heritage and the principles and methods of modern linguistic analyses. Professor Fehri was honored for his detailed pursuit of modern linguistic theories and efforts to reconstruct the classical Arabic linguistic theory in the light of modern linguistic concepts.

The cash award of SR750,000 ($200,000) for each category brought the total prize value to $1 million. Each winner also received a 200-gram, 22-carat gold medallion and a certificate.

This year's prize in the branch of Islamic studies on 'The Origins of Islamic Jurisprudence' was withheld.

Professor Michael Anthony Gimbrone, Jr. (USA) was the proud winner of the Prize for Medicine (Biology of Vascular Inflammation). Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, and Chairman of the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Gimbrone has published in more than 250 publications in renowned international journals over the past four decades. He has made fundamental contributions to the field of vascular biology.

The prize for science (mathematics) was presented to joint winners Professor Simon Kirwan Donaldson (UK), Chairman of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Professor of Mathematics at Imperial College in London, and Professor Mudumbai Seshachalu Narasimhan (India), honorary fellow of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India, for their seminal contributions to theories which have strengthened the links between mathematics and physics. Their work has been instrumental in helping to provide a rigorous foundation for physical theories related to the laws of matter at the sub-nuclear level. This has helped establish strong ties with the formulation of quantum chromo dynamics for which the King Faisal Prize was given last year (in physics).

Then Crown Prince Sultan gave away the prizes to each of the winners, wishing them all the best.

Each of the winners was given a chance to address the gathering to highlight his research and thank the well-wishers.

Then Crown Prince Sultan graced the dinner party held in his honor by King Faisal Charity Foundation.

The prize's handing over ceremony and the dinner party were attended by Prince Mit'eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs: Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs: Prince Mohammed Ibn Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, other princes, ministers and senior civil and military officials.

Crown Prince Sultan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and Aviation, reaffirmed the unity of the ruling royal family. "I can assure you and everyone else that the ruling family is united in one hand and one heart," he said.

Speaking to reporters after presenting the King Faisal International Prize to the winners, the Crown Prince said there are no differences among the members of the royal family. "These are lies spread by those who envy our country," he said when asked whether there were any differences among the family members.

Prince Sultan said the Shoura Council is open to all suggestions. But replying to a question, he said there was no plan to appoint women on the 150-member consultative body at the moment.

With regard to women driving, he said the government was still studying the issue. "Some women are already leaders in all other aspects education, medicine etc. Driving is just one other aspect in their leadership role," he said.

He said the government was exerting every effort to get rid of red tape from its departments and agencies.

Referring to the situation in Iraq, he said he did not believe that there would be a civil war in the Arab country. "What is happening there now is a natural consequence of the fall of a long reign of dictatorship," he said. Prince Sultan was optimistic that the Iraqis would remain united to protect their national interests.

The denied reports that there was cooperation between the Kingdom and Pakistan to develop nuclear weapons. "We have denied that and Pakistan has denied it before us. This report is totally false," he added.

Over the past 28 years, a total of 170 laureates from 38 countries have won the prize.

Following is Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, has said the oil facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are fully secured and the Saudi oil supplies to consumers abroad will never be affected with the grace of Almighty Allah.

The remarks of Crown Prince Sultan came at the press conference he held after patronizing the ceremony for the prestigious King Faisal International Awards for 2006.

The Crown Prince pointed out that the speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz at the inaugural ceremony of the second year of the fourth session of the Shoura (Consultative) Council was not merely pronouncements of words, adding 'the King has been accustomed to work first and then speak'.

Appraising the efforts of King Faisal Foundation, Prince Sultan said 'the late King Faisal had extended unmatched services to Islam and Arabism.'

Commenting on a prospective trend to form a female committee at the Shoura Council to undertake the affairs of women, Prince Sultan said 'the door of dialogue is open, and views of women, who are our sisters, mothers, wives and daughters, are acceptable at the governmental authorities.'

'We welcome consultation from every Arab and Muslim, notably from the Saudi men and women', he said. ' The Shoura Council always accepts, discusses and studies what the brothers and sisters say, ' he added.

With regards to female employees at the Shoura Council , Prince Sultan said 'still, the time is not ripe for such a development.'

On the efforts of the Administrative Reform Committee, which is headed by the Crown Prince, Prince Sultan said the committee has exerted intensive efforts and successfully reformed more than 60 systems and amended a lot of other systems at the Cabinet and the Shoura Council. 'The judiciary system, issued before one year, is one of the great achievements of the committee', he added.

Prince Sultan said the King had underlined the importance of getting rid of bureaucracy. 'For this reason, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has ordered to recruit some scholars and experts to work along with Saudi experts.'

'Soon, we will review the routine nature of works, we had been following for the past 50 years. I hope all aspirations of the Saudi citizens will be realized,' he added.

On the situation in Iraq, Prince Sultan said 'Iraq is a Muslim nation with a great past, and the current major differences don't mean civil war, but they mean biddings after the collapse of a bad dictatorial regime, and with the grace of Almighty Allah, we will soon see coalition, cooperation and fraternity among all Iraqi factions'.

Referring to the role being played by Iran in Iraq, Prince Sultan said 'Iran is a sister and friendly country, and it may be carrying things which were not its intention'.

Prince Sultan said the armed forces either at the Defense Ministry, the National Guard or the Interior Ministry are steadily growing, and added 'but this doesn't necessarily mean that we will never give attention to the modern technology.'

'the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques , the Supreme Commander of all Armed Forces, has ordered allocations beyond the regular budget, either the budget of personnel, armament or maintenance, and these allocations will continue for nearly five years'.

'but we believe that deeds should precede words', he said adding that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques attaches great importance to the development of the Armed Forces as a way for defending the religion, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as for defending the Arabs and Muslims, and we do believe that the Palestinian problem is our major issue'.

Prince Sultan said the Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) is owned by the state, but the government is working to privatize SAA and transform it into a national company.

'We are going ahead on the path of privatization to enable the Saudi people own the SAA, and the state will cooperate with the citizens in this respect', he elaborated.

Referring to the fact that about SR 700 billion have been allocated for the 8th development plan, Prince Sultan said the Saudi officials are keen on the development of every part of their country, and added 'but work in this respect should be perfect and useful'. he reiterated that arrangements are underway for the development of the kingdom's regions.

Asked whether there were differences among members of the ruling family, Prince Sultan said 'don't forget the fact that we are not prophets, even the prophets were criticized and were accused of being liars. 'We would like to confirm that the Saudis including the family of Al-Saud are united and no differences exist, but we can not silence envious quarters.'

'We are united and determined to follow the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah (the Prophet's Teachings) taking into account the interest of our country as drawn by the late King Abdul Aziz', he said.

On women driving cars, Prince Sultan said 'for the time being, driving of cars by women is a violation of the regulations.'

He quoted the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz as saying 'we will never be isolated, but we will develop along with others'.

'Women's driving of cars isn't the only target, but the important thing is the recognition of their rights, and with the grace of Almighty Allah, women have been given their rights', he said adding that ' women are leaders of universities and colleges, and they are working at various jobs of the state, they work at banks, and ministries, so we should recognize the fact that driving cars is only one percent of these rights.'

'I would like to say again that this issue is a social issue, and we will be first supporters for any development that does not contradict with the Islamic Shariah', and added 'we are servants and leaders at the same time: leaders for implementation and servants for taking care of the interests of our people and nation'.

Prince Sultan said those who had taken part in attacking the oil facilities of Abqaiq have been arrested, and added 'I would like to confirm to all beneficiaries of the Saudi oil abroad that oil supplies are secured with the grace of almighty Allah'.

On the Saudi Egyptian relations, Prince Sultan said the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the pillars of the Arab League, and it is determined to work for the service of the Arab interests.

'When the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques decided to ask Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to convene the next Arab Summit in the country where the Arab League's headquarters are located, that means the great value and respect we extend to Egypt, and moreover it means that we are following the example of the international community as regards convening ordinary meetings in the country which hosts the headquarters'.

With regards to the activation of the joint Arab work, Prince Sultan said 'any way the resolutions adopted at Khartoum summit were supported by all Arabs, and we hope that any shortcomings in these resolutions will be completed at the next Arab meeting'.

Asked about verbal pledges to the delegation which accompanied French President Jacques Chirac during his recent visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on concluding military deals, Prince Sultan said France is a friendly and a cooperative country, and the kingdom has been maintaining good relations with it.

'I would like to make it clear that our policies are always based on studies and they come in line with the country's interests as well as the interests of our friendly countries, and France comes at the top of countries we have been cooperating with'.

Asked about the postponement of the military deal with Britain, Prince Sultan said 'there is no postponement.'

'I would like to speak frankly and say that the deal will serve the interests of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia', he added.

On his forthcoming visit to South East Asia, Prince Sultan said 'We are not only merchants who go just to sign trade deals, the visits of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to China, India and Pakistan were constructive visits, and we will go ahead on this path'

'Japan is a great and commercial country, and we have been maintaining good relations with it' he said and added 'our relations with other countries are based on mutual interests'.

On the role of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as regards normalization of Syrian Lebanese relations, Prince Sultan said 'the kingdom is a part of Lebanon and Syria, but it has no right to intervene in their domestic affairs, and we pray to Almighty Allah to enable Syria and Lebanon to live in love and harmony'.

on the Saudi-Yemeni coordination council, Prince Sultan said the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Yemen have been maintaining fraternal relations at the levels of the leadership, government and people, and added 'all reports on differences between the two countries are untrue'.

He noted that the coordination council would hold a meeting next May.

The Crown Prince pointed out that cooperation is existing between the two countries at the highest levels.

Prince Sultan said military manoeuvres by the two countries were organized last year, and at a suitable time other manoeuvres will also be organized at the level of the air or land forces.

On the existence of a Saudi-Pakistani nuclear cooperation program, Prince Sultan said 'the Kingdom does not believe in the nuclear means because the nuclear weapons are destructive.'

'I would like to deny reports about Saudi-Pakistani cooperation in this respect, and our Pakistani brethren, on their side, have also denied these reports', he said.

Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz noted that cooperation exists between the Kingdom and the us about the Saudi detainees in Guantanamo, and the Saudi Interior Ministry has been cooperating in this regard with the us security authorities. He added 'it is hoped that this issue will be settled soon'.

Prince Sultan described Israel as an aggressive country, and said 'it should never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons as long as it does not face any danger.'

'Israel and other countries should be free from nuclear weapons', he added.