May 26, 2006

THE CONCLUSION OF THE DELIBERATIONS OF THE JOINT GULF-EUROPEAN MINISTERIAL COUNCIL IN BRUSSELS. PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL: THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE MEETING HAVE OBJECTIVELY EVALUATED THE GULF-EUROPEAN RELATIONSHIP. BILATERAL RELATIONS AND THE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE REGION ARE THE FOCUS OF THE TALKS BETWEEN THE CZECH PRESIDENT AND PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL. PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL: THE USA HAS TO KEEP THE PROCESS OF THE ROAD MAP MOVING FORWARD. MINISTER AL-NAIMI: SAUDI ARABIA IS SEEKING TO DEVELOP A DISTINGUISHED OIL INDUSTRY THROUGH FOCUSING ON DEVELOPMENT AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF PRIVATE SECTOR-OWNED AND ENERGY-SUPPORTING INDUSTRIES AND SERVICES. PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY UNION PRAISE THE SAUDI POLICY AND ITS ROLE. The 16th session of the joint Gulf-European Ministerial Council ended its deliberations in Brussels. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Saudi Foreign Minister, as well as representatives of other member states of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) participated in the meeting. In a statement to the media following the meeting, Prince Saud Al-Faisal said the participants of the meeting had objectively evaluated the Gulf-European relationship. He said there was a strong determination to establish the free trade zone between the GCC and the EU countries. Underlining the importance of coordination between the two sides, Prince Saud Al-Faisal reiterated that the Gulf and European views were identical on several regional and international issues. Meanwhile, Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik said the EU views the GCC as a strategic partner not only at the economic level but also at the political level too. She noted that the two sides are keen on further enhancing cooperation and coordination between them. The Austrian Foreign Minister said the two sides have agreed to boost the process of dialogue between civilizations and religions, and added 'the experience of the EU and the GCC in civilization dialogue has proved to be useful. Secretary General of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdul Rahman Al-Atiyyah arrived in Brussels to attend a joint ministerial session of the GCC and EU (European Union) countries, starting its deliberations in the Belgian Capital. The session will focus on aspects of cooperation between the two sides and other issues of concern to the GCC and EU. The GCC is made up of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. The Gulf-European Joint Ministerial Council, which comprises the foreign ministers of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council Countries and their European counterparts, held a meeting on May 15, 2006 in Brussels. The meeting was attended by the GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Al-Atiyyah. The participants of the meeting are scheduled to review aspects of economic cooperation between the GCC states and the EU countries in addition to the current political developments at the regional and international arenas notably the Middle East problem, the current situation in Iraq and the Iranian nuclear issue, human rights and means for combating terrorism. On the fringe of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, Foreign Minister Plassnik chaired the ministerial meeting between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on 15 May. The GCC comprises the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. "The states of the GCC are important partners of the EU. Our dialogue is broad-based and covers trade and energy matters, human rights and debates on current political issues. The Gulf region is a pivotal player in key issues of international policy and therefore has a particular responsibility, not only for the region, but also beyond. Against this background, we appreciate the stabilising role the GCC plays in the region. It is particularly valuable in view of the current challenges," Plassnik said in her introductory remarks. The talks revolved around developments in the Middle East, Iran and Iraq. "We welcome the progress made in forming a national unity government in Iraq. Such a government is an indispensable prerequisite for a united and peaceful Iraq. The EU is ready to work together with the new government and to fully support them in their efforts to create a secure and sovereign Iraq. The Arab countries, too, are playing a key role in the reconciliation process", she continued. "In the case of Iran we share the concerns over the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme. The EU wants to help Iran find a way out of the cul-de-sac. Today, we have put together a package which should serve as a basis for a renewed dialogue process. After having discussed it internally in the EU, we were now able to further discuss it with our regional partners in the Gulf", Plassnik stated. "In the Middle East, too, the EU has taken the initiative in order to be able to continue providing support to the Palestinian people by setting up an international payment mechanism. We have also offered the Arab countries the opportunity to use this mechanism as soon as it has been set up. Furthermore, we hope the Gulf States will influence the new Palestinian government so that they accept the principles which represent the basis for a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict", said the Minister. "The existing cooperation agreement between the EU and the GCC provides a sound basis for our dialogue. But we also agree on the need to strengthen our cooperation in future. Among other things, this includes establishing a free trade agreement, which should be concluded as soon as possible. The GCC and the EU are two key integration zones which complement each other admirably. We want to realise the full potential of our cooperation for the benefit of citizens in both regions", she concluded. Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah expected the signing of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and the GCC countries within months. Al-Attiyah said the two sides have more in common to work on and that the upcoming meeting "will take us into a new level of dialogue". Al-Attiyah stressed that reason will lead to the signing of the FTA, especially when taking into consideration that the EU is the first trade partner for the GCC countries, while GCC comes as the fifth trade partner for the EU countries. Al-Attiyah however also mentioned problems of technicalities which still stand against the signing of the agreement and that they were on their way to solving them. "The GCC position did not change as far as its support to the Palestinian cause and all supporting mechanism to benefit the Palestinian people", Al-Attiyah reference to the new financial agreement of the quartet. On the other hand the President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus received at his office Prince Saud Al-Faisal who paid an official visit to the Czech Republic at an invitation from Czech's Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda. During the meeting, Prince Saud conveyed to the president the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz. Prince Saud and the president dealt with bilateral relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them and discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern. The meeting was attended by Prince Saud's accompanying delegation and Saudi Ambassador to Prague Prince Mansour bin Khalid bin Abdullah Al Farhan Al Saud. Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Jiri Paroubek met with Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Saudi Foreign Minister. During the meeting, they discussed a number of issues of mutual concern and ways of enhancing relations of cooperation and friendship existing between the two countries in the economic, commercial and investment fields in addition to regional and international developments. The Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda lauded, during a meeting with Prince Saud, the important and positive role played by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the region and the world at large and the appreciation of the Czech government for this vital role. Following the talks, Prince Saud and his Czech counterpart held a joint press conference, answering numerous questions raised by reporters. Later, Svoboda gave a luncheon in honor of Prince Saud Al-Faisal and accompanying delegation. Prince Saud arrived in Prague where he was received by his Czech counterpart, Saudi Ambassador to Prague Prince Mansour bin Khalid bin Abdullah Al Farhan Al Saud and Arab ambassadors accredited to Prague. On the other hand Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Turki Al-Faisal delivered the keynote address at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Conference "Politics and Diplomacy: Next Steps in Arab-Israeli Peacemaking" in Washington. In his remarks, he stressed the importance of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and called on the global community to actively work towards such a resolution. The long-festering conflict must be resolved if the global community is to confront new challenges, particularly terrorism. It is used by terrorists as a recruiting took and is also one of the root causes of anti-American sentiment in the Arab and Islamic worlds, he noted. History shows that the Israelis and Palestinians will not arrive at peace if left up to their own devices, and that leading powers must move both parties ahead towards peace, Prince Turki said. To that end, Saudi Arabia understands that its role is to be a voice of reason and moderation, and to bring the Arab world together to support the peace process. "In Saudi Arabia, we desire peaceful coexistence between a Palestinian state and an Israeli state, and peace between Israel and the entire Arab world," Prince Turki said. He noted the Arab Peace Initiative, a plan for peace proposed by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in 2002. The ambassador praised President Bush's call for a two-state solution and proposal of the Road Map for Peace. He urged the United States to keep the process of the Road Map moving forward, and to continue supporting the process of disengagement from Gaza and the West Bank. Prince Turki urged Israel to continue dialogue with the Palestinians. "It would be regrettable if Israel sat with arms folded while pursuing a policy of isolation, cutting off the Hamas government, and turning its back on the Palestinian people," he said. Prince Turki added that Israel has a range of policy options within that framework of dialogue, including strengthening the position of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas through initiatives such as selective prisoner release and easing roadblocks. There must also be gestures from the new Palestinian government, Prince Turki remarked. He said that Saudi Arabia has told Hamas that it must do three things if it wishes to be a viable governing body: abide by existing agreements made by the former Palestinian government, accept the Arab Peace Initiative and the Road Map, and abandon violence. "The time is now," Prince Turki said. "We have willing peoples on both sides both Israelis and Palestinians. We have a framework for reconciliation that is outlined in the Road Map for peace. And we have a goal that is articulated in the Abdullah Peace Plan. We simply need the parties to make a move with confidence within this framework." In New York, Prince Turki bin Nasser Ibn Abdul Aziz, the General President of Meteorology and Environment Protection of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said that the world is facing a great challenge to deal with the growing needs for demand for energy to achieve a sustainable development. In a speech delivered at the interactive dialogue ministerial sessions of UN Development Committee, Prince Turki bin Nasser pointed out that industry in the Kingdom has been a major tributary to the economic and social development as main means to enhance the value added to the national resources and the diversification of the economic base to achieve a sustainable development. Prince Turki bin Nassir Ibn Abdul Aziz, President of Meteorology and Protection of Environment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has warned from focusing on economically infeasible alternatives of clean traditional energy sources. In a speech before the 14th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, an affiliate of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held in New York, he said such moves would lead to distortion of world energy markets. It is rather better to exploit such efforts in supporting local programs aiming at promoting energy efficiency with the assistance of the world community and accelerating the development and distribution of technologies of upgrading the energy and preserving it as all predictions indicate to the overwhelming of the energy originating from fossil fuel for several decades ahead, he concluded. In Amman the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi said Saudi Arabia is seeking to develop a distinguished oil industry through focusing on development and encouragement of private sector-owned and energy-supporting industries and services. In a speech at the 8th Arab Energy Conference in Amman, the minister reviewed Saudi Arabia's major policies which include expansion of the national economy base to include various activities which can benefit from its oil and gas wealth. On oil prices, he stated that current high oil prices had not affected growth of world economy contrary to what most analysts had believed. He noted the development of systems and economic institutions to contribute to creating a sustainable development that can not be largely affected by fluctuations of price rates and quantities of production in the world oil market. The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said that investment of financial funds in a future oil market increased tenfold from $ 1 billion before four years to $ 1 trillion Al-Naimi pointed out that the kingdom's share of the world production of petrochemical industry stands at 8 percent. He pointed to the expansion of various economic activities, which represents an economic growth non-related to petroleum such as tourism, services sector, advanced education and modern technologies. Al-Naimi indicated that 60 percent of the world oil reserve is situated in the Arab world, one-third of world oil production flows from Arab countries and 40 percent of world oil trade is in the Arab petroleum. Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi indicated that high oil prices of around $70 a barrel were giving rise to a crude surplus on the world market. "There is no lack of capacity right now. Supply is ahead of demand," Al-Naimi told reporters on the fringes of an Arab energy conference currently in process in the Jordanian capital. Responding to a question whether high crude prices were forcing the adoption of conservation measures on the part of consumers, the Saudi minister said "In general, when prices are high, people check their pockets and when they are lower, they open them". However, Al-Naimi averted a direct comment on a report issued last Friday by the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), which cut its 2006 global oil demand outlook due to high oil prices. "The IEA is a reputable organization. It publishes regular updates. Today (its report) is denting (demand) and tomorrow it is accelerating," he said. The IEA cut its world crude demand estimates by 15 percent, or 220,000 barrels a day, as consumer countries around the world resort to conservation measures under the impact of high prices. The agency said that it predicted oil demand to grow by 1.25 million barrels per day, to 84.83 million bpd. The agency's previous estimate released in December put the growth in demand at 1.79 bpd. Responding to a question whether the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) would reconsider its production quotas during the next meeting in Caracas on June 1, Al-Naimi said "Let us meet in Caracas". The 11-nation oil organization has frozen its daily production at 28 million bpd for the last ten months. Saudi Arabia, with an 11 million bpd daily output capacity, is the world's largest crude exporter. In Nairobi the Assistant Chairman of the Shoura (consultative) Council Dr Saleh Al-Ali met with the Speaker of the Ethiopian Council of Deputies Taysoum Toga on the fringes of the meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). They reviewed issues of mutual interest. Meanwhile, Dr Al-Ali addressing the parliamentary meeting reiterated the great attention given by Saudi Arabia to Africa, and highlighted the Kingdom's role in supporting development efforts in the developing countries. He noted that the Kingdom extended in the last three decades four percent of its Goss National Product (GNP) to the developing countries. The Kingdom comes next to the US in terms of remittances by its foreign workforce, he said, noting that the remittances do contribute to the development process in Africa On his part, Dr Talal Bakri, the member of the Shoura Council, said the Islamic Shariah, from which the Kingdom's legislations are stemmed, respects women and recognizes their rights. He pointed out that the Saudi government is keen on enabling women to practice their rights and duties. On the fringes of the 114th Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting which concluded in Nairobi Dr. Saleh bin Saud Al-Ali, Assistant Chairman of Shoura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, met with Ferdinando Casini, the President of The Inter- Parliamentary Union. During the meeting, Dr. Al-Ali, offers congratulated the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on his election as president of the Inter- Parliamentary Union for a new five-year term. Dr. Al-Ali affirmed the full support of Shoura Council for the union to achieve its goals. On his part, casini expressed gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz for his efforts for development and reforms in the kingdom and lauded the constant support of the Shoura Council for the union. Later, Dr. Al-Ali met with Kenyan Parliament Speaker Francis Ole Kaparo where they discussed ways of enhancing cooperation between the two chambers. The meetings were attended by members of the Shoura Council's delegation participating in the inter-parliamentary union meetings. Many of the attendants praised the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's policy and the role it plays on the international arena. Some 600 parliamentarians from 118 countries, attending the 114th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Nairobi adopted four resolutions. In one of them, they made an urgent appeal for increased supplies of emergency food assistance to be made available to drought-affected nations in Africa. In a resolution entitled, "The need for urgent food relief in order to combat drought-induced famine and poverty in Africa, for the world's most industrialized nations to speed up aid to the continent and for particular efforts to be made to reach desperate and poor populations," they urged "the governments concerned to take every appropriate measure to facilitate access to the affected areas for the speedy delivery of food supplies and to provide security". The legislators meeting in Nairobi also called on all parties to ensure that food relief programmes are not used for political ends and that food is distributed to those in need without political interference. The elected representatives of the peoples recommended that parliaments in the affected countries monitor the delivery of food relief programmes and invited them to report on their findings to the IPU. They called upon the governments of the countries concerned to make every effort to implement the Millennium Development Goals, "in particular those relating to the reduction of poverty, and to this end, to pursue sustainable development strategies". Those strategies "must aim to promote good governance and respect for human rights, eradication of corruption, sustainable food production, development of infrastructure to provide access to communities, and, most importantly, security for the population". The parliamentarians also adopted a resolution entitled The role of parliaments in strengthening the control of trafficking in small arms and light weapons and their ammunition, in which they urged parliaments to combat SALW proliferation and misuse as a key element in national strategies on conflict prevention, peace-building, sustainable development, protection of human rights, and public health and safety. They urged parliaments not only to promote and ensure the adoption at the national level of legislation and regulations required to control SALW and to combat its proliferation and misuse, but also to promote the development of an international arms trade treaty (ATT) to strictly regulate arms transfers on the basis of State obligations under international law and internationally accepted norms and human rights standards. Parliaments should promote greater international regional efforts to develop common standards to control the activities of those brokering or otherwise facilitating arms transfers between third countries and to ensure the existence of strong legal sanctions for those who provide SALW to children, or who recruit and use children in conflicts or armed operations. Legislators also urged parliaments "to ensure the existence of legal sanctions at the national level for those who commit crimes/atrocities against vulnerable sections of society such as the elderly, women and children". Special attention should also be given to capacity-building, with a view to overcoming some of the barriers in the implementation of SALW commitments. On The Role of Parliaments in Environmental Management and in Combating Global Degradation of the Environment, legislators recommended that parliaments "include in their budgets clear indicators of the financial and non-financial costs related to environmental degradation", and "promote the development of new and broader tools and methods of measuring GDP and other standardized economic concepts". They paid tribute to the special role of women in environmental protection and called for the mainstreaming of women in environmental decision-making processes, from which they have traditionally been excluded, and that women be given more equitable access to land ownership. Looking to society at large, and in the spirit of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD), the resolution underscores the need for "governments and parliaments to advocate environmental awareness and educate the public about coordinated action against environmental degradation". On energy, conservation and other aspects of natural resources management, the resolution adopted today expresses reservations on the use of nuclear power as part of the energy mix and calls for more research on the problems posed by the decommissioning of power plants, storage of nuclear waste and accidental leakage of radioactive materials. In contrast, unconditional support is given to the implementation of 3R (Reuse, Recycle, Reduce) approaches in conjunction with "the development of environmentally-friendly products [] and of a sound material-cycle society." Finally, legislators called upon parliaments to work towards limiting to 2°C the rise in mean global temperatures compared with pre-industrial levels. The parliamentarians meeting in Nairobi also adopted a resolution entitled How parliaments can and must promote effective ways of combating violence against women in all fields. They called upon governments and parliaments to give priority to and raise awareness about violence against women as both a cause and a consequence of the rising incidence of HIV/AIDS and to include these considerations in their national strategies; and to implement the United Nations General Assembly resolution on Crime prevention and criminal justice measures to eliminate violence against women; in particular to punish all acts of violence against women perpetrated by State or non-State actors in the public and the private spheres; to establish courts specialized in hearing cases of such violence; and to establish a governmental body promoting the prosecution of all acts of violence. Governments and parliaments should promote public awareness of the problem of violence against women, and "enact and enforce legislation against the perpetrators of practices and acts of violence against women and children, including tough and clear measures to combat recidivism". Moreover parliaments are urged to "review legislation to detect practices and traditions that impede the attainment of equality between the sexes and to eliminate inequality in all spheres, in particular in education, health and access to property and land". Changes in social and cultural attitudes to gender roles and the elimination of patterns of behaviour that engender violence should also be encouraged, as should cooperation with the media. Parliaments are also urged to denounce and combat the extreme forms of gender violence against women that are derived from the violation of their human rights and that are shaped by a set of misogynous conducts which can involve impunity and which have culminated in homicide and other forms of violent death of women. Last but not least, parliaments and governments are requested to make rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity crimes under their domestic legislation and to repress them as such. With reference to human trafficking, parliamentarians stressed the need to build international and regional cooperation among the countries of origin, transit and destination, through instruments such as bilateral agreements and international treaties.