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June 9, 2006 |
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CROWN PRINCE SULTAN: ISLAM HAD CALLED FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT MORE THAN 1,400 YEAR AGO. PRINCE SULTAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ HONOURS MEMBERS OF PRINCE SULTAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ SPECIAL COMMITTEE FOR RELIEF. THE CROWN PRINCE LAYS THE FOUNDATION STONE FOR AL-FAISAL UNIVERSITY AND DONATES SR 20 MILLION TO THE UNIVERSITY. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud received at the royal court at Al-Yamamah Palace US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Eric S. Edelman and the accompanying delegation. The US official conveyed to the Monarch the greetings of US President George W. Bush. In turn, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques sent his greetings to the President. The audience was attended by Prince Miqren Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence; a number of princes and officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud received at the royal court at Al-Yamamah Palace Chang Dah Jiang, member of the Politbureau of the Chinese communist party central committee and the accompanying delegation. During the meeting, the Chinese official conveyed to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques the greetings of Chinese President Hu Jin-Tao. In turn, the King sent his greetings to the President. The audience was attended by Prince Miqren Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence; a number of princes and officials. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, received the chairman and members of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Special Committee for Relief. The Crown Prince expressed his appreciation of the committee's efforts carried out in a number of countries, wishing the committee all success in its great humanitarian tasks that serve Muslims and help them overcome their difficult conditions. The audience was attended by Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defence and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, received at his office the US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Eric S. Edelman and the accompanying delegation. During the meeting, matters of mutual concern and ways of enhancing cooperation between the two countries were discussed. The audience was attended by senior protocol officials, the Chief of General Staff General Salih Ibn Ali Al-Mohayya and the US Ambassador to the Kingdom James Oberwetter. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, received the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Kingdom Al-Asri Saeed Al-Dhahri. The Ambassador conveyed to the Crown Prince the greetings of UAE's President Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Zayid Al Nahayan. In turn, the Crown Prince sent his greetings to the President. They also exchanged cordial talks and discussed topics of mutual interest. The audience was attended by Prince Dr. Mishaal Ibn Abdullah Ibn Musaed, Supervisor of Studies at the office of Minister of Defence and Aviation and Ali Ibn Ibrahim Al-Hideithi, Chief of the Crown Prince's Court. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, received Chang Dah Jiang, member of the Politbureau of the Chinese communist party central committee and the accompanying delegation. During the meeting, the Chinese official conveyed to the Crown Prince the greetings of Chinese President Hu Jin-Tao. In turn, the Crown Prince sent his greetings to the President. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, has sent a cable to the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on the occasion of his departure from Yemen. Prince Sultan expressed appreciation for the warm welcome offered to him by the Yemeni officials. He also hailed the positive outcome of the meeting of the Saudi-Yemeni coordination council at its 17th session. Prince Sultan expressed hopes that the talks he had held with the Yemeni officials would positively contribute to further cementing Saudi-Yemeni cooperation and understanding in all domains. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defence and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, has sent a similar cable to Yemeni Prime Minister Abdel-Qadir Bajamal on the occasion of his departure from Yemen. Prince Sultan expressed appreciation for the warm welcome given to him by the Yemeni officials. He also hailed the positive outcome of the meeting of the Saudi-Yemeni coordination council at its 17th session. Prince Sultan expressed his hopes that the talks he had held with the Yemeni officials would positively contribute to further cementing Saudi-Yemeni cooperation and understanding in all domains. On the other hand Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defence and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, said Islam had called for the preservation of the environment more than 1,400 year ago. In a speech on the occasion of the international environment day, Prince Sultan, who is also the chairman of the board of directors of the national commission for wildlife conservation and development (NCWCD), noted that the Saudi government has been giving utmost attention to the environmental affairs and to the wildlife problems. The international environment day falls today, June 5, 2006. He pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has joined a number of international treaties and agreements, which are concerned, with the preservation of the environment. Prince Sultan said the NCWCD has prepared a number of national strategies, which aim at the preservation of the environment. He called for coordination of efforts for fighting drought, hurricanes and desertification. He also urged the media to shoulder its responsibility towards the preservation of the environment. Crown Prince Sultan launched Al-Faisal University, a world class institution of higher learning with advanced academic facilities. It will have four faculties for science, business, medicine and engineering and will have a capacity to accommodate 4,000 students. The Crown Prince laid the foundation stone for the high-tech private university at Maader District in the capital city in the presence of a large number of dignitaries including senior princes, ministers, top government officials and foreign diplomats. Prince Sultan donated SR20 million to the university SR5 million to each faculty. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, managing director of King Faisal Foundation (KFF), which launched the university project, said Al-Faisal would provide 40 scholarships to outstanding students annually. The scholarship program is named after Prince Sultan. Prince Khaled, who is also governor of the Asir region, said the university would apply modern methodology of teaching and encourage students to conduct research by themselves and improve their skills. English will be the medium of instruction at the four faculties. Prince Bandar Ibn Saud, KFF deputy managing director, said the university would bring about total change in the Saudi society. "We look at education as an agent of change in Saudi Arabia," he added. He said the university enjoyed the support of authorities "to become the benchmark for other universities in Saudi Arabia". He expected that Al-Faisal would become the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) or the Cambridge of the Middle East. Bandar signed an agreement last year with Malaysian architectural firm Ahmad Zaki Resources Berhad, represented by Managing Director Wan Zakariah Muda, to build the university. "In line with the philanthropic and autonomous nature of the foundation's existing commitments, this non-profit institution will embody the essential values of independence, distinction and integrity," Prince Bandar said. Al-Faisal offers bachelor's degree courses in different specializations of engineering, science, medicine and administration technology in the first phase. In later phases it will provide master's and doctoral degrees, Bandar said. The university's board of trustees reflects the broad sets of disciplines and arenas that the university represents and the eleven members are from the following organizations: The King Faisal Foundation, Dallah AlBaraka, Al-Jomaih Company, Saudi Oger, Saudi Ibn ladin Group, KFSH&RC, British Aerospace Electronics Company, Boeing Company, United Technologies Corporation and THALES. The campus itself will be set in the austere surroundings of King Faisal's palace in Maader and will host the four main faculties. With the original palace serving as the administration quarters and forming the focal point of the site, the other buildings will be arranged in a semi-circular fashion around it. The new academic buildings will be constructed from donations of various benefactors and will bear their names. The library will be housed in the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal building, the Conference Center in the Princess Haya Bint Turki building, the Science Faculty in the Prime Minister Rafik Hariri building, the Business Faculty in the Sheikh Saleh Al-Kamel building and the Student Center in the Dr. Nasser Al-Rasheed building. The construction of the university mosque was commissioned on behalf of Princess Jowharah Bint Khaled. Although construction of the university is due to take place in four major phases, two of these so far have been signed. The initial phase will last for approximately 14-and-a-half months incorporating the mosque, the Science Faculty, support services, underground parking and outside work. The subsequent phase has a predicted duration of 21 months and will culminate in construction of the Business Faculty, Student Centres, Conference Centre, Library and other related car parking and outside work. The grounds of King Faisal Palace in Maader will be reconstructed to take on the new home of Al-Faisal University. The palace is located in the historical centre of Riyadh. Al-Faisal aims to become an internationally acknowledged outstanding institution for education and academic research. It will contribute to the advancement of Saudi Arabia by means of education, training, research and technological advancements, an official statement said. Al-Faisal aims to become a model university that would accommodate a new cooperative approach with leading technical institutions in major industrial countries. It will create opportunities for Saudi youth to attain professional qualifications that would support them in securing future careers. In Riyadh Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior patronized a graduation ceremony of university qualification 35th course and security diploma 4th course at King Fahd Security College in Riyadh. Upon arrival at the venue, Prince Naif was received by Prince Mohammed Ibn Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs and a number of senior officials. A speech ceremony was held on this occasion. Prince Naif watched a military parade of the college's students. Then the Prince handed over prizes and certificates to the elite graduates. The ceremony was attended by a number of security commanders and officials. Also in Riyadh Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Governor of Riyadh region and Chairman of the board of directors of Al Bir Society received at his office at Kasr Al Hokm officials and members of the board of directors of Al Bir Society, in the presence of Prince Sattam Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh region and Deputy Chairman of the board of directors of Al Bir Society. The meeting was also attended by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the Senior Ulema [Religious Scholars] Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Al Sheikh, Princes and officials. Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Governor of Riyadh region praised the members of the board for their efforts in the service of needy people in the Kingdom. Prince Salman said that Riyadh has many societies, he stressed that all those charities enjoy the care of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, his entrusted Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General, as well as the state and the Ministry of Social Affairs. Prince Salman praised the response of the citizens and their help to those in need. He said that all the governorates of Riyadh region have branches of Al Bir society and each city has a branch of the society as well. The meeting also discussed the new budget of the Society and issued a number of administrative decisions. The meeting discussed the agenda of the society, reviewed its projects and its budget for the year 1426 H. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister received Nepal's Ambassador to the Kingdom Abu Alleith Tako Rai who bade farewell to the prince at the end of the ambassador's term of office in the Kingdom. Prince Saud also received Member of Politburo of Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Chang Dah Jiang. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations, ways of their enhancement and regional and international issues. The meetings were attended by a number of officials. |
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