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June 30, 2006 |
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***** The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received a telephone call from President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine. During the conversation, they discussed bilateral relations, the latest developments in the region topped by the Palestinian cause and the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received at Al-Salam palace the diplomatic credentials of ambassadors of brotherly and friendly countries accredited to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Monarch received the credentials of ambassadors of Pakistan, Ghana, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Albania, Azerbaijan, Japan, Ethiopia, Palestine and the Czech Republic. The King welcomed the new ambassadors, wishing them a good stay in the kingdom. King Abdullah laid stress on the Saudi government's and people's cooperation with the ambassadors, noting that all facilities will be provided for them to easily perform their missions. He wished them all success and sent his greetings to the leaders of their countries. On their part, the ambassadors conveyed to King Abdullah the greetings of their leaders, wishing the king and the kingdom all success. The handing-over ceremony of the credentials was attended by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, other princes, ministers and officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to Prince Henri, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg on the anniversary of his country's national day. In his own name and on behalf of the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah wished the Grand Duke of Luxembourg continual health and happiness and the people of Luxembourg steady progress and prosperity. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to President Dr. Janez Drnovsek of the Republic of Slovenia on the anniversary of his country's national day. In his own name and on behalf of the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah wished the president continual health and happiness and the people of Slovenia steady progress and prosperity. The official spokesman of the Interior Ministry Major General Mansour bin Sultan Al-Turki said in a statement to SPA that 13 Saudi citizens and a Turkistani resident in the Kingdom who had been detained in Guantanamo Bay arrived in Saudi Arabia this morning (29/5/1427 A.H. corresponding to 25th of june 2006). Their names are the following: 1) Mousa Abdulwahab Abdulqader Al-Housawi. 2) Yousef Khamees Abdullah Al-Sulaimani. 3) Mohammad Soror Dakheelullah Al-Otaibi. 4) Abdulsalam Ghaithan Mureef Al-Shehri. 5) Othman Ahmad Othman Al-Ghamdi. 6) Saleh Ali Zaheed Al-Khatha'ami. 7) Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Al-Bidah. 8) Siddeq Ahmad Siddeq Nour Turkistani. 9) Rashed Abdulmusleh Qaid Al-Qaid. 10) Tareq Shallah Hassan Al-Harbi. 11) Abdullah Mohammad Saleh Al-Ghanmi. 12) Ibraheem Mohammad Ibraheem Al-Nasser. 13) Sa'ad Ibraheem Sa'ad Al-Badnah. 14) Wasm Awwad Omar Al-Wasm. Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation, patronized the graduation ceremony of the 20th batch of students from the Industrial Secondary Institute; and other batches from the Industrial Studies and Training Center in addition to opening the eighteenth industrial exhibition of the General Organization of Military Industries (GOMI).Upon his arrival, Prince Abdul Rahman was received by Deputy Chief of general Staff Lt. General Sultan bin A'di Al-Mutairi, Director General of GOMI Lt. General Mohammad Al-Fahd Al-Faisal and a number of GOMI senior officials. Lt.General Al-Faisal delivered a speech on this occasion in which he welcomed Prince Abdulrahman saying that education and training outcome is utilized in GOMI through a comprehensive plan that provides the military industry with all its requirements. He also noted the keenness of the Saudi government to support GOMI to help it provide the Armed Forces with its requirements. He also said that GOMI is an important resource of national skills that proved their abilities to comprehend technology and to develop it. After that, the graduates' speech was delivered in which they expressed their pleasure to Prince Abdul Rahman for his patronization, pointing out to the support they receive while they were training and studying. Following that, Prince Abdul Rahman honored those who had served in GOMI for twenty five years. In an address on the occasion, Prince Abdul Rahman said that he is proud of the military industrial development which is managed by an all-Saudi management, highlighting the role of Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, to upgrade the level of these factories. He expressed optimism that more quality development would take place at these factories. After that, Prince Abdul Rahman opened the 18th industrial exhibition, made a tour around it and listened to a brief explanation from Saudi engineers and technicians about the process of production. The occasion was attended by a number of Princes and senior Saudi officers. The Prince Sultan Military Center for Heart disease has celebrated the graduation of the first batch of Saudi cardiology technicians at the Military Hospital in Riyadh in the presence of Lt.General dr Kutab Al-Otaibi, Dr Lt.General Khalaf Al Mutairu and Lt.General Saleh Al Akl. On the Sideline of the OIC Ministerial Meeting held in Baku, Azerbaijan from the 19th to 21st of June 2006, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia decided to contribute the amount of US$ 1 billion to the Poverty Alleviation Fund which was created within the framework of the Islamic Development Bank in the 3rd Extraordinary Summit convened in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in December 2005. The United Arab Emirates decided to contribute an amount of US$ 2 Millions to the Islamic Solidarity Fund (ISF) of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan H. E. Elmar Mammadyouv who is the Chairman of the 33rd Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers announced that his country would voluntarily contribute US$ 500000 to the budget of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Manushahr Muttaki announced that his country has decided to voluntarily contribute US$ 1 million to the budget of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Also On the sideline of the 3rd Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers three agreements were signed between the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Republic of Azerbaijan on Tuesday 20 June 2006. The three agreements are: Convention on Economic, Technical and Cultural Cooperation, The Statute of the Islamic Union of Telecommunications, The Statute of the Islamic Institute for Standards and Metrology. The three agreements were signed by the OIC Secretary General . Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan H. E. Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov. The Sultanate's government signed in Tokyo an agreement with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines to purchase two new liquefied petroleum gas and oil derivatives carriers. The agreement was signed by Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and deputy chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council and chairman of Oman Shipping Company (OSC), and the chairman of the Japanese company. Macki said the agreement comes within the context of diversifying resources of the national income and ensuring more revenues from the oil and gas sector. He added by 2009, OSC's fleet would reach 10. The new tankers, which are owned by Oman Shipping Company (50 per cent) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (50 per cent), will be leased for a long period. The capacity of the liquefied petroleum gas carrier is 83,000 cubic metres, while the capacity of the oil derivatives vessel is 110,000 tonnes. The signing ceremony was attended by Mohammed bin Yousuf Al Zarafi, the Sultanate's ambassador to Japan, officials of the national economy and finance ministries and companies concerned. Macki met with Toshihiro Nikai, Japanese minister of economy, trade and industry, and stressed the Sultanate's keenness on further promoting bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic fields. He briefed his Japanese counterpart on the Omani government's plans and programmes for the Seventh Five-Year Development Plan 2006-2010. He said the Japanese companies are strategic partners of the Sultanate's government in various industrial, commercial and oil and gas and shipping related projects. He added trade exchange between the two countries is on the increase, saying this prompts the two governments to extend more efforts and enter into joint ventures. Toshihiro Nikai stressed the necessity that Japanese government officials visit Oman to acquaint themselves with the size of projects set up to pave the way for joint ventures. He added that he would encourage Japanese companies to visit the Sultanate and utilise the investment opportunities available in the country. He said the projects currently being implemented in the oil, gas and sea transport in Oman reflect the Sultanate's keenness on diversifying country's revenue resources and the country's successful investment policies. The meeting was attended by the Sultanate's ambassador to Japan and members of the delegation accompanying Macki. Within the framework of royal directives, Minister for Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Call, & Guidance Saleh Ibn Abdul Aziz Ibn Mohammad Ibn Ibrahim Al Al-Shaikh issued his orders to provide the Ministry of Education with more than two million copies of the Holy Quran printed at King Fahd Printing Complex (KFPC), according to the KFPC Director General, Mohammad bin Salem Al-Oufi. Al-Oufi said the KFPC is undertaking measures to start providing the stores of the male and female general educational administrations all over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the copies of the holy book so that they will be available well in advance of the beginning of the next educational year. Princess Nouf bint Fahd Ibn Khalid, the Wife of Saudi Ambassador to the United States of America held at the embassy a meeting with Saudi children with special needs who are treated at specialist medical centers in the United States of America. In her speech at the meeting also attended by their parents, the Princess said that Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Ambassador to the United States of America, other officials in charge of Saudi citizens' affairs or at the embassy's health office and she herself have been paying attention to and care for Saudi children with special needs. Princess Nouf stressed that the ambassador and she have been keen on overcoming all obstacles on the children's way of treatment and rehabilitation. She emphasized the continuing interest of the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in meeting health, social, educational and rehabilitating needs of citizens with special needs through its medical, educational and rehabilitating centers for providing the required care for them to be effective members in the society. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) highlighted the role played by The Saudi Relief Committee for Palestinians to support their educational programs with a grant of more than SR 130 million, according to a detailed report issued recently by UNESCO. Following the signing of a joint Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) by the Saudi Committee, UNESCO and the Palestinian Ministry of Education, the report said a project to support financially higher studies for Palestinian students and their universities was started. Since last March, UNESCO has transferred 90% of the allocated amount to eleven Palestinian universities and 23 colleges; and those who benefited from the scholarships amounted to more than 19, 000, pointing out that the rest of the 10% of the amount will be transferred soon. The report added that the Saudi Committee finances this project which focuses on humanitarian and developmental goals in conformity with the missions of international organizations especially those which are contained in UNESCO's budget plan for the fiscal years 2004-2005 and 2006-2007. It is worth mentioning that the Saudi Committee has forged cooperation with a number of international organizations such as The United Nations Development Organization, The International Food Organization, UNESCO and The Red Cross Organization through financing their developmental programs with more than SR187 million. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that his country was trying to resolve Iran's nuclear case through peaceful channels. Gul made the remark at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki after their meeting in Tehran. Peaceful settlement of Iran's nuclear case would be in favor of the region and the whole world, Gul said. He added that a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear case would be effective in easing tension in the world, saying Turkey feels itself duty-bound to materialize this. He put emphasis on precision in principles and ways to resolve Iran's nuclear case and added the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently studying a package of incentives offered to it by Group 5+1. A package of incentives was offered to Tehran early this month by the 5+1 Group composed of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain) plus Germany to convince it to give up all its uranium enrichment-related activities and resume talks to settle the dispute over its nuclear program. The Turkish minister expressed confidence Iran's case would be settled peacefully in an atmosphere of goodwill. Pointing to the two countries' common interests, he said the two sides would adopt strategies to further promote their cooperation. Mottaki, for his part, assessed as "good" talks with his Turkish counterpart, saying, "Gul carries message of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." The Turkish foreign minister is to hold talks with President Ahmadinejad within the next few hours. Mottaki said during his talks with Gul, the two sides discussed Tehran-Ankara cooperation, adding, "The volume of bilateral trade and economic cooperation at common borders hits more than 4.5 billion dollars excluding the figures related to tourism and transit of goods." He expressed hope Iran and Turkey would take new steps to promote economic cooperation, pave the way for Turkish firms' stronger presence and engage in joint cooperation in other states including the Central Asian countries. "Talks between the two foreign ministers were held based on meetings held among senior officials of Iran and Turkey in Baku and Bali who had stressed the importance of continuing exchange of views. Such consultations will continue in the future. "The meeting was an opportunity to exchange view on regional developments, Iran's peaceful nuclear activities and an upcoming meeting of foreign ministers of Iraq's neighbouring states (to be held in Tehran). We invited Turkey to take part in the meeting," Mottaki added. The Governor of General Commission for Investment Amr Ibn Abdullah Al-Dabbagh expressed his best thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz for an additional confidence bestowed upon the Commission following the Cabinet's amendments of the Commission's two articles. In a press statement, he said that the King's directives on advancing the wheels of economy and on facilitating the affairs of citizens and investors have had a great effect on facilitating our mission in the service of the homeland. Lebanon's Speaker of House of Representatives Nabih Berri received at his office in Beirut Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdul Aziz Ibn Mohyeddin Khoja. During the meeting, they reviewed the current relations existing between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in all fields for the benefit of the two countries and peoples. On his part, Berri lauded the efforts exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and his Crown Prince to support Lebanon in all fields. In line with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the first phase of Saudi humanitarian relief assistance worth $10 million to the African horn countries through the world food program was inaugurated. The inaugural ceremony was attended by Kenya's Vice President Dr. Moody Awori, the Special Ambassador of the program Abdul Aziz Al-Rukban, Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Miqidheeb, Director of expenditure department at the finance ministry and a number of officials . A speech ceremony was held on this occasion. Saudi Ambassador to Kenya and Dean of Diplomatic Corps Nabil Ibn Khalaf Ashour noted that Kenya will get $2million of the assistance, commending strong relations between the two countries. On his part, the Kenyan Vice President thanked the kingdom for its continuing assistance to his country in particular and the African horn in general. At the request of British authorities, Swedish police have arrested at least three men in the Sweden's third largest city Malmo, officials said. Malmo police chief Par Svartz confirmed to Swedish radio that police had assisted British authorities, but would not comment further. Malmo newspaper Sydsvenskan reported that the arrests were possibly linked to a recent raid in the west coast city of Gothenburg where computers were also seized. President Bashar Al-Assad made a telephone call with King Abdullah II of Jordan during which they discussed the bilateral relations between the two sisterly countries. The preparatory works for the meeting of the Syrian-Jordanian Higher Joint Committee which is scheduled to meet in Damascus by the end of the month were also reviewed. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, received at the Presidential Palace, Dr. Abdul Aziz Othman Altwaijri, the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). During the meeting, President Aliyev lauded the achievements of ISESCO and expressed his appreciation for the distinguished performance of the Director General. He also congratulated Altwaijri on the success he has brought to the Organization by the inauguration of ISESCO's new headquarters. After seeing the photos of the new headquarters, the President expressed his admiration of this civilizational architectural edifice and said it constitutes a source of pride for the Islamic world. On this occasion, the ISESCO Director General offered to the President a set of the recent publications of the Organization, and thanked him for the support ISESCO receives from the Azerbaijan Government. Also under the patronage of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -ISESCO- is playing host, on 28-29 June 2006, at its permanent headquarters in Rabat, to the Conference of Elected Representatives of the Mediterranean, within the framework of cooperation between the Islamic Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -UNESCO-. Head of the Future bloc in Parliament MP Saad Hariri said French President Jacques Chirac is very supportive of convening the Beirut I international conference to back economic and financial reform in Lebanon. After meeting the French President in Paris, MP Hariri also reiterated calls for pursuing national dialogue in Lebanon to stem 'very dangerous' tensions in the country. At the Elysee Palace, head of the Future bloc told reporters that discussions with President Chirac focused on the situation in Lebanon, Iran, Palestine and Syria, as well as preparations for the Beirut I conference. He stressed that President Chirac supports the conference and Lebanese independence, and that he views national dialogue underway in Lebanon as the only path for resolving internal problems. MP Hariri also pointed out that all parties in Lebanon are aware of the 'very dangerous' prevailing tensions and the need for defusing them. He told reporters that there are daily contacts with Hizbollah's leadership, especially in light of attempts to sow discord since the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, and because of the sectarian violence in Iraq. Asked about Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem's recent declaration that diplomatic ties cannot presently be established with Lebanon, head of the Future bloc made clear that Lebanon is an Arab country, and the only other state that Damascus does not have diplomatic relations with is Israel. He expressed confidence that ties can be established with Syria. In response to a question on whether President Chirac discussed with Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, during his recent visit to Paris, Lebanese calls for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Shebaa Farms, MP Hariri said France is supportive of Lebanon and of relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The New York Times unveiled that under a secret Bush administration program initiated weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, counterterrorism officials have gained access to financial records from a vast international database and examined banking transactions involving thousands of Americans and others in the United States, according to government and industry officials. The program is limited, government officials say, to tracing transactions of people suspected of having ties to Al Qaeda by reviewing records from the nerve center of the global banking industry, a Belgian cooperative that routes about $6 trillion daily between banks, brokerages, stock exchanges and other institutions. The records mostly involve wire transfers and other methods of moving money overseas and into and out of the United States. Most routine financial transactions confined to this country are not in the database. Viewed by the Bush administration as a vital tool, the program has played a hidden role in domestic and foreign terrorism investigations since 2001 and helped in the capture of the most wanted Al Qaeda figure in Southeast Asia, the officials said. The program, run out of the Central Intelligence Agency and overseen by the Treasury Department, "has provided us with a unique and powerful window into the operations of terrorist networks and is, without doubt, a legal and proper use of our authorities," Stuart Levey, an under secretary at the Treasury Department, said in an interview. The program is grounded in part on the president's emergency economic powers, Mr. Levey said, and multiple safeguards have been imposed to protect against any unwarranted searches of Americans' records. The program, however, is a significant departure from typical practice in how the government acquires Americans' financial records. Treasury officials did not seek individual court-approved warrants or subpoenas to examine specific transactions, instead relying on broad administrative subpoenas for millions of records from the cooperative, known as Swift. That access to large amounts of confidential data was highly unusual, several officials said, and stirred concerns inside the administration about legal and privacy issues. Lebanese security forces arrested the man allegedly caught on camera planting a defused mortar bomb at the entrance of the Hariri family's Future television station, an arrest that officials said might offer "clues" into the wave of bombings and assassinations that has rocked Lebanon since October 2004. An-Nahar reported that the Internal Security Forces arrested a man from Southern Lebanon identified only as "A.K. "who was residing in Khandak al-Ghameek, a low-income neighbourhood adjacent to the television station's offices. Closed-circuit cameras had filmed the man as he dumped the bomb in a plastic bag in front of Future television's offices on Spears Street in central Beirut, according to the report. During initial interrogation, the suspect claimed to have found the mortar shell near his home. He took it home and hid it in the attic, but then decided to get rid of it, he claimed, according to An-Nahar. A.K. reportedly said he decided to leave it outside Future Television because there was no garbage dump near his home. Afghan President Hamid Karzai says remnants of the ousted Taleban are not a threat to the Afghan government, despite a recent surge in violence. In an interview on CNN's Late Edition program, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he recognizes the challenges presented by the insurgents, but said he believes they do not threaten Afghanistan's long-term stability. "They exist in the form of attacking schools, attacking children, killing innocent people, killing clergy, harassing road workers, engineers," said Hamid Karzai. "They are no match for our power. They are no match for our fighting ability." President Karzai also rejected suggestions that former Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar and the Taleban are behind the recent wave of insurgent violence in Afghanistan. In Amman the State Security Court (SSC) prosecutor renewed the detention of four Islamist deputies who were arrested earlier this month on charges of "fuelling national discord and inciting sectarianism," a senior judicial source said. Islamic Action Front (IAF) MPs Ali Abul Sukkar (Zarqa, Second District), Mohammad Abu Fares (Amman, Fifth District), Ibrahim Mashoukhi (Zarqa, First District) and Jaafar Hourani (Zarqa, Fourth District) were ordered detained at Al Jafer prison, around 250km south of Amman, for 15 days on June 11. SSC Prosecutor Raed Izmegna's decision came following remarks the deputies made praising Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Mussab Zarqawi as a "martyr" and a "holy warrior." The four deputies also visited Zarqawi's family in Zarqa to offer condolences, triggering nationwide condemnation. The MPs pleaded not guilty to the charges. The move to extend their detention for another 15 days "is a routine procedure that is usually taken by the SSC prosecutor when the interrogation process is not complete," the judicial source told The Jordan Times. An additional 15 days could be added again if the interrogation procedures are not over, the source added. The deputies' comments angered many citizens, including relatives of victims of the Nov. 9 terror attacks, which killed 60 and were claimed by Zarqawi. Government officials said eight families of the deceased filed law suits against the deputies for the comments. On June 22, Minister of Justice Abed Shakhanbeh said Jordan would not tolerate those who spread the culture of hate and fanaticism in the name of religion or freedom of expression. The U.S. military in Iraq has reported the detention of an unidentified "al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist" and the killing of a civilian around Baquba. During the operation, coalition forces saw a person "acting suspiciously at a nearby house" and "engaged and killed him" after they determined he posed "an imminent threat," the military statement said. The Republican-led Senate rejected Democratic plans to start a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq as senators cast votes expected to resonate in November elections to determine control of Congress. Republicans, embracing President George W. Bush's policies in the war that has caused his approval ratings to plummet, defeated two Democratic amendments to start the withdrawal of U.S. forces, now numbering about 127,000. The votes capped two weeks of bitter debate in Congress over the conflict that has caused 2,511 U.S. military deaths, as Republicans accused Democrats of a "cut and run" strategy and Democrats retorted that Republicans were blindly following Bush's open-ended commitment. A nonbinding resolution broadly backed by Senate Democrats that urged Bush to start withdrawing troops this year and left it up to him to set the schedule to implement the pullout failed 60-39. Six Democrats and one Republican crossed party lines on the vote. Another amendment to put into law a plan to start withdrawing combat forces immediately and complete the process by next July failed 86-13. Those 13 Democrats who voted for the measure pushed by Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Russell Feingold of Wisconsin then voted for the nonbinding resolution. It was cast as the Democratic consensus position that called for a plan to start withdrawing troops, but without a deadline that many senators feared would leave Iraq in a full-scale civil war. The United Nations Secretary General says the world is "sleepwalking" toward the spread of nuclear weapons, increasing the chance they might be used. Kofi Annan was speaking at the 65-nation UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. He said the world has a choice of dealing with the problem now or watching more and more states seek nuclear weapons that could fall into the hands of terrorists. "The international community seems almost to be sleepwalking down the latter path not by conscious choice, but rather through miscalculation, sterile debate and paralysis," he said. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh declared that he intended to run for another term in September's presidential polls, saying that he had caved in to popular pressure to reverse his decision of last year. President Saleh, who has ruled since 1978, said last July that he would not seek another seven-year mandate because he wanted to open the way for the peaceful rotation of power. «I comply with the people's pressure and upon the people's desire, I will in run for the coming polls,» Saleh told tens of thousands of cheering supporters in San'a gathered outside the stadium where his party was holding a conference to nominate its candidate for the polls. Earlier in his speech President Saleh mentioned what he said were «the chants, statements, messages, poems and calls by the scholars, intellectuals, civil society and political parties» urging him to run. |