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July 21, 2006 |
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***** The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to French President Jacques Chirac on the occasion 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 good health and happiness and his people steady progress and prosperity. Similarly, Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General has sent a cable of congratulations to the French President on the occasion. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of condolences to Indian President Abdul Kalam on the victims of the bombings against trains in the city of Mumbai. A similar cable of condolences was sent to the President on this occasion by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received a telephone call from general Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Zayid Al Nahayan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates. During the conversation, they discussed the development of situations in the region and bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received a telephone call from Spain's King Juan Carlos. During the conversation, they discussed the development of situations in the Middle East and a number of regional and international issues. Bilateral relations between the two friendly countries were also reviewed. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received a message from Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadi Nejad. The message was delivered to the King by Secretary of Iranian National Security Supreme Council Dr. Ali Larijani during an audience in Jeddah. During the meeting, the Iranian secretary conveyed to the monarch the greetings of the Iranian leadership. In turn the king sent his greetings to the Iranian leadership. The audience was attended by Prince Miqren Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Advisor to the King; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of State, Cabinet's Member and Chief of the Court of Cabinet's Presidency and Iranian Ambassador to the Kingdom Hussein Sadeqi. Under the directive of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Commander in chief of the armed forces; Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the defense and aviation minister and the inspector general conferred on LT, general Fahd Ibn Abdullah Ibn Mohammed, the commander of the Saudi royal naval forces, the King Abdulaziz medal of the first grade for his great efforts in the armed forces. Saudi Arabia hopes to have all of its citizens returned from the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay within a year, the Saudi ambassador to the United States said. "We're working with (the US) government on this to have them back in batches," said Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi ambassador to Washington. "They are being processed through the court system in Saudi Arabia." The United States has stepped up efforts to repatriate many of the 450 suspected Al-Qaeda and Taleban captives held at the US naval base and has negotiated a framework agreement with Saudi Arabia for the return of its citizens. It sent home 15 in May and 14 in late June, and Saudi officials were reviewing whether they should face charges in their homeland. About 95 of the men still held at Guantanamo are Saudi citizens and Prince Turki Al-Faisal said he expected all of them to be repatriated "probably within a year." "That's my estimate, but it's an estimate. Hopefully nothing will intercede with that," he told Reuters after speaking to students at Florida International University in Miami. Prince Turki has said previously that if any of the Guantanamo Saudis committed crimes, they should be tried in Saudi courts. Two Saudis are among the 10 Guantanamo prisoners charged with war crimes in the tribunal system struck down last month by the US Supreme Court. Two other Saudis were among the three prisoners who hanged themselves at Guantanamo in June. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will donate US$5 million to support the earthquake relief and recovery efforts of two levels of the Indonesian government and several humanitarian and United Nations agencies, including a USUS$2 million grant to help fund the WFP's cash-strapped operations in the earthquake zones of Central Java and Yogyakarta. The announcement was made at a press conference in Jakarta hosted by WFP Special Ambassador Abdul Aziz Arrukban and Mohamed Abdul Rahman Al Mugeteeb of the Saudi Arabian government's Ministry of Finance. The decision to donate the funds came near the end of a five-day visit by a six-member Saudi delegation to Jakarta and Yogyakarta, where Ambassador Arrukban and delegation members attended an audience with Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hemengkubowono and inspected the damage caused by the earthquake that struck the region on 27 May. During the audience on 12 July, the Saudi officials delivered a US$500,000 cheque to assist the provincial government's earthquake recovery efforts and announced that a similar sum would be handed over to the central Government of Indonesia for the same purpose. "We are pleased to be able to offer some help to the Indonesia authorities and especially to all the people who were victims of this terrible earthquake and who clearly need some help in rebuilding their lives and livelihoods," Ambassador Arrukban told the press conference. Saudi official Al Mugeteeb echoed that view, adding that he hoped the donation "would help to strengthen the long and deep historical connection between the people of Indonesia and the citizens of Saudi Arabia." For WFP, the US$2 million donation comes a critical time for the agency's earthquake programme, which was in jeopardy of being shut down, or at least sharply scaled back, due to lack of funds. Until the Saudi contribution, WFP had received only US$800,000 in contributions to cover the US$5.3 million cost of the operation for a six-month period stretching from last June to next November. In the presence of Prince Mohammed Ibn Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz, Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the United Kingdom and Ireland, the Russian Ambassador to the UK and the Minister of Culture and Tourism Patricia Ferguson a major exhibition on Islamic art in Edinburgh, beyond the Palace Walls was opened. The Islamic Art exhibition , is on loan from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. The exhibition features 200 artifacts from the Tsar's Winter Palace, some dating from the 8th Century and many never seen outside Russia. It runs from Friday until 5 November at the Royal Museum in Chambers Street. Beyond the Palace Walls showcases examples of decorative arts including textiles, embroideries, glass, metalwork and jewels, and the stories behind them. The star piece of the exhibition is an imperial tent from Ottoman Turkey, which visitors will be able to enter and view its "magnificent" embroideries. The 18th Century campaign tent would have been used by the most senior officers of the Ottoman Empire. Its interiors are richly decorated with jewel-coloured embroidery and gold ribbon lattice windows. Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson said: "Beyond the Palace Walls is an eclectic and intriguing collection of treasures. "I am delighted that the National Museums of Scotland is cultivating relationships in order to bring these and other exceptional exhibits to Scotland." In a statement the Russian Ambassador expressed his thanks to Prince Mohammed Ibn Nawaf for the support he provided to the exhibition. The World Organization for the Scout Movement lauded the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to the World Scouting and announced that Scouts from Saudi Arabia, El Salvador, Hong Kong, Ireland, Slovakia and South Africa were brought together recently to analyse their Gifts for Peace projects in order to share their learning and success with others. These six associations have been running successful projects in their countries for a great number of years, and whilst the projects are very different, they have much in common. Each association has identified a problem in their society and managed to tackle it face on through Scouting. They have all encountered problems and overcome them to make a real difference to the lives of the Scouts and young people in their countries. The associations worked together with an external facilitator and support from the World Scout Bureau to extract the useful learning from their projects so that other Scout organizations can learn from their experiences. The event was only possible due to a most generous donation from the King of Saudi Arabia, to whom we are most grateful. The follow up work will consist of a report as well as peace models and adult training materials. Scouts in Saudi Arabia are working to promote open dialogue between young people from their country and around the world, inviting others to learn about Saudi Arabia and understand its rich culture. They are breaking down barriers and misconceptions, giving young people the chance to judge for themselves. Since 2001, the Saudi Scouts have run a series of successful intercultural gatherings, with a special event in early 2006 supported by the King of Saudi Arabia. The Scouts and other young people in their country are learning to understand and respect other young people from cultures from around the world, and vice versa. In addition, local communities where the gatherings take place are impacted upon in a positive way, and a great deal of media coverage is promoting their work to promote international understanding and friendship. Sayyid Abdullah Ibn Hamad al Busaidy, Chairman of the State Audit Institution (SAI) in the Sultanate of Oman, held an official session of talks with Dr Mahmoud Fareed Abu al Rab, Chairman of the Palestinian Financial and Administrative Audit Diwan, and his delegation. They discussed the good relations between SAI and the Palestinian body, co-operation and means of developing auditing work. A detailed presentation of the stages of development of SAI, methods followed for auditing and the authorities subject to the audit apparatus was given after the talks session by Abdul-Nasir Ibn Ibrahim al Saiqh, Adviser of Training at the Planning, Training and Information Technology Office of SAI. Dr Abu al Rab praised the progress witnessed by the Sultanate and achievements realised during the prosperous era and wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. He also praised SAI experience and the developments it witnessed since its establishment. The meeting was attended by Nassir Ibn Hamoud Ibn Salim al Rawahi, Deputy-Chairman of SAI, Najah Abdul-Rahman, Charge d'Affaires at the Palestine Embassy in the Sultanate, the accompanying delegation and SAI officials. King Hamad Ibn Isa Al Khalifa, held in Manama talks with Jordanian Monarch, King Abdullah II who was visiting the Kingdom of Bahrain. The talks focused on bilateral relations and means of further bolstering them in addition to the latest developments in Palestine and Lebanon. Both sides affirmed on the importance of maintaining comprehensive peace and justice in the Middle East, along with facing military confrontations in Palestine and Lebanon stressing on resolving disputes through dialogue and diplomatic means. King Hamad and King Abdullah urged avoiding the region from armed disputes, dangers of war and maintaining self-restraint, in addition to embedding cooperation and understanding. Moreover the two monarchs also emphasized on the need to solve issues through constructive dialogue rather than the use of force. During the meeting both side exchanged view points on a number of political issues both on the Arab and International levels to end the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. Meanwhile, King Abdullah had arrived last night as part of his tour in the region to review with leaders the latest political developments in Palestine and Lebanon. He was received upon arrival by King Hamad and senior officials in the Kingdom. The UN Security Council has voted unanimously to impose weapons-related sanctions on North Korea. The move follows a flurry of missile tests that have provoked an international outcry. The resolution demands that North Korea 'suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program.' It requires all UN members to prevent imports to or exports from North Korea of missiles and missile-related items as well as materials and funds that could be used in weapons of mass destruction programs. To avert a veto from China, the resolution does not mention Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, a provision used to make council documents legally binding. But Security Council members said the resolution was nonetheless mandatory because of the way it was worded. A rocket slammed into the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy building in Gaza City, according to Palestinian security sources. Part of the building, located in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, was burning, the sources said. No injuries were reported. The blast occurred about 1 a.m. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it targeted the building. Security sources also said an Israeli rocket hit a bridge in central Gaza on the main road linking the north and south. The same bridge was hit in early July. There were no reports of casualties. Minister of Labor Ghazi Al-Gosaibi has announced that the Saudization process in the government sector is almost complete and that the ministry is now fully dependent on the private sector in finding jobs for nationals. "We are depending on the private sector to employ the largest percentage of Saudis in the coming period. Saudization in the government sector is almost complete," Al-Gosaibi said at a meeting with businessmen and board members of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). The minister noted that the private sector provides a wide range of job opportunities in various fields. "I have said this numerous times; it's the golden goose and the ministry has no intention to harm it," said Al-Gosaibi. A Yemeni court has jailed 12 intelligence officers for up to three years after convicting them of negligence in the February escape of 23 suspected Al-Qaeda members, official media said. The military court found the officers guilty of "failures of duty that facilitated the escape of dangerous prisoners" and also dismissed them from their jobs in Wednesday's verdict, the armed forces' newspaper's September net website said. The French President Jacques Chirac called for all parties in the conflict to show moderation "so that we can establish the conditions of a long-lasting, lasting cease-fire," and said he and Bush "share the same views of the issues at stake here," including "the tremendous sadness, and the hardship of the civilian population in this region." The French leader also said the full implementation of Resolution 1559 "is at the heart of this." "That is what must be done forthwith," Chirac said. Lebanon accused Israel of using banned weapons against Lebanese civilians in its military offensive against the country. President Emile Lahoud said Israeli forces have fired "phosphorus incendiary bombs, which are a blatant violation of international laws, ...against Lebanese civilians." He called on the United Nations to help "deter Israel from using destructive weapons which violate human rights and the United Nations charter." In an extraordinary meeting earlier Sunday, the Lebanese government also accused Israel of using banned weapons against Lebanese civilians. "We are facing a real annihilation carried out by Israel," Information Minister Ghazi Aridi told reporters after the cabinet meeting. "Israel is using internationally prohibited weapons against civilians," he said. Military sources told media that Israel had used phosphorus incendiary bombs and implosion bombs, which suck up the air and collapse buildings. President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered that US$20 million be earmarked to secure medical supplies and urgent relief materials for the Lebanese people. The donation is set to help alleviate the sufferings of the Lebanese people who are encountering days of Israeli aggressions. The Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman said that all Omanis in Lebanon who contacted the embassy to ensure their safe return to the Sultanate following the current developments in the Lebanese arena had left Beirut for Damascus and that they are on their way to the Sultanate. A source at the embassy said that coordination with the Foreign Ministry in the Sultanate and the Sultanate's Embassy in Damascus has resulted in providing road transportation to all Omani citizens from Beirut to Damascus to ensure their return to the Sultanate at the earliest. The source noted that the number of Omani citizens who expressed their wishes to return were 80 which include 57 students. The Palestinian Ministry of Health has recently made it known that the Israeli army is using radioactive and toxic shells against unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip. Medics and surgeons throughout the Gaza Strip say they are dealing with new kinds of injuries resulting from these Israeli shells . The Ministry reports that most of the 249 injuries inflicted on the Palestinians in Gaza since the offensive began have been caused by this new form of toxic shrapnel, which is leading to full amputations or extremely severe burnt flesh. Dr. Joma'a Al Sakka told Voice of Palestine Radio that "These tissues die, they do not survive, which obliges us to perform arm or leg amputations, and there are fragments which penetrate the body and do not show up on X-rays. When entering the body they spark like a combustion firearm, but not chemically. They seem radioactive." Dr. Al Sakka went on to say that it is difficult to diagnose such injuries due to the fact that the Israelis destroyed their lab. The Ministry of Health has asked for the international communities and other human rights groups to send medical teams to examine the injured and to verify its report of 's use of these banned weapons. Yet Dr. Al Sakka stated that "no one has lifted a finger." The medical international community remains silent. At least 88 Palestinians, more than half of tem were civilians were killed and around 345 were wounded in Israeli artillery, war planes and tanks attacks in the Gaza Strip since June 29 in a military offensive which Israel calls "Operation Summer Rains." Italy's Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema accused Israel of provoking hatred in the region by going too far with its military response in the Gaza strip and voiced concern over the future of Lebanon. D'Alema, speaking in parliament, also criticized Washington's "failed politics" in Iraq saying the war had heightened regional risks and anti-Western fundamentalism. "Israel's prevalently military vision of security, which is what has prevailed so far -- targeted killings, reprisals, restrictions which aggravate living conditions of Palestinians -- not only produce unsustainable human costs. "But they increase the level of hatred and, therefore, insecurity," he added. He said Israel's attacks in Gaza "went beyond any reasonable proportion". In Lebanon, he said, Israel's response could undermine the unity of the country and thereby prove an even greater risk to Israel's own security. "It's clear that the political risk of Lebanon's collapse would not reinforce Israel's security," he said. Sultan Qaboos Ibn Said has issued Royal Decree No. 74/2006 amending some of the Labour Law provisions. The decree cancels all that contravenes or contradicts with its provisions. The decree shall be published in the official gazette and shall take effect from its date of issue. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European commissioner for external relations and the European Neighborhood Policy, has signed an aviation agreement with Lebanon that will remove nationality restrictions from the bilateral air services agreements between EU member states and Lebanon. The new agreement allows any EU airline to operate flights between any EU member state where it is established and Lebanon. On the other hand, Ferrero-Waldner said the EU will take steps towards enhancing the lives of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. "We will be opening eight new schools and 300 new classes in the Palestinian refugee camps," she said. The falaj irrigation system in Oman, which dates back some 1,500 years, was included in the list as a representation of 3,000 such systems still in use in the Sultanate. UNESCO experts added 10 sites ranging from archaeological digs in China to 16th century palaces in Italy to the UN cultural body's World Heritage List, and extended a listing in Serbia. Meantime a report by the United Nations' Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) hailed the procedures taken by the Sultanate to set relevant legislation to implement the policies for rationalization of water and protect its resources against pollution by enforcing a series of regulations and rules to activate the role of the establishments. The report highlighted the keenness of the Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources to maintain the falajs across the Sultanate. It said due to the cultural and urban significance of the falaj system as an integrated mechanism for water management, ESCWA had carried out a documentary study on the falaj system in cooperation with the Sultanate's authorities concerned. The study considered of the best themes discussed in the fourth international water conference in Mexico this year. The report explained the falaj as genuine part of life in Omani society since ancient times on which ancient civilization and life depended. The report said that agricultural lands in the Sultanate are depending on falaj water by 50-60 per cent of the water total resources. Oman's Sultan Qaboos Ibn Said has sent a cable of greetings to French President Jacques Chirac on the occasion of his National Day anniversary. The Sultan expressed his sincere greetings and best wishes to the president and the brotherly French people. President Hosni Mubarak held talks with Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Zayed AI-Nuhayyan of the United Arab Emirates at the Presidential Palace in Heliopolis. The talks focused on the situation in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. The President further received Saudi Foreign Minister Saud AI-Faisal, who led his country's delegation to an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in the Cairo-based Arab League. Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Zayed Al Nahyan and Egyptian President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak reiterated solidarity with Lebanon in the face of the Israeli attacks. They also called for an immediate ceasefire and an instant action by the Security Council and the super powers to end the Israeli aggression against Lebanon. In a joint communique issued at the end of the two leaders' talks in Cairo, the two sides called for respecting the unity, sovereignty and independence of Iraq and non-interference in its internal affairs. They also renewed their support to the Palestinian people and their right for an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. The two sides stressed the importance of security and stability in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf and the need to keep the region free of weapons of mass destruction . They agreed on the need of Iran to end its occupation of the UAE's three islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa. They urged Iran to respond positively to UAE calls to resolve the issue through either bilateral negotiations or by referring it to the International Court of Justice. The two sides expressed their denunciation of all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism. The communique said that Sheikh Khalifa has decided to build a city complex which will carry his name. He instructed the authorities in the UAE to provide all necessary means to implement this project. UN Secretary General Representative in Lebanon Geir Pedersen and Political Affairs Assistant Julie Tetard discussed with Justice Minister Charles Rizk ways to speed up the creation of an international court to try the perpetrators of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Russia's most wanted man, Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev, has been killed in an overnight operation by special forces, the state security chief says. FSB security agency chief Nikolai Patrushev says Basayev, together with other Chechen fighters, was killed in Ingushetia, a region neighbouring Chechnya. Russian state television said residents of the village of Ekazhevo heard the blast as they watched the climax of the football World Cup final. "There was an enormous explosion. All those who were in a radius of the blast were blown to pieces," said Beslan Khamkhoyev of Ingushetia's interior ministry. US President George W Bush has made it clear that he will not be against a moderate Muslim being the next Secretary General of the United Nations as long as the candidate is willing to "blow the whistle" on human rights abuses. Candidates in the fray to succeed Secretary General Kofi Annan include India's Shashi Tharoor, Thailand's Surakiart Sathirathai who is seen as the candidate of the ASEAN, Sri Lanka's Jayantha Dhanapala and South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban ki Moon. Bush said that as he understands it there is the rotation of regions and "we're really looking in the Far East right now" to be the next UN Secretary General. "That's kind of...The discussions mainly, at least the ones I've heard about this, somebody from the eastern -- Far East," he told reporters ahead of his trip to Russia for the Summit of the Group of Eight in St Petersburg. "Not at all, would not be against a Muslim. The criterion I'm for is somebody who wants to spread liberty and enhance the peace, do difficult things like confront tyranny, worry about the human condition, blow the whistle on human rights violations," Bush said stressing that he will not be against a Muslim candidate. |