November 3, 2006

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CROWN PRINCE OPENS THE NINTH ARAB CONFERENCE FOR MINERAL RESOURCES. KING ABDULLAH: "GONE ARE THE DAYS OF DEPENDING FULLY ON OTHERS. WE ARE NOW IN AN ERA OF DEPENDING ON OUR EFFORTS AND OUR CONSTRUCTIVE COOPERATION." THE CONFERENCE CALLS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ATTRACTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR INVESTORS. THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES PATRONIZES THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR E-GOVERNMENT. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud patronized in Jeddah the opening ceremony of the ninth Arab Conference on Mineral Resources. On arrival at the venue of the conference, the king was welcomed by Prince Misha'al Bin Majed Bin Abdul Aziz, the governor of Jeddah, Minister Of Petroleum And Mineral Resources Eng. Ali Al-Naimi and high-ranking officials. The king accompanied by Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Premier, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, toured the exhibition organized on the fringes of the conference. He was briefed by officials of the pavilions of the show on their contents. Highlighting the event, minister of petroleum and mineral resources Ali Bin Ibrahim Al Naimi said the patronage of the monarch of this conference would contribute to augmenting the ties of cooperation among government ministries and concerned authorities in charge of mineral resources in the Arab countries and enables ideal exploitation of our mineral wealth. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah urged Arab states to achieve self-dependence and strengthen their cooperation, especially in the area of exploiting their vast mineral resources. Opening the 9th Arab Conference for Mineral Resources at Jeddah Hilton, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz urged delegates to translate the conference's main theme (Arab partnership in mining for a better future) into reality. "Economic unity is as important as political unity," the king emphasized. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques said, I inaugurate the 9th Arab conference for mineral resources and I wish you all success. Almighty Allah has bestowed upon the Arab nation and land many resources notably minerals which became at the present era one of the most important crude materials that run the wheels of our industry and contribute to achieving prosperity. King Abdullah said the Arab world was not short of anything. "We have men, we have money and if we have the determination we can establish joint ventures, build free zones and replace duplicity with integration," the king told the gathering that included several Arab ministers. "If we are able to achieve this we can say that we have taken important steps toward Arab economic unity," he said. In his keynote address, the king also stressed the role of mineral resources in boosting industrial development and promoting progress and prosperity in any country. Economic unity is not less important than political unity. We are in short of nothing. We have men and money. We can set up joint projects and free zones and we can eliminate duplicity to be replaced by integration. If we can achieve this, we can say that we have run important steps towards an Arab economic unity that will bring about prosperity and development for every Arab country. "Gone are the days of depending fully on others in drilling, extraction and industrialization of mineral resources. We are now in an era of depending on our efforts (after God) and our constructive cooperation," he said. "We cannot achieve power except through progress and we cannot achieve progress except through cooperation," he added. Even some minerals became an essential part of our daily life. The era of full dependence on others including operations of exploring, producing and manufacturing has gone away. Now, we are in the era in which we depend on our efforts and constructive cooperation among us. No glory without power; no power without progress and no progress without cooperation. Hence I urge you on implementing the motto you have selected for this meeting '' Arab mineral partnership for better tomorrow''. In the name of your brothers, the kingdom's people, I welcome you and look forward to the positive results to be reached in the conference. Then the monarch graced a luncheon held on this occasion. The ceremony and the banquet were attended by Prince Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation And Inspector General; a number of princes; ministers and senior officials. Organized by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and the Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization, the two-day conference's objective encouraged investment in the mineral sector in order to capitalize on Arab minerals, focus on the importance of this sector for Arab economic development and provide an attractive investment climate in the Arab world. The conference was accompanied by a "Mineral Investment Exhibition" for Arab and foreign authorities, companies and concerned bodies to show their mineral products. The third day of the conference was for field trips to the Mahd Al-Dahab mine 350 km east of Jeddah and to quarries for the exploitation of limestone, clay and gypsum in Rabigh. Addressing the gathering, Al Naimi expressed thanks, pride and gratitude for the monarch for opening the conference. He said the event comes within a series of Arab conferences and symposia the kingdom was hosting and patronizing over the past few years. Those events were aiming at developing and promoting mineral investment in the Arab world and unifying the Arab effort to reach the development of one of the most important Arab economic resources and facilitating meetings of Arab officials in the public and private sectors. Al Naimi highlighted the Saudi experience in the field of excavating, producing and manufacturing mineral materials. Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Ali Al-Naimi said in his opening address that God has privileged the Arab world with various riches such as oil, gas, water and agricultural products, and among these vital resources, minerals have a special importance for industry and economy. "We have to work hard at exploring, extracting and investing in a way that contributes in developing this sector," he said. "The abundance of mineral resources in the Arab world represents a real strategic, developmental and vital dimension because minerals and their products play an essential role in the life of people and enter in the manufacturing of almost all his needs," said Al-Naimi. For more than fifty years, Saudi Arabia was paying attention to this sector within its strategy to diversify income sources and expand the national economy's base, Al Naimi said. Accordingly, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, in cooperation with geological foundations and missions and specialized companies, has designed wide-range survey and exploration programs aiming at reaching the actual and prospective reserves of mineral wealth, he added. He went on to speak about the Kingdom's experience in the mineral sector for the past 50 years. "Through planning for the future, the Kingdom has been active in achieving one of its main goals and that is diversifying its revenue sources and expanding its national economy. Naturally and logically, exploring and exploiting mineral resources is among those plans," he said. To achieve that, the ministry in cooperation with geological societies and specialized companies has implemented programs for mineral exploration. By the end of 2005, almost 1,200 mining licenses have been issued for about 600 companies. Annual earnings of the investors reached SR13 billion, profits SR4.1 billion and estimated investment of more than SR32 billion. These investors have extracted gold, silver, cement raw material and construction material for local market and exporting. In order to continue with the development of the mining sector, some important decisions, including the new mining investment system, were made to encourage national and foreign investment based on transparency and ease of procedures. The ministry is putting a long-term strategy for exploring minerals and providing investment opportunities based on research and information and focusing on human resources. The Arab ministers concerned with the mining sector held the first consultative meeting chaired by the Al-Naimi to exchange ideas and experiences for cooperation and coordination in developing mineral exploration and industry. Although there has been some growth in mining investment, the sector's share of the total Arab countries' GDP is around only 1 percent. "I think this is due to the need to create an attractive investment environment for national and foreign investors," said Al-Naimi to the ministers. He said there are some obstacles that have to be addressed including financing difficulties, international competition, lack of information and the need for transparent and flexible laws and regulations. "We should look at these difficulties as incentives for us to work harder at finding solutions, determine the causes and continually cooperate and consult with each other." The organizing committee has suggested two points for the ministers to discuss: activating Arab cooperation and coordination in the mining sector and holding coordination meetings of concerned officials, experts, companies and organizations for exploring, manufacturing and marketing mineral raw material. Key points of the conference, besides the environment and opportunities for investment, include focusing on exploration, research and development of Arab mineral resources, the current status and potential, regulations and politics, preservation and safeguarding and Arab partnership of mineral resources. Eighteen workshops during the two days addressed these key points by managers, geologists and researchers from the Arab countries and some foreign countries. SAGIA governor, Amr Al-Dabbagh, opened the first session by talking about the Saudi investment environment. He reviewed the achievements made in attracting investment, the growth of the nonoil sector and contributions of the private sector. He then focused on the mining sector and the new investment regulations, incentives and economic cities and emphasized the Kingdom's competitive advantages in terms of abundance of different minerals and low cost of production. Dr. Zuhair Nawab, president of the Saudi Geological Survey, spoke about the means of inter-Arabian cooperation development in the mining sector. He listed the impediments that hamper investments in Arab countries and called for cooperation in such things as research, updated modern information tools and training. The secretary-general of the Arab Union for Cement and Building Materials, Ahmed Al-Rusan, shed light on the cement industry in the Arab world and said that despite development during the past few years, the number of factories, 106, represents only seven percent of the total number of current factories in the world. He suggested that Arab companies consolidate to be able to compete with international companies. The president of the Egyptian Society for Mineral Resources, Dr. Hussein Hamouda, spoke about the mining activity in Egypt, a country that has succeeded in becoming a main exporter of cement and in exploring in different minerals. The president of Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden), Dr. Abdallah Al-Dabbagh spoke about the next stage in the development of the mining sector, which for Maaden includes developing four gold projects and developing complete mining system at Ras Al-Zour industrial area linked by railways with the company's industrial utilities and a port for exporting phosphate and aluminium products. The Arab ministers of mineral resources ended their consultative meeting. Speaking at the meeting Saudi Minister of Mineral Resources Eng. Ali Al-Naimi said the conference's organizing committee, realizing the importance of Arab integration in the economic spheres, was keen on holding this meeting simultaneously with the ninth Arab conference for mineral resources. He noted that the outcome of the meeting will help the officials in charge of mineral resources in the Arab countries to enhance their cooperation and coordination. Al-Naimi urged the Arab countries to work for attracting local and foreign investors to invest their capitals in the mining field. He underlined the importance of consultation and coordination in the field of mineral resources. Speakers and exhibitors at the 9th Arab Conference for Mineral Resources have discussed opportunities, recommended changes and made criticisms during the past two days of the conference held at the Jeddah Hilton. Some 100 Arab and foreign mining experts took part in the conference and over 1,000 representatives of local, Arab and international companies attended. The recommendations issued by the participants of the meeting included a call to the consultative committee of the officials of the mineral resources in the Arab countries to continue their pioneering and distinguished role in organizing workshops, training courses and seminars in all technical spheres pertaining to the mineral resources. The conference called upon relevant Arab ministries and government departments to promote the investment opportunities in mineral resources that have been mentioned in the research papers. The private sector has been urged to study technical aspects of the working papers presented at the conference. The conferees emphasized the need for activating the private sector's role in taking up the lead in developing the minerals sector in the Arab world. They also called the committee to provide the Arab industrial development organization with all information pertaining to mineral investments, technical studies and statistical statements. They urged the Arab industrial development organization to continue holding the annual coordination meeting for the officials concerned with geological survey. They called upon Arab governments to create a suitable atmosphere to attract foreign investment in the sector. They stressed the importance of preparing geological maps of mineral resources and providing other relevant information. Arab countries were urged to increase their cooperation and exchange their expertise in areas such as mineral exploration, extraction and industrialization and marketing of mineral products. They also called for setting up special chambers for minerals like the chambers for commerce and industry and called for holding a periodical meeting for the Arab ministers of mineral resources and preparation of elaborated studies on the requirements of the existing Arab industry. With mineral production not exceeding $2 billion in all Arab countries and representing only 1.2 percent of their total exports, there is a need for regulations that attract investment, coordinate Arab efforts and overcome the obstacles hindering the sector's development, said Talat Zafir, chairman of the organizing committee and manager of the Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization, in his speech. The Saudi Canadian Mining Services Company, a subsidiary of Canadian International Services, was among the exhibitors. Established in 1995, it provides exploration, drilling, mining activities, core cutting and manufacturing and transportation. "Mining has been growing in Saudi Arabia over the past few years," said Anwar Husain, vice president of business development and contracts. The Arabian shield is comparable to the Canadian shield in terms of metal occurrence, according to Husain, and research has yielded target metals such as copper, zinc, gold and silver, making them viable and profitable mining projects. "We had a good experience here in getting licensed and in bringing foreign investment," said Ines Scotland, director of Bariq Mining Company, a newly formed Saudi company with exploration funding by an Australian company for precious metals and base metals. She commended the changes made in making the licensing process easier and more transparent though it still has some way to go in order to compete with Australia, the US and South Africa. Seventeen Arab ministers and a large number of businessmen and experts took part in the 9th Arab Conference for Mineral Resources, opened by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz at Jeddah Hilton. The conference, attended by nearly 1,000 delegates including about 100 experts from within and outside the Kingdom, aims at highlighting the importance of mineral resources in the Arab world and strengthening Arab cooperation to exploit these vital resources. Foreign experts from Malaysia, Germany, France, Yemen, Egypt, the United Kingdom, the United States, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Morocco, Palestine and Jordan will attend. Delegates from the Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization, the Arab Mining Company and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries also took part in the three-day conference. "The conference highlighted the status of Arab mineral resources and the requirements for its development," said the organizers. "It also aimed at creating a suitable atmosphere to attract investment and encouraging cooperation in the fields of exploration, research, development and maintaining the environment," they said. A number of issues came up at the conference, especially the issue of enhancing coordination among Arab officials and experts, they said, adding that the conference would boost Arab partnership in mining projects. Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi said the conference was a unique event compared to the previous ones as it brought together 17 Arab ministers to hold consultations on how to coordinate efforts to strengthen the sector. "The main objective of this forum is to encourage investment in the mineral sector in order to capitalize on Arab minerals, and to focus on the importance of this sector for Arab economic development," Naimi said. "We hope that the conference would lead to strengthening cooperation among the Arab ministries of mineral resources in a way that would attract more domestic and foreign investment to the sector," he added. On the other hand the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz will patronize on the 14th of January 2007, a conference for e-government organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance and the Organization for Communications and I T. The conference will be attended by a large number of members of the I T field from both the public and private sectors. It is worth mentioning that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has allocated SR 3 Billion for all Information Technology projects. Meanwhile the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has approved an international prize for the translation of international cultural works to and from Arabic in order to promote cultural relations. The prize, to be set up by King Abdul Aziz Public Library, will be named after the library. "This prize is an honor from King Abdullah to researchers, scholars and translators in different parts of the world. It also reflects his support for intellectual efforts," said Faisal Ibn Abdul Rahman Ibn Muammar, an adviser at the Royal Court and general supervisor of the library. Muammar said the prize was aimed at encouraging creative translation and writing in order to strengthen cultural and human relations between different nations and communities. "It also aims at promoting a culture of understanding others in this age of communication," he added. The prize is established as part of the library's intellectual and information activities. "It is also an affirmation of King Abdullah's support for cultural dialogue between nations and his desire to link culture and society," Muammar told the Saudi Press Agency. He said the prize would contribute to enriching Saudi and Arab libraries with major literary and intellectual works in human sciences and literature as these works will be translated from other languages," he said. It will also encourage translation of important works in Arabic into other languages. "Our library seeks to serve as a bridge between various cultures through its different activities and to highlight the culture and civilization of Saudi Arabia," he said, emphasizing the need for cultural contacts to promote relations between countries. The library will soon announce the details of the prize, its regulations, conditions, areas and mode of nominations after completing certain procedures. The library has embarked on a number of vital projects such as Reading for Everybody, Unified Arab Index and Encyclopedia of Saudi Arabia.