|
|
November 10, 2006 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
***** The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General performed the Friday prayers with citizens in Al Faraa' mosque in Abha. The prayers were led by Sheikh Mohammed Al Majed who talked about the submission of the Human Being to God the Almighty. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Issued his directives to hold the second Endowment Conference at Um Al-Qura University between the 18th and the 20th of Zilqeda. The dean of the university Dr Nasser Al Saleh addressed his thanks to Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General for his approval to patronize the event. Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General has commended the efforts and actions of the Shoura council from 3/3/1426H to 2/3/1427H. In a letter received by Shoura council's chairman sheikh Dr. Saleh Bin Abdullah Bin Homaid after being briefed on the council's 13th annual report, the crown prince expressed his appreciation of the chairman and members of the council for their achievements. Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General has commended the issue published by Al Riyadh magazine in which a whole section was allocated to the coverage of the life of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and his efforts in the service of the kingdom during all his life. Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General has addressed his thanks to Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz honourary chairman of the Prince Saud bin Naif consortium for education in Dammam for his efforts and encouragement of the talented. The Crown Prince had been offered a review on the efforts exerted I this field. On the Occasion of the Conclusion of the Cultural Program, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Ambassador to UK, received at his office members of the Saudi Academic Team, specializing in archeology. The cultural program lasted for 7 days and was organized by the Saudi embassy in cooperation with the Scottish royal museum and the British museum in London. The aim of this program was to highlight the efforts made by the kingdom in the field of archeology. During the meeting, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf expressed his happiness over the efforts made by the Saudi team during this program to highlight measures and steps undertaken by the Saudi government in order to maintain the Islamic and Arab historical heritage of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. "This program is like other economic scientific and cultural programs adopted by the Saudi embassy in London. These programs came within the mission of enhancing the mutual relations between the kingdom and O.k. as well as exchanging experiences with Britons in all fields", Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf said. The Saudi academic team was headed by Dr. Saad bin Abdulaziz al-Rashed, the former undersecretary of the ministry of education for archeology and museum affairs. Saudi Minister of Finance Dr Ibrahim Al Assaf said the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques is keen on water rationalization that will not affect agriculture. He said the government has taken the necessary steps with the coordination of concerned authorities to rationalize the use of water in different areas, adding that a large part of the Kingdom's budget has been allocated to the water sector. br> Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Mohieuddin Khoja, Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, has denied in a press statement a new Saudi initiative in Lebanon. In an answer to a question raised by Al-Lewa Lebanese newspaper, which was published today, Dr. Khoja said that there are continuous endeavors and calls for the political parties in Lebanon to exercise self-control and respond to president Nabih Berri's call to have consultation in order to resolve the controversial issues. He also asserted that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to be always close to all parties due to its Arab, Islamic and international position. "However, the kingdom of saudi arabia is not a part of the internal political movement," Dr. Khoja said. Dr. Khoja called upon all political leaders to exercise wisdom, avoid escalation and put the interest of Lebanon above everything. about the visit of general Michel Aoun, Dr. Khoja pointed out that the visit invitation was offered to General Aoun who promised to visit the kingdom soon. Dr. Khoja wondered about reports that suggested that Saudi Arabia is supporting a proposal for expanding the current government as a way to get out of the current crisis. "The kingdom is keen not to interfere in the Lebanese affairs, and its role is to enhance the agreement between the Lebanese people," Dr. Khoja said. br> Head of the Future Bloc in Parliament MP Saad Hariri condemned Israel's recent mock air raids over Lebanon and its continued violation of Lebanese airspace in breach of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. In a statement, head of the Future Bloc urged the international community to "assume its responsibility" in seeking the full implementation of Resolution 1701, which ended this summer's war. br> Prince Turki bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information praised the achievements of the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and his Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz and the projects launched in Najran, Assir and Jazan. The Prince lauded the royal visit and stressed thanks and gratitude to King Abdullah for his directives to renovate the two Al Rifai house in Al Fursan island. br> Two Saudi Arabian Airlines cargo plane have arrived in Sri Lanka today with relief assistance for displaced Muslims who fled their homes due to terrorist attacks and victims of recent floods. The Saudi humanitarian aid includes 1,000 cartons of foodstuffs, 1,000 tents, 1,000 rugs, 2,000 blankets, medicine and medical supplies. The first plane arrived yesterday carrying 73 tons of aid. The second plane departed the Kingdom today with 77 tons of aid. br> Sultan Qaboos bin Said has issued Royal Decree No 112/2006 amending some of the provisions of the Labour Law promulgated by Royal Decree No 35/ 2003. Article 1 states that the text of Article 109 of the Labour Law should be replaced by the following: "Labour federations (syndicates) should form the Sultanate"s General Labour Federation to represent them at local, regional and international meetings and conferences. The labour federations may form labour unions among them". Article 2 stipulates that the text of Article 110 of the Labour Law should be replaced by the following text: "Labour federations, labour unions and the Sultanate"s General Labour Federation shall have an independent legal character with effect from the date these are registered with the ministry. "These entities (labour federations, unions and the Sultanate"s General Labour Federation) shall operate in complete liberty and without interference from other parties in their affairs. "The minister shall issue the decisions regulating the formation, functioning and registration of the labour federations, labour unions and the Sultanate"s General Labour Federation."Article 3 states that the text of Article 110-bis (repeated) of the Labour Law shall be replaced by the following text: "No dismissal from employment or any other penalty shall be imposed on the representatives of workers in labour federations, labour unions or the Sultanate"s General Labour Federation on account of these representatives performing their duties in accordance with this law and ministerial decisions implementing it." br> Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saleh Al Mawali, Wali of Al Suwaiq, inaugurated the road projects and internal service roads. The inaugural projects coincide with the Sultanate's 36th National Day celebrations. The ceremony was attended by the directors-general and directors of departments and sheikhs. Earlier, the celebration began with recitation of verses from the Holy Quran. Suleiman Bin Hamad Al Jahwari, Director-General at the Directorate General of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources in Batinah North region, said the government represented by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources, is committed to develop and improve the wilayat of Al Batinah region similar to other wilayats in order to provide comfort and improve the standard of living conditions of the people and facilitate movement between villages and other centres of the wilayat. There are other projects under way like construction of 30 houses for low-income citizens, paving Bidit-Al Hailin Road, building a vegetable market and paving the dual carriageway from Tharmad roundabout to the Naval Base Roundabout (Al Qaida Al Bahareya). The total cost of the projects being implemented is estimated at RO1,517,715. br> Oman has fixed its official crude oil price for October 2006 at $56.21 per barrel, a decrease of $3.74 as against the September price. A statement issued by the Ministry of Oil and Gas said that October witnessed a noticeable reduction in oil prices as against its record high level over the past months. br> Sources said that Israel is continuing the process of building wire fences between the Golan heights and Shabaa farm. The source say that this could be a step to deal with the problem during the last period left for Kofi Annan as UN Secretary General. br> President Hosni Mubarak and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin asserted the necessity of the urgent and serious international movement to resume the Middle East peace process, starting with the Palestinian-Israeli track and return to implement the roadmap. The two presidents' summit and the press conference they held Thursday in Moscow, asserted also boosting cooperation in all fields especially in trade exchange, oil, gas, tourism and peaceful use of nuclear energy. Mubarak said his talks with his Russian counterpart reiterated the identity of the Russian and Egyptian stances towards range of regional and international issues, especially the Mideast conflict, the Palestinian issue and the situation in Lebanon, Iraq, Darfur and the Horn of Africa. At a joint press conference with Putin at the end of their talks at the Kremlin, Mubarak said his talks with the Russian President also asserted the two sides' commitment to maintain political coordination and boost cooperation in the various domains. The President hailed cooperation with Russia in energy field including the peaceful use of nuclear energy as well as cooperation in space technology, information and communications. Citing Egypt's investment-friendly atmosphere, the President spoke about tax, customs and banking reforms, drawing attention to the importance of Egypt's geographic position and the preferential perks accorded to investment project exports under partnership deal with the EO, COMESA and the Gulf area. On his part, President Putin said his talks with Mubarak dealt with the continuation of the Egyptian-Russian dialogue which he said was developing steadily, adding that he agreed with Mubarak that the talks were fruitful and positive. Putin said that Egypt was one of Russia's prominent partners, hailing relations between the two countries in the political, economic and trade domains. The Russian leader said Russia is holding political and economic contacts with Egypt, adding that Moscow was proud of its relations with Egypt, especially in humanitarian domains. Putin said trade exchange between the two countries jumped to $ 1.6 billion according to statistics issued in 2005. He also said the trade exchange rate between the two countries increased in the first eight months of this year by 50 per cent. The Russian leader said that the number of Russian firms operating in Egypt also increased. President Putin pointed to the development in Egyptian- Russian relations especially in the field of energy and advanced technology. He said his talks with President Mubarak touched on a model project involving the establishment of a Russian industrial zone in Egypt. br> Lebanon received from the United Nations a draft document outlining the framework of a tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, Lebanese officials said. The move indicated that major powers on the Security Council had bridged differences that had delayed an agreement on the workings and structure of the court, the officials said. They did not reveal details of the draft but said some Russian objections to an earlier draft had been taken on board. One official source said the tribunal, to be made up of Lebanese and foreign judges, would have no power to try or question heads of states as the killing would not be defined as a "crime against humanity" or a "terrorist attack." The personal representative of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Geir Pederson, handed copies of the draft to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and other officials in Beirut. He also gave a copy to Hariri's son Saad, parliamentary majority leader. The next step is for the Lebanese government to approve the draft and ask parliament to pass it into law, officials said. Siniora asked U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in December for help in bringing Hariri's killers to justice once they were identified. Annan then asked U.N. legal counsel Nicolas Michel to discuss how to set up a tribunal with the Beirut government. br> In line with directives by Custodian Of The Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, a new batch of Saudi aid to the Lebanese people reached Lebanon. The new batch of aid consisted of nine trucks laden with pre-fabricated buildings for about 20 school classes which will be installed in the border line areas according to the needs of the affected areas. br> Omani Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs Youssef Alawi said the joint meeting held in Yemen with GCC foreign ministers was successful. He stressed that the meeting is a new step on the path of cooperation and joint planning between the GCC member states and Yemen. br> Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected a draft United Nations resolution calling for sanctions against Iran, saying the text drawn up by European nations was too tough to be acceptable. Voicing equally strong views on other global flashpoints, Lavrov, who attended a meeting with senior European Union officials in Brussels, insisted that any decision on a final status for Kosovo must take account of the views of all parties, including Serbia. The Russian Foreign Minister also warned leaders in Georgia to stop making 'insulting statements' and to establish a 'normal, civilized relationship with Moscow.' With discussions on Iran's nuclear programme currently under way at the UN, relations with Tehran were top of the agenda in Lavrov's talks with chief EU diplomat Javier Solana and Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. Lavrov told reporters he was not ready to back a European-authored draft UN resolution calling for sanctions against Tehran. The draft text 'goes way beyond what was agreed,' warned Lavrov. Any action taken against Iran must be 'reasonable, proportionate and...in stages,' he said. br> Lawyers for dozens of Guantanamo Bay detainees asked a federal appeals court to declare a key part of President Bush's new military trials law unconstitutional. The detainees' lawyers challenged the military's authority to arrest people overseas and detain them indefinitely without allowing them to use the U.S. courts to contest their detention. Bush gave the military that authority last month when he signed a new law that sets up special commissions to hold trials for foreigners designated as "enemy combatants." Bush hailed the law as a crucial tool in the war on terrorism and said it would allow prosecution of several high-level terror suspects. In written arguments, attorneys for more than 100 detainees who would be locked out of the regular judicial system asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to let the detainees keep their legal challenges going in civilian courts. br> French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie commended on Saturday Kuwait's commitment to regional peace and said that her visit was an opportunity to discuss with the country's leadership the situations in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Speaking at a news conference at the French Ambassador's residence, she described the talks she held with the Kuwaiti side as being "frank and reflected trust and mutual respect for agreements signed between the two sides." Alliot-Marie, the Deputy Amir, Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. The talks also included the destabilized situation in Africa and escalating extremism and terrorism in parts of this continent, she added. On bilateral relations, she said the two sides were committed to implementing the agreements signed between them, namely the accords on training officers, holding joint exercises, exchanging intelligence and information, and the rehabilitation of military equipment. "We looked into methods of further consolidating the implementation of these agreements," she said, adding that a new agreement was to be signed in the coming weeks to ensure this. Furthermore, she said that since the visit of the Prime Minister to Paris last September, the two sides had worked together on Kuwait's defense requirements. "I came with proposals that were welcomed by the Kuwaiti side. An agreement will be signed in the coming weeks to this effect and such a short implementation time frame is exceptional," she said. The agreements include the training of intelligence officers, updating helicopters, technical aspects, among others, the Minister explained. br> A declaration of principle to "fight nuclear terrorism" was agreed at the close of a conference in the Moroccan capital Rabat, calling for concerted international efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism. The declaration recognized the importance of keeping track of nuclear substances, ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities, and combating the trafficking of nuclear materials. But it required the close cooperation and coordination from the international communities to keep nuclear weapons beyond the reach of terrorists, it said. The document said that membership of the initiative was open to other countries in a bid to make the group a vast alliance, and a shield against the threat of nuclear terrorism. Representatives from 12 countries, including five major nuclear powers, gathered here to implement the "Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism" launched in July, when U.S. President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg. Morocco, along with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), attended the two-day meeting as an observer and became the 13th member of the group, which includes Russia, Britain, China, the United States, France, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan and Turkey. br> The number of British troops in Iraq may be reduced substantially by early next year if its military campaign continued at its current rate of success, a media report said. Senior Army officers said the number of British troops serving in Iraq would be reduced from 7,200 to 3,500 by February, as the commanders on the ground claimed to have reached the "tipping point" in defeating insurgents in the southern city of Basra. The campaign, known as Operation Sinbad, began last month. As the latest six-month turnaround of British forces got under way this week, officers were confident that the success of the counter-insurgency effort would lead to a significant reduction in troop numbers, The Telegraph reported. "If Operation Sinbad goes as well as it has done, then we can expect to substantially decrease our force by February at the earliest," a senior British officer based in Basra said. "There is a real sense that we are just short of that tipping point. If we can just push it over the edge everything will fall in a particular way," he said. A senior American defence official in Washington said that British officials had informed US that they wanted to withdraw the majority of their forces within a year so that they could concentrate their resources on the war in Afghanistan, the report added. He said that British officials had told their US counterparts that the British military was "near to breaking point" due to long deployments in Iraq and weak retention of military personnel. br> Britain moved most civilian staff from its consulate in the southern Iraqi city of Basra to the airport because the threat of mortar and rocket attacks has increased, the Foreign Office said."Given the threat to the safety of civilian staff, we have decided temporarily to reduce the number of staff at our compound, including by relocating some to Basra airport," British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said. Britain has 7,200 troops in southern Iraq, mostly stationed in and around Basra. But the city remains dangerous with Shi'ite factions battling each other for control, and British troops occasionally caught in the middle. Beckett said that the decision to move staff in Basra did not in anyway undermine Britain's commitment to Iraq. "We will stay in Iraq until the job is done. We have adapted because we remain committed to the people of Basra and the elected Iraqi government," she said. br> Israel Minister of Culture and Sport Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor) resigned from the government, hours after the cabinet approved Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman's appointment by a large majority. Pines-Paz absented himself from the plenum vote. Speaking at a specially convened press conference at the Culture and Sport Ministry in Jerusalem, Pines-Paz said that there had been no other option left to him in the wake of the cabinet vote on Lieberman. "I came to the decision for reasons of conscience," Pines said. He added that he could not sit in a government with "a party whose platform is full of racist characteristics, and whose leaders' statements harm the essence of democracy in the State of Israel."He said that he had fought as hard as he could against Lieberman's inclusion in the government."What is in Lieberman's past that qualifies him? What has he done in his life that qualifies him to be a senior minister in defense issues?" he asked. "Is this the solution to stabilize the government and other issues? If Lieberman is the answer to the government's loss of direction after the second Lebanon war, the entire government should resign and let Lieberman and his friends - the Likud, National Religious Party and National Union - lead the country." br> Russia and the United States are both responsible for maintaining global strategic stability, the Russian foreign minister said Monday at a meeting in Moscow with a top U.S. military officer, RIA Novosti reports. "The responsibility our countries have in maintaining strategic stability in the world is unique, and other countries look to us with the hope that we will continue to maintain it," Sergei Lavrov said at the beginning of talks with General Peter Pace, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. The foreign minister said Russian-U.S. military cooperation is an important element of bilateral cooperation, and that it includes interaction both between the nations' defense ministries, foreign ministries and security services, RIA Novosti added. br> The Arab League has stressed that Israel's use of phosphoric and cluster bombs in Lebanon is against international law. It confirmed that the testing of Lebanese soil in bombarded areas proved that Israel used these banned weapons. br> |