|
|
December 1, 2006 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
***** The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz received at the royal court at Al-Yamamah palace former Russian Premier Yevgeny Primakov and the accompanying delegation. Primakov conveyed to the monarch the greetings of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In turn the king sent his greetings to the president. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz received at the royal court at Al-Yamamah palace Turkish Ambassador to the kingdom Ugur Dogan who bade farewell to the Monarch at the end of the ambassador's term of office in the kingdom. The Ambassador conveyed to the monarch the greetings of the Turkish leadership. In turn the king sent his greetings to the leadership. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz received at the royal court at Al-Yamamah palace the Iranian Ambassador to the Kingdom Hussein Sadiqi who bade farewell to the monarch at the end of the ambassador's term of office in the kingdom. The ambassador conveyed to the monarch the greetings of the Iranian leadership. In turn the king sent his greetings to the leadership. The audience was attended by Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Miqren Bin Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Advisor to the King; Prince Dr. Bandar Bin Salman Bin Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King; Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of State, Cabinet's Member and Chief of Court of Cabinet's Presidency; and Adel Bin Ahmed Al Jubeir, Advisor at the Royal Court. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz received at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, the Minister of the Interior and governors of the regions on the occasion of the convention of their 13th annual meeting. The audience was attended by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General. The governors listened to the directives of the King who urged them on working for citizens' comfort, pursuing their situations and sensing their needs to accomplish more prosperity for the homeland and citizens and to improve the standards of living and developmental services. The king affirmed that the annual meetings of the governors are considered a good opportunity to exchange opinions and to submit proposals in the interest of the country and its citizens, wishing them all success to achieve the desired aims. Prince Naif submitted a summary to the King on the topics discussed in the meeting pertaining to citizens' security and prosperity. On their part, the governors expressed their appreciation of and thanks to the King for his directives that will be implemented. The audience was attended by a number of princes and officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz received at Al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh Singapore's Premier and Finance Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the accompanying delegation. At the outset of the reception, King Abdullah welcomed the premier, wishing him and the accompanying delegation a good stay in the kingdom. On his part, the premier thanked the king for warm reception and generous hospitality accorded to him and his delegation. Then King Abdullah and the Singaporean Premier discussed overall developments at the regional and international arenas, aspects of cooperation between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in all fields. On the Saudi side, the meeting was attended by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Prince Dr. Bandar Bin Salman Bin Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King; Minister of Finance Dr. Ibrahim Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Assaf; Minister of Planning Khalid Bin Mohammed Al-Qusaibi and a number of officials. On the Singaporean side, the meeting was attended by the delegation accompanying the premier and finance minister. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, received a message from Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad. The message was delivered to the King by Iranian Vice President and Head of Heritage and Tourism Commission Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie during his audience with the King. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie conveyed to the King the greetings of the Iranian leadership. In turn, the King sent his greetings to the leadership. The audience was attended by Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and a number of princes and senior officials. The Shoura Council held an ordinary session under the chairmanship of its Chairman Dr. Salih Bin Abdullah Bin Homaid. during the session, Dr. Bin Homaid expressed his appreciation of and thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz for his donation to three Saudi universities to establish specialized research centers. He pointed out that this financial support for scientific specialization indicates the king's continual follow up of all citizens' affairs. The council approved a draft memorandum of understanding on bilateral political consultations between the foreign ministries of the kingdom and Singapore. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of condolences to Ameen Aljmayel following the assassination of his son Pierre Aljmayel. The King expressed to Aljmayel and the family of the deceased heart felt condolences and wished security and stability to Lebanon and good health to Aljmayel. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, has sent a cable of condolences to Ameen Aljmayel following the killing of his son Pierre Aljmayel. The Crown Prince expressed to Aljmayel and the family of the deceased heart felt condolences and wished security and stability to Lebanon and good health to Aljmayel. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud received Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the Chief of the Saudi Red Crescent Society, who came to greet the King and listen to his instructions. The Monarch congratulated Prince Faisal bin Abdullah on his new assignment, wishing him every success in his job. On his part, Prince Faisal thanked the King for the trust he bestowed on him. The audience was attended by a number of senior officials. Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, received Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul aziz, the President of the Saudi Red Crescent Society. The Crown Prince congratulated Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah for the royal trust bestowed on him to assume the responsibility of the head of the Society and wished him success in his works. On his part, Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah thanked the Crown Prince for the trust in him and affirmed that he would do his best to follow directives of the Crown Prince for the benefit of the Society to serve humanity. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector received Saudi Ambassador Designate to Indonesia Abdul Rahman Mohammed Amin Khayyat and Saudi Ambassador Designate to Ghana Samir Mahmoud Akkad. The Crown Prince sent his greetings to the leaders of the two countries, urging the ambassadors on enhancing relations between the Kingdom and the two countries. Crown Prince Sultan also received the UK Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Saudi Arabia Sherard Cowper-Coles. During the audience, they exchanged cordial talks and discussed issues of mutual interest. Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, received the Turkish Ambassador to the Kingdom Ugur Dogan who bade farewell to the Crown Prince at end of the ambassador's term of office in the Kingdom. The audiences were attended by Chief of Crown Prince's Court Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Hideithi. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector received chief of the US Military Training Mission (USMTM) General Roth Hernandez. They exchanged cordial talks and reviewed issues pertaining to bilateral relations. Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior received the Executive Director of the World Food Program James Morris. During the meeting, they reviewed activities of the World Food Program, cooperation between the Kingdom and the Program and ways of its enhancement. The Executive Director of the World Food Program thanked Prince Naif for his continuous efforts to support the program. The meeting was attended by senior officials. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah donated SR36 million to the three leading universities in the Kingdom for research studies in nanotechnology, Higher Education Minister Khaled Al-Anqari said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency. The minister's statement said, "King Abdullah donated a sum of SR36 million from his personal account for the completion of equipping the sophisticated nanotechnology laboratories at King Abdul Aziz University, King Saud University and King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals at the rate of SR12 million for each." Al-Anqari said the facilities would serve as the nucleus for the establishment of advanced institutes of nanotechnology in the three universities where Saudi experts will be trained in this new branch of science. These institutes will chalk out programs for their partnership and cooperation with international institutes in the field besides attracting international experts and researchers. Under the chairmanship of Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz the Supreme Organization for the development of Riyadh and the Executive Committee for projects and planning held a meeting in which they discussed the King Abdullah financial center which will participate in the development of the economy of the country and attracting investments. Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Governor of Riyadh region, received the Polish Minister of National Education and Sciences Michal Sewerynski and the accompanying delegation. At the meeting attended by Dr Khalid Al-Anqari, the Minister of Higher Education issues of mutual interest were reviewed. Riyadh Governor Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, chairman of the King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research & Archives (Darah), inaugurated the first symposium on the history of King Saud in the capital. The event was attended by officials, senior princes and princesses, as well as members of the Shoura Council and researchers and academics. The symposium includes a photo gallery gathered by the sons and daughters of the late king. The gallery is open for public attendance. "When King Abdul Aziz (may he rest in peace) unified the country, he made sure that he established a righteous home which fears God and tenders to the people's needs based on justice. King Saud was a member of that righteous house," Prince Salman said in his opening speech. "He was close to King Abdul Aziz and shared with his father many of the political and administrative responsibilities of the country," he said. Prince Salman said King Saud continued to build and develop the Kingdom as well as serve the cause of the Two Holy Mosques and support Arab and Islamic causes. "There is no doubt that this symposium documents these great achievements," Prince Salman said. President Hosni Mubarak attended a joint meeting held Sunday19/11/2006 by the People's Assembly and the Shoura Council on the occasion of the beginning of the new parliamentary session. President Hosni Mubarak stressed that the new parliamentary round will be full of many constitutional changes that would be the biggest ever since the 1980s. Those changes would be the most outstanding feature of this just-beginning parliamentary session, the President said in his address before a joint meeting of the People's Assembly and the Shoura Council. Those amendments, President Mubarak said, will be the fundamental basis on which the entire future of Egypt will depend. He promised that the planned reforms would re-organise the relationship between the Legislative and Executive powers, reinforce the cabinet, introduce the optimal election system, create a new and developed understanding of the way local municipalities should look like and allow for the liberalisation of the economy. The anticipated reforms will also regulate the constitutional powers of the President of the Republic and set the ground for the introduction of an anti-terror law, he saidThe President said that the responsibility in the country is "collective" noting that his call for the amendment of Article 76 of the Constitution last year was a step that aimed at breathing life into the country's political march, serving pluralism and multi-partisan work and enriching the people's democratic experimentHe added that he will ask, during the current parliamentary session amending Article 76 of the Constitution to allow more participation in presidential elections in Egypt. Secretary General Amr Moussa said that the action of protecting Israel against repercussions of breaching international law was a "main mistake" in international policy. The AL chief made the remarks when he met with Danish Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Ministry Ulrik Federspiel. Moussa said that the Arabs are keen on achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East region. Maintaining peace would help find solutions to problems in the region, Moussa explained, calling for the restart of the stalled peace process. He blamed failure of the peace process in Middle East on the international Quartet, which groups the United Nations, the European Union (EU), Russia and the United States, saying the Quartet did not honour its obligations. For his part, Federspiel said that he agreed with Moussa on reactivating the stalled peace process and that Denmark is concerned with the situation in the region as it has interests and strong ties with Arab countries and the AL. Danish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ulrik Federspiel said it was important and urgent to restart the Middle East peace process. The remark was made by the Danish minister at a news briefing following talks with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, noting that his country acted as a mediator between different parties when the UN General-Assembly was debating the Arab draft resolution, which condemned Israel's Beit Hanoun massacre. He added that he also discussed with Moussa the latest developments in the Middle East region and Arab and European efforts to give a new life to the peace process, noting that his country has strong interests and ties with the Arab League and its member countries. Federspiel justified Denmark's abstention during a vote on a UN Security Council resolution on Beit Hanoun massacre by saying that it was aimed to get a good and acceptable resolution in the UN General Assembly. For his part, Moussa's Spokesman Alaa Rushdi said the secretary-general told the Danish official that the peace process in its earlier form had failed, and that the Quartet had failed to play its role to revive the peace process. Moussa also told him that the key blunder in the current international policy was to spare Israel the consequences of its breach of international law, pointing to the firm Arab position seeking just and total peace in the region, Rushdi said. Once this peace is achieved, several regional problems will be resolved, Moussa was quoted by Rushdi as saying. During the meeting, they also discussed the internal Palestinian situation and a Palestinian national unity government, he said. The spokesman also quoted Moussa as hoping that international parties involved would pursue a fresh policy to recognize the new Palestinian government. Ali Al-Naimi, minister of petroleum and mineral resources, said that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) would cut oil output again to check rising fuel stocks in consumer nations and to restore stability in the global market. Naimi said OPEC, at its meeting on Dec. 14, is all set to address the growing concerns of the energy exporting countries and will decide a future course of action. However, he said that oil prices were not a decisive factor every time. The minister was speaking to journalists after delivering a keynote address at a high profile energy conference in Riyadh. More than 100 senior officials including energy experts from over 35 countries are participating in this two-day event entitled "International Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI) Conference." Asked about measures being taken by OPEC to stabilize the oil market and address the sharp fall in prices, Naimi said, "We will first assess the impact of the measures that were decided on at the Doha meeting last month and if they serve the purpose of bringing stability in the global market, then we will not act. But, if these measures fail, then further cuts cannot be ruled out." He also referred to the oil stocks in the industrialized countries when asked about the high inventories in the US. The continuation of stockpiles will be leading to an imbalance in supply and demand fundamentals, he said. Naimi also downplayed a recent fall in the value of the dollar and rejected the idea that a weaker dollar would encourage OPEC to seek and justify high oil prices because its income from dollar-denominated oil sales has eroded. Referring to the importance of JODI in his keynote speech, Naimi said, "The transparency of data and information relating to the oil market is one of the cornerstones of the relationship between oil producers and consumers." He added that the lack of transparent and reliable oil data has consistently been identified as an aggravating factor in the high volatility of oil prices, along with factors such as geopolitics and market speculation. "After all, oil is, and will continue to be, the predominant source of the world's energy and the most traded commodity for many years to come," said Naimi, adding that Saudi Arabia "is currently active in data submission for this initiative and we are committed to providing the JODI database with the highest quality data possible." He also called on oil producing and consuming nations "to ensure complete, timely, reliable and sustained data submissions and allocate resources to do so." Naimi said that the lack of reliable data tends to distort economic decision-making, with damaging effects on global economic activities. "This monumental effort (JODI) began among producers and consumers at the IEF's seventh ministerial meeting in Riyadh in 2000 and I am proud to say that Saudi Arabia has been a driving force in this initiative." The data initiative has developed very rapidly and has become the key topic at all energy forums. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sketched out an optimistic picture for the bilateral ties binding his country and Saudi Arabia and mentioned areas where the two countries could cooperate. "One area for deeper engagement is stronger people-to-people linkages to build mutual understanding. This afternoon, I am glad to announce that Singapore has eased its visa requirements. For all diplomatic passport holders, visa requirements will be waived starting next year," said Lee. Lee made the statement during a meeting at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) attended by RCCI President Abdulrahman Al-Jeraisy, Secretary-General Omar Bailawah of the Center for International Trade, other RCCI officials and businessmen. He added that people who need to regularly travel to Singapore could apply for long-term visas and would be issued with biometric cards, which allow them automatic immigration clearance. "We hope that this will encourage more exchanges among businessmen, government officials, students and tourists," said Lee, who is on a visit as head of a 32-member high-profile delegation that includes Foreign Minister George Yeo and Minister of Environment and Water Resources Dr. Yacoob Ibrahim, who is also in charge of Muslim affairs. The premier said Singapore and Saudi Arabia should look for opportunities to venture into third countries. He said that the two countries could serve as gateways for their respective regions. Saudi companies looking to enter China and India can explore partnerships with Singapore companies that have experience in these markets. "Our bilateral relationship has grown significantly in recent years. Working together, I am confident that we can further strengthen our economic ties and forge a strong and comprehensive partnership," Lee said. He added that Saudi Arabia is a key economy in the Middle East and that it has exerted great efforts to diversify its economy. The Omani foreign minister accused the United States in comments published of delivering Iraq to the Islamic militants of Al-Qaeda and called for a change of strategy. "US policy in Iraq has handed the country to the Al-Qaeda network," Yussef bin Alawi bin Abdullah told the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat. "The root of the US predicament in Iraq ... is Al-Qaeda which has established itself there and now controls whole regions," he said. "We hope that they will rethink their policy," he added. He denied that the growing influence in Iraq of Iran was the key concern of Gulf Arab states. "It's not so much the expansion of Shiism that they fear as the deteriorating security inside Iraq." He ruled out the possibility of US military action against Iran in the face of US and Israeli suspicions about its nuclear program. "I don't think that anyone is going to threaten Iran militarily," he said. The minister said Oman had no plans to resume trade ties with Israel broken off after the renewed Palestinian uprising broke out six years ago. "There's no reason to reopen (our trade office) at a time when Israel is not making the slightest move towards peace and is continuing its aggression against the Palestinians," he said. Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi announced a 25-year strategy to fight unemployment among Saudis, which according to latest official estimates, is 9.1 percent among men and 26.3 percent among women. "We will implement 26 policies through 108 mechanisms in order to reduce unemployment in the short- and long-terms," he said. The minister called for stringent measures to cut the unemployment rate and for reducing the country's addiction to foreign labor. "The unemployment problem is a major challenge," the Saudi Press Agency quoted Al-Gosaibi as saying. "It cannot be dealt with while the country's doors are open to hundreds of thousands of expatriate workers every year." Al-Gosaibi attributed the employment problem to the low qualifications of job seekers, incompatibility of their educational qualifications with job-market requirements, lack of readiness on the part of some private companies to apply Saudization policies, and low salaries offered by private firms. "Fighting unemployment will remain the ministry's priority," Al-Gosaibi said. "Ending unemployment is essential in the light of the new statistics." The minister was referring to a study conducted by the General Statistics Department on work force in the Kingdom. He spoke about the ministry's nationwide campaign to provide employment for nationals. "Among some 155,000 Saudi job seekers registered with us during the campaign we have found employment for about 133,000 people by August of this year," he pointed out. Referring to the ministry's efforts to cut foreign recruitment, Al-Gosaibi said the number of recruitment visas issued annually declined from 597,000 visas in 2002 to 353,000 last year. He said the unemployment rate did not reflect the Kingdom's current robust economic growth. The Prime Minister of Bahrain Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa pledged to work hand-in-hand with newly elected MPs and councillors to shape Bahrain's future. He told the weekly Cabinet meeting of his pride at achievements by the royal reform plan of King Hamad. Ministers at the session, chaired by Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, said they were determined to push forward democracy through deeper and stronger co-operation with the legislative power, represented by parliament. They extended sincere congratulations to the King and to the people of Bahrain, on the success of the municipal and parliamentary elections. In particular they hailed voters' massive participation, 72 per cent of the total number eligible joined in an atmosphere of transparency and impartiality "that best reflected people's awareness, keenness to exercise their constitutional rights and determination to participate in decision making." Bahrain is going back to the polls for a second round of parliamentary and municipal council elections. Twenty-two parliamentary candidates will go head-to-head for 11 tied seats, while 32 municipal candidates will compete for 16 seats. A second round of polling will be held in Bahrain on Saturday. The Royal Saudi Land Forces began on Thursday, November 23, their joint exercises, Al-Samsam 2, with the Pakistani Land Forces in the Pakistani territories. The joint exercises reflect the existing close relations between the kingdom and Pakistan at the various domains. The 32nd humanitarian aid shipment delivered by the Kuwaiti Red Crescent on behalf of the state of Kuwait to the Lebanese people arrived in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Head of the Kuwaiti Red Crescent in Lebanon, Msaaed Al-Enzi, told KUNA that the shipment had arrived coming from the Syrian-Lebanese borders and was carrying 40 tons of aid supplies. Al-Enzi added several Kuwaiti volunteers were accompanying the aid shipment to help in its distribution to the Lebanese people, especially to those who were victims of the last Israeli aggression. So far Kuwaiti humanitarian aid to Lebanon has amounted to six thousand tons of food, first aid and household and school supplies, Al-Enzi added. In an exclusive in-depth interview with Asharq Al Awsat, the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al Nahyan discusses Iraq, the Iranian nuclear file, the Palestinian issue, the UAE constitution, nuclear weapons in the Middle East, and the relationship between the Muslim world and the West. Sheikh Khalifa stressed that the UAE, in agreement with all Arab states, believes that security, peace and stability in the Middle East cannot be achieved without a unified, stable Iraq. He stated, "Any calls, regardless of their source, for dividing, dismantling, or partitioning Iraq geographically, or from a sectarian standpoint do not serve the interests of Iraq, its people and the nation." With regard to the Palestinian issue, Sheikh Khalifa described the situation as "tragic" where the people "suffer from the repercussions of the occupation and the daily attacks on unarmed civilians," as well as "from the deadlock in political efforts, which makes their plight seem endless." The ruler called for the Palestinians to strengthen their national unity. Sheikh Khalifa told Asharq Al Awsat that concerns of the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regarding the Iranian nuclear file "stems from the firm principle that the Gulf region and Middle East must be steered clear away from any arms race for weapons of mass destruction. GCC states have individually and collectively informed the Iranian leadership of this principled position, and in return we have obtained guarantees that the Iranian nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes. We said that these guarantees need reassurances that the program conforms to the standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) so that GCC countries may be satisfied not only with the safety of the program, but also with the availability of the technical know-how that would ensure the safety of these installations and prevent any malfunctions that could damage the regional environment, of which Gulf countries are a main part." He also stressed that the approach adopted by the UAE to restore the three occupied islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa does not intend to exploit foreign positions or policies concerning the nuclear file. Sheikh Khalifa affirmed that the Muslim world has to acknowledge that the relationship between Muslims and the West has suffered recently due to internal problems in the Arab and Muslim worlds and mostly due to the approach adopted by the Western countries in dealing with the main issues such as the Palestinian issue and the definition of terrorism. He called for the organizing of "an international UN-sponsored conference that aims at improving understanding between the civilizations and laying the groundwork for tolerance." Concerning the UAE constitution and the calls for its amendment, Sheikh Khalifa stated that "the real problem that faces the constitution does not lie in its amendment but in the ability of citizens and constitutionally empowered institutions to respect and implement the rules and principles of these constitutions. We will work on focusing efforts during the new stage on its interpretation and application, and if required, in accordance with the constitutional procedures, on the introduction of abrogation, amendments, or additions as may be necessary." Sheikh Khalifa said that the UAE is aware of the imbalanced demographic structure, pointing out that there are three approaches to overcome the matter, the first of which is to reinforce the role of the citizens in production and management by strengthening the national skilled work force. Secondly, by restructuring the economy by setting all the conditions needed to facilitate the shift from the traditional stage, which is a labor-intensive one, into an economy that is built on advanced knowledge, technology and skilled labor with the purpose of replacing unskilled labor with modern technology. The final approach is to improve the efficiency of the bodies that regulate foreign labor. British Prime Minister Tony Blair met Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf in Lahore to consolidate a strategic partnership against extremism and terrorism and to discuss the deteriorating situation in neighbouring Afghanistan. Describing the talks as 'immensely constructive' and marking a high point in bilateral relations, Blair reaffirmed at a televised press conference his support for Musharraf's programme of 'enlightened moderation.' This symbolized the future for Muslim countries around the world, Blair added. There also would be no let-up in military operations against Taliban insurgents operating in Afghanistan with support from militants in Pakistan's western tribal areas, he stressed. 'Nobody should be in any doubt about our commitment,' said the prime minister, who arrived in Pakistan on a two-day visit. But he warned that extremism would take years to stamp out. 'It took a generation to grow and it will take a generation to defeat,' he said. The leaders agreed that military force alone was insufficient, and pledged to boost economic, political and reconstruction initiatives to deprive militants of grassroots support in both countries. British aid to Pakistan for the next three years will accordingly be increased from 236 million pounds (446 million US dollars) to 480 million pounds (907 million US dollars). Many of the funds would be allocated to developing the Pakistani security services, and countering extremism in Pakistan's madrassa Islamic religious schools, officials said. Musharraf rejected earlier criticism that Pakistan has not been active enough in combating the Taliban on its territory, noting that his forces have lost 600 men in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. At the same time, he emphasised that only through resolving the Palestinian problem would it be possible to 'untie the whole knot of terrorism' in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and worldwide. |