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December 22, 2006 |
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***** The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz received a telephone call from Turkey's Premier Recep Tayyib Erdogan. During the call, they discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and at the regional and international arenas. Bilateral relations between the two countries were also reviewed. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has directed to provide the necessary medical care for Omani conjoined twins. The care includes bringing them from the Sultanate of Oman, hosting their parents, conducting the necessary medical tests for the two baby girls at King Abdul Aziz Medical City of the National Guard in Riyadh and considering the possibility of carrying out an operation to separate the two babies whose heads are conjoined. This noble gesture by the king is a natural extension of his humanitarian stands. The Custodian Of The Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to Tanzania's President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete on the anniversary of his country's national day. The Monarch wished the president permanent good health and happiness and his people steady progress and prosperity. A similar cable of congratulations was also sent to the Tanzanian President by Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General. Saudi Arabia's top intelligence official said that Israel's nuclear arsenal was the biggest threat to the region's short-term and medium-term security. Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, the Kingdom's chief of general intelligence, also blamed Israel for driving other countries in the region to pursue weapons of mass destruction (WMD). "This will also force moderate countries in the region that adopt a WMD-free policy to establish clandestine or declared nuclear programs to defend their interests and create a military balance," he said in the keynote address to the third International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) regional security summit, the so-called Manama Dialogue. Prince Muqrin directly linked tension in the region to the Arab-Israeli conflict, calling on key players in the international community to carry out their role in an objective and unbiased manner to ensure peaceful coexistence among the people of the region including Israel. He said that any peace initiative should be in line with the proposal approved by the Arab League in 2002. The deteriorating situation in Iraq, leading to a semi-civil war and attracting would-be terrorists, was a threat of similar gravity to the region's security, Prince Muqrin said. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Majed Governor of Al Madinah Al Munawarrah region and Chairman of the Hajj committee met with a delegation from the Civil Aviation Authority, that briefed the prince on the most important studies and designs for the expansion of Prince Mohammad Bin Abdul Aziz International airport in Madinah in addition to design of Yanbu airport and al Alaa airport. The prince urged those concerned to exert all efforts and realize the required results. Prince Abdul Aziz addressed his thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince for the care and attention accorded to the welfare of the citizens. The Secretary-General of the Shoura (Consultative) Council Saleh Al-Malek met with a delegation from the US State Department in Riyadh. The US delegation included Deputy Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs J. Scott Carpenter. They discussed political, economic and social issues of mutual interest, relations between Congress and the Shoura Council as well as regional and international issues. Minister of Labor Ghazi Al-Gosaibi said that his ministry would not go easy on establishments and institutions that attempt to illegally skirt Saudization quotas. "There are systemized penalties," he said during a graduation ceremony of Al-Rimaizan Training Center in Riyadh yesterday where a batch of newly trained Saudis received their certifications. "Penalties can go up to the person or establishment being forbidden from applying for loans or services." Al-Gosaibi last week announced that the official unemployment rate in the Kingdom is 9 percent for men and 22 percent for women. In an attempt to spur employment among Saudi nationals, the Kingdom in recent years required companies to reserve a percentage of their jobs for citizens. Companies routinely skirt these quotas through falsified paperwork or temporary Saudi hires. Al-Gosaibi said insufficient training was a major factor in unemployment in the Kingdom, as well as the tendency for some companies to skirt their Saudi quotas. The minister said that Saudi youths who have not been trained should not consider applying for jobs. "The Saudi market has no place for untrained Saudis," he said while refuting charges that his ministry has dealt with alleged lawbreaking companies in an unfair manner. The minister said that the unemployment problem among Saudi nationals would be something of the past in the next five years. Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Hareb Al Busaidi, minister responsible for defence affairs, has received a written message from Michele Alliot, French defence minister, dealing with good relations between the two countries. The message was handed over by French ambassador to the Sultanate when the minister responsible for defence affairs received him. During the meeting, matters of common interest were discussed. Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a written message from British Prime MinisterTony Blair. The message was handed over to Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Hareb, minister responsible for defence affairs, by Adam Engram, British Armed Forces minister, who is currently visiting the Sultanate, when he was received by Sayyid Badr in his office. An official session of talks was also held between Sayyid Badr and Adam Engram in the presence of Lt. General Ahmed bin Harith bin Nasser Al Nabhani, chief of staff of the Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF). The session reviewed relations between the two countries and the existing military cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman and the UK and ways of further promoting and enhancing the same. The meeting and talks were attended from the British side by the UK ambassador to the Sultanate and the delegation accompanying the guest. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora received the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Mohieddin Khoja who was accompanied by a delegation of the Saudi Field Hospital; Director of the hospital Dr. Khalid Al-Sadoun; General Supervisor of the Saudi Red Crescent Society Ahmed Al-Salamh; and Saudi military attaché in Lebanon Brigadier Mohamed Al-Hajaj. During the meeting, they reviewed the brotherly relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Lebanon; the relief efforts made by the Saudi Red Crescent and the Saudi Field Hospital in Beirut to help Lebanese people; and the current developments in Lebanon. Following the meeting, Siniora thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz for his continuous support to Lebanon in all fields as well as his assistance to the Lebanese people who have been affected by the devastating war launched by Israel against Lebanon. He commended the initiatives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to support the Lebanese economy through providing financial assistance in depositing more than $ 570 million in the Bank of Lebanon in addition to depositing $1 billion in the Bank of Lebanon to support the monetary stability in Lebanon. He also noted the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; and their keenness that Lebanon overcomes the crisis resulted from the recent war waged by Israel on the Lebanon. Russia backs the idea of banning exports of uranium enrichment technologies to Iran, the foreign minister said. "We approve of proposals to ban deliveries of uranium enrichment technologies, materials and services, chemical processing of irradiated fuel, and technologies for heavy-water reactors to Iran," Sergei Lavrov said after a meeting in Paris of deputy foreign ministers of the six parties to talks on Iran's nuclear program. The minister said Iran's uranium enrichment activities had repeatedly provoked concern in the International Atomic Energy Agency, which he said still has questions on the country's controversial nuclear program. However, Lavrov warned against adopting wide-scale sanctions, which he said could have the opposite of the desired effect. The Charge d' Affaires at the Saudi permanent mission to the UN Abdulatif Hussein Salam took part in the celebrations held by the Swedish Mission to bid farewell to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan. He conveyed to Annan the greetings and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, and Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal for his efforts during his tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations and his constructive efforts in all international issues facing the international community and his work for the activation of the role of the international organization to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. The eighth Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, thanked the kingdom for the support and backing given to him during his tenure. Annan said he had benefited from the Saudi leadership was positive and realistic view to the problems of the Middle East. Kofi Annan, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Crown Prince, the Foreign Minister and the Saudi people. The Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the League of Arab States Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Aziz Kattan announced that his country always leads the way in cooperation with the international community to support developing nations, pointing out that the aid provided exceeded the percentage set by the United Nations at 7% of the total GDP, clarifying that the total of Saudi aid during the period from 1973 to 2005, has totalled about 85 billion dollars. The Kingdom has also provided approximately three billion during the last period of 2006. He added that Saudi Arabia contributes to supporting international initiatives such as the Initiative HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Relief Initiatve) to alleviate the debt burden on poor countries, pointing out that before the initiative of the international community Saudi Arabia in 1991 dropped six billion dollars of debts owed by a number of developing countries to the Kingdom. Ambassador Kattan said that Saudi Arabia also contribute to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as the World Food Program to which the Kingdom offered donations in kind and cash totaling, more than 443 million until 2006. The Kingdom also contributes in the support of many regional and international development institutions through its contribution in their capitals with a total of around 24 one billion dollars. Amongst these institutions are the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group Fund, OPEC, the Islamic Bank for Development, the Arab Bank for the Development of Africa, and others. Ambassador Kattan also pointed out that Saudi Arabia has recently offered one billion dollars for the setting up of a fund to combat poverty in Islamic States according to the recommendation of the Islamic Summit. The fund will be affiliated to the Islamic Development Bank. The Kingdom also is a main contributor in the fight against drought and desertification in African countries. President General Pervez Musharraf has witnessed the joint Pak-Saudi military exercise 'Al-Samsaam-2' and said it reflected close cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries, an official statement said. Musharraf appreciated the scope and conduct of the three-week exercise which involved different operations by troops in desert. He recalled the excellent brotherly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and said the joint exercise was a manifestation of the cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. The President said intensive peace time training in realistic battlefield environment leads to better preparedness and improved battle worthiness of the troops. Musharraf met officers and men participating in the joint exercise and appreciated their professionalism and dedication to duty. Exercise 'Al-Samsaam-2' is a sequel to the series of exercises that are routinely carried out from time to time between the two armed forces. Security forces are still on the lookout for the armed suspects responsible for the killing of two police guards at the maximum-security Al-Ruwais Prison, according to Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Interior Ministry. A senior security source also said that the four suspects arrested in a blue Nissan sedan in another incident on Palestine Street shortly after the shooting are not considered suspects in the crime at this time. "No one was arrested in Thursday's armed confrontation that resulted in the death of two security men," Al-Turki said. "Security forces are currently investigating the incident to identify and arrest the perpetrators." Israel began to implement a plan to fortify its border with Lebanon through the construction of a barrier to prevent watching what is happening across the border. The wall is composed of metal sheets and wire fence. The work to implement the barrier began on the road of Wadi Al Mughr - Al Hula Valley. An Israeli workshop is erecting ladders on poles and iron pickets on the blue line off the Abbasiyah to install devices and sophisticated machines to photograph any movement close to the wall. Other workshops started their work in Al Kafr Kila, and other areas to conceal the movement of Israeli patrols behind the wall. On the other hand, the international forces and especially the Spanish forces have intensified patrols along the Blue Line, particularly in Al Arqoub and the UNIFIL forces have taken maximum security measures after receiving information about the threats received from al-Qaeda military operations against patrols. Dr Kim Howells British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs welcomed the vote at the UN General Assembly for a resolution which formally launched discussions in the UN on an international Arms Trade Treaty. He said: 'For some time the United Kingdom has led calls for an international Arms Trade Treaty to end the irresponsible trade in arms worldwide. 'I welcome the decision by the UN General Assembly to support the resolution by a strong majority (153 votes for with 24 abstentions and 1 vote against). This resolution sets up a process in the United Nations. The UN Secretary General will seek views from member states, and then a Group of Governmental Experts will meet in 2008 to examine the feasibility, scope and draft parameters of a treaty. So we are heading in the right direction. 'This is an ambitious project. We will need to keep other countries on board as we move ahead and keep working to persuade those who still have doubts. But since the UNGA discussion in October, we have persuaded many more countries to embrace the idea of a treaty. We also welcome the support from the non-governmental organisations who helped to put this issue on the international agenda. 'We remain committed to securing this treaty because it will make a meaningful difference to those millions of people who suffer from the consequences of irresponsible arms trading.' The first plane carrying Russian combat engineers who helped Lebanon repair infrastructure devastated in fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli military this summer has flown out of Beirut. About 100 bridges and 60 highways were destroyed in the fighting, which claimed some 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israeli lives. Russian sappers, who pledged to work 10 hours a day to rebuild six bridges and adjacent roads in two months, started the reconstruction effort October 9. Russian combat engineers have built nine bridges, or three more than was initially planned, during their two months in Lebanon. A total of 100 Lebanese servicemen have been trained in this period, the spokesman said, adding that the battalion's construction equipment and vehicles have been turned over to Lebanese engineers. Work on an international Arms Trade Treaty will begin immediately following the historic vote in the UN General Assembly, which saw 153 governments supporting the proposed Treaty to prevent international arms transfers that fuel conflict, poverty and serious human rights violations. Only the United States voted against the proposal, and 24 governments abstained. The UN General Assembly vote comes just three years after the launch of the Control Arms campaign, which has seen over a million people in 170 countries calling for a Treaty. Three quarters of governments [153] voted in favour of the proposal, which was also supported by an overwhelming majority of governments in the UN General Assembly's First Committee in October. There was also strong support from the governments of Europe as well as the Pacific and Latin America. "Significant support for an Arms Trade Treaty has come from some of the world's most gun-affected regions; this indicates not only widespread recognition of the problem but also widespread political will to take action," said Rebecca Peters, Director of IANSA. The US remained the only government to vote against the proposal, despite a recent appeal from 14 US Senators to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for the Administration to reconsider its position. "My current visit to Lebanon, Israel and the Occupied Territories has allowed me to see first hand the devastating consequences on civilians of the unregulated trade in weapons. It is vital that governments recognize the urgent need to turn this vote into meaningful action and ensure that a legally binding treaty on conventional arms becomes a reality," said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International. One of the first tasks for the incoming UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, will be to begin canvassing the views of all UN Member States on the proposed Arms Trade Treaty in order to report back to the General Assembly in late 2007. A group of governmental experts from around the world will then be established to examine the issue in detail and report back to the UN General Assembly in 2008. "Today, we have seen an overwhelming majority of the world's governments accepting the need for an Arms Trade Treaty to prevent weapons sales that fuel conflict and poverty. That is a historic step. When the Control Arms campaign began in 2003 only 5 governments supported the concept of an Arms Trade Treaty. Today there are 153. Now governments must follow through and achieve a strong, effective Treaty. Every day that they delay is another day when thousands of lives are wrecked by armed violence," said Jeremy Hobbs, Director of Oxfam International. An official source at the Ministry of Interior said that outside guards at a perimeter of Al Rouwais prison in Jeddah governorate were fired on from a neighbouring building resulting in the martyrdom of two security men. Security authorities are still following up the incident. In response to the invitation extended by the Sultanate of Oman to the Republic of Yemen, Yemen will participate as an observer in the manoeuvres of the Peninsula Shield, which will take place in the Sultanate of Oman next month. The Deputy Chief of Staff for training Gen Mohammed Said Obeid said in a statement to the (September 26) newspaper that the official participation of Yemen will be represented through the presence of two officers. He pointed out that the Yemeni participation in this manoeuvre comes in the framework of joint cooperation between Yemen and the Gulf States. Egyptian officials deported eight French citizens and two Belgians arrested as part of a suspected terror cell. Security was tight at the Cairo International Airport when the Europeans arrived ahead of a special flight bound for Brussels then Paris, an airport official said. An Interior Ministry official confirmed the number and nationalities of those who were being deported. The Egyptian Interior Ministry announced that it had arrested nine French and the American, along with two Belgians and several others from Egypt and other Arab countries. The ministry said they were living in Egypt under the guise of studying Arabic and Islamic studies but had formed a militant cell that was plotting attacks in Middle Eastern countries including Iraq. The Security Council, emphasizing the need for continued credible dialogue between the Transitional Federal Institutions and the Union of Islamic Courts, authorized the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and African Union member States to establish a protection and training mission in Somalia, to be reviewed after an initial period of six months. Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter and through its unanimous adoption of resolution 1725 (2006), the Council mandated the mission to: monitor progress by the Transitional Federal Institutions and the Union of Islamic Courts in implementing agreements reached in their dialogue; ensure the free movement and safe passage of all involved with the dialogue process; and maintain and monitor security in Baidoa. Reiterating that the Transitional Federal Charter and Institutions offered the only route to achieving peace and stability in Somalia, the Council further mandated the mission to protect the members of the Transitional Federal Institutions and Government, as well as their key infrastructures, and to train the Transitional Federal Institutions' security forces to enable them to provide their own security and to help facilitate the re-establishment of Somalia's national security forces. Endorsing the specification in the IGAD Deployment Plan that those States that border Somalia would not deploy troops in Somalia, the Council decided that measures of the arms embargo imposed by resolution 733 (1992) and further elaborated in resolution 1425 (2002) would not apply to supplies of weapons and military equipment and technical training and assistance intended solely for the support of, or use by, the force. Affirming that the resolution's provisions aim solely at supporting peace and stability in Somalia through an inclusive political process and creating the conditions for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Somalia, the Council urged the Transitional Federal Institutions and the Union of Islamic Courts to fulfil the commitments they had made, resume without delay peace talks on the basis of the agreements reached in Khartoum, and adhere to agreements reached in their dialogue. The Council also stated its intention to consider taking measures against those that sought to prevent or block a peaceful dialogue process, overthrow the Transitional Federal Institutions by force, or take action that further threatens regional stability. The French ambassador to the United Nations Jean Marc de la Sabliere has circulated a draft resolution reiterating the Security Council's support for "the legitimate and democratically elected government of Lebanon," according to a spokesperson for Secretary General Kofi Annan.The draft calls for the Security Council to condemn "any unlawful effort to destabilize [the government] or intervene in Lebanon's internal affairs." Annan had called upon conflicting parties in Lebanon to sit and talk, in an attempt to resolve a political crisis that has stoked fears of violent sectarian conflict. Annan's spokesperson said that the UN chief "continues to be concerned with the political stalemate in Lebanon, and renews his call for the government and the opposition to resume their dialogue and resolve their differences peacefully." Unable to win Senate confirmation, U.N. Ambassador John Bolton will step down when his recess appointment expires soon, the White House said. Bolton's nomination has languished in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for more than a year, blocked by Democrats and several Republicans. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, a moderate Republican who lost in the midterm elections Nov. 7 that swept Democrats to power in both houses of Congress, was adamantly opposed to Bolton. President Bush gave Bolton the job temporarily in August 2005, while Congress was in recess. But the appointment expires when Congress formally adjourns, no later than early January. South Korea's president denied North Korea's renewed claim that Washington had deployed nuclear weapons in his country. 'There are no nuclear weapons in South Korea,' President Roh Moo-hyun said in a news conference in Wellington, where he was meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. 'It is well-known that the US nuclear umbrella has nothing to do with placing nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula,' Roh added. His was responding to a report from Itar-Tass news agency that quoted an unidentified North Korean source as saying that Pyongyang would not dismantle its nuclear weapons' programme for reasons of self-defence, as it believes the US has deployed nuclear weapons in the South. Immigrants have a duty to integrate into British society, Prime Minister Tony Blair said as he warned that those who propound intolerance and extremism would not be made welcome. In a keynote speech delivered at his Downing Street office, Blair admitted that Britain's much-vaunted multi-cultural model had come in for intense scrutiny since last year's bomb attacks on London's public transport network."We are a nation comfortable with the open world of today," he said, urging people to celebrate, rather than dilute, religious diversity. "London is perhaps the most popular capital city in the world today, partly because it is hospitable to so many different nationalities, mixing, working, conversing with each other. "But we protect this attitude by defending it. Our tolerance is part of what makes Britain, Britain. "So conform to it, or don't come here. We don't want the hate-mongers, whatever their race, religion or creed. "If you come here lawfully, we welcome you. If you are permitted to stay here permanently, you become an equal member of our community and become one of us." He added: "The right to be different. The duty to integrate. That is what being British means. And neither racists nor extremists should be allowed to destroy it." U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will give new focus to reviving talks between Israelis and Palestinians, the State Department said. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Rice will visit the region next year to work toward the resumption of talks between the parties, USA Today reported. "You are going to see her devote a tremendous amount of energy and ... focus to create conditions" allowing the recommencement of peace talks, McCormack said. The announcement came one day after James Baker and Lee Hamilton, co-leaders of the Iraq Study Group, recommended that the White House work toward helping to resolve the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, as the ongoing struggle makes stability in Iraq more difficult to obtain. |