Ain-Al-Yaqeen - January 26, 2007

		January 26, 2007

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES, THE CROWN PRINCE AND HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS RECEIVE PRINCE ABDUL MAJEED IBN ABDUL AZIZ WHO COMES BACK FROM ABROAD AFTER RECOVERING FROM A RECENT ILLNESS.
CROWN PRINCE SULTAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ SIGNS A CONTRACT FOR THE REHABILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF FACILITIES AT KING ABDUL AZIZ INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
AT THE OPENING OF THE NATO AND GCC SEMINAR PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO BRING ABOUT STABILITY IN THE REGION.
PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL: THOSE WHO USE ISLAM TO JUSTIFY VIOLENCE AND HATRED ARE PERVERTING THE FAITH AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE VAST MAJORITY OF MUSLIMS.
PRINCE MOHAMED IBN FAHD: THE SAUDI CITIZEN IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received at Riyadh's air base airport his brother Prince Abdul Majeed Ibn Abdul Aziz, governor of Makkah region, who arrived coming from abroad after recovering from a recent illness.

Prince Abdul Majeed was also received by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, other princes, ministers, officials and citizens. Prince Abdul Majeed was accompanied by Prince Faisal Bin Abdul Majeed Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Faisal Bin Abdul Majeed And Prince Turki Bin Faisal Bin Abdul Majeed.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud received the Kingdom's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Al Al Sheikh, who is also Chairman of the Senior Ulema Commission, the Religious Research and Ifta Department; Chairman of the Higher Judiciary Council Sheikh Saleh Bin Mohammed Al-Lihaidan; Ulema and Sheikhs who came to greet him.

The audience was attended by Prince Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Juluwe; Prince Dr. Abdul Aziz Bin Nasser Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Dr. Bandar bin Salman bin Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King; and Abdul Mohsin Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Tuwaijri, Advisor to the King.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has issued orders promoting two sheikhs at the court of grievances. He also has issued orders promoting 216 officers of various ranks and promoting six personnel from the rank of staff sergeant to the rank of lieutenant in the military sectors.

Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister Of Defense And Aviation And Inspector General, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Civil Aviation Authority, signed a contract for rehabilitation and development of facilities of the aviation side of King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah.

The contract will cover the development of runways and passages in the airport to raise its capacity to receive 80 million passengers annually. The contract will also cover the building and modernization of other facilities in the airport.

The singing was attended by Prince Miteb Ibn Abdul Aziz, minister of municipal and rural affairs, and other officials.

Crown Prince Sultan signed the SR902.91 million ($240.77 million) contract with Al-Mabani Company to develop and upgrade aviation facilities of Jeddah's King Abdul Aziz International Airport as part of a massive expansion project to increase its annual capacity to 80 million passengers with an implementation period of 36 months.

"This is the first contract for the expansion project," a statement by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said, adding that it would be completed in 36 months. "The contract covers expansion of the airport's tarmac and runways in order to increase its annual capacity to 80 million passengers," the statement said.

The work will also include construction of a new aircraft parking facility west of the Hajj Terminal as well as modernization of ground lights systems and information technology infrastructure.

The new expansion project, which is estimated to cost SR18 billion ($4.8 billion), will enable the airport to receive large jumbo jets, including the A380, the 555-seat Airbus jet taking to the skies this year after much publicized delays.

The Jeddah airport expansion is significant as it represents the Kingdom's main gateway for millions of foreign pilgrims. The expansion involves the construction of two new terminals and renovation of the existing South Terminal, a new concourse with 25 gates, three connector buildings and an extensive upgrade of landside and airside infrastructure facilities.

Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Food and Drug Authority, chaired the 6th meeting of the board of directors of the food and drug authority.

The meeting was attended by Prince Miteb Ibn Abdul Aziz, minister of municipal and rural affairs, who is also vice chairman of the board of directors of the food and drug authority, and members of the board.

Acting executive head of the authority Dr. Mohammad Al Kanhal said the meeting discussed issues pertaining to the work of the authority including its strategy for the next five years.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, opened a seminar entitled "NATO-GCC cooperation within the framework of Istanbul initiative."

The seminar is organized by the institute of diplomatic studies in cooperation with the Dubai-based gulf center for studies.

In an address at the inaugural session, Prince Saud said the Middle East region is one of the regions in the world that is characterized by turmoil.

He called for effective international cooperation to bring about stability in the region.

Prince Saud noted that the extremist ideology grows in the atmosphere of disappointment caused by the failure of the international community in settling the pending chronic problems.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believes in the importance of fighting terrorism and extremism and spreading the values of tolerance and moderation as well as combating racial ideologies," he said.

Prince Saud pointed out that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz had earlier called for the convening of the extraordinary Makkah Summit which slammed terrorism and extremism and advocated moderation and dialogue as well as urged for confronting the phenomenon of Islamophobia', Prince Saud elaborated.

He noted that King Abdullah has called for establishing an international center for combating terrorism under the supervision of the United Nations.

Prince Saud said the kingdom has been following up with big concern the current developments witnessed by NATO following the end of the era of the cold war.

He noted that NATO has formulated the Istanbul cooperation initiative which includes some of the GCC member states.

Prince Saud underscored the importance of exchange of data and expertise in combating terrorism as well as prevention of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

'However, any cooperation should be based on the respect of sovereignty and peculiarities of the countries as well as their political options,' he noted.

Underling the importance of the seminar, Prince Saud said it will provide a good opportunity to exchange views clearly on issues of mutual interest.

On the kingdom's policy, Prince Saud said it is concerned with mobilizing the available potentialities for the service of its higher interests.

"The kingdom has neither expansionist policies nor policies of covetousness and hegemony', he said.

He noted that the kingdom -- the cradle of Islam, has an Arab and Islamic identity, and as such it is keen on the service of the Arab and Muslim causes.

"Moreover, the kingdom is keen on enhancing the pillars of the international legitimacy and law," Prince Saud said.

He underlined the importance of respecting the principles and resolutions of the U.N.

On his part, the deputy secretary of the NATO Montrizo underscored the importance of cooperation between NATO and some of the Mediterranean and Middle East countries, and said the seminar will provide an opportunity to review aspects of cooperation.

He lauded the role of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in enhancing the pillars of stability in the region.

The participants of the seminar reviewed a number of topics including the role of NATO after the era of the cold war; the regional problems in the Middle East as well as means of promoting Istanbul initiative.

The inaugural session was attended by a number of dignitaries and senior officials.

On the other hand Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Turki Al-Faisal delivered a speech titled "Challenges and Opportunities: Saudi Arabia in the 21st Century" at George Washington University, Washington, DC, January 22, 2007

Following is the text of the speech:

Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to be here today. President Trachtenberg, thank you very much for the kind introduction.

George Washington once said, "Let your discourse with men of business be short and comprehensive." I hope to accommodate Mr. Washington's perspective today.

During my tenure as Ambassador, I have been speaking with many students at colleges and universities nationwide; from Georgetown and American University to the University of Southern California on the west coast and Brigham Young University in Utah, where I was earlier this month. Wherever I go, I am encouraged by the interest taken in Saudi Arabia. Of course, I am biased, but I believe the interest is justified.

And while I have been listening to American students voice their questions and concerns about relations between the United States and my country, I have also been listening to Saudi students who are here studying. There are now, in fact, more than 10,000 Saudi students in the United States. Thanks to a reinvigorated Saudi government scholarship program, thousands of Saudis are now able to study abroad mostly in the U.S. carrying on a long tradition of exchange.

The Kingdom, as you know, holds a unique position in the world. As home to the two Holy Mosques of Islam, we have natural religious responsibilities. Our stability, influence and geopolitical position make us a political leader in the Middle East. And our energy resources make us a nation of global economic significance as well.

In my travels across the United States, I have met so many people with questions about all of these areas. I hope that my remarks today will lead to a greater understanding of the role Saudi Arabia plays in each of them. When I'm finished, I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Many of you in the audience today are graduate students at the Elliott School. You are here because you are potentially seeking a career in international affairs. The importance of the fields you are studying grows with each day. Whether your focus is Security Policy, or International Trade and Investment Policy, you will be faced with some of the world's most interesting challenges. You will also have the chance to discover new opportunities in your future work.

In Saudi Arabia, we are also faced with interesting challenges. Our eyes are open to new opportunities. Many of the challenges we face are shared with the United States. For example, the deterioration of security in Iraq is a great challenge as it affects the stability of not just the region but the entire world.

This is why Saudi Arabia and its international partners, particularly the United States, are working together to find a solution. Last Monday, Secretary Rice met with King Abdullah and Foreign Minster Prince Saud to ensure that our collective energies are focused on resolving the situation in Iraq.

Although it has been articulated repeatedly, it is worth saying again: Saudi Arabia is absolutely committed to helping the Iraqi people all the Iraqi people. The Kingdom stands behind a sovereign Iraqi government. And our objective is to see a stable, peaceful, united Iraq that is representative of all factions. We continue to work with the United States to this end.

Ultimately, though, success lies in the hands of the Iraqi people. Their willingness to trade violent means for diplomatic ones is the key to a resolution.

Being able to effectively address this challenge, however, requires strength. So the Kingdom recognizes that it must first address its own internal issues before it can help others with theirs. Saudi Arabia, of course, has its own unique set of challenges that present us with a great deal of opportunity. We are a nation on the move, and in our economy and our education system, we are taking advantage of this time to improve our citizens' way of life by confronting our issues head on.

Our economic wellbeing is a priority for us. It goes without saying that Saudi Arabia is blessed with bountiful oil reserves, but we recognize that it is a finite resource. We also know that our best and infinite resource is our people. So while we enrich ourselves from one, we must also invest in the other. This ensures the quality of life of our citizens is sustainable.

An important component of this has been the diversification of our economy. The Kingdom has been liberalizing its trade policies, enacting new regulatory laws, increasing transparency, and opening up its economy to foreign investment. To further stimulate growth, we have also enacted laws, such as those allowing foreign businessmen and women to obtain visas without an invitation. All of this, moreover, supports our recent ascension to the World Trade Organization.

The Kingdom, ladies and gentlemen, is open for business, and we are doing quite well.

The clearest sign is that the Saudi economy is currently booming; not just in the energy sector, but in many diversified industries. The World Bank even rates Saudi Arabia's business environment as the best in the Middle East. In fact, there will be more than $650 billion in investment opportunities that will be generated in the Kingdom over the next 15 years in a number of fields, including information technology, developing the mining and tourism business, and further privatizing state-owned corporations, such as our airlines. We are creating centers of commerce and business; like the King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh. This $26 billion mega-project will be a next generation center of finance, healthcare, and technological development. This City is just one of four economic centers that are being created in the Kingdom and will serve as a center in Saudi Arabia for the private sector.

We cannot forget that the health of our economy is linked to the health of our education system. Young people cannot contribute to the global economy unless they are prepared correctly. We are taking significant strides to modernize and improve our education system. Saudi schools are introducing new curricula curricula that emphasize critical thinking, math and science. The Kingdom is in the process of reviewing all of its education practices and materials, and is updating any element that is inconsistent with the needs of a modern education.

To ensure that our efforts are comprehensive, we are sending Saudi students out into the world on scholarships to receive their college education. Thousands are receiving educations at colleges and universities all over the world. These students will be going out into the world to build the bridges of understanding. These bridges will contribute to future relationships between nations. they are our true Ambassador's ladies and gentlemen. People-to-people interaction is a powerful force. As part of an institution that incorporates this multinational philosophy, George Washington University, I know that you understand this.

All of these initiatives are important to the Saudi-U.S. relationship. They will form the basis for our future relationship. Our countries have had a mutually beneficial relationship for more than 70 years. Our partnership has helped us overcome the challenges we've faced and take advantage of the opportunities before us.

Ladies and Gentlemen: today's challenges are not impossible to overcome; not the ones that face our individual nations, or the ones facing the world community. But the key is cooperation. We must also never lose sight that within every challenge, there's an opportunity.

Ashkurukum shukran jazeelan thank you very much and barak Allah feekum and God bless you all.

Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Turki Al-Faisal also addressed relations between the Muslim world and the West in remarks at American University in Washington.

In particular, Prince Turki highlighted the importance of intercultural dialogue, and addressed popular misconceptions about Islam and about Saudi Arabia.

"There has been misperception compounded by confusion. There have been myths that have become conventional wisdom. And there has been a distortion of the issues, made more complicated by emotion," Prince Turki said. "Today, I would like to help correct that."

He commented that the Saudi-US friendship has endured for 70 years, and that the Kingdom relies on that relationship as it addresses today's challenges.

"Saudis, like Americans, are rooted in faith and family. We are a peaceful people who want the same as you. And, yes, we have problems, many of them," he said. "But to solve those problems, we need our friends including our friends here in the US to work with us to face these challenges; because we all gain when doubt is replaced by discussion, castigation by cooperation."

Regarding misperceptions of Islam, Prince Turki clarified two key points. First, he stressed that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Those who use Islam to justify violence and hatred are perverting the faith and do not represent the vast majority of Muslims, he said. Second, he noted that there are those in the West, including the United States, who denigrate and despise Islam. Such bigotry should be opposed and its promotion prevented, he said.

Addressing steps Saudi Arabia has taken to promote understanding, Prince Turki highlighted the Kingdom's efforts to reform its education system and promote tolerance throughout the Muslim world.

"We in Saudi Arabia are taking steps to change where required for the betterment of the Muslim world, as well as the global community, and I believe we are headed in the right direction," he said.

In Dammam, the Governor of the Eastern region Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, inaugurated the ceremony of the sixth forum for the development of human resources held at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Eastern Region. In his speech the Prince said that "the dream of building a modern state can not be achieved in isolation from the development of the minds of human beings and the development of their capacities and skills of creativity, adding that no comprehensive development will succeed without taking into consideration the changes in the world, and being capable of dealing with these changes.

The Prince added that the Kingdom realized early and long time ago that the Saudi citizen is the real wealth of the country and it was natural that the citizen is the top priority in all development programs of the Kingdom.

Meanwhile the Secretary General of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdul Rahman al Attiyah on Monday praised the Sultanate of Oman as an active country in the council's integrated economic activities.

Speaking on sidelines of the launch of the GCC Award for Scientific Researches, Attiyah said the Sultanate of Oman has tendered several positive proposals to bolster joining GCC action.

Answering a question on the application of the united GCC currency and Oman's possible rejection to the move, Attiyah said Muscat suggestions constituted a distinguished addition to GCC's achievements at all levels.

On the GCC intention to get the nuclear energy, Attiyah said there were contacts with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to know the required standards for setting up a gulf nuclear program for peaceful purposes.

He reaffirmed that the program would not be used for illegal purposes but would be aimed at peaceful services including electricity, water desalination and medical sector.

The program was called for during the latest meeting of the leaders of the council, which groups Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.

The GCC award for scientific researches was launched during a news conference with its main objective to encourage the creativity of researches and scientists in the member countries.

The bi-annual award is estimated at USD 53,300 for each of its scientific fields of humanity, social, economic, engineering, medical and information.

Reception of candidate researches would be opened next May for four months.

Meanwhile, the ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Bangladesh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Obeid Al Namla delivered a cheque to the amount of $ 75603 as the fourth instalment of the first part of the expansion of the southern side of the Project of the Great Mosque Baitul Mukarram in the capital Dhaka.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to extend $2 million worth financial assistance to Mauritania for financing food and relief materials as well as trucks for the transportation of the food materials.

A statement released by the Saudi embassy in Nouakchott said the finance ministry in cooperation with the world food program has set a plan for delivering the assistance to the concerned people.

Earlier the kingdom donated $10 million as relief assistance to eight West African countries which had suffered from drought. These countries included Mauritania.

In Tokyo the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received the Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi.

Al-Naimi conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz to the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In turn, Abe sent his greetings to the Saudi leadership.

During the meeting, they stressed the distinguished relations between Saudi Arabia and Japan and underscored the importance of developing these relations between the two countries in all fields.

They also discussed several issues such as the leading role of the Kingdom in the stability of the international oil market; and the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially mutual investment in the field oil refining.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the meeting, Al-Naimi said "I am happy to visit Japan and meet with the Prime Minister who expressed Japan's sincere desire to continue and develop relations between the two countries".

He stated that Japan is Saudi Arabia's second largest oil importer as the Kingdom supplies Japan with approximately 1, 200 million barrels per day, an equivalent to 30% of Japan's total consumption of petroleum.

Al-Naimi concluded that "Japan is the biggest investor in several fields in the Kingdom, especially the industrial field. We are looking forward to the continuity and growth of Japanese investments in the Kingdom."

Also, Al-Naimi met with Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Aso who expressed his appreciation of the role played by the Kingdom in the field of petroleum industry.

Al-Naimi then met with Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari. During the meeting, they discussed the developments of the international oil market and underscored the importance of developing cooperation between the two countries in the field of oil and energy.

These meetings was attended by the Saudi Ambassador to Japan Faisal Tirad and senior Japanese officials.