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May 21, 2004 |
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PRINCE ABDULLAH IBN ABDUL AZIZ: THE GOVERNMENT IS DETERMINED TO TRACK DOWN THE DEVIANT GROUP, WHO HAVE ABANDONED THE ISLAMIC NATION AND FAITH AND VIOLATED HUMANE VALUES. THE CONSULTATIVE MEETING OF THE GCC MEMBER STATES CONDEMNS THE TERRORIST ATTACKS IN SAUDI ARABIA. THE LEADERS CONDEMN STATE TERRORISM AND STRESS THEIR SUPPORT TO PRINCE ABDULLAH'S INITIATIVE AND THE ROAD MAP. THE GCC LEADERS DENOUNCE THE ABUSE OF IRAQI PRISONERS BY US SOLDIERS. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received at Al-Salam palace princes, ministers, senior officials and citizens who came to greet him. The Crown Prince also received delegations from Asir Region and Qithmah Tribe from Otaibah belonging to Taif Province. In their speeches, the leaders of the two delegations expressed congratulations for the successful surgery recently undergone by Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, and strongly condemned the terrorist acts that recently took place in the kingdom, They stressed their stand by and support for the government to fight the deviant group that perpetrated these acts. On his part, the Crown Prince thanked them for their stand against terrorism and support for the government's response, noting that the delegations and their ancestors are loyal to the religion and their country. Crown Prince Abdullah affirmed that the deviant group will be eradicated no matter how long it takes 20 or 30 years and emphasized that the perpetrators are against religion, morals and humanity. Prince Abdullah said the government was determined to track down "this deviant group, who have abandoned the Islamic nation and faith and violated humane values." The audiences were attended by a number of princes and officials. The Crown Prince Abdullah warned terrorists and their supporters that the Kingdom would not allow them to tarnish its international image. Saudis and their government were "against those who undermine the Kingdom's security and try to damage the country's reputation," he told the group of citizens from the Asir region. Speaking to another group of citizens from Taif, Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz said the Kingdom would nail the terrorists sooner or later. "Leave the matter of this deviant and aggressive group to us," he said. "We will go after them no matter how long it takes." Both groups of citizens had come to see the crown prince to pledge their support in the fight against terror. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received a message from Sultan Qaboos Ibn Saeed of Oman. The message was delivered to Crown Prince Abdullah by visiting Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs Yousuf Ibn Alawi Ibn Abdullah during a meeting at Crown Prince Abdullah's office at the royal court at Al Salam palace. The minister also conveyed the greetings of Sultan Qaboos to Crown Prince Abdullah who, on his part, sent his greetings to Sultan Qaboos. The audience was attended by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Advisor at the crown Prince's Court; Prince Dr. Bandar Ibn Salman Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor at the Crown Prince's Court; and Abdul Mohsin Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Tuwaijri, Advisor at the Crown Prince's Court. On the other hand leaders of Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries held their sixth consultation meeting at Al-Salam palace in Jeddah. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz headed the Kingdom's delegation to the meeting which was attended by Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard. Those who participated in the meeting were Sheikh Maktoom Ibn Rashid Al Maktoom, United Arab Emirates' vice president, premier, governor of Dubai; Bahrain's King Hamad Ibn Isa Al-Khalifa; Fahd Ibn Mahmood Al Saeed, Oman's deputy premier for cabinet affairs; Sheikh Hamad Ibn Khalifah Al Thani, the emir of Qatar; and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jabir Al Sabah, Kuwait's premier. King Fahd welcomed the GCC leaders in their second country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, wishing them all success in their meeting. The leaders reviewed the achievements of the Council for the region's interest, progress and prosperity, and the latest developments at Arab and international arenas. The meeting was attended by Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Abdul Majeed Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Makkah Region; Prince Saud Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of State, Cabinet Member, and Chief of the Court of Cabinet's Presidency; ministers; and senior officials. Leaders of Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries continued their sixth consultation meeting at Conferences palace in Jeddah. On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard headed the Kingdom's delegation to the meeting. Those who participated in the meeting were Sheikh Maktoom Ibn Rashid Al Maktoom, United Arab Emirates' vice president, premier, governor of Dubai; Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa; Fahd Ibn Mahmood Al Saeed, Oman's deputy premier for cabinet affairs; Sheikh Hamad Ibn Khalifah Al Thani, the emir of Qatar; and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jabir Alsabah, Kuwait's premier. Addressing the meeting, Premier Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jabir Al Sabah of Kuwait, whose country holds the presidency of the current session, expressed GCC countries' solidarity with and support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to confront terrorist actions aiming at destabilizing its security. Kuwait's Premier said, ''We put all our capabilities in the service of our Saudi brothers and their endeavors to eradicate these abnormal phenomena''. He affirmed confidence in the Kingdom's capabilities to confront terrorist elements and to wipe them out. Sheikh Sabah thanked the Kingdom's leadership, government and people for hosting the meeting which always embodies the ties of love and fraternity. The participants in the meeting included Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Miteb Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister and members of the official delegations. Leaders of Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries concluded their sixth consultation meeting at Conferences palace in Jeddah. At the conclusion of the meeting, Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard saw off Sheikh Maktoom Ibn Rashid Al Maktoom, United Arab Emirates' vice president, premier, governor of Dubai; Sheikh Hamad Ibn Khalifah Al Thani, the emir of Qatar; Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jabir Al Sabah, Kuwait's premier and Fahd Ibn Mahmood Al Saeed, Oman's deputy premier for cabinet affairs. At the palace, they were also seen off by GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Al-Atiyyah. In a press statement, Al-Atiyyah said that the Supreme Council of GCC countries issued directives to hold an extraordinary meeting of labor ministers to discuss the topic of labors in these countries. On terrorism phenomenon, the leaders condemned terrorist actions that have recently taken place in Riyadh, Jeddah, Yanbu and other Saudi cites which led to killing innocents and intimidating the safe people. The leaders emphasized their stand by the Kingdom and full support for the measures taken to confront this alien misguiding group, praising the capability and efficiency of security bodies in the Kingdom. They affirmed that these criminal actions have nothing to do with religion, stressing their denunciation of all forms of extremism, violence and terrorism. They noted that terrorism is an international plight that threatens the security and stability of the world, calling for an intensive international efforts to combat and eradicate it. In this regard, they welcomed the recent signing of a GCC agreement in Kuwait to combat terrorism. The leaders expressed their resentment at Israel's pursuit of state-terrorist practices against the Palestinian leadership and people, calling on the world community to force Israel to immediately stop demolition of Palestinian houses. The GCC leaders stressed that the initiative of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz adopted in the Arab Summit in Beirut and the bases of the Road Map form the optimal solution to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. The Supreme Council called on the United States of America and the International Quartet Committee to implement the Road Map. On Iraq, they expressed their extreme concern about continual deterioration of security situations and strongly denounced inhuman treatment and crimes committed by occupation forces against Iraqi prisoners. They also condemned terrorist actions in Iraq. They emphasized the importance of the transfer of the authority to Iraqis, representation of all classes, equality of all peoples before the law, and necessity of Iraq's independence and preservation of its territorial integrity. They stressed the importance that the United Nations should play a pivotal role in Iraq. The leaders regretted the United States' decision on imposing economic sanctions against Syria, praising the responsive Syrian stand. They hoped that the United States would review this decision, calling for the pursuit of a positive and constructive dialogue to solve all outstanding issues for the service of mutual interests. On the current Arab situation, the Supreme Council affirmed the necessity of achieving Arab solidarity, looking forward that the forthcoming Arab Summit will preserve the Arab unity and enhance the joint Arab action. The leaders thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Crown Prince and Saudi Government and people for the warm welcome and generous hospitality. Leaders of Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries left Jeddah after attending their sixth consultation meeting. Those who left included Sheikh Maktoom Ibn Rashid Al Maktoom, United Arab Emirates' vice president, premier, governor of Dubai; Sheikh Hamad Ibn Khalifah Al Thani, the emir of Qatar; Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jabir Al Sabah, Kuwait's premier and Fahd Ibn Mahmood Al Saeed, Oman's deputy premier for cabinet affairs. At King Abdul Aziz International Airport, they were seen off by a number of ministers; officials and GCC ambassadors accredited to the Kingdom. Leaders of Gulf Cooperation Council countries had arrived in Jeddah to attend the sixth consultation meeting of GCC countries' leaders. The GCC leaders were received by Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, other prince, ministers and officials. In the presence of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General received here today leaders and heads of delegations of Arab Gulf Cooperation Council participating in the sixth consultation meeting of GCC countries' leaders. The leaders and heads of delegations inquired after the health of Prince Sultan following the successful surgery he has recently undergone. Prince Sultan thanked them for their noble feelings, wishing them permanent good health. He also wished them success in their continual efforts for the interest and prosperity of the region. Meanwhile Sheikh Maktoom Ibn Rashid Al Maktoom, vice president, premier, governor of Dubai and head of United Arab Emirates delegation to the sixth consultation meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council countries' leaders, and Mr. Fahd Ibn Mahmood Al Saeed, deputy premier for cabinet affairs and head of Oman's delegation, expressed happiness for participating in the meeting. In statements upon arrival in Jeddah today to attend the meeting, they commended the gathering saying it was a good chance to consult on issues of common interest. On behalf of Sultan Qaboos Ibn Said, Sayyid Fahd Ibn Mahmoud Al Said, deputy prime minister for the Council of Ministers, headed Oman's delegation in the consultative meeting of the GCC leaders. The participation stems from the Sultan's belief in the importance of brotherly meetings, which bring brothers together to discuss developments at all levels to enhance the joint Gulf action and realise the aspirations of the peoples of the council's states. Sayyid Fahd was accompanied by an official delegation comprising Yousuf Ibn Alawi Ibn Abdullah, minister responsible for foreign affairs; Dr Khamis Ibn Mubarak Al Alawi, minister of housing, electricity and water; Sheikh Salim Ibn Hilal Al Khalili, minister of agriculture and fisheries; Said Ibn Ali Al Kalbani, Sultanate's ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Ahmed Ibn Yousuf Al Harthy, head of the Arab department at the Foreign Ministry; and Awadh Ibn Badr Al Shanfari, head of economic and technical cooperation department at the Foreign Ministry. Bahrain was represented by King Hamad Ibn Isa Al Khalifa and Qatar by Emir Hamad Ibn Khalifa Al Thani. Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and UAE Vice-President Sheikh Maktoum Ibn Rashed Al Maktoum were also in attendance. The leaders condemned terror attacks that have hit several Saudi cities, chiefly Riyadh but also the industrial port of Yanbu, and voiced "total support for all measures taken by Saudi Arabia to confront this "alien, misleading group" responsible for the violence. They were referring to suspected sympathisers of the Al Qaeda network who have been blamed for the wave of terror that has killed more than 65 people and injured hundreds in Saudi Arabia over the past year. They said such "criminal acts" which claimed "innocent civilian lives" have nothing to do with Islam, stressing their rejection of any form of extremism and terrorism and calling for "an intensive international effort to combat and eliminate this worldwide scourge." With violence raging in Iraq, the GCC leaders denounced the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers which has sparked a world outcry, but in the same breath condemned "terrorist operations" in Iraq, presumably including those that target US-led coalition forces. "The leaders ... voiced strong condemnation of the inhuman treatment and crimes practised by occupation soldiers against Iraqi prisoners ... and (also) expressed denunciation of terrorist operations in Iraq," Attiyah said. The leaders also urged the United States to rethink the new sanctions it has slapped on Syria and to pursue "constructive dialogue" to settle any dispute with Damascus. They "expressed regret at the United States' decision to impose economic sanctions on Syria" on grounds that it supports terrorism. They also "praised the responsive Syrian attitude and voiced hope that the United States will reconsider this decision." "They called for pursuing positive, constructive dialogue to settle various outstanding issues in a way that serves common interests." The annual consultative meeting, followed in December by a decision-making summit, "draws its importance from the current Arab and regional situation," Attiyah earlier said. The Gulf Arab leaders will "consult on the worsening situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, the crisis in Iraq and security in the region since the GCC interior ministers signed an anti-terrorism pact," he said before the meeting. "There is also the lift-off in crude prices ... which gives rise to fears of future fallout," Attiyah said, referring to concern over a price collapse. The leaders "look to the upcoming Arab summit to achieve all that will safeguard unity of Arab ranks and boost joint Arab action," the statement said. Sayyid Fahd Ibn Mahmoud Al Said, deputy prime minister for the Council of Ministers of Oman left Jeddah following the conclusion of the meeting. Later, he sent a cable of thanks to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud. In the cable, Sayyid Fahd expressed his thanks and appreciation on the warm reception and hospitality accorded to him and his delegation during their stay in Jeddah. Sayyid Fahd also sent a similar cable to Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz. Meanwhile Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah commended the positive spirit that prevailed during the Sixth Consultative Summit for leaders of the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) States, which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In an arrival statement, Sheikh Sabah told newsmen, "This positive spirit has mirrored keenness of the GCC leaders on developing GCC action for more cooperation and coordination that could fulfil hopes of the GCC citizens." Sheikh Sabah pointed out that the GCC leaders had condemned the terror acts that took place in the Saudi cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Yanbu. He added that the GCC leaders had confirmed their support for the measures taken by the Kingdom to combat terrorism. Sheikh Sabah confirmed that the leaders had welcomed the GCC security treaty for combating terrorism, which was recently signed by GCC Interior Ministers on May 4th in Kuwait. The Prime Minister added, the leaders had expressed their concern over the deterioration of the security status in Iraq, confirming the necessity of speeding up the transfer of authority to the Iraqis and maintaining the unity and independence of Iraq. Sheikh Sabah said, the GCC leaders had condemned the Israeli practices against Palestinian people in the occupied Arab territories and Israel's adoption of the 'state terrorism' policy. Concluding his statement, the Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for Saudi Arabia's government and people for the hospitality and welcome the GCC delegations received during the summit. On the other hand talking about the coming Arab summit, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said "I toured the Arab world in fifteen days, met with almost every leader and every high official and succeeded in building up a consensus that we have to meet." "We have overcome all the obstacles, big and small alike ... I believe the next summit will be held with better preparation," he said. "Negative developments have occurred on both the Israeli-Palestinian question and Iraq. It is an opportunity for the summit to take stock of those developments that have adversely affected the process of peace and adversely affected the general aspiration that the question of Iraq will be resolved soon." The Secretary-General said consensus was built on the premise that a summit must be held every year. He explained that four issues would be discussed in detail at the upcoming summit, which include Palestine, Iraq, reform of Arab society and the Arab League. "We have prepared well and are putting documents before the summit to have a concrete position adopted by the summit on reform, the Arab League, Palestine and Iraq," he said. The secretary general of the Arab League Amr Moussa said that the Arab leaders will discuss the document on reforms on the Arab world, stressing that reform is necessary and does not come from America. He added " if Americans only speaks about reform, then it will be possible to talk with it, but it talks about the Greater Middle East and its has objectives beyond the issue of reform." He explained that " the reform paper" which will be submitted to the summit was prepared, noting that one of the most important item is transparency, political reform, and judiciary independence and the right of the women." He also indicated that the summit will also discuss the issue of handing over the authority to the Iraqis, the Palestinian- Israeli conflict, as well as the " establishment of an Arab parliament and an Arab court of Justice, an Arab investment Bank and an Arab security council." The Arab League Secretary General accused Washington of trying to impose democracy on the Middle East. At a panel discussion on political reforms, Arab League chief Amr Moussa slammed a US initiative seeking greater democracy in the Middle East that many in the region have greeted with suspicion. "They said, 'We want to reform you because it is in our best interests.' This is unacceptable and the approach was clumsy," said Mr Moussa, noting that details of Washington 's 'Greater Middle East Initiative' were leaked to the media before regional leaders were even consulted. "Reform is a good suggestion, but you cannot reform me. You can talk, or advise me, but you cannot put it down my throat," said Mr Moussa. But an Arab audience member, who didn't identify herself, rose to challenge Mr Moussa, questioning how far Arab governments could be expected to go on their own. Another Arab in the audience said the same governments in the region that accuse the West of interfering turn to the West for advice on elections and other matters. At a separate news conference at the forum, US secretary of state Colin Powell acknowledged Arabs were angry at the US because of a sense it was trying to force change, as well as because of its occupation of Iraq and the perception it is biased in favour of Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "I understand the frustration of the region," Mr Powell said, but stressed the US was moving to hand sovereignty back to Iraqis, striving to mediate fairly in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and saw reform as a "partnership", not something to be imposed. Another Middle East expert Gilles Keppel, was challenged when he argued that Arabs needed to build a strong middle class in order to build democracy. "I don't think political reform can be imposed from inside or outside without economic reform," Mr Keppel said. But an audience member, identifying himself only as an Indian, rose to say his country had a democracy despite its overwhelming poverty. As the summit opened, Jordan 's King Abdullah said, "a vision of change by the year 2010" is focused on the region's "core needs: peace based on justice; progress based on reform". He called for new approaches, but to draw on true Islamic values that respect human rights and uphold transparency in government. Recent terror attacks in Saudi Arabia , Spain and Morocco "should unite us all against the culture of terror and destruction", the king said. "In stark contrast, true Islam supports a democratic environment that respects human life, human rights and the rule of law. It upholds accountable, transparent governance. These are the values that make people shareholders in, and protectors of, society," he said. Senior Arab diplomats were unconvinced by US policy in the region after meeting Secretary of State Colin Powell on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum held in Jordan. Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher warned that US standing in the Middle East had "never been lower," although his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Maher, welcomed Powell's criticism of Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes. "The positive point was that Powell said he wanted to listen to the Arab views and we told him of our positions," Maher said after a breakfast meeting with Powell hosted by Jordan's King Abdullah II. Powell reiterated Washington's commitment to the Middle East peace "road map" and endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial plans to evacuate Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip. But he also strongly condemned Israel's recent demolitions of Palestinian homes in Gaza and apologized to the forum for abuses of Iraqi detainees by US troops, while calling for more democratic reform in the Arab world. Maher said Powell's comments were "confirmation that the United States doesn't support the actions taken by the Israelis" but questioned whether Sharon's US-backed disengagement plan could work. Maher earlier joined Moasher and Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath, in a breakfast meeting with Powell at which the Arab ministers insisted that Palestinian statehood and the return of Iraqi sovereignty were essential for regional stability. "It is very important for the United States to look very carefully at what is happening in the region and to take whatever corrective steps it needs to take, in order to reverse the situation," Moasher said. Arab foreign ministers meeting in Jordan urged Secretary of State Colin Powell to speed up handing over sovereignty to the Iraqis. Powell responded by saying Washington was committed to handing over sovereignty to the Iraqis on June 30, and welcomed efforts by the U.N. envoy to Iraq Lakhdar Brahimi to achieve that objective. He also told his Arab counterparts the U.S. administration was committed to the Middle East "road map" that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, although several Arab ministers insisted Israel's behavior in the Palestinian territories was obstructing the peace process. However, the ministers welcomed U.S. promises not to intervene in the final status issues slated to be negotiated between the Palestinians and Israelis. They also welcomed Powell's statements supporting Arab calls not to impose reform plans on the region. Meanwhile the Yemeni Prime minister Bajammal said that president Saleh assigned him to represent Yemen in the Arab Summit to be held in Tunisia on May 22. President Saleh will no be able to attend the Arab summit as it coincides with the May 22 celebrations on the Yemeni Unity as president should share Yemeni people these celebrations, Bajammal said. Bajammal underlined that the Yemeni Unity was the greatest event in the contemporary history of Arab. He said that he would deliver a speech on behalf of president Saleh regarding the reformation of Arab League and situation in Iraq and Palestine and Yemen's initiative in this regard. |
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