July 2, 2004

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES AND THE CROWN PRINCE DISCUSS THE ISLAMIC AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES WITH THE MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER. THE SAUDI COUNCIL OF MINISTERS EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF SEEKING A CONSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION BETWEEN THE ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE AND THE INTERNATIONAL QUARTET COMMITTEE. OTHMAN HADI AL-MAQBUL AL-AMRI GIVES HIMSELF UP AFTER TWO YEARS ON THE RUN. THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES A TWO-MONTH AMNESTY DURING WHICH CITIZENS CAN SURRENDER UNLICENSED WEAPONS WITHOUT PENALTY. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz chaired the cabinet's weekly session at Al-Salam palace in Jeddah. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Fuad Ibn Abdul Salam Al-Farsi said that the Cabinet was briefed on the contents of talks, meetings and consultations held by the King and the Crown Prince during the previous days with leaders of countries and their envoys which focused on the current situations in the region and the world. The Cabinet was also informed of the talks held with the First Vice President Ali Othman Taha of the Sudan. The talks dealt with developments at Arab, Islamic and international arenas, aspects of cooperation between the two brotherly countries and ways of enhancing them in all fields. As regards Iraq, the Cabinet expressed its satisfaction over the handover of authority to Iraq so that it restores its sovereignty and paves the way for building the state with political, economic, social and security capabilities. It also expressed its satisfaction over the vital role to be played by the United Nations in helping Iraq. On the Palestinian issue and the peace process, the Cabinet hopes that the meeting held by the International Quartet Committee in Taba, Egypt, last Thursday will lead to reviving the peace process in accordance with the Road Map, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the provision of international protection to the Palestinians from the Israeli aggressive policy. The Cabinet emphasized the importance of seeking a constitutional cooperation between the Arab Peace Initiative and the International Quartet Committee aiming at integrating all efforts and consultations to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the region. Dr. Al-Farsi said the Cabinet then reviewed the local items on its agenda and issued the following decisions: The Chief of Civil Aviation or his deputy was authorized to sign the draft agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Niger in the field of air transportation services. The final version will be forwarded for royal seal. The Cabinet also authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs or his deputy to discuss with the Bahraini side a proposal to add a new article to the diplomatic and consulate agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain as follows: The two parties form a joint Consulate Commission to enhance consulate cooperation between the two countries. The panel holds its meetings on rotation basis in both countries, if deemed necessary. The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding in the field of sports between the General Presidency of Youth Welfare of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State Commission for Physical Education and Sports of the Federal Republic of Russia. Upon recommendations presented by the Supreme Economic Council's Standing Committee, the Cabinet decided to reduce the financial charges levied by the government on the revenues of the Saudi Telecom Company from 20 percent to 15 percent, effective January 1, 2005. The financial charges stand for the provision of communications services on commercial grounds. According to the decision, the financial charges levied by the government on the revenues of a new provider of mobile service who enters the business on commercial bases will be 15 percent. As for the first year of establishment, the charges will be five percent effective the date of issuing the decision and ten percent for the next year. Giving clarification to some enquiries about Article 28 of the Civil PensionSystem for 1972, the Cabinet confirmed that whoever continues his civil or military service after having reached the regular pension age doesn't deserve the pension retirement benefits while assuming a full-time job. The Cabinet endorsed the final accounts of the Pensions Retirement Fund for the fiscal year 1422 - 1423 H. The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Transport or his deputy to discuss with the Iranian side a draft agreement on organizing the land transportation operations between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The final version will be forwarded for royal seal. The Council of Ministers approved the appointment of Sulaiman Ibn Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdullah Al Gadeeb in the position of Administration Director General at the Ministry of Defense and Aviation and Sulaiman Ibn Hamad Ibn Saad Al Hamad as Administrative Advisor at the Ministry of Finance. On the other hand the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, received at Alsalam palace in Jeddah visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the accompanying delegation. During the meeting, they reviewed the overall developments at the Islamic and International arenas, and aspects of cooperation between the two countries at all levels. The function was attended by Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Prince Saud Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Chief of General Intelligence, Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet and Chief of the Court of the Cabinet's Presidency, and senior civil and military Officials. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, held talks at his palace in Jeddah with visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. During the meeting, they discussed the overall developments at the Islamic and International arenas, particularly the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iraq in addition to the aspects of cooperation between the two countries at all levels. The meeting was attended by Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Prince Mit'eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipality and Rural Affairs, Prince Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, Iyad Ibn Amin Madani, the Minister of Hajj, and Saudi Ambassador to Malaysia Hamid Yahya. On the Malaysian side, the meeting was attended by Badawi's official delegation. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, gave a luncheon party at his palace in Jeddah in honor of visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the accompanying delegation. The function was attended by Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Prince Mit'eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipality and Rural Affairs, Prince Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence, a number of princes, senior civil and military Officials. The visiting Malaysian Premier Datu Sirri Abdullah Ibn Hajji Ahmed Badawi received at his guest residence in Jeddah Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them. The meeting was attended by Iyad Ibn Amin Madani, the Minister of Hajj, Saudi Ambassador to Malaysia Hamid Yahya and Badawi's official accompanying delegation. Abdullah Ahmed Badawi, Malaysian Prime Minister, arrived in Jeddah for a state visit to the Kingdom. At King Abdul Aziz Airport, the Malaysian senior official was received by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, other princes, ministers and senior officials. On the other hand one of Saudi Arabia's most wanted terrorists surrendered, the second suspect to turn himself in under a one-month government amnesty announced last week. Othman Hadi Al-Maqbul Al-Amri, 37, gave himself up after two years on the run, an official source at the Interior Ministry said. "I surrendered of my own free will, having trusted the words of Crown Prince Abdullah," a local journalist quoted Al-Amri as saying after his surrender. A well-known religious scholar, Safar Al-Hawali, who served as a mediator between Al-Amri and the authorities, said the suspect was due to meet Assistant Interior Minister Prince Muhammad Ibn Naif. Al-Hawali, who has offered his service as a mediator in the past, said he had been in contact with Al-Amri since last Ramadan. Al-Amri "came this afternoon from Bani Amr (in Asir) to Jeddah," he said. "Othman thanked the Crown Prince for his amnesty and called on the other (suspects) to take advantage of it," he added. A source told Arab News the suspect insisted on driving to Jeddah on his own and surrendering only at Al-Hawali's home on Arbaeen Street. Plain clothes police surrounded the house shortly after his arrival. Al-Amri figures 21st on the Interior Ministry's most-wanted list established at the end of last year. The list included 26 suspects but to date 11 of them have either been killed or jailed. Al-Amri's surrender came five days after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd announced the partial amnesty aimed at ending a wave of Al-Qaeda-linked attacks, mostly on foreigners. Officials said the state would drop its claims against the militants but added they would then face being tried under Shariah law. This would mean that families of their victims could press for punishment. Al-Amri, a renegade former non-commissioned army officer, fought in Afghanistan, a source said, but declined to say whether he had been directly involved in recent attacks. Al-Amri was from the southwestern province of Al-Namas. He reportedly dropped out of primary school, but later joined a technical school affiliated with the Defense Ministry, graduating as a corporal and later being promoted to sergeant. He was fired for corruption and theft, rehired and discharged again. Al-Amri, married three times and twice-divorced with five children, later worked as a court clerk and opened a vegetable stall. His family said he disappeared in December 2002. They speculated in Saudi press reports he probably had gone to Iraq after the US-led war started in March 2003. Last year his mother told a local newspaper she believed he died there. A former associate said Al-Amri was short-tempered but not particularly religious and rarely prayed. Both his mother and his wife Aziza believed he was bewitched and consulted a number of religious scholars for treatment. Amri was close to Saaban Al-Shehri, a wanted militant who turned himself in last week, he added. Shehri was not on the list of 26 most wanted suspects. Interior Minister Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz said this week the amnesty was a sign of the Kingdom's strength, not weakness. "After the one-month deadline we will hit them harder," he said. At least 85 police and civilians, many of them foreigners, have been killed in suicide bombings and shootings by terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda, which is bent on ridding the Kingdom of "infidels". The International Islamic Relief Organization has condemned the criminal acts perpetrated by the deviating group in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the organization called on individuals of the deviating group to seize the opportunity of the pardon granted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz to repent and surrender to the concerned authorities. The organization also called on citizens and residents to cooperate in the protection of the in the Kingdom and prevention of criminal acts aiming at destabilizing it. The government announced a two-month amnesty during which citizens can surrender unlicensed weapons without penalty. An Interior Ministry statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency called on Saudi citizens to "make use of this opportunity and hand over unlicensed weapons." Those who did not comply by the August 29 deadline would be punished, the statement said. The ministry said the issuing of new weapons licenses for Saudis has been suspended since 2002 following the expiry of a deadline for acquiring them. The move comes less than a week after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd announced a one-month amnesty for suspected terrorists. Under the amnesty, announced by Crown Prince Abdullah, the government would guarantee the repentant extremists' personal safety and drop all charges against them. However, suspects would remain liable to being tried under Shariah law, which could mean the families of their victims, would decide what happens to them, officials explained. The surrender of the two wanted suspects has reduced the list to 11 after a number of terror suspects were either killed or jailed. Earlier this month security forces gunned down the then leader of Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Al-Muqrin, and three of his henchmen hours after they beheaded US hostage Paul Johnson. Terrorists have been waging a year-long wave of attacks targeting Saudis and expatriates as well as government and private property. At least 85 police and civilians, including many foreigners, have been killed in suicide bombings and shootings over the past months. The authorities have seized huge caches of weapons including rifles, pistols, hand grenades, mortars, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and tons of explosives. Many of the weapons were believed to have been smuggled across Saudi Arabia's porous borders. Interior Minister Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz said earlier this month that foreigners who have been unnerved by the recent wave of violence might be granted licenses to carry weapons. "In principle, Saudi citizens have the right to carry weapons after obtaining the required permission. Likewise, expatriates if they feel they were in danger, they can get permission to carry weapons. By weapons I mean the personal weapon they can carry in their own countries," he said. Diplomats from Western countries who met with Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal this week asked for greater protection for their communities in the Kingdom. Deadly clashes continued in northern Yemen as an anti-US preacher besieged by government soldiers refused to negotiate an end to the fighting that has left 64 people dead. Hours before a security source announced that the peace efforts had failed, mediators accused Yemeni troops of undermining their efforts to negotiate the surrender of Hussein Badruddin Al-Houthi and his followers. But the SABA news agency quoted the source as saying that Al-Houthi "refused to cooperate with the mediation delegation ... which tried to bring about an end to the rebellion and a voluntary surrender" to authorities. The mediation effort, launched last Saturday at the behest of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, reached a deadlock after Al-Houthi "refused to cooperate ... and is resolved to continue the rebellion" in his stronghold in Maran, a remote mountainous region in Saada province, the source said. The mediators, who include lawmakers, among them Al-Houthi's brother Yahia, have left the Maran area, where the army has been deployed in strength, the source added. Residents of Malahidh, near Maran, said they heard an intense exchange of gunfire around midday yesterday and that they witnessed a bombardment of the Maran area by Yemeni troops. Heavy fighting that broke out on June 18 in the region, 250 km north of Sanaa, has left 55 insurgents and nine Yemeni soldiers dead, while 61 militants, including the scholar's brother Abdul Aziz, have been captured. Dozens on both sides have also been wounded in the clashes between the army and the hundreds of armed supporters of Al-Houthi, who is surrounded in his stronghold in the rugged terrain near the Saudi border. "We hope for the surrender of Hussein Badruddin Al-Houthi and his supporters but some soldiers in the area appear to be deliberately seeking to escalate" the fighting, mediator Abdul Karim Jadban said. "We are following the orders of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but some want the clashes to continue, which is dangerous for the population," Jadban said, before it was announced that the talks were fruitless. The tension was palpable in the area where the militants, equipped with machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades, have dug trenches to thwart the army's advance, soldiers and residents said. Residents said some families had already started leaving the troubled region, fearing an all-out offensive against Al-Houthi and his men. Meanwhile an official source in the committee of parties' affairs in Parliament condemned the stance of the opposite parties of joint meeting toward mutiny of Hussein Bader Adden Al-Hothi, leader of "Believing Youths" in Saada, and his followers. He said that the stance of those parties was irresponsible. He added that that it was expected from those parties to stand with constitution and law to face people who destabilize security of the country and sectarian strife. "These parties encouraged Al-Houthi in his mutiny and challenge against law and constitution, and justified crimes of Al-Houthi's followers," the source said. Source said that negative stance put those parties under legal questions for their involvement in those crimes against the nation. He considered the stance of the opposition parties as "violation against constitution" as it encourages violence and threatens security of the country. Nine followers of Hussein Al-Houthi have been killed and Al-Houthi's brother, Abdul-Salam, and one of his assistants have been arrested in clashes with the army forces, an Interior Ministry source said. The 26 September.net said that government emissaries have been sent to Saada met on Saturday to negotiate with al-Houti in Maran area to convince him to surrender to the authorities and end the bloodshed which erupted almost a week ago in the mountainous region. The source added that the negotiations withal-Huthi have continued. Official source in the Ministry of Interior stated that the security forces with support of armed forces are chasing Hussein Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi who has appointed himself as Imam and Prince of the Believers. He is charged with staging a rebellion, disturbing security, violating constitution, regulations and law, and establishing secret organization, armed militia, training them, banning citizens from paying zakat to local authority, attacking individuals of armed and security forces, robbery, attacking mosques, their preachers, such as stirring trouble through false racist ideas propaganda to stirring sectarianism which damaging national unity and social peace. The source denied the news that mentioned reasons of campaign is result of circulating Al-Houthi misled followers anti-US or anti-Israeli slogans. The source said those attributed allegations are baseless and that Al-Houthi statements to the medias aimed to justify and cover his crimes. A mediation committee formed by the political leadership is in Maran region seeking to convince Al-Hothi and his followers to voluntarily surrender to avert more damage on citizens of the properties. A source in the Interior Ministry said that Hussein Al-Houthi had refused to respond to the mediation committee that has been formed to negotiate with him in Maran area to convince him to surrender to the authorities and end the bloodshed which erupted almost a week ago in the mountainous region. The source said that the committee has formed and sent to Saada three days ago to convince Al-Houthi to surrender to the authorities but he refused and called the mediators as infidels. The source added that the committee, that includes MPs and social figures are in their way back to the Saada after they has filled to convince Al-Houthi and his supporters to give themselves up. Maran Mountains and neighboring areas, where armed clashes resumed Sunday between military forces and Al-Houthi's supporters, witnessed mass exodus to other neighboring districts. Citizens claimed compensations for damages and destruction befell on their houses and properties since military operations commenced there. Military forces severely struck, using cannons, this morning at places where al-Houthi is hiding, which faced a sever resistance. Military ambulances transported a number of injured and dead in the part of soldiers. Clashes resumed last Sunday noon after a two-day truce to give way for the mediation efforts. Yahya Al-Houthi, member of the Parliament and committee and brother of the wanted, stated that the peace initiative was based on "my brother would safely go to President Saleh to discuss details." He denied that his brother was the one who started arising disturbance, and said "he sent a letter to the President before going to the USA stating that he would not intend to arise riot, but to condemn America and Israel." Confrontations have escalated between the Yemeni forces and supporters of the Yemeni opposition members Hussein Al-Houthi. In Sadaa, a political crises blew up between the authority and the opposition parties which call themselves " the joint meeting," which brings together the coalition of the Islamic reforms, the socialist, the Unionist Naserite, al-Haq, al-Baath and the federation of the people's forces. News reports said that the position of the opposition in rejecting the government's continued war against Al-Houthi and his supporters and their call on the parliament to fact finding for the Saadah incident and demanding accountability for the officials, provoked the authority to the extent it loomed to desolve the opposition parties. The government based its position against the opposition to that " its stand implies clear encouragement of the rebellious Al-Houthi and his followers to continue their rebellion and defiance of the constitution and the law and giving justifications to crimes committed against members of this " mislead " group. A source at the government's parties affairs committee said that the position of the parties of the " joint committee" which he described as irresponsible " places the parties under legal investigation which makes imperative to maintain firm accountability before the judiciary, including legal measures which place them under desolving these parties because they are collaborating with this crime committed against the homeland and citizens and a treason for the Yemeni Republic constitution." Meantime, well-informed sources said that number of killed and injured persons in Saada is increasing, noting that the Yemeni forces are suffering heavy casualties, and expected the number of casualties among the government's forces to increase to 100 among killed or injured. The Yemeni Minister of the Interior Lt. gen. Rashad Al-Alami is to go before the parliament to clarify the reality of what is taking place in Sadaa of bloody armed confrontations. On the other hand, the Yemeni government took a decision provided for closing all educational schools and centers which work outside the rules of the education law number 45 for 1992. This was approved following a meeting for the Yemeni Cabinet last Tuesday to discuss Saada incidents. In a press statement, the Yemeni cabinet said that the decision was taken due to the " connection between the acts of violence and extremist views and thinking made in the circles of students and youths, campaigned by the curricula of such centers."