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July 16, 2004 |
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***** The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz received at his office at Al Salam palace in Jeddah Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafiq Al Hariri. Al Hariri conveyed to the monarch the greetings of President Emile Lahoud of Lebanon. On his part, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques sent his greetings to the president. During the meeting, they reviewed the overall situations and current developments at the Arab and international arenas, particularly the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iraq. In addition, they discussed aspects of cooperation between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in all fields. The meeting was attended by Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the 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; senior protocol officers, and ministers. In view of floods in some regions of Bangladesh, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has ordered to provide the victims of the floods with necessary food, medicine, tents, rugs and blankets to help alleviate suffering by the victims affected by the floods. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General made telephone call to Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak. During the conversation, Prince Sultan congratulated President Mubarak on his safe return home following medical recovery from the successful surgery he has recently undergone, wishing him constant good health. President Mubarak thanked Prince Sultan for his noble and sincere feelings. Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior, received at his office in Jeddah a number of personnel and students of the International Institute for Health Sciences, led by Chairman of the Board of Directors of the institute Ibrahim Ibn Musa Alzuwaid. They expressed thanks for the efforts exerted by security men for the comprehensive peace in the country. A package of dissertations conducted by the institute's students on ways to combat terrorism were presented to Prince Naif. On the other hand Interior Minister Prince Naif demanded an immediate explanation from both Minister of Health Dr. Hamad Al-Manie and Minister of Agriculture Dr. Fahd Balghaneim on measures taken by the two ministries to contain the outbreak of Malta fever (brucellosis) in Jizan recently. He has also called for details over the infection of livestock in the area with the same disease. Information coming from Amoud village in the Al-Reeth area of Jizan indicates that Maltese fever has infected adults and children as well as animals in the region. Citizens had complained to the local branch of the Agricultural Ministry and asked for their animals to be injected, but the authorities apparently failed to respond. Dr. Yakub Al-Mazrou, assistant deputy minister for preventive medicine in the Ministry of Health, told the Saudi Press Agency that 25 cases of Malta Fever had been recorded in the village in the Al-Reeth region between the beginning of March to May. He said that the Malta Fever is a zoonotic (transferable from animals to humans) bacterial disease that affects animals mainly goats, camels dogs and cattle. Transmission of the disease occurs by contact with infected meat, placenta of infected animals, or ingestion of un-pasteurized milk or cheese. The illness may be chronic and persist for years. All cases have been treated in Beesh hospital and no deaths were recorded. In a coordinated program between health and agriculture ministries took the necessary steps to inoculate animals to prevent diseases spreading to humans. Detecting infected animals controls the infection at its source. Vaccination is available for cattle, but not humans. A combination antibiotic therapy is the usual step to treat and prevent relapse of infection. Longer courses of therapy may be required for complications. Prince Abdul Majeed Ibn Abdul Aziz, Governor of Makkah Province and Chairman of the High Authority for the development of Makkah Al Mukkaramah has signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of the Jabal Khandama with the Jabal Khandama Development Company. The project aims to develop the eastern and north eastern regions surrounding the Holy Mosque in Makkah. Prince Abdul Majeed announced that the amounts of the compensations to be paid to owners of houses included in the area is SR 60 million. Meanwhile Work started on the expansion of the Jamrat Bridge where faithful perform one of the main rituals of Hajj. The project involves the demolition of parts of the existing bridge to give way for a new larger structure to facilitate movement of pilgrims. According to Dr. Habib Zain Al-Abideen, deputy minister of municipal and rural affairs, SR100 million has been allocated for the project. The Jamrat area, on Mina plain, is where Muslims stone the devil during the annual pilgrimage. A local company won the contract seven months before the start of the Hajj season. The project expands the three Jamrat basins where stones thrown by pilgrims should fall as well as the bridge leading to the site. Posts and concrete barriers will provide greater safety to pilgrims. The Jamrat basin will be expanded from its current circular shape to an oval to allow better access for the rite, he added. The expansion and development also covers the access routes for pilgrims. Currently pilgrims approach and leave the site by the same route. The new structure will have an electronic system to direct and control the movement of pilgrims over the bridge. There will also be a warning system for pilgrims in the tents spread across the plain if crowds at the site or on the access roads reach critical levels. The company undertaking the project will train the employees in the operation and maintenance of the control and guidance systems and in directing movement under the bridge. There will also be emergency exits and parking areas for ambulances. Zain Al-Abideen said the project would be completed on schedule two months before the start of Hajj in mid-January next year. He said further development of the site would be carried out if that becomes necessary. Prince Mite'b Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, has said that committees and working teams have been formed and an agreement has been reached with international consultants and experts in order to finalize the necessary agreements for the process of Municipals Councils' Election. He noted that this came as an implementation of a Cabinet resolution to activate Municipal Councils and to expand the participation of citizens in running the local affairs. Prince Mite'b added that the committees and the working teams have acquired international experiences in the Municipal election, followed mechanisms and techniques in use and reviewed regulations and identical by-laws prior to drafting a complete election system which conforms to the Kingdom's principles in a way to achieve optimum level of activation in the popular participation in running the local services through the municipalities and to extend transparency in procedures and honesty in its results. He stressed that the working teams which consisted of experts in Sharia (Islamic Jurisprudence), social, administrative, law and technical fields had participated in studies which had been conducted by the Ministry in cooperation with a number of international experts. Prince Mite'b added that the working teams also set up the basic regulations and systematic procedures for the election process and drafting the concerned by-laws and resolutions. He noted that the by-laws of the election of the members for the Municipal Councils will be issued very soon. He also noted that the election centers, the time of registering the electorate, the registration of candidates, the deadline for the nomination and the process of electing members in 178 Municipal Councils will be determined in accordance with a fixed time-table which includes all cities and villages in 13 regions of the Kingdom. 'This will start within few weeks after the summer vacation and the opening of schools. And there will be a detailed statement," Prince Mite'b said. He stressed the keenness of the leadership led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, The Crown Prince and the Second Deputy Prime Minister for the unlimited support to the national goal to achieve wider active participation of all citizens in running the affairs of their cities and villages. Prince Mite'b also stressed his keenness to follow up the work of the committees and teams as well as affirmed that he will work personally to complete all preparations for the conduct of the election on its time. Prince Sultan Ibn Salman, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, chaired the opening session of the Barcelona Forum for Cultures. Prince Sultan is attending the forum at the invitation of Barcelona governor and chairperson of the forum. Senior officials in charge of tourism in a number of countries as well as government ministers and heads of international organizations will attend the forum. The session headed by Prince Sultan will focus on tourism promotion of tourism as a means of promoting peace, cooperation and the preservation of cultural diversity as a catalyst for sustained development. Meanwhile, the prince said during a visit to Al-Jouf he considered the region to be one of the greatest potential draws for tourism in the Kingdom. The region, with its rich cultural heritage and unspoilt nature, could serve as a model of tourism development for the rest of the country, he told reporters in Sakaka. Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Millenium Fund said in his first statement to the press after chairing the charity fund that the Prophet Peace Be Upon Him said that 9/10 of the income is made from trade. The Prince stressed that the Fund encourages youth, male and female to start their own business in the trading and businesses. Prince Abdul Aziz said the Fund aims at helping the youth and supporting them all along in establishing their businesses, while encouraging them to think about good investment opportunities instead of waiting for a job after graduation. The Prince also stressed that the Fund will support the youth to combat unemployment and will establish partnership between the private sector and youth. Prince Abdul Aziz added that businessmen from the Private sector will provide the youth with all the advises and services they need. A charitable foundation, The Millennium Fund, has been established to support Saudi businessmen to assist young Saudi men and women in starting their own private businesses as a goal to become financially independent. Meanwhile Ali Ibn Ibrahim Al-Namlah, minister of Social Affairs, described the Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz royal order for the creation of the fund as a substantial step in fighting unemployment by encouraging the young men and to establish their own businesses. In addition to helping youths lead an independent life, it will fight unemployment and create job opportunities. He said the idea of the fund had emerged when the Kingdom celebrated the centennial anniversary of the Kingdom. The leadership decided not announce the project until all the elements of the success of the fund are crystallized, Al-Namlah said. It is likely that the Saudi boys and girls will be given loans to start their own free businesses. This great financial support covers other aspects especially training that effectively helps in creating job opportunities. However, this shows that the fund serves as a professional economic tool for the employment of the Saudi youth regardless of the gender. Al-Namlah said the relationship between new fund and the Anti-Poverty Fund are evident in the sense that both of them pour on to the same channel to fight unemployment. Sheikh Abdul-Raman Al-Jeraisy, chairman of the Council of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry said, The step came to put an end to the capital problem. In other words the starting capital needed by those who do not possess enough money to start their own private businesses. Thus, the establishment of this fund came to end their problems. He pointed out that the chamber of commerce and industry throughout the Kingdom is in the process of creating a data base including all the necessary information that may be needed by the youth about the fund in order to enable them launch their businesses as soon as possible. Al-Jeraisy said there are thousands of opportunities for the Saudi youth in the field of free trade, unlike the case in the previous years. The step came to meet the pressing needs of the two parties the first party is the Saudi boys and girls who are looking for an honorable job and the Saudi businessmen who are looking for developing and expanding their commercial activities, Al-Jeraisy said. This shows that the fund serves the purposes of either parties. U.S. President George W. Bush met with Moroccan King Mohammed II at the White House to discuss developments in Iraq and the need to ratify a free trade agreement between the two countries. Morocco and the United States reached a free trade agreement earlier this year, but it is awaiting ratification. "The president emphasized to the king his desire to see the free trade agreement ratified this year," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. The two leaders also discussed the war on terrorism and Bush expressed his appreciation for the kingdom's commitment to help Iraqis with security. U.S. President George W. Bush received King Mohammed of Morocco at the White House in Washington. According to White House spokesman Scott McClellan, "The president and King Mohammed were pleased to discuss our excellent state of bilateral relations, including making the most of the upcoming free trade agreement that was recently signed with Morocco." McClellan said the president emphasized to the king his desire to see the free trade agreement ratified this year, and the two leaders also "spent a good bit of time talking about the global war on terrorism and our cooperation in those efforts." The leaders also discussed the Middle East peace process and the issue of the Western Sahara. "We certainly appreciate the commitment from Morocco to help support the Iraqi people as they move forward on improving the security situation and building a free and peaceful society," McClellan said. The spokesman concluded by stating that the president "certainly thanks His Majesty King Mohammed II for his leadership, and appreciate Morocco's close friendship with the United States." President Arafat received a delegation of the Palestinian-American Congress, in which Mr. Arafat updated the visiting delegation on the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said plans for elections in Iraq could be delayed because of continuing unrest after the US-led handover of power, according to a Thai government spokesman on Tuesday. Annan met Tuesday with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and said he wanted Thai troops to stay on after the end of their year-long deployment as continuing violence threatened elections slated to be held before the end of January, the spokesman said. Jakrapob Penkair told reporters after the meeting between the two men in the Thai capital Bangkok that Annan anticipated the unrest in Iraq would continue. "Annan said Iraq could not return to normal soon because of the problem with its internal security and he said that this could affect or even delay organising the elections," Jakrapob said. Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi declared last month that elections would take place in January as scheduled despite the violence. Prime Minister Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal announced last Monday the establishment of the National Council for Education that includes all government and non-government organizations, pointing out to the law No. 405 issued in 1992 to set up the council. In a ceremony for launching 250 summer centers for Holy Quran memorization in Sana'a, Ba-Jammal said those centers were intended to teaching theHoly Quran apart from personal, partisan, sectarian influence. He pointed out to importance of reviewing the curriculum. Last month, the government gave orders to reform the education system and close unlicensed schools and religious centers. President Bashar Al-Assad received Lakhdar Brahimi, the Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General at Al-Rawda Palace on Sunday. Brahimi handed president Al-Assad a letter from the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on the Middle East peace and the situations in Iraq. Talks during the meeting dealt with the role the UN could play in establishing just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East and in the restoration of stability in Iraq. Bahrain's cabinet paid tribute to the flourishing bilateral relations binding the two kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, citing the recently-concluded state visit of Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, to the neighboring kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In a press statement following the Bahraini cabinet's weekly session, Mohammed Ibn Ibrahim Almutawe'a, the Cabinet's Affairs Minister, said Sheikh Khalifa briefed the cabinet on the outcome of his successful visit to Saudi Arabia and the contents of the talks he had with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard. Saudi Human Rights National Association has expressed appreciation for the Saudi leadership' stand in the face of terrorism. In a statement, the association urged the wanted for security reasons to respond positively to the Saudi leadership' initiative granting safety to the wanted who surrender. The association said responding positively to the initiative will save lives and prevent damage. The Saudi Consulate in Mash'had, the north-eastern city of Iran, has resumed its activities. Head of the Office of the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Mash'had Ghulam Ali Arbab Khalis said Saudi Consul General Bandar Mohammed Jamil officially started his works last Monday. He hoped that the Saudi Consulate would positively contribute to further enhancing Saudi-Iranian relations in the economic, cultural, tourism and religious spheres. The Ministry of Housing, Electricity and Water is planning to commission a study into the issue of power transmission losses which eat up as much as a fifth of the total generated power. The study, which will be undertaken by a consultant, will cover the North Oman grid that encompasses all areas fed by power generation facilities at Ghubrah, Rusayl, Barka, Manah, Wadi al Jizzi and Al Kamil, as well as some outlying diesel engine stations (many of which have since been decommissioned in favour of efficient gas-based generation). In 2003, cumulative system losses totalled 2,244,582 megawatt hours (MW/hr) of power, amounting to 21.8 per cent of total generated power (inclusive of figures for Dhofar Governorate and other independent networks, which fall outside the North Oman grid). According to statistics issued by the ministry, transmission losses have maintained an upward trend over the past years, rising from 19.7 per cent in the year 2000 to 20.1 per cent the following year. The figure climbed to 20.8 per cent in 2002. Officials have stressed that transmission losses in Oman are not abnormally high when compared to most electrical grids in the Gulf region. However, hot climate conditions and the relatively huge distances covered by transmission lines play a contributory role. Power loss is defined as the difference between the distributed electrical power from the plant and the billed power. It includes technical losses, which refers to electricity that is lost when it is transmitted from the power station through the transmission lines and the main transformer stations to the consumer's equipment. Also included are non-technical losses, which refers to power that cannot be billed because the electricity meters are either defective or tampered with. Other factors contributing to system losses are metering errors in power generating stations, transmission and distribution losses linked to the use of copper and iron in electrical equipment, theft (if any) and other clerical and computational errors. The North Oman grid is the largest power transmission network in Oman connecting most regions and governorates of the Sultanate, notably Muscat Governorate, Al Batinah, Al Dhahirah, Interior and Al Sharqiyah regions. There are also independent networks in Musandam Governorate, Dhofar Governorate and Al Wusta region, catering to wilayats and areas within their geographical purview. Power transmission and distribution networks in Oman are made up of high, medium and low voltage lines maintaining voltages of 220, 132, 33, 11 and 0.415KV. By the end of 2003, the total length of transmission lines in the Sultanate climbed to 41,404 kilometres, while the number of transformer stations rose to 19,607. The size of the network in north Oman is expected to grow significantly when a huge transmission system is built in the Batinah region linking the new Sohar Independent Water and Power Project to the grid. The ministry is also implementing bilateral power transmission links with neighbouring United Arab Emirates as part of a plan to integrate the power grids of the two countries ahead of a wider goal to link the grids of the Gulf states. President Mamadou Tandja of Republic of Niger received credentials of Ahmed bin Nasser bin Hamad al Mahrazi, Sultanate's extraordinary, plenipotentiary and non-resident ambassador to the Republic of Niger. The ambassador conveyed greetings and best wishes of Sultan Qaboos to the President of Niger on this occasion and expressed his delight and honour to present his credentials to the president. He expressed his keenness to contribute to the strengthening of ties between the two countries. President Tandja welcomed the ambassador and thanked His Majesty the Sultan for his greetings. He assured the Sultanate's ambassador his fullest support and from the government and peoples of Niger to enable him perform his duties. The Ministry of Higher Education of the Sultanate of Oman has specified the 24th of July for registration to join missions abroad for graduates of the General Certificate. The Ministry has announced offering 205 missions and scholarships to students who comply with the conditions. 80 missions will be paid for by the Ministry, while the Ministry will partly participate in the other 30 missions in addition to 15 which will be paid for by the Omani Oil Development Company. Brethren countries have offered 100 scholarships in addition to 70 places offered by the Ministry of Higher Education to study medicine at Oman Faculty of Medicine and 10 others offered by the Faculty of Law and Sharia. According to Iran's State News Agency (IRNA) Iran's President Mohammad Khatami reiterated his country's strong condemnation for terrorism and violence under whatever pretext and in any place. The condemnation was part of a condolence message he issued on the occasion of the recent bombings and mortar attacks on a vast crowd of worshipers in Karbala and Baghdad which reportedly killed at least 170 people and wounded hundreds of others. "Today, the enemies of the Iraqi people, who are enemies of co-existence, freedom and peace in the world, have caused a tragedy in this country," Khatami said. They have killed a number of innocent men and women. The responsibility for their acts should be put on those who cannot tolerate stability, security and national governance in Iraq, he added. "We condemn terrorism and violence wherever it is committed and under whatever name it is called as we have done several times in the past," the president said. It is clear the occupation of Iraq neither promotes stability and security in that country and is the cause of the ever-increasing disturbance in the Iraqi people's lives and the great losses suffered by that country, he stressed. Khatami expressed his condolences to the Iraqi Governing Council, clerics, jurisprudents, the Iraqi nation and all Muslims, particularly the bereaved families of victims of the tragedy. He also expressed his hope stability and security would reign in Iraq with the creation of a national government representative of all the country`s interests at the earliest time. The Muslim delegation formed by the Muslim World League to unify efforts to tackle challenges met under the chairmanship of Dr Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdul Mohsen Al Turki. Members of delegation were informed about the working paper prepared by the Muslim World League, the aims, programs, plans of the delegations and ways of implementing them. The delegation include the Grand Mufti of Lebanon Dr Mohammed Rashi Qabbani, the Chairman of the Islamic Call in Sudan Field Marshal Abdul Rahman Sewar Al Dhahab, the Secretary General of the Islamic Council for Call and Relief Kamel Al Sharif and the Minister of Endowment and Islamic Affairs in Jordan Ahmad Ibn Mohammed Halil. Saudi Aramco and a consortium of Royal Dutch-Shell signed an accord to boost international position of the Saudi company in spheres of refining and marketing, and to continue its role as a reliable source of refined and high-quality petroleum products for Japan. nder the accord, Saudi Armco will obtain a strategic portion amounting to 9.96 percent of Shawa-Shell, a refinery and marketing company. ccordingly, Saudi Aramco will provide Shawa-Shell with not less than 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day. his deal will make Saudi Aramco the biggest supplier of crude oil for Japan. t is worth mentioning that Saudi Aramco provides Japan with about one million barrels of crude per day. Commenting on this development, Abdullah Jumah, the President of Saudi Aramco, said investment in the field of refining and marketing would urther boost obligations of Saudi Aramco toward Japan. e noted that the 60-year experience of Saudi Aramco in the fields of oil exploration and production would positively contribute to enhancing ts cooperation with Japan. President Yasser Arafat held two separate meetings with the Jerusalem Inner Committee and the Apartheid Wall Follow up Committee. In the Jerusalem-related meeting, Arafat discussed with the committee's members the latest developments on the soil of the occupied holy city including the Israeli measures intended at isolating it from the West Bank, the judaizing moves and the provocative actions against the City's inhabitants. The meeting came up with some recommendations; calling on the Palestinian people everywhere to hold protests ad peaceful demonstrations and ensuring all possible means to keep the City's inhabitants steadfast in the face of the Israeli occupation measures. In his second meeting with the Wall Follow up Committee, the President Arafat praised the local, regional and international efforts at both popular and official levels that led to the International Court of Justice's latest ruling regarding the Israeli Apartheid Wall being built in and through the West Bank. Arafat reiterated satisfaction with the court's advisory opinion that demanded Israel to demolish already built sections of the wall and compensate all those Palestinians affected by its construction. The wall's committee briefed President Arafat on the latest contacts with regards the promotion of the ICJ's verdict at the international level in order to have the ruling implemented on the ground. The committee thanked all Arab and international parties that have so far exerted relentless efforts that concluded such a 'monumental' decision, calling on these bodies for further moves until Israel's Apartheid Wall is removed. A highly critical Senate Intelligence Committee report concludes U.S. intelligence analysts remained objective, but got careless, as they estimated the threat Iraq posed prior to the U.S.-led invasion, officials familiar with the report say. After a year long review, the committee was releasing more than 100 conclusions on the quality and quantity of the intelligence community's Iraq assessments, including estimates on the former government's purported mobile weapons labs, chemical and biological weapons, nuclear program and unmanned aerial vehicles. Republicans and Democrats alike on the Senate committee have said their report was a hard-hitting review of the intelligence agencies' performance that would not paint a flattering picture of the CIA, the Associated Press reported. Senator John Rockefeller, a senior senator of the Democratic Party of the West Virginia said after the release of the Investigation Report: the unreasonable war has landed the US in a more unsecured position and will affect the security of the US for generations to come. The US credibility in the world is on the decrease and its reputation has never been so low as nowadays. We've sown the seeds of hatred among the Moslem World for the American people and have taken roots already whereas the most evil consequences directly evolved is that the US is now most likely to be attacked as never before. A Kuwaiti source confirmed that the three Iranian fishing boats were released. Kuwait had seized three Iranian fishing boats after they strayed into its waters in the latest in a string of incidents involving Iran and its Gulf neighbors. The boats' seizure, came just two weeks after Iran captured and held three British naval vessels and their eight crew for three days. State television said Iran's embassy in Kuwait had confirmed the seizure of the three Iranian vessels and their crew. "The Iranian embassy will follow up the issue" last Saturday, television quoted an unnamed Iranian diplomat as saying. Kuwait security sources said the incident took place few days ago when the Iranian fishing boats accidentally entered Kuwaiti territorial waters. They said the Iranians had been released. It said they were subjected to investigations and were told not to enter regional Kuwaiti waters. According to the source the Iranian fishing boats were seized last Wednesday and released later. The source added that the incident was of no importance and was dealt with appropriately. |