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September 24, 2004 |
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ON BEHALF OF THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES AND ON HIS OWN BEHALF CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH IBN ABDUL AZIZ CONGRATULATES THE CITIZENS ON THE OCCASION OF THE NATIONAL DAY. THE CROWN PRINCE: SAUDI ARABIA HAS MADE GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS AND ATTRACTED THE ADMIRATION OF THE WORLD COMMUNITY. PRINCE SULTAN IBN SALMAN: WE EXPECT THAT THE NUMBER OF PILGRIMS IN THE COMING YEARS WILL REACH 8 MILLIONS. THE FINAL STATEMENT OF THE MUSLIM WORLD LEAGUE. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, emphasized the importance of strengthening national unity to confront terrorism and other challenges. "The cohesion between the Saudi leadership and people as well as the efforts of security and military forces will defeat those who intend to undermine the Kingdom's security and stability," he added. Addressing the weekly Cabinet meeting, Crown Prince Abdullah also expressed his deep concern over the worsening security situation in Iraq where scores of people are killed daily in explosions and armed encounters. The Cabinet meeting called upon the international community to work for ending the "human catastrophe" in Iraq, the Saudi Press Agency said. The meeting denounced the continuing "criminal and provocative actions" being committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people. Earlier at the outset of the meeting, Prince Abdullah congratulated the Saudi people on the occasion of the National Day, which falls on September 23. "The National Day reminds us of the great efforts made by King Abdul Aziz and his men to unify the Kingdom," he pointed out. The Crown Prince highlighted the tremendous progress achieved by Saudi Arabia over the years under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, "thanks to its balanced policies based on Islamic principles." He underlined the Kingdom's efforts to establish strong relations with other countries. Prince Abdullah attributed the Kingdom's achievements to the unity and solidarity between Saudi leadership and people, which he added, strengthened the country and "protected it from sedition, and other dangerous challenges." The Kingdom has to maintain this national unity to achieve more progress and prosperity, he said. The Cabinet meeting urged Saudis and expatriates to cooperate with census officials who started their work last Wednesday. Some 42,000 officials, mostly teachers, are involved in the month long census operation. The meeting authorized the interior minister or his deputy to sign an agreement with Turkey on the exchange of wanted suspects. It also endorsed the World Health Organization Agreement on Combating Tobacco and another international agreement on the security of ships and port facilities as well as alterations to the 1974 international convention for the safety of life at sea. Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie, meanwhile, announced yesterday that the 1,095-bed King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh, the largest health facility in the Middle East, would be officially opened on Oct. 5. He said the medical city, which comprises four hospitals, was established at a total cost of SR2.3 billion and is provided with modern health facilities. The 459-bed main hospital in the city has all speciality clinics to treat chronic diseases, the minister pointed out. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, chaired the Cabinet's weekly session. On the occasion of the national day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Abdullah congratulated the citizens and highlighted the efforts exerted to unify the kingdom, and pointed to achievements made since the unification. In his statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Fouad Ibn Abdul Salam Al-Farsi said the Crown Prince stressed on the importance of unity among citizens, and said that achievement of more prosperity and stability for the homeland and loyal people will only be realized by continuation of national unity, solidarity between the people and the leadership and sincerity of security men and military. Dr. Fouad Ibn Abdul Salam Al-Farsi added that on the issue of Iraq, the cabinet regretted the grave situation there, calling on all to work to put an end to the tragic situation in which bombings and clashes led to the daily killing of tens of innocent people. On the Palestinian issue, the cabinet also regretted and condemned the constant criminal and provocative acts by the Israeli authorities and their military machine against the Palestinian people. On the domestic arena, the Cabinet reiterated its call for citizens to demonstrate the utmost levels of cooperation with government officers assigned to conducting the population and housing census, a nationwide campaign kicked off last Wednesday. Dr. Fouad Ibn Abdul Salam Al-Farsi said the Council of Ministers then reviewed the local items on its agenda and issued the following decisions: The Cabinet approved a proposal submitted by the Minister of Defense and Aviation to implement Article 18 of the Army Officers Service System retroactively, so that it would not contradict the retirement and promotion terms of officers of aviation who were appointed before the amendment. The Minister of Interior or his deputy was authorized to sign a draft of cooperation agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Turkey in the field of extradition of the convicted and indicted. The final version will be forwarded for further authentication. The Cabinet endorsed the World Health Organization's framework agreement relating to tobacco combat. A royal decree in this regard will be issued. The Council of Ministers also approved the International Code on Ships and Ports Utilities Security and its 2002 amendments on the International Agreement of the Souls Safety on Seas for 1974 issued by the Diplomatic Conference held at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London from 9 - 13 December 2002 to accredit a mechanism aiming at protecting sea-overlooking countries threatened by dangerous vessels on the seas. The Cabinet approved the appointment of Saeed bin Mohammed bin Jumae Al Jumae as Administrative Advisor at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Hindi Aldibayan as Director General of Training and Scholarships Department at the Ministry of Education. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrated on Thursday the 74th anniversary of its national day. On 9th Jumad Al-awal, 1351H, the late King Abdul Aziz announced the unification of the country under the name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following 32 years of sincere and dedicated struggle (Jihad) during which he laid down bases for this nation in the light of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah (Prophet's sayings). The integration of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has witnessed great deeds of the late King Abdulaziz who had captured hearts and minds of the people of this country, after years of works on the path of his predecessors -- the Al-Sauds. The anniversary of the national day is not just a national occasion, but an important moment to stand in solidarity and to think about the potential ability of this great nation to overcome obstacles, difficulties and challenges within the framework of the rulings of Al-Sharia. The first Saudi state was established in 1157H when the late Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud decided to support the call of the late Sheikh Mohammad Ibn Abdul Wahab which was aimed at returning to true Islam. The Jihad of Al-Saud had continued, even with the end of the first Saudi state which lasted 46 years, due to the foreign intervention. In 1240H, the second Saudi state was established under the leadership of the late Imam Turki Ibn Abdullah Ibn Mohammad Ibn Saud who had continued the march on the same path up to 1308H when the second state came to an end due to local factors. The light of dawn on 5th of Shawal 1319H was the beginning of a new era when the late King Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdul Rahman Al-faisal Al-Saud captured the city of Riyadh. The late King Abdul Aziz continued the Jihad to raise the word of God and to spread the true religion. King Abdul Aziz had moved ahead from Riyadh with the true religion in his pursuit of Jihad until he had brought about cohesion and unified everyone on bases of truth, justice, security and safety. The Late King Abdulaziz had always called for the Islamic solidarity and Arab cooperation. He had also contributed to the establishment of the Arab League and the United Nations. History will not forget his stands on a number of regional and international events. As a fine example, the late King Abdul-aziz had served in an exceptional manner the Muslim nation's causes, particularly the Palestinian cause. His successors Late Kings Saud, Faisal, Khaled and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, have been following the path laid down by the unifier of the Kingdom. The present era of King Fahd is committed to proceed ahead to bring about the Kingdom's progress and prosperity and ensure its security and peace. On the other hand a suspect, wanted by the Saudi security authorities, was injured and arrested and three security men also injured during a shootout between the security forces and the suspect, an official source of the Ministry of Interior said. In a statement, the source said the security forces were able to detect the whereabouts of a suspect, on the list of deviated group members wanted by the security forces, inside a building in the city of Tabuk. Upon approaching the site, the security men were fired at by the suspect, inflicting three of them moderate injuries. Then fire was exchanged with him, leading to his injury and arrest, the source added. In Cairo Prince Sultan Ibn Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Secretary General of the Higher Commission for Tourism, said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proceeding with its strategy of building a tourism industry on firm bases of partnership between the state and the private sector. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 5th Mediterranean Travel Exhibition in Cairo, he briefed his listeners on the plan to start the industry through the state's capabilities before transferring it to the private sector in the long run. He added that the government is planning to furnish the infrastructure of the tourism industry within a short time before opening the business for private companies' investment. Prince Sultan Ibn Salman said his department is seeking coordination with relevant departments and ministries to link Umrah visa with touristic purposes to meet demands of Umrah worshippers from different parts of the world. He also cast light on what his department call religious tourism, medical and treatment tourism, sports tourism and social tourism. He called for the promotion of Arab tourism among countries of the region. A study on Saudi external tourism statistics is currently underway, he said, adding that unconfirmed figures say that foreign touristic trips reached eight million into which Saudi tourists poured more than SR27.5 billion while domestic touristic trips were about 58 million flights with expenditure amounting to SR50.7. million. Domestic trips are expected to grow by 4.9 percent annually to reach about 1.5 million non-Umrah-performer tourist while Hajj and Umrah visas will collectively hit the 7 - 8 million target within the years ahead, he said. He admitted that the figures he made are not accurate, promising that new confirmed estimates will be issued by the end of the year. Prince Sultan Ibn Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Secretary General of the High Commission for Tourism left Cairo after attending the 5th Mediterranean Exhibition for Travel and Tourism held in Cairo. At the airport, he was seen off by the Kingdom's Ambassador to Egypt and Arab Diplomatic Corps Dean Ibrahim Saad Al-Ibrahim In Riyadh Prince Sultan Ibn Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Secretary General of Tourism Higher Authority, opened the touring exhibition of the new Alexandria library. The exhibition is organized by the Norwegian architecture museum and the Norwegian embassy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in cooperation with the national museum. Prince Sultan Ibn Salman, Secretary-General of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), said that some countries are still doubtful about the intentions of the Kingdom, whose leaders are busy building a modern Saudi nation and introducing reforms in almost all sectors. The Kingdom, he said, seeks to promote moderation and tolerance. "Saudi Arabia has been facing major challenges and they are being met by galvanizing the country as a whole, by reforming the government and determining the direction of the country with a view to focusing more on the country's development," said Prince Sultan, while opening the Alexandria Library exhibition. Referring to the new library, designed by a Norwegian architectural firm Snohetta, Prince Sultan said it is a landmark representing culture and civilization of this region in particular and the world in general. Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. founded the city of Alexandria and his successor later founded this library with a collection of almost 700,000 rare scrolls in many languages. Trond Haavard Rudi, charge d'affaires at the Norwegian Embassy, highlighted Saudi-Norwegian relations. Asked about the spate of terror attacks hampering plans of the Saudi government, Prince Sultan said: "Saudi Arabia's economy is prospering today and its future is very bright. The government is busy building, developing and changing our nation, while others are busy doubting the Saudi direction." "The Kingdom," he said, "is a major Islamic destination and our initiative is to enable Umrah visitors to enjoy a prolonged stay in Saudi Arabia. Umrah plus program is geared toward that." About the proposed merger of antiquities department with the SCT, Prince Sultan said: "We hope to add value to the antiquities and museum sector and we will be shortly presenting a restructure plan." The SCT will be officially taking over the antiquities sector early next year. The commission has already appointed an international agency to prepare a comprehensive four-year strategy to package and present antiquities and museums for tourism purposes. About the efforts to develop important historical sites and to merge the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museum with the SCT from next fiscal year, Professor Saad Abdul Aziz Al-Rashid, deputy minister for antiquities at the Ministry of Education, said the Kingdom is working to formulate new laws, which will help preserve and promote high-value historical and Islamic monuments including sites of archaeological importance and museums across the country. Meanwhile the Muslim World League's constituent assembly issued a statement at the conclusion of deliberations in Makkah Al Mukkaramah. The Muslim World League (MWL) has renewed its condemnation of terrorist activities which the world has been witnessing in the past few years. It deplored the terrorist acts that led to the loss of lives in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Morocco, Indonesia and other countries. The MWL called upon the international community to cooperate in preserving the lives of people, which are sacrosanct in the eyes of Allah. But at the same time the League expressed indignation and renunciation of the media campaigns that are aimed at linking Islam with such terrorist activities, and which wrongly tarnish the name of Islam and of Islamic organizations. MWL secretary-general Dr. Abdullah Muhsin Al- Turki said that the bundling of Islam in the cage of allegations was a great injustice to this faith, and a distortion of its firm stand against terrorism and the killing of people and destruction of utilities. He said there is no law in the world that condemns and punishes terrorist acts as the laws enjoined by Allah, for the affirmation of security and fairness among people. He quoted Qur'anic verses to this effect. He said Zionist organizations are out on a concerted campaign to tarnish Islam and continuously allege Islamic organizations in terrorist activities. The statement covered numerous issues facing Muslims today. The statement called for mobilizing efforts to protect the nation by implementing the teachings of Islam. The statement called for dealing with causes misleading the youth of the nation away from the correct course of Islam. The statement denounced the media campaigns against Islam, the Holy Quran and Prophet Mohammad, Peace Be Upon Him. The statement called for plans to confront challenges facing the Muslim nation. The statement denounced the terrorist acts, which took place in the world. It called for an international conference on international terrorism and ways of dealing with it in Islam. The statement reviewed a number of issues concerning Muslims including those in Palestine, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia and other places. The statement dealt with other issues facing Muslims in the world and discussed the situation and needs of Muslims in a number of countries and Muslim minorities in the world and demanded giving fair treatment to Muslims everywhere. The Muslim World League's constituent assembly strongly condemned the constant Israeli terror against the Palestinian people. In its statement issued, it called on the United Nations and the peace-loving people to put an end to this terror. The statement stressed that Al Quds is an Islamic Arab city since its foundation and condemned the Israeli measures to destroy its Islamic ancient places and its features. The Muslim World League (MWL) lashed out at the vicious campaign to defame Islam and alter the Holy Quran. The Muslim World League examined the escalating attacks and continuing defamation of Islam in consecutive media and cultural campaigns that drive accusations against Islam and distort its great intentions and noble human principles, defame its holy book (the Quran) and offend the carrier of its message, Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), the statement issued in Makkah said. The statement called for joint defense of Islam by all Muslim nations, governments and organizations. The Muslim World League also lashed out at attempts to distort the Qur an or replace it with another book, pointing out a recent attempt by what it described as a committee specializing in offending Islam and Muslims to publish a 12-chapter book that the latter claims to replace the Holy Quran. The statement added that the way to protect and defend the Quran from those campaigns is to memorize it and adhere to its rulings. The Muslim World League founding committee issued another statement condemning Israeli aggressions against Palestinians. (The Palestinians) are facing continuous Israeli aggression in which Israel uses planes, tanks and missiles to bombard civilians in towns and villages and shed the blood of children, women and the elderly, thus killing thousands of innocent people and razing homes and entire neighborhoods, rendering many Palestinians homeless, detaining thousands of them, confiscating their lands and building settlements on them, in addition to the bitter security and economic siege imposed on Palestinian communities and building the racial segregation wall, the statement said. The league called the UN and peace-loving countries to perform their duties of putting an end to the injustices brought about by Israeli state-sponsored terrorism. Muslim World League (MWL) condemned the shedding of blood and subversive acts in Iraq. Commenting that the MWL has been following the events in Iraq with great concern and condemn the ongoing attempts to sow seeds of sedition in that country. The statement urged the Iraqi people to work for the preservation of their national unity, and to cooperate in a manner that benefits their country. The statement condemned all forms of terrorism. The Muslim World League (MWL) said terrorism is the most dangerous challenge facing Muslim nations and urged a broad-based front to "eradicate the epidemic of terror." "The Islamic ummah is at a difficult turning point in which challenges are increasing, the most dangerous of which is terrorism which has badly harmed Islam and Muslims. |
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