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November 5, 2004 |
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CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH MAKES A TELEPHONE CALL TO PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT TO INQUIRE ABOUT HIS HEALTH CONDITION. THE COUNCIL OF PRINCE SULTAN INTERNATIONAL WATER PRIZE APPROVES THE NAMES OF THE PRIZE WINNERS. THE ARREST OF MEMBERS OF THE DEVIANT GROUP WITH A LARGE CACHE OF WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVES. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has highlighted the positive results attained by the national economy in the light of the annual report submitted by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA). The report of SAMA shed light on the prominent economic developments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the fiscal year 1423-1424H (2003-2004). The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques made these remarks while presiding over the regular weekly session of the Cabinet. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz thanked Almighty Allah for the bounties bestowed on the Kingdom, notably the bounties of security and stability as well as the continuous growth of the Saudi economy and its capability to surpass the adverse impact caused by crises witnessed by the region. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz underscored the importance of exerting further efforts for restoration of balance in the general budget. As regards the Palestinian issue, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, expressed their good wishes to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and hoped that he would soon recover and return with excellent health to his homeland. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard reiterated the Kingdom's unwavering support to the Palestinian people and to their just cause, and underlined the importance of enabling the Palestinians to restore their legitimate rights. Meanwhile, Minister of Culture and Information Dr Fouad Ibn Abdul-Salam Al-Farsi, told SPA that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques had briefed the Cabinet on the contents of the messages and contacts made by him and the Crown Prince with a number of leaders of Arab and friendly countries on the latest developments at various arenas notably the tragic situation in Palestine and Iraq. The Kingdom urged the international community to work for ending fighting in the Iraqi territories and to put pressure on Israel until it ends its flagrant aggression against the innocent people. On the other hand, the Cabinet issued the following resolutions: -- Approval of license for the establishment of a Saudi stock company under the name of 'Al-Bilad Bank" in the light of articles 3 an 4 of the Cabinet's decision number 133, issued on 19/4/1425 H. Half of the shares of the company will be floated for subscription within 30 days from publishing the Royal Decree pertaining to the establishment of the company in the official newspaper. -- Transforming the Saudi-Tunisian Company for Development Investment into a loan institution with the characteristics of a comprehensive commercial bank in the light of the second article of the memorandum of understanding, signed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Tunisia on 26/3/1425H. -- The Cabinet approved the appointment of Fahd bin Abdul-Muhsin bin Suleiman Al-Zeid at the post of minister plenipotentiary with grade 14th at the Foreign Ministry. -- Appointment of Ali bin Hassan bin Ahmad Jaffar at the post of minister plenipotentiary with grade 14th at the Foreign Ministry -- Appointment of Abdel-Hamid bin Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Faris at the post of director general of the office of the General Mufti with grade 14th at the Presidency of the Administration of Islamic Research and Ifta. On the other hand the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to President Abdul Aziz Boutaflika of Algeria on the occasion of his country's national day. Similar cables of congratulations were sent to Boutaflika by Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, and Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, made a telephone call to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat last Monday to inquire about his health condition. Arafat expressed appreciation for the heartfelt feelings spelt out by Crown Prince Abdullah. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, offered condolences to members of the family of the deceased Dr Mohammed Alawi Al-Maliki, who passed away last Friday morning. Crown Prince Abdullah was welcomed at the house of the Deceased by his brother Abbas Alawi Al-Maliki and sons: Alawi, Ahmad, Abdullah, Al-Hassan and Hussein. Crown Prince Abdullah visited the house of the late Muhammad Alawi Al-Maliki in Makkah's Rusaifa district and expressed his deep condolences over the death of the Islamic scholar. Prince Abdullah commended the noble efforts of Al-Malki in the service of Islam. "The late scholar was faithful both to his religion and country," the crown prince said while addressing Al-Malki's kith and kin. Prince Abdullah was accompanied by a number of prominent princes and officials including Prince Fawaz, Prince Faisal Ibn Abdullah Ibn Muhammad, assistant director of intelligence, and Prince Turki Ibn Abdullah, adviser at his court. Al-Maliki's family said they were honored by the royal visit, adding that it gave them immense consolation after the big loss. "Prince Abdullah's words have cooled our hearts," said Ahmed, the eldest son of Al-Maliki. He commended the crown prince's efforts to strengthen national unity by bringing Saudis together. He said Prince Abdullah's statement would have great impact on the family and students of Al-Maliki. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received at Al Safa palace in Makkah some princes and a number of officials who came to greet him. The audience was attended by Prince Faisal Ibn Turki Al Saud; Prince Fawaz Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Faisal Ibn Abdullah Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Assistant Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Mansour Ibn Nassir Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Mansour Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Mohammed Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Nassir Ibn Abdul Aziz Ibn Nassir Ibn Abdul Aziz. The guests and attendees had Iftar (Ramadan breakfast) with Crown Prince Abdullah. On the other hand Crown Prince Abdullah will launch this Sunday a number of projects worth SR30 billion in Makkah, including expansion of the Haram Mosque's courtyard, development of Ajyad Hospital and construction of new residential towers in Jabal Omar and Shamiya. Crown Prince Abdullah will also inspect the 50-year development plan for Makkah prepared by the Makkah Development Authority and lay the foundation stone for the SR12 billion Jabal Omar project. He will launch new residential and commercial projects in Jabal Khandama and Jabal Kaaba. Work has already been started on some of these projects while the remaining will be carried out within a timeframe, Al-Riyadh Arabic daily said quoting informed sources. The new projects come as part of the government's efforts to enhance facilities for the welfare and security of millions of pilgrims who come for Hajj and Umrah from all over the world. The projects are aimed at developing disorganized areas in the central region of the holy city after removing old and dilapidated buildings. They will create more prayer space and accommodation facilities for pilgrims and worshippers and provide secure transport systems. Analysts said the new projects would attract more than SR40 billion in investments. Real estate sources calculated highest prices of land in the area between SR175,000 and SR250,000 per square meter. The total area to be developed is estimated at 587,250 square meters, with 90 percent being old buildings. The projects include expansion of the mosque's northern courtyard by 1.2 million square meters. Six designs have been prepared by international companies for the expansion, which is to cover the area between the mosque and the second ring road to the north, Masjidul Haram Street to the east and Jabal Al-Kaaba Street to the west. The Jabal Omar real estate project is expected to change the face of Makkah. Work on the project began in August as utility services to 580 buildings in the area were cut in preparation to demolish them and erect new residential towers designed to accommodate 100,000 people. The Jabal Omar project is one of the largest schemes aimed at developing areas surrounding the Holy Haram. Spread on an area of 230,000 square meters, the project includes five-star hotels, commercial centers, and prayer facilities for 200,000 worshippers. The project will have 4,500 shops and 3,000 showrooms, a central transport station and parking facility for 12,000 vehicles. "It will create a model residential and commercial center with new roads, pathways, tunnels, escalators, and other facilities," said Abdul Rahman Faqeeh, chairman of Makkah Construction Company. Faqeeh said the project would provide some 25,000 jobs for Saudis. Jabal Omar offers residential facilities for 100,000 people, air-conditioned prayer facilities for 100,000 and open prayer space for 120,000, he added. Efforts are under way to establish a joint stock firm named Jabal Omar Development Company to implement the project. The company will have a capital of SR3.5 billion including SR1.1 billion as shares of real estate owners in the area. Part of its shares worth SR850 million will be floated for public subscription. The value of real estate to be acquired for the project is estimated at SR4.3 billion. Building of infrastructure projects will cost SR1.2 billion and hotels and residential towers SR4.5 billion. Referring to construction of a new road parallel to the road linking the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway with Haram, Faqeeh said it would start from the end of the first ring road behind the Makkah Construction Company's residential-cum-commercial complex, pass through Jabal Omar to reach the road parallel to Um Al-Qura Road to join the expressway. The new road will have a 1,000-meter-long tunnel and will pass by Mawarika, Tandbawe, Jabal Ghurab, Rusaifa and Zahareen. Saudi businessmen are expected to invest some SR3 billion to develop Shamiya area. The Makkah Development Authority will soon present them with a plan to develop the area and establish multistory residential towers there. A company will be formed to implement the project. Meanwhile Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, offered condolences to members of the family of the deceased Dr Mohammed Alawi Al-Maliki, who passed away last Friday morning. Prince Sultan was welcomed at the house of the Deceased by his brother Abbas Alawi Al-Maliki and the deceased's sons. During the condolence visit, Prince Sultan was accompanied by a number of princes. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, has sent a message to his Uzbekistan's Counterpart Sadiq Safayev pertaining to the international conference on combating terrorism, due to be held in Riyadh on February 5, 2005. The message was delivered by Saudi Charge d'affaires in Tashkent Abdul Rahman Abanemi during a meeting. Speaking on the occasion, Safayev underscored the importance of the conference and said it would positively contribute to combating terrorism. He reiterated the keenness of Uzbekistan to participate in the conference. In Riyadh Prince Khaled Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Military Affairs, and who is also Chairman of the Council of Prince Sultan International Water Prize, chaired here on Sunday evening the third meeting for the Prize's Council. The participants of the meeting approved names of the Prize's winners as well as recommendations submitted by the Selection Committee in this respect. Speaking on the occasion, Prince Khaled Ibn Sultan said the competitors of the prize are not confined to a certain nationality or religion. "But, the doors are wide-open for all researchers to participate in the competition." He noted that the world is facing the problems of water scarcity and drought in addition to the problem of polluted water. Prince Khaled Ibn Sultan said the third conference of water in the Arab countries, recently held in Lebanon, had reviewed a number of papers pertaining to water problems. He warned against the failure to rationalize water consumption. The winners of the prize were as follows: -Dr Jery Stidnger from the US. -Herman Power from the US -Dr Hisham Taha Abdullah Al-Dasouki from Egypt -Dr Hisham Mohammed Al-Touny from Egypt -King Abdul Aziz City for Sciences and Technology (KACST) At the end of the party, Prince Khaled Ibn Sultan expressed hopes that the prize would positively contribute to solving water problems. The party was attended by Minister of Water and Electricity Eng Abdullah Al-Hussein, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Dr Mahmoud Abu Zaid, as well as a number of senior officials and academicians. With all the noble significance it has, this award reflects the bright image of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its continuous efforts and constructive contribution to human civilization. Honoring the creative with this award is, with no doubt, a recognition of the distinguished efforts and achievements they make to preserve this precious wealth. Their efforts help in water conservation, protecting water from pollution, improving its quality and in many other fields. This honoring also serves as a motivation to every one to exert utmost efforts and develop means of research with all capacity. The Prize is intended to reward the efforts undertaken by innovative scholars and scientist as well as applied organizations in the realm of water resources worldwide. The Prize is established to acknowledge the special achievements that have contributed to the development of scientific solutions. The Prize aims to advance the researches dedicated to solve the problems associated with the provision as well as the preservation of adequate and sustainable water resources, particularly in arid regions. The branches of the Prize encompass all the various intellectual as well as material achievements which have resulted in an increase in the level of human awareness and ability to control, water resources. The Prize embraces the following branches: 1- Surface water 2- Ground water 3- Alternative (non-traditional) water resources 4- Water resources management 5- Protection of water resources The prize is an international award bestowed in the above five branches, and consists of a monetary award in the amount of 500,000 Saudi Riyals (about US$ 133000) awarded for each of the five branches. The Prize is accompanied by a gold medallion and a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Prize Council, bearing the name of the recipient and a summary description of his achievement in the field of the Prize. The Prize Council consists of: 1- Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chairman And the membership of: 2- the Minister of Water 3- the President of King Saud University 4- the Governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation 5- Three Saudi experts in the field of water. 6- Three international experts . 7- The General Secretary of the Prize. On the other hand Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Eng Ali Al--Naimi met with the French Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also met here with US Ambassador to the Kingdom James Oberwetter. During the two separate meetings, Al-Naimi reviewed with the ambassadors, the current situation at the international oil market and aspects of bilateral cooperation in the field of petroleum and mining. The meetings were attended by Dr Ibrahim Al-Mohanna, the advisor at the office of Al-Naimi. Meanwhile the General Organization for Social Insurance's (GOSI) profits from investment projects rose by 46.4 percent last year, compared to previous year, according to Suleiman Al-Humaid, governor of the organization. "Our profits from investments account for 60 percent of our total revenues," he said. GOSI has investment in all Saudi banks and several other companies. On the other hand security forces in Riyadh arrested three wanted men said to be associated with militants. One of the arrested men is an important militant figure. A considerable cache of weapons was also discovered. Security personnel raided two locations east and west of the capital that were allegedly used as storage sites to hide the weapons, Saudi Okaz said. The unidentified men offered no resistance when cornered by the security personnel, the paper said. The weapons cache according to a SPA statement included 20 electric detonators, two bomb launchers (it was unclear whether they were rocket-propelled grenade launchers), 33 explosive projectiles (unclear whether they were RPGs), 14 grenade detonators, 23 highly explosive grenades, one AK-47 with an undisclosed number of magazines, a pistol with 300 bullets, one gun with 600 bullets and wireless communication devices, cameras, computers and electronic media. Another machine gun with ammunition was found with the second man, as well as communications devices, documents and currencies from different countries. The third man was said to be associated with the other two. Security forces also arrested another man in Al-Dalam, governorate of Al-Kharj, who had a number of loaded pistols ostensibly for sale. Special security successfully busted what they described as the largest group receiving and sending information through the Internet on behalf of terror suspects, the Arabic daily, Al-Madina, reported. Forces in a strategic operation foiled the gang by raiding a factory run by Asian nationals who were residing in a bachelor pad in the Mirkab neighborhood. They were allegedly assisting in the exchange of information between terrorist cells inside the Kingdom and abroad. Information found in possession of the suspects, confirmed their ties with the groups. An interior ministry spokesman said last Monday we are still looking for more suspects and weapons, a day after security forces arrested two suspects and a wanted militant and seized explosives, guns, ammunition, and wireless communication devices in intensive raids in Riyadh. The seized weapons were found in a place where the arrested militant was seen repeatedly, said Brigadier Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, the interior ministry spokesman. According to Brigadier Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, the arrested militant is not among the list of the 26- most wanted terrorists, but is a very dangerous and important link. He said that the militant was arrested in a raid based on intelligence information. Two other raids led to the arrest of two suspects. Their arrests were based on their connection with the wanted militant and for the possible relation to the found arsenal. Brigadier Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said that investigations are continuing. The arsenal was found in a crowded residential district. Brigadier Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said that revealing more information could jeopardize the investigations, since arresting the suspects and seizing the weapons was not the end of the operation. According to the official Saudi news agency, SPA, Saudi security forces found 20 electric detonators, 23 hand grenades, 33 explosive missiles , computers, walkie-talkies, cameras, Kalashnikov assault rifle, 14 hand grenade s fuses, 2 rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Brigadier Gen. Mansour Al-Turki declined to elaborate on the explosive missiles or its range. However, he said that it is the type of explosive that could be used by terrorist in major bombing attacks to cause great damage. He believes that the huge amount of seized weapons was smuggled into the country over an extensive period of time. Extremists are thought to have used the preoccupation with the second Gulf war to their advantage. The invasion of Afghanistan contributed largely in helping militants to smuggle various types of weapons to neighboring and foreign countries, he said. The amount of weapons that have been seized so far does not mean that there are no more hidden ones, he added. He declined to comment on whether the seized explosives have anything to do with 380 tons of high-grade explosives that were reported missing from a military site in Iraq in October. He said that this is only an assumption that is unrelated to what is taking place on the ground. Brigadier Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said the Saudi authorities are tightening border security in general and especially the Saudi-Iraqi border. The border guards control not only the desert borders but also the roads that lead from there to the Saudi cities, he said. We have taken enough precautions to stop such amounts or types of explosives from being smuggled and hidden on our soil, he said, We already seized huge amounts of weapons that were smuggled through the desert as part of our integrated efforts to tighten our borders with the neighboring countries. In October, the Iraqi interim government warned the US and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosive are missing from one of Iraq s most sensitive former military installations. American weapons experts were quoted saying that those weapons could be used in major bombing attacks. They explosive were mainly HMX and RDX that could result in enough bombing to tear apart a building. HMX was used in the bombing of a housing complex in Riyadh last November. In that attack, terrorists used a huge amount of plastic explosives and sent decoy vehicles ahead of the trucks carrying the bombs, a tactic that was also used in bombing the headquarters of the international Red Cross and three police stations in Baghdad on Oct. 27. Brigadier Gen. Mansour Al-Turki also confirmed the Saudi government's cooperation and coordination with Belgium regarding Hussain Al-Huski, a Moroccan who was arrested in Belgium and whose name is listed among the Saudi 26-most-wanted list. Al Turki said that he does not have enough information about the level the negotiation with Belgium has reached. He also denied knowledge if any important information that might be obtained from Huski. Yet, experts believe that Huski is among the few Al-Qaeda militants who have information about the possible storage places of hidden weapons on the Saudi soil, if there is any. Some of the arrested militants, according to Brigadier Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, have shown some cooperation with the Saudi authorities during the investigations. This, he said, has led to foiling some operations, arresting suspects and seizing more weapons. While other militants refused to cooperate for unknown reasons, he said. He highlighted the importance of the tip-offs that they received from some citizens and residents. The Saudi intelligence has also played a great role and responded fast to whatever tips they got, he added. Meanwhile Police are investigating five leading suspects in a major SAWA card shares scam as more than 100 Saudis who lost money in the business assembled in front of Jeddah police headquarters demanding quick action by authorities. Press reports said one of the main partners in the share business disappeared with SR200 million after collecting the money in SAWA card shares from a large number of citizens by offering them a monthly profit of SR6,000 for a SR8,500 share. Many received the profit and this encouraged others to join the bandwagon. According to Okaz daily, police arrested two main players in the scam on Wednesday, adding that security agents were questioning the two as well as three other suspects. Police have mounted a search to find other culprits involved in the scam. The mastermind behind the scam, a 35-year-old security guard of Saudi Telecom Company, accused his second partner of running away with SR200 million without distributing the money among share holders, the Arabic daily reported quoting sources close to investigation. It estimated the mastermind's balance at more than SR500 million. The STC has said it has nothing to do with the scam. The man who disappeared with SR200 million has been blacklisted and will not be able to leave the country, Okaz said quoting security sources. The two main suspects accused that the second partner had collected SR1 billion from share holders, and that the mastermind had swindled SR174 million. Security sources believe that the runaway suspects would be caught within two days as police have got adequate information about their whereabouts They also confirmed that no money from SR1 billion collected for the share business has been taken out of the Kingdom. The paper said intelligence officers were successful in returning SR12 million to one of the victims, owner of a restaurant, after stopping payment of his check. Police also recovered SR400,000 paid by another citizen. Many Saudis had invested in the "profitable" business without knowing about its consequences. A single person invested SR83 million and another SR38 million, the paper pointed out. A shareholder, who invested SR1 million in the business, has been hospitalized for high blood pressure. Many people who collected money for the business said they were facing threats. Many had sold their cars, real estates and ornaments of wives and taken bank loans to invest in the project. Some victims said they would take legal action against people involved in the scam. Many small shareholders were lucky to recover their capital as they got profits ranging from SR1,200 to SR1,500 weekly for a share of SR8,500. But other share holders who gave SR200,000 to SR10 million could not get their capital. The prime suspect in the multimillion-riyal SAWA card share scam is expected to surrender within a few days as security agencies have tightened the noose around him, informed sources said. The man, who went into hiding since the scam surfaced two weeks ago, is believed to be possessing SR300 million, which was collected from Saudis and expatriates in SAWA shares after offering huge profits. The sources denied reports that the man had run away with SR1 billion. "He received SR300 million from the first partner to hand it over to the second partner for distribution among the shareholders but he disappeared with the money," Okaz said quoting the sources. Police are now questioning two leading suspects as well as 10 group leaders who collected money from individuals as SAWA shares offering them a monthly profit of SR6,000 for each SR8,500 share. The business was running smoothly until recently as the partners paid attractive profits to their clients. Later, conflicts arose among the main partners and the third partner disappeared with SR300 million, the paper said. Authorities have found SR200 million with one of the group leaders and SR700,000 in other places owned by the partners, the paper said. The two leading suspects have admitted to police that they had bought lands, buildings, shops and luxurious cars and invested in businesses. |
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