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December 10, 2004 |
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PRINCE SULTAN: THE PRIZE REFLECTS THE ENDEAVOUR OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA TO CONTINUE ITS EFFORTS TO SOLVE THE PRESSING PROBLEMS OF HUMANITY. THE SECOND DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE FIRST AVIATION ACADEMY IN SAUDI ARABIA: IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE SAUDI FEMALES REPLACE FOREIGN FEMALES AND THAT SAUDI WOMEN COULD JOIN THE SAUDI AIRLINES UNDER THE SHARIA LAW. THE GOVERNMENT'S MISSION LIES IN PREPARING WAYS FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR, BUSINESSMEN AND NATIONAL COMPANIES TO DEVELOP AND EXPLOIT TOURISM. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, patronized the ceremony of honoring winners of '' Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz International Prize for Water''. Upon arrival at King Saud University, Prince Sultan was received by Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs who is also Chairman of the Prize's panel, Dr. Khalid Ibn Mohammed Al-Anqari, the Minister of Higher Education and other officials. A speech ceremony was held on this occasion. Then Prince Sultan handed prizes to winners in five branches who thanked the prince for his patronization of this valuable prize in the field of water research. Addressing the ceremony, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz said that the government has realized rising demand for water due to increase in population and expansion of developmental projects, therefore, it expands the building of water desalination stations, reusing of treated water, setting of a balanced water policy and establishing of a ministry of water, and launching of national campaigns to enlighten people on the importance of water conservation under the care and patronage of the Crown Prince. Then Prince Sultan announced the inauguration of the International Conference of Water Resources and Dry Environment 2004. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, opened on December 5 the four-day international conference on water resources at King Saud University in Riyadh. He also awarded the Prince Sultan International Prize for Water to its winners. 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 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 international award bestowed in five branches, 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 is awarded to: 1- An individual or organization, which has made a pioneering contribution in one of the branches of the Prize, will be considered eligible for nomination. 2- An academic or scientific organization may nominate one or more individuals or organizations for the Prize; nominations put forward by individuals, whether on their own behalf, or on the behalf of others, will not be accepted. Nominations will only be accepted for living persons. 3- Works nominated for the Prize must not have previously been awarded any international prize. The conference, held under the auspices of Prince Sultan Research Center for Environment, Water and Desert, focused on four pivotal topics: Water resources, arid environment, desertification and the use of modern technology in studying desert environment. The conference discussed research papers on important topics, such as integrated water-resource management, flood control, economical desalination technologies, advances in irrigation and combating agricultural pollution. Other topics included legal and administrative water-resource issues, desert pollution, plant cover, conservation of biodiversity in arid environments and global warming. The conference also discussed modern means to combat desertification, sustainable development of natural resources and protection of wildlife in desert environments. Papers were also presented on remote sensing, geographical information and global positioning systems, biotechnology as well as modern measuring systems and devices. The winners for Prince Sultan Prize were selected from 152 contestants from several countries including the US, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Switzerland, Austria, India, Canada, Malaysia, Turkey and Britain. The prize council announced the names of the winners on 31-10-2004 as follows: The Winners of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz International Prize for Water First award: 2002-2004 1- The winner of the first branch of the prize, "surface water", topic: " Effective Flood Control Methods" is: Professor Dr. Jery R. Stedinger-USA from Cornell. 2- The winner of the second branch of the prize, "Ground Water" , topic: "Artificial Ground Water Recharge" is: Professor Dr. Herman Bouwer-USA, hydraulic engineer. 3- The winners equally sharing the same prize of the third branch, "Alternative (non-traditional) water resources"; topic: "Economical Technologies in Sea Water Desalination" are : Dr. Hisham Taha Abdulla El Dossouky- Egypt. Dr. Hisham Ettouney Egypt. 4- The winner of the fourth branch of the prize, "Water Recourses Management", topic : "Effective New Techniques for Irrigation Water Conservation" is: King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 5- The prize for the fifth branch of the prize: "Water Resources Protection", topic: "Protecting Ground Water From Agricultural Pollutants", has not been awarded this period due to the lack of nominees for this subject. This reflects the deficiency of international experience in dealing with this subject, which in turn will be an incentive to make more hard international research efforts in this field. The Prince Sultan International Prize for Water was established in 2002 to recognize outstanding research in the areas of surface water, groundwater, alternative water resources, water recourses management, and protection of water resources. Saudi Arabia will continue its efforts to solve the pressing problems of humanity, stated Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General while opening an international conference on water resources at King Saud University in Riyadh. Prince Sultan highlighted the government's efforts to ensure adequate supply of water for people all over the country. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest supplier of desalinated water as its 30 desalination plants on the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf pump more than 2.9 million cubic meters of water daily. "The government knows that the demand for water will increase with the increase in population and development projects. As a result measures have been taken to expand water resources and rationalize water consumption," he told the conference. The ceremony was attended by a number of princes, Ulema, ministers and officials. On the other hand Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, inaugurated Prince Sultan Academy for Aviation Sciences. Upon arrival at the venue, Prince Sultan, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabian Airlines, was received by Prince Fahd Ibn Abdullah Ibn Mohammed, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Aviation Affairs; Prince Mishaal Ibn Majed Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Jeddah Province; and Dr. Khalid Ibn Bakr, the Director General of SAUDIA. In a key address, Ibn Bakr announced that the Saudi national carrier has transported more than 14 million passengers in 2002 and 2003. Next week SAUDIA will break the 15 million passengers record, the highest in the company's history, he said, adding that during last Hajj season, the SAUDIA fleet transported more than 900,000 pilgrims and is expected to lift this year 1,040,000 passengers from 86 international stations, an increase of 140,000 and 120 percent of the number that has been airlifted in 1418 H. He said the company has increased its revenues during the first nine months of this year, the highest in its history and an increase of 13 percent of last year. Dr. Bakr highlighted the new high-tech services recently provided by the company, including round-the-clock reservation automatic service through the internet and in different airports. The rate of Saudization reached about 94 percent, higher than the targeted plan, he said, adding that the world's best maintenance systems were introduced by SAUDIA. Opening the facility, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz wished the new academy a prosperous future in which it becomes a vital utility that scores great strides under the instructions of 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. On behalf of the graduates, Captain Ahmed Al Shaibani lauded the level of training at the academy, saying that pilots are no longer being sent for lessons abroad. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, formally inaugurated the Kingdom's first civil aviation academy. The opening of the state-of-the-art facility in the Khalediya area of the city has been described as a significant event in the history of Saudi Arabian Airlines. Prince Sultan said the academy would welcome female trainees. "Conforming to the principles of Shariah, they can come with their husbands or brothers for training at the academy," he added. Prince Sultan laid the foundation stone for the academy in June 2002. Prince Fahd Ibn Abdullah, Assistant Minister Of Defense And Aviation for Civil Aviation Affairs, said the academy, which has been provided with advanced training facilities, would improve the airline's performance and services. It will provide training to pilots, aviation engineers and cabin crew. Prince Fahd said with the opening of the academy, the airline achieved self-sufficiency in its training needs. Saudia will not have to send its staff abroad for training, he added. Prince Fahd highlighted the national flag carrier's remarkable achievements over the past years, adding that Saudi Arabian Airlines has become one of the top 30 airlines in the world as per IATA classification. Last year, it carried more than 15 million passengers. Dr. Khaled Ben-Bakr, Saudia's director general, described the academy as one of the largest aviation training centers in the Middle East. A total of 160 Saudis have already graduated from the academy, he said. "The academy will improve training of Saudia staff. It will also provide training to employees of other airlines," Ben-Bakr said. He emphasized the airline's efforts to train and develop its manpower. "We have spend huge amounts on training programs for technical and administrative staff," Ben-Bakr said. The academy, named after Prince Sultan, sprawls over an area of 29,643 square meters. It includes a pilot training center and aviation safety center. "The academy is designed to meet the airline's future requirements," Ben-Bakr said. Training at the academy is provided as per the regulations set by the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority and American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "The academy will help Saudia achieve self-sufficiency in pilots, technical crew and other aviation staff," said its director Capt. Muhammad Al-Deeb. The facility will have six flight simulators. "Four are already there. The fifth will come in two months and the sixth will be installed later for new aircraft," he explained. The objective of the academy is to train aviation staff in the cockpit as well as the cabin crew and operation service employees to achieve high standard of safety and efficiency, Al-Deeb said. According to Capt. Muhammad Muharrek, trainer for Boeing 747-400s, the academy offers advanced training programs to help trainees operate aviation systems with high efficiency. "Saudi Arabian Airlines has achieved world position in training aviation staff," he added. "The training programs at the academy will improve Saudia's performance and make Saudi Arabia on par with advanced countries," said Capt. Turki Aalam, supervisor for training aviation engineers. The airline currently operates to 26 domestic airports and 58 international destinations. The Prince Sultan Aviation Academy, which is equipped with modern simulators, will ensure that all the training requirements for pilots of Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) can be met within the Kingdom and there will be no need to send pilots abroad for training, a senior official said. Capt. Mohammed Darwaish Al-Deeb, general manager, Prince Sultan Aviation Academy, said millions of riyals and valuable time would be saved by training pilots in the Kingdom. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, inaugurated the new aviation academy in Jeddah last Friday. Al-Deeb said about 300 pilots can be trained at the academy in different categories. In addition to providing initial training for new recruits, the academy has facilities for in-service training of pilots. Al-Deeb said the new academy also has simulators for Boeing B-777 and MD-90 aircraft. These simulators were earlier not available and pilots to fly these aircraft had to be sent abroad for training. Dr. Khaled A. Ben-Bakr, Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines, said the academy is a world-class facility to provide training in flying and air transportation safety. The academy consists of two custom-built structures a pilot training center and a center for aviation safety. He said the academy is equipped with state-of-the-art training equipment and simulators that fulfill current and future training requirements. Mohammed S. Al-Hemaiyd, senior manager, flight training support services, said the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States and the Presidency of Civil Aviation in the Kingdom have also checked and certified the new equipment at the academy. He said all pilots of the airline come to the academy twice a year for proficiency check and refresher training on the type of aircraft they are flying. In remarks for the press following the opening ceremony, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General announced that King Abdul Aziz International Airport will soon witness the introduction of the world's most advanced facilities and devices to become an innovated international airport. On the Saudi women joining the newly-opened academy, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz said it is important that the Saudi females replace foreign females and that the Saudi woman, her husband, brother and son could join the Saudi airlines under the Sharia law. On the possibility of transferring the academy in future to the private sector in terms of investment, Prince Sultan advised that the step should be studied carefully to guarantee the company's continuous success. We can now transfer the entire airlines to the private sector once a scientific study proved the feasibility of privatizing the world's biggest airlines, he said, adding that SAUDIA should not be transferred to what could tamper its entity which is designed to serve the Saudi citizen. We have already worked for the privatization of SAUDIA and that they should be domestic national companies, the Prince explained. On the administrative reforms in governmental sectors following the announcement that Saudization rate has reached 94 percent, Prince Sultan said the Administrative Reforms Committee does not announce anything unless it was approved, confirming that it is not the right of the Higher Committee to issue something before being approved by the Cabinet. On the privatization of the Saudi Arabian Airlines, Prince Sultan indicated that within few months an explanatory statement will be issued to show the phases which have been completed. The event was attended by a number of princes and senior civil and military officials. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Higher Commission for Tourism, received Prince Saud Ibn Abdul Mohsin Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Hail Region, and members of the Board of Directors of Hail's branch of the commission who came to greet him. During the reception, Prince Sultan was briefed on a report on plans to promote tourism in the region of Hail. The meeting was attended by Prince Mit'eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, and a number of princes and officials. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, and Chairman of the Authority's Board of Directors chaired the 11th meeting of the Authority. Addressing the meeting, Prince Sultan said the government's mission lies in preparing ways for the private sector, businessmen and national companies to develop and exploit tourism. Prince Sultan stressed the necessity of enlightening the Saudi people by the Authority and its board, affirming that the government seeks for overcoming obstacles facing companies. He urged the Authority on holding more symposia and meetings and on arranging visits for tourists and Umrah performers to the Kingdom's regions. On his part, Prince Sultan Ibn Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Authority's Secretary General pointed out that the strategy included a study of human resources, requirements of their developments and economic, environmental, cultural and social considerations accompanying development and it also included a five-year executive working plan of the twenty-year strategy. |
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