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December 31, 2004 |
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**** The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to Emperor Akihito of Japan on his country's National Day. In his own name and on behalf of the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques wished the Emperor continuous health and happiness and the friendly people of Japan steady progress and prosperity. In his cable, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also hailed the existing relations between the two countries. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received at his office at the National Guard headquarters in Riyadh the annual report of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) which highlights the prominent local economic developments for the last fiscal year and the current fiscal years' latest developments as well. The report was delivered to the crown prince by SAMA's Governor Hamad Al Sayyari during an audience with the Crown Prince. After being briefed on the main points of the report, Crown Prince Abdullah lauded the efforts exerted by SAMA's Governor and personnel, appealing to Almighty Allah to help all those working for the benefit of the nation. The audience was attended by Prince Mit'eb Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs; Dr. Ibrahim Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Assaf, the Minister of Finance; Nassir Ibn Hamad Al Rajhi, Chief of the Crown Prince's Court; and Abdul Mohsin Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Tuwaijri, the Advisor at the Crown Prince's court. Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, patronized the graduation ceremony of the 67th batch of King Faisal air college graduates. He was received at the venue by Chief of General Staff General Salih Ibn Ali Al Mohayya and senior armed forces officers. Among the graduates were two foreign airmen from Bahrain and Sudan. In response to a question on joint military maneuvers with Yemen, Prince Abdul Rahman said joint maneuvers take place between armed forces in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Yemen, if need be, as is done between other countries all over the world. An appeals and complaints committee has been set up by Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Prince Miteb to receive and process complaints filed by candidates running in the forthcoming municipal elections. Saudi Arabia will organize municipal elections in February with voters required to elect half the members of 178 municipal councils in a process that will be held in three phases. The appeals committee, made up of a chairman and three members, will operate under the municipality and rural areas law. It will be assisted by an administrative body and may appoint representatives attached to the polling centers to address any appeals and complaints. The committee will be required to submit detailed reports to the minister on each of the stages of its work, outlining the nature of the complaints and steps followed in addressing these. Riyadh was the first region to start the registration of voters. The process began last month and will last for 30 days. Prince Abdul Majeed Ibn Abdul Aziz, Governor of Makkah region announced the royal approval for allocating SR7 billion for carrying out the sewerage projects in Jeddah. Following the signing of two contracts for the supply of pipes and executing branch networks for sanitary drainage in the middle and northern districts of Jeddah at a cost of SR1.125 billion, he said the projects covered by the SR7 billion allocation are well-arranged and will be carried out at a high standard. Also signing the contract were Engineer Abdullah Al-Husain, minister of Water and Electricity, and Abdul Rashid Al-Rashid and Dr. Sa ad Al-Sayari, general manager of Saudi Pottery Pipes Co.The project contains executing sewage pipelines with diameters between 600-200mm and they will join the sub-network with the main network to serve the central northern areas in Jeddah. The project will be completed in 36 months. The government approved SR7 billion as a total cost to complete the sewage network in Jeddah, and what had been signed today was the first stage of the project, Prince Abdul Majeed said. The minister of Water and Electricity said that the contracts are the beginning of the end of the sewage problem in Jeddah. After four years the projects will be able to cover the entire city of Jeddah, Husain said. The first stage will connect 255,000 residences in Jeddah that cover more than 47 percent of the residential area of Jeddah, among the central and northern part. The other plan is to cover the central and the southern part of Jeddah that will cover 53 percent of the residential area of Jeddah, Husain said. Husain said that there will be another project to solve the fresh water crisis in Jeddah. Three main lines will be laid in the near future to feed the northern, central and southern part of Jeddah with fresh water that will cover the water need in the city until 2038, Husain said. Husain said that at the end of the next week Al-Khomrah water treatment facility has been upgraded and it will pump 100 percent clean sewage water to the sea. There will be no more fear of sea water pollution anymore in Jeddah, he said. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal the Governor of Assir region praised the actions taken by education officials in the region to combat wrong ideas and terrorism in schools of the region. Prince Khaled made his remarks after chairing a meeting of school directors, adding that during these meetings they review the achievements in this field according to the directives of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, to educate youth about way of combating terrorism, and wrong ideas. The Governor of Assir added his congratulations to the Minister of Education and officials concerned in Assir region for their achievements and services provided to the region and its citizens. He added that the achievements are realizes according to the directives of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, and Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of the Interior. Prince Sultan Ibn Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Secretary General of Tourism Higher Authority, received the Tunisian Minister of Tourism Al Taijani Al Haddad and the accompanying delegation. During the meeting, they discussed a number of tourism issues. Prince Sultan Ibn Salman also received the French ambassador to the kingdom Charles Henry Dragon. During the meeting, they discussed cooperation in tourism field. Prince Mansour Ibn Miteb Ibn Abdul-Aziz, the Head of the General Committee for Municipal Elections, said the primary goal of conducting municipal elections in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is aimed at enabling citizens to contribute to the management of the municipal affairs. Prince Mansour, who was invited by King Abdul Aziz Public Library, said the General Committee for the Municipal elections had sought the assistance of local and international expertise for preparing the required regulations and statues. 'We have sought the assistance of a team from the United Nations and a Saudi consulting authority for preparing the basic studies required for the formulation of rules and statues', he said. Prince Mansour pointed out that more than 173 municipal councils will be elected throughout the Kingdom at more than 600 voting centers. He noted that the process of registration of the electors was carried out easily and smoothly. Prince Mansour urged the citizens to report to the registration centers and to practice their voting right. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Al-Sheikh the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti met with a group from Um Al Qura University in Riyadh, and schools groups while on a visit to the Eastern region and Riyadh under the chairmanship of Dr Ali Al Zahrani. The Grand Mufti delivered a speech to the group and heads of schools in which he urged them to educate youth on the right principles of Islam and to raise them far from extremism and wrong ideas that lead to terrorism. He said officials in the education system are responsible for raising youth far from extremist ideas. At the end of the meeting he presented the group with 100 books to each of the participating schools groups. Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning Khalid Al-Quseibi has hailed the Saudi development experience, and said it stands as one of the distinguished experiences in the Middle East and the Arab world. Al-Quseibi is currently visiting Cairo to lead the Saudi delegation to the meetings of the Arab Ministers of Housing. Speaking at a lecture in Cairo, Al-Quseiibi estimated the Saudi Gross National Product (GNP) at about SR 932 billion. He noted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia constitutes an important source for providing oil to the world. Al-Quseiibi noted that the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is about to accomplish a customs union and it is working towards realization of the currency unification by 2010. He also said the length of the paved roads in the Kingdom jumped from only 8,000 kilometers in 1970 to 51,000 kilometers in 2004, while the number of the wharves jumped from 27 in 1975 to 183 in 2004. Al-Quseibi pointed out that the industrial cities of Jubail and Yanbu stand as a witness for the current great economic growth in the Kingdom. Yemeni Charity Foundation of Taibah is holding, in cooperation with Yemeni Ministry of Public Health, four surgical camps in Al-Hudaidah city from December 18 to 30. A Saudi Medical team, consisting of a number of Saudi surgeons, will carry out operations in 4 specialties in children deformation. The Director of Taibah foundation, Ra'ad Qasim, told "The 26th of September" newspaper that this camp is the sixteenth and come after the success of visiting doctors program in which a number of Saudi doctors participated. He added that the foundation organized so far 15 surgical camps and 100 Saudi doctors participated in these camps. The Bush administration has confidence in U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and is not calling for his resignation, U.S. Ambassador John Danforth said. Annan has been accused by some Republicans in the U.S. Congress of presiding over corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program for Iraq, administered by the United Nations but supervised by the 15-nation Security Council. Ali Ibn Ibrahim Al Naimi, the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has confirmed the endeavors of his country in contributing to the international efforts to protect the world environment. In a key speech before the 10th conference of the Contracting Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Buenos Aires yesterday under the theme "Policies to confront Climatic Changes and their Impact", Al Naimi urged all member countries of the agreement to strictly implement the protocols and their appendices. In this connection, he cautioned the selective way followed by some members rather than comprehensive and complete applying of their commitments. He said the member states of the First Appendix (industrial countries) have committed themselves to work to alleviate the negative impacts which harm the developing countries' economies vastly depending on the exportation of fossil fuel. Al Naimi put these commitments as follows: First: that their adopted policies and measures should be comprehensive and covering all economic sectors; Secondly: not to build their policies and measures on the current market defames, including high tax rates on oil products while coal and nuclear energy enjoy subsidies. Thirdly: Generalizing the use of the technology that works to extract the gases' thermal blockage at the point of producing the fossil fuel. Fourthly: Assisting our countries that mainly depend on exporting their fossil fuels in their efforts aiming at adapting their economies to achieve the economic diversity through the increase of investments and transfer of technology so that the size of negative effects on the economies of developing countries could be minimized. Concluding his statement, Al Naimi said our countries' concern is dual as we share with the world community their concern to confront the potential climatic changes and the protection of world environment on one hand, we find ourselves also committed to lessen the expected negative impacts on our countries on the other. In the name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's government and people, he thanked the government of Argentina for hosting the conference and offering the Kingdom a rare chance to address the conference as a key speaker. As Palestinians were set to pay tribute to Yasser Arafat at the end of an official 40-day mourning period, the late leader's cabinet secretary Ahmad Abdul Rahman said that Arafat was poisoned on September 25, 2003 when he received a delegation of supposed supporters in his Ramallah compound. "Something strange happened to Arafat around a year ago. It was on September 25, 2003...," Ahmad Abdul Rahman said. "The president shook hands with around 30 people before leaving to vomit. It was from that moment that the president's health started slowly deteriorating," he explained. "Arafat shook hands with people, who had come to express solidarity with him in his confinement. They were a mixture of Palestinians, foreigners and Israelis," Abdul Rahman recalled. On September 25, Arafat received a visit from a group of cyclists from around the world on a peace mission as well as from a group of activists accompanying the parents of a US peace activist who had died six months earlier crushed by an Israeli military bulldozer in the southern Gaza Strip. "Could it be that they got to me?", Arafat asked himself, Abdul Rahman recalled. He also said: "Is it possible that 10 doctors can't find out what I'm suffering from?" "The president was exposed to something, and I'm inclined to believe it was maybe gas or something else. I don't know about all the types of poisons, but there are some 700 that are unknown," Abdul Rahman said. "The last time he became ill, on October 12, 2004, he had the same symptoms: vomiting, refusal to eat and all the symptoms of flu without a flu," Abdul Rahman said. The cabinet secretary, who recorded the evolution of Arafat's health in his diary, said red rashes appeared on his skin, the same ones which were visible on his face before he was evacuated to France for treatment this year. The Scientific Cultural Days of the Saudi Universities, ongoing in Yemen under the auspices of Yemeni sister universities for the last seven days, concluded in Sanaa. Addressing the closing ceremony, the Saudi Cultural Attaché in the Embassy Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Husainan said the event included performing surgical operations, holding scientific and literal symposia and research exhibitions and exchanging fruitful experiences among the Saudi and Yemeni universities. Lebanon's Prime Minister Omar Karami received Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Lebanon Abdulaziz Ibn Yahya Khoja. During the meeting, the discussion focused on fraternal ties binding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Lebanon and ways of enhancing them, in addition to the latest developments in the region. Meanwhile Bank Audi economic report has been published in Beirut it says Foreign trade witnessed a strong activity over the first half, as the volume of trade progressed by around 30% relative to the corresponding half of last year. The observed improvement occurred as a result of a growth in both imports and exports driven by stronger domestic demand and successful export market penetration, especially with the opening-up of the Iraq market to Lebanese exports. The rise in trade activity over the first half was yet shaped by an accentuation of the foreign constraint, as the trade deficit increased by around 33% over the period reporting about US$ 3,368 million. The export to import coverage ratio fell from 21.5% during the first half of 2003 to 20.6% over the corresponding period in 2004, as result of a rise in imports higher than the increase in exports. In fact, imports progressed by 31.4%, while exports improved by about 26.1% over the period. In fact, imports amounted to US$ 4,243 million since the beginning of the current year, versus US$ 3,228 million over the corresponding half in 2003, while exports rose to US$ 875 million, versus US$ 694 million over the same period. It remains to be said that such figures need to be read in conjunction with the average rise in the Euro/US$ exchange rate of 11% in the first half of 2004 relative to the 2003 corresponding period. Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, made the following comments after the declarations by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in Ramallah concerning an international conference on strengthening the Palestinian Authority: "I welcome the announcement made today by Prime Minister Blair on the UK initiative to convene a conference in London in support of the Palestinian Authority's efforts in building the institutions of the future Palestinian state. I commend the Prime Minister's personal dedication to the cause of advancing the Middle East Peace Process. This is an important and timely initiative. One clear priority for the international community, following the elections due to take place in January, is to support the Palestinians in their efforts to consolidate their governance. Helping the Palestinians create a viable State is a key element in our common objective which remains the implementation of the Roadmap by both parties as the only way to reach the goal of peace based on the two-state solution." Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia received Saudi Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Hashem Ibn Abdullah Yamani and his accompanying delegation. During the meeting, Ouyahia welcomed Dr. Yamani to Algeria and discussed a number of economic issues of common interest. On the other hand, the Saudi-Algerian Joint Committee concluded the works of its sixth session in which Dr. Yamani headed the Saudi delegation and Algerian Minster of Finance Abdulatif Bin Achenhou led the Algerian delegation. They signed a number of agreements in various fields and the minutes of the session. Then, Dr. Yamani delivered a speech in which he thanked Algeria for its hospitality and said that they approved the discussion between experts and businessmen from both countries. He added that they signed agreements in spheres of economy, education, youth and sports. Meanwhile, Algerian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Rasheed Harraoubia received Dr. Yamani and they discussed a number of issues of common interest. President Emil Lahoud of Lebanon stressed his country's commitment to the Palestinian people's right to return home, calling for the implementation of the UN relevant resolutions. In a statement, Lahoud pointed out that the UN resolution 1559 coincided with Israel's announcement of its plans to settle the Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Syria and Lebanon, calling upon the international community to beware of such a project. He considered Israeli attempts to settle the Palestinians as the liquidation of the Palestinian issue and a blow dealt against the Palestinian people's legitimate rights. He also called upon the Arab states to face the Israeli new-old plan, and to implement decisions issued by Beirut Arab initiative for peace. Abbas Zaki, member of the Fatah Movement central committee, and general commissioner of foreign relations, has described the Zionist internationally-funded plan for accommodating the Palestinian refugees in their current camps located in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the neighboring Arab countries as "a dangerous scheme." He charged that the plan was meant to liquidate the Palestinian refugees' question and to annul the international resolutions on the right of return. Zaki said, in a press statement, that the question of Palestinian refugees is the core of the Palestinian question and is considered one of the Palestinian constants to which the late PA chief Yasser Arafat strongly adhered. He indicated that the Palestinian exiles and deportees were forced out of their homeland in view of the coercive deportation and enormous genocides committed against the Palestinian people on the part of the Zionist invaders. Zaki further emphasized that the return of the Palestinian refugees is an inalienable, historic and legitimate right, and that any moral or financial compensations wouldn't constitute an alternative for such a sacred right whatsoever. The Fatah official finally urged the Palestinian refugees and all Palestinian factions to firmly stand up to all Zionist schemes intended to lure the Palestinian people into dropping the right of return. Former US president Jimmy Carter will help monitor the Palestinians' January 9 elections, spokeswoman Deanna Congileo told AFP. "That's correct," Congileo said when asked about Carter's role in the vote. "The National Democratic Institute (NDI), with which the Carter Center is partnering for this project, will be releasing more details next week." NDI spokeswoman Mariah Sieber would not confirm whether former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, who heads the organization, would also serve as an election observer. "I can't confirm the delegation right now because we're finalizing it, but we will have a statement on Sunday probably," Sieber told AFP. The NDI is a non-profit organization that has supervised elections and other political processes in some 52 countries. An Israeli human rights group published its observations on the Israeli inhuman practices against Palestinian citizens at Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during November 2004. In its monthly report, MachsomWatch, a group of 500 Israeli women, listed and documented the Israeli grave breaches of human rights at Israeli checkpoints. On violence and abuse, MachsomWatch reported that busive, violent behaviours at the checkpoints are widespread. When harsh behaviour and verbal violence are the prevailing norm, it's a short road from there to physical violence. It affirmed that notable cases of abuse are particularly the medical cases when passage is denied and people are only allowed to proceed on their way after arbitrary delays. "On 3 November a three-year-old boy accompanied by his father needed to reach a neurologist in Nablus. They had medical documents, but the commander of Biet Iba checkpoint didn't think them sufficient and tried to check whether there really is a doctor of that name in Nablus. Meanwhile father and toddler waited" the report said. The report also revealed that detention is used as a penalizing procedure against Palestinians at checkpoints. It said that people are detained at the checkpoints for periods well beyond the time needed to check papers, and this has become a method for penalizing. "On 6 November, among a group of students caught in the hills, Beit Iba checkpoint was a young man who, the soldiers said, had run amok. He has been put in the solitary confinement cell, his hands and feet fettered, with a rag tied over his eyes. And that was how he stood, unable to sit or to move, from 08:00 until 16:00" the report affirmed, "When he was released, he received a special 'parting gift' from a soldier, who pushed his head against a wall. During our shift, we saw the checkpoint commander pointing his gun at him and ordering him to stand with his face to the wall." MachsomWatch' report brought to light that colonizers and their supporters come to the checkpoints to incite, using an aggressive, racist style. "Substantial physical and verbal violence are levelled at MachsomWatch women, in front of the soldiers who refrain from intervening, even though it's their lawful duty to do so until the police arrive. Neither are the police quick to intervene" the report concluded. During the meeting of the NDP parliamentary committee,President Mubarak conducted a two-hour democratic dialogue with the committe represntative members and answered their queries about international and external issues. The President said that Egypt was keen on achieving peace in the Middle East region and it was holding contacts with all the Palestinian parties in order to help unify their visions, Secretary General of the NDP Safwat el Sherif said following the session. An imminent meeting for all these factions is being prepared for. Egypt's efforts aim at preserving the Palestinian entity in order to achieve the Palestinian aspirations and cherished dreams, Sherif quoted the President as having said. President Mubarak asserted that sitting at the table of negotiations with a unified vision will open the door wide to achieve a tangible step towards setting up the independent Palestinian state. On Egyptian-Israeli relations, Mubarak said that Egypt's stance has always been clear. We do not accept negotiations regarding court rulings. We cannot breach judicial sentences, he added. When it was time up to release the Israeli spy Azzam Azzam after having served half his sentence, we had the issue of the six Egyptian students, the President said. Six of Egypt's youths mean a lot to me, Sherif quoted the President as adding. President Mubarak at his meeting with the NDP parliamentary committee dealt with Egypt-US relations and said coordination with the US administration and the key congressional figures will continue to revive the peace process, NDP Secretary General Safwat el-Sherif said. President Mubarak underlined the importance of developing these bilateral ties and said that this can positively affect trade, investment and technology transfer. He referred to the QIZs agreement and said that the agreement is merely an economic issue in the interest of the Egyptian industry and the business sector. It is no way a political affair, he added. There are also talks on concluding a free trade agreement with the US. President Mubarak said Egypt maintains balanced ties with Europe. A partnership agreement was signed with Europe and the dialogue with the EU has started to entrench cooperation as part of the Barcelona Process. European Union leaders agreed to offer Turkey a date of Oct. 3, 2005 to begin negotiations on its membership of the bloc, said Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. But the 25 leaders were still debating the vexed issue of Turkish recognition of Cyprus, with the Greek Cypriot government insisting Ankara normalize ties with Nicosia before the proposed start date for EU negotiations. EU leaders agreed the aim would be membership rather than any privileged partnership but no outcome would be guaranteed, the diplomats said. "We are going to go ahead on Oct. 3 (2005 ) to allow Turkey and the Turkish parliament to recognize Cyprus," Berlusconi told reporters of EU expectations that Ankara recognize the Greek Cypriot government before starting talks. Leaders arriving for the Brussels summit had expressed confidence they would reach agreement on offering talks for Turkey. Lebanese Deputy Premier Issam Fares said that there are strong indications that the Middle East peace negotiations could be resumed. He added in a press statement that the US and other concerned countries are convinced that solving the Palestinian- Israeli conflict and the Arab-Israeli issue is the only way for guaranteeing stability and security in the region. Mahmoud Abbas the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Authority said the initiative of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, adopted by Beirut summit is a solution for ending the conflict with Israel which does not really have the will to realize it and push forward the peace process. Abu Mazen stressed that they are holding continuous consultations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, adding that we need the Saudi political, economic and financial support during this period. The Palestinian official said the Arab initiative is part of the hole process which include the road map, resolution 1515 and all other peace initiatives. |