March 4, 2005

FRUITFUL DISCUSSIONS ON WAYS OF DEVELOPING CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM AT THE SAUDI-BRITISH FORUM "TWO KINGDOMS: FUTURE CHALLENGES." PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL: SAUDI ARABIA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A POSITIVE PARTICIPANT IN RESOLVING CONFLICTS AND PREVENTING DISCORD. PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL UNDERLINES THE ROLE OF SAUDI WOMEN IN THE SOCIETY. The Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Saud Al-Faisal and his British counterpart opened in London the Saudi-British Forum 'Two Kingdoms: Future Challenges'. Prince Saud delivered a speech at the opening of the one-day forum in which he stressed the importance of relations between the two countries. Prince Saud called on the United Kingdom and the rest of the Western countries to deal with conflicts in the Middle East region seriously and with complete neutrality. Concerning cooperation in political reforms and international terrorism, he called for agreement on a more profound definition of terms and for using them away from their absolute meanings. Prince Saud said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believes in the necessity of the political reform, but it should be gradual and meet the needs of our people. To achieve this purpose, the Kingdom issued the governing statute, started the national dialogue and increased the number of members in the Shoura Council, which joined the International Parliamentary Union. The Foreign Minister added that this month the Kingdom started municipal elections, noting that the General Commissioner for Elections recommended that women participate in next elections. He indicated that the minister of Islamic affairs recently stated that Islam does not ban women from participating in elections. Prince Saud added that the new women generation is highly educated and vocationally trained and they have assumed their proper position in the Saudi society. He proudly announced that women will join the foreign ministry this year. On terrorism, Prince Saud said that the Kingdom is itself a victim of terrorism and he reviewed the efforts exerted by the Kingdom to eradicate terrorism and its sources. He noted that the Kingdom has been launching a war on terrorism. Prince Saud pointed to the proposal of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard to set up an International Counter-terrorism Center during the recently concluded International Counter-terrorism Conference in Riyadh. Prince Saud called for seizing the available opportunity for pushing forward the peace process in the Middle East, hoping that the London meeting next March will yield positive and effective results. As regards Iraq, he called for building united and stable Iraq living in peace in itself and in harmony with its neighbors. On his part British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said in his speech that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the economic and political heart of the Middle East region. With its great oil reserves and influence in the oil markets to stabilize oil supplies and prices, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia plays a major and an important role in the stability and growth of the world economy, Straw said. He added that the Kingdom is the biggest commercial partner of Britain and 20,000 Britons have been living in Saudi Arabia. Straw noted that Islam is the religion of love, fraternity and peace, indicating that in their attempts to link their heinous acts with Islam terrorists try to defame Islam and Muslims. He affirmed that Saudi Arabia has been playing an important role in combating international terrorism. The British Foreign Secretary expressed his pleasure over Prince Saud's participation in London meeting next week to enhance and help the Palestinian Authority. Straw commended the municipal elections in Saudi Arabia, noting that they have been carried out within the framework of the reform process. Following is the text of the speech delivered by Prince Saud Al-Faisal Sitting and listening to His Excellency the honorable Jack Straw, who covered in his eloquent remarks most of what I have to say, the thought came to my mind that I would refrain from boring you with a less eloquent presentation. I promise him though, for the sake of our friendship, which is based on truth and trust, that I shall not refrain from highlighting whatever differences we have. We have an Arabic saying that your friend is he who tells you the truth and not he who agrees with you all the time. By the way, your Excellency, we have an Arabic saying for every imaginable occasion. Excellencies, ladies and gentleman, I would like to thank the organizers of this event for giving me the opportunity to address this august audience very candidly on issues of great importance to both our countries. I am also eager for you to reciprocate and to share your views. My gratitude also goes to Foreign Secretary Straw for his kind introduction. Notwithstanding the worlds' great advances in science, technology, communication and the ongoing process of globalization, we continue to endure the presence of great injustices; poverty, disease, social upheaval, armed conflict and the spread of international terrorism. Recently, even nature seems bent on humbling our advances by unleashing her awesome power. It is my purpose today to discuss with you a possible approach that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom can take to deal with some of the most serious issues facing the international community. I am convinced, for various historical and pragmatic considerations, that both Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom are uniquely positioned to cooperate and become an effective instrumentality in dealing with these global problems. Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom are friends, not adversaries. We share certain positions of influence and at the risk of angering some sceptics we even share certain common values with each other; combined with a healthy diversity that can be turned into complimentary action to allow us to play more of an active role in world events. Without enumerating the many aspects that define the closeness of our relationship, suffice it to say that we are your largest trading partner in the Middle East. We are also your largest market for goods and services outside the OECD; and your direct investment in the Kingdom is our second largest foreign investment portfolio. Among your citizens there are two million Muslims that pray five times a day towards Makkah and we host between 25 and 30 thousands of your citizens as residents in the Kingdom. After all is said and done, our histories seems to be inextricably intertwined. The uniqueness of the United Kingdom cannot be disputed. Despite the loss of Empire, the profound impact of your cultural values remains a visible fact in societies around the world. The United Kingdom enjoys also a position of leadership within Europe and is a depository of intimate knowledge of the various cultures that the Empire once encompassed and that no other country shares. There have been more explorers and scholars of the Arab and Islamic world from the United Kingdom than from any other country outside of the Middle East and North Africa, and therefore you have more knowledge of, and I hope appreciation for, these cultures. The United Kingdom is a country of Laws. The steadfast rule of law and the strength of the judicial institution are examples to be emulated. As far back as the year 1215, the Magna Charta established some of the fundamental rights of man, such as habeas corpus and the right to trial by jury concepts that have been adopted in one way or another in all the various constitutions that came thereafter. Saudi Arabia also has a unique position in the world and in its region: It is the holy land where God's message was revealed to the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). It is the country where the Two Holy Mosques are located and where millions come from all over the world for spiritual renovation and the fulfilment of their religious duty. Accordingly, Saudi Arabia has been thrust into assuming a heavy responsibility of moral leadership. Within the Arab world, Saudi Arabia has always been a positive participant in resolving conflicts and preventing discord. It has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, and with a planet still hungry for fossil fuel, Saudi Arabia must continue to play its moderating role to the benefit of both producers and consumers. On a per capita basis Saudi Arabia is the leading foreign aid donor among the community of nations. It should be obvious that, taking into account these factors of influence, our two countries should be natural allies and fully cooperate to deal with the issues of our day. A simple promise to cooperate, however, is not as simple to fulfil. We need to clear the air and be very frank with regard to our mutual apprehensions. We in Saudi Arabia are criticized by some in the West, on the following grounds: That our political system is outdated and that we do not place enough emphasis on human rights, especially the rights of women, and that democracy is long overdue. On the economic side that our income is wasted by over-indulgence and profligacy. Perhaps it would be more accurate instead if we were criticized for over-extending our resources in providing quite an extensive program of social welfare. Finally and incredibly, that our religious beliefs somehow resulted in the emergence of international terrorism. On the other hand, our apprehension of the West is based on the following grounds: First of all, and from a historical viewpoint, there is the problem of credibility and double standards. We feel that many of the difficulties we face in the Middle East, especially the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, are the product of a long chain of broken promises that arbitrarily divided our region and people. Second, there is the perception among our ordinary citizens that emulating Western society, with what they perceive to be its extreme emphasis on materialism and the lack of spiritual values, can only lead to a permissive environment and the unravelling of the moral fabric of society. Although I share Mr Straw's view that such a perception is misguided in this case, but perceptions do matter and must be dealt with. Third, there is widespread suspicion among people in our region that Western calls for social and political reforms, which are not indigenous to our region, is intended to establish political dominance. In order for us to cooperate fully, we must strive to correct misunderstandings, misperceptions and misrepresentations, which I call the three misses; (no disrespect intended to the ladies in the audience). The simplest way is to forget about the past and deal with the situation as it is in order to move forward. But that would require the United Kingdom and other Western countries to deal seriously and even-handedly with the conflicts in our region. Let me briefly address the Wests' criticism relating to the use of our wealth. I can vividly recall that in the eighties we had many international financial experts come to Saudi Arabia to assist us in spending our newly acquired wealth. The key terms at the time were capital absorption and recycling (remember those). The theory was advanced that we were accumulating wealth so rapidly that it resulted in a crisis of capital absorption. Certainly the building of a first rate infrastructure for the development of the economy absorbed a large part of that capital. The advent of the Iran/Iraq war and the first Gulf war took care of the rest. However, the most significant apprehensions that obstruct full cooperation between us are the questions of political reform and international terrorism. If we are to understand each other, especially when using abstract terms, we must have uniform agreement on the definition and appropriate usage of these terms. Nowadays, however, we speak of concepts such as democracy, freedom and human rights with a complete lack of either historical context or present day application. Allow me a brief historical digression. The power struggle in the United Kingdom between the branches of government was a painful process, and it took the Reformation and a civil war to resolve the issue. The full emancipation of women did not come until the 20th century. According to one historian, it was laughable to assume that a woman could manage her financial affairs without the guidance of a man. Women's suffrage came about in the United Kingdom in the 20th century and in two stages. The first stage allowed only women above the age of thirty to participate in elections, and there was a rumour of a great conspiracy that was done by men in order to prevent women from voting because they believed that no woman would admit to being older than thirty. As to the United States, it took a civil war and a generation of Supreme Court decisions for the Bill of Rights to be enforced. The statutes prohibiting interracial marriages in certain states were only completely removed from the books in the 1990s. I can go on and on in this vein, but my purpose is not to criticize but to recite illuminating historical facts and to stress the point that successful political reform is an evolutionary process. As his Excellency Mr. Straw had said in one of his excellent speeches: (we in Europe should always show some humility about the pace of change; after all, representative government is a very recent phenomenon in 11 of the 25 EU states). I cannot resist mentioning one more example. Let me read you the following, and I quote: Article 20 Criminal Trial: (a) an accused is presumed to be innocent, until proven guilty at a legal trial. (b) The right of defence is sacred, in all stages of proceedings and prosecution. (c) Court sessions are public, unless it becomes secret by a court decision. This text is taken directly from the 1990 Iraq Constitution under the rule of Saddam Hussein, which proves another important point and here I am quoting a former president of the United States: It is not the enactment, but the observance of laws, that creates the character of a nation. We in Saudi Arabia believe in the necessity of political reform, but it must be evolutionary and it must fulfil the requirements of our own people and maintain the social fabric of our society. To this end, we set down the Basic Law of Governance, started a program of National Dialogue and increased the size of our consultative council, whose authority has been extended to review and promulgate legislation. As a result it became a member of the International parliamentary Union. This month, we commenced the process of electing municipal council members as a step in testing the water. The Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs has recently declared that there is nothing in Islam that prohibits women from participating in elections. The smoothness of the electoral process led our election commissioner to announce that he is recommending that women participate in coming elections. Therefore, I would not be surprised if they do so the next round. The role of Saudi women is changing rapidly; our educational reforms have created a new generation of highly educated and professionally trained Saudi women who are acquiring their rightful position in Saudi society. I am proud to mention here that this year we shall have women working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia for the first time (male diplomats beware). Now we come to the final apprehension: terrorism. Saudi Arabia is a deeply devout society. Like other societies, we have our share of an extremist minority. Uninformed Western perception, however, has made the exception in our society the rule. As HRH the Prince of Wales once observed, and I quote (our judgment of Islam has been grossly distorted by taking the extremes to be the norm). Among mass media, there is a predilection for quoting insignificant self-styled ulema (Muslim scholars) and neglecting the statements of our truly authoritative religious leaders that promote moderation and tolerance. Far from being its instigator, Saudi Arabia is one of the first victims of terrorism. The threat of terrorism goes beyond our own safety and security. One of the terrorists most threatening objectives is to drive a wedge between our cultures and societies. We are waging a relentless war on terrorists, their recruiters, their financiers and their ideologues. We hope that all countries will cooperate to prevent terrorists from establishing safe-havens by abusing asylum and migration laws. This month we held an international conference on counter-terrorism in Riyadh to which we invited representatives of fifty countries to discuss and develop ways and means to combat this international criminal phenomenon. It was recommended by HRH Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz that an international center to combat terrorism be established. Strangely enough, there is presently no international center to combat what is undeniably a global problem of immense proportions. It is generally accepted as a fact that one of the factors most conducive to terrorism is the injustice perpetrated on the Palestinians through the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. For years we have been preaching to unheeding ears in the West, therefore it was music to my ears to hear what we have just heard from his Excellency Mr. Straw that this issue should be resolved on a fair and just basis, otherwise it will be a radicalizing force in the region. Unfortunate3ly, the obstinacy of Israel in defying international law and building illegal settlements, in humiliating the Palestinian people and casting a shadow of terror over the occupied territories, has increased radicalism and frustrated international efforts to resolve this conflict. Recent talks this month between the leaders of Israel and the leaders of Palestine present a hopeful opportunity to move forward with the peace process. This chance must not be missed. I am looking forward to a meaningful and positive outcome to the conference on the peace process called for by the right honorable Prime Minister Blair to be held here in London at the beginning of next month. We must also work for a stable and unified Iraq, at peace with itself and in harmony with its neighbours. We are heartened by the electoral process and results in that country. And we must work together to achieve what the Iraqi people deserve. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom are in this unique position we must hare the responsibility and move forward together to address these issues. This does not mean the contravention of other international efforts, but that in the future we should aim to propel such efforts. We shall not be able to discover remedies for all the woes that we face and that afflict us, but it is not too late to try. As your great poet Alfred Lord Tennyson said, To seek a newer world , and, strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. Thank you very much and may the peace of God be upon you. The United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw Secretary had earlier delivered the following speech at the opening of the forum: Your Royal Highnesses, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to London and to this very important Conference, jointly organized by the government of Saudi Arabia and the British government. I am delighted that we have this opportunity today to discuss how we can strengthen the partnership between the UK and Saudi Arabia, and meet together the challenges of a changing world. The UK's relationship with Saudi Arabia is one which the Prime Minister, I and the whole British government greatly value. Saudi Arabia is at the political and economic heart of the Middle East a region which is central to the UK's interests and to those of almost every other country in the international community. With 25 percent of the world s reserves of oil, Saudi Arabia has a pivotal role in the world energy market, which is of such obvious importance for global growth and prosperity. Indeed without the Kingdom's stabilizing influence over the last quarter of a century, the world economy would have had a far rougher ride. As the home of Islam s two holiest sites, Saudi Arabia has enormous significance for the worlds' Muslims, including the 2 million of them who live in Britain 25,000 in my own parliamentary constituency of Blackburn. I am proud that the UK was the first mainly-Christian country to send an annual official, Government-backed Delegation to the Holy Places, assisting British pilgrims undertaking Hajj. We are very grateful for all the cooperation, which that delegation has received from the Saudi authorities. Some 20,000 British citizens live in Saudi Arabia. It is the UK's largest export market in the region; and we are the fourth-largest investor there. We enjoy a close political dialogue. I myself had the pleasure of visiting the Kingdom twice last year, in March and October. As is clear from those examples, ours is a strong and prosperous relationship. And it gives us a firm basis of friendship and understanding to tackle the many challenges which we now face. Both our countries are determined to resist and to defeat the scourge of terrorism. And we reject utterly the idea that this despicable violence has any justification whatsoever in the Islamic faith which we know to be one of peace, tolerance and respect. Our law-enforcement and other agencies are working ever more closely together against the terrorist threat. Earlier this month Saudi Arabia hosted an important conference aimed at strengthening the common international fight against terrorist networks. And as you have said in the past, Your Royal Highness, there can never be the clash of civilizations between us which the terrorists seek to provoke. Our civilizations are not competing and conflicting, but the product of a collective human effort to which people of many faiths and cultures have contributed. In resisting terrorism, we proclaim our shared attachment to civilization and to the basic human values of respect, dialogue and freedom, which the terrorists attack. Our two Kingdoms are working together to spread security in the Middle East a region in which Saudi Arabia has such a clear and vital role to play. I welcome our shared engagement in support of the Iraqi people, as they build a stable, democratic and prosperous country at peace with its neighbours. We have a common interest too in ensuring that Iran's nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. Perhaps most important of all, both our countries are determined to support the cause of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. I know and understand how crucial this is for everyone in the region as it is for the whole international community. Quite apart from the human tragedy of this conflict, stagnation in the Middle East Peace Process has weakened people s faith in politics and in the power of solutions achieved by dialogue. In that way, the conflict has too often acted as a source of radicalization and as a block on positive change in the Middle East as a whole. Today there is hope that both sides can make progress towards peace. We must offer all the support we can as the parties involved pursue that process. Next week Prime Minister Tony Blair and I will be holding an international meeting here in London. Its aim is to help the Palestinians to build the institutions, which they need to create a future Palestinian state. I am delighted that you, Your Royal Highness, will be attending along with the members of the Quartet - the US, UN, EU, and Russia and representatives from other nations and from the World Bank. The meeting will be an important chance for us to mobilise greater practical support for the Palestinians, as they move towards the goal of a state of their own a state of Palestine for which they have striven for so long. Your Royal Highnesses, alongside these international issues both our two Kingdoms face a wider need, which forms the main subject of our discussions today. This is to pursue a process of managed change, modernization and reform, so as to adapt to a rapidly-changing world. Britain is today a democratic Constitutional monarchy. But those arrangements, and the place of religion in British society, have evolved over centuries of passionate debate and sometimes violent conflict. Some of our democratic foundations, such as the vote for women, are relatively recent. Yet thanks to all these developments, we have today in this country a framework of laws and freedoms which allows people of every religion to celebrate their faith, including 2 million British Muslims; and which helps people of every background to fulfil their potential, and to contribute their diverse talents and experience for the benefit of society as a whole. The process of change is a constant one, with no end point. My own constituency of Blackburn, once the industrial heart of the British cotton industry, has undergone a painful but ultimately successful transformation whose effects are still present today. So too have towns elsewhere in Britain which relied on industries such as coal mining or steel manufacture. And as the world changes further in the future, they will need to transform themselves again. Though Britain and Saudi Arabia are very different countries, this challenge of change is one, which we share. Saudi Arabia's transformation over the last century has been simply astounding. A country once considered a relative backwater has become a cornerstone of the global economy; and economic growth and development have transformed life for its millions of citizens. But as the Kingdom's rulers have recognized, no nation can stand still. The challenge for Saudi Arabia, as for Britain and other nations, is to adapt to the changing world reality, while preserving all that is good and admirable in its society. Or rather it is this: to adapt so as to preserve those strong traditions and values. For without reform, frustrated aspirations for change may fuel resentment and strengthen those forces who wish to destroy all that society holds dear. Modernization and reform are not roads to a society of godless consumerism. If properly managed, as Saudi Arabia has recognized, reform and modernization will preserve what Saudis and others most cherish in their society: the values of respect for the family, for others and for religion; of social responsibility and order; and of a powerful morality based on the great and noble faith of Islam. Let us be clear: no-one from outside can tell another nation how best to pursue such a process of change and development. And when we in Europe speak of the need for reform elsewhere, we must be sure to do so with a good deal of humility. We cannot forget that the democracy and prosperity, which our own continent enjoys are after all, in many of its nations, very recent phenomena. When I was a young man, none of the eight eastern members of the European Union could be described as a democracy; and three of its southern members were dictatorships. Go back a few more decades, and only a handful of today s EU members had any experience or tradition of democracy. Those of us familiar with history know that the road to Constitutional monarchy here in Britain, as I have said, has been one marked by centuries of debate and sometimes violence. So we do not come with a model to impose. But we do know that the common desire of all people is for security, prosperity and a say in the decisions which affect their lives. And we know that reform in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab world is in our interests too, and those of the whole international community. We therefore want to work in partnership with Saudi Arabia and the other countries of the region to support the processes of change, which they themselves are shaping, towards the goals which they themselves have set. Our two Kingdoms long-standing and close friendship gives us a strong basis on which to do so. The UK is working in partnership in Saudi Arabia to share our experience in such fields as vocational and technical training for judges, journalists and businesswomen. We have organized seminars to inform the business community about the impact of accession to the World Trade Organization. And we are strengthening our co-operation on counter-terrorism and on defence. I greatly welcome the municipal elections, which were held in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago, as an important step in the growing involvement of the people in political decision-making. I look forward to the development of this process; and I particularly welcome the Government of Saudi Arabia's commitment to extend it to women. Our relationship also recognizes the importance of young people in promoting dialogue and understanding, with over 50 youth sports exchanges between us every year. And our partnerships in multilateral fora complement such bilateral work. The UK is a driving force behind the EU's growing relationship with Saudi Arabia and its neighbours, through the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with the GCC and the EU's work towards a strategic partnership with the Middle East and North Africa. As Presidency of the G8 this year, we are working with the countries of the region in a process, which they are leading, with a particular focus on education, assistance for democracy, and improving the environment for investment. The UK and Saudi Arabia are working together within the OECD's new initiative designed to improve the conditions for investment in the Middle East and North Africa. We are jointly chairing a working group focused on economic diversification. And NATO, through the Istanbul Co-operation Initiative, has made clear its willingness to develop practical assistance for Saudi Arabia and its GCC neighbours in those areas in which they choose to engage, and at a rhythm and pace which they will set. All of this represents a strong partnership for change, modernization and reform one which we are both resolved to develop even further in our discussions today. Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen, I began by stressing the importance of the friendship between Britain and Saudi Arabia. It is a characteristic of friendship that we work together not just in the easy times, but in tough times as well. We know that managing change requires courage and leadership. But we know too that it is vitally important to preserving and strengthening the values of justice, security and prosperity, which we share, both in our own societies and in the wider world. Ours is a relationship of deep and broad engagement. The United Kingdom will do all we can to strengthen that engagement, so as to accompany the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with support solidarity and understanding as it shapes its future. Let me wish this Conference every success. On the other hand Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland, opened the strategic forum on the importance of investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Addressing the inaugural session, Prince Turki underlined the importance of investment in Saudi Arabia, and said investing in Saudi Arabia is profitable and promising. In his speech at the forum organized by the Commission of the British Strategic Conferences, Prince Turki highlighted the significant role played by King Abdul Aziz in the unification of the Kingdom. He noted that the basic system of the Kingdom, issued in 1993, had identified the Kingdom as an Islamic state, and said 'its constitution is the Holy Quran and Sunnah (the Prophet's teachings)'. Prince Turki lauded the great attention given by the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz to the Ulema (Muslim scholars) and academicians. He noted that the municipal elections, recently held in Riyadh, embody the keenness of King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz to enable citizens to participate in the political life. Prince Turki said King Fahd had earlier underscored the importance of enabling Saudi women to positively contribute to the process of development in the country. Citing the remarkable development attained in the Kingdom in the educational sector, he said 'for the time being there are thousands of schools and millions of students in the Kingdom'. Moreover, Prince Turki said King Fahd is keen on getting rid of bureaucracy and improving the performance of the governmental institutions. Prince Turki highlighted the Kingdom's efforts in combatting terrorism, and said the Saudi people never tolerate terrorism or anything that is linked with it. 'Thanks to Almighty Allah, the phenomenon of terrorism has started to wane in the Kingdom, and we are about to uproot this dangerous phenomenon', he said. He pointed out that the Saudis prefer to invest their capitals inside their country because investing there is profitable and promising. On his part, Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr Hashim Yamani confirmed the strength of the Saudi economy, and said the Saudi economy made big strides last year. Dr Yamani shed light on the regulations introduced by the Saudi Government to encourage investment, and said efforts were underway for the admission of the Kingdom to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Meanwhile, Amr Al-Dabbagh, the Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) praised the constructive role of SAGIA in encouraging investment and boosting the process of economic growth. 'The Saudi economy is the biggest economy in the Arab region', he said pointing out to the facilities and incentives approved by the Government for attracting foreign investment. Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland, said Saudi-British relations are distinguished even though there are some problems as is the case with any relations between any two countries. In remarks to the press after the opening session of the Saudi-British Forum 'Two Kingdoms: Future Challenges', he said one of these problems, which can be solved is the presence of some people who exploit the generousness of the British laws to offend other countries especially Saudi Arabia. On another subject, he said, "What we need from Britain is to use its presidency of the European Union to help us sign an agreement with the European Union to pave the way for the process of accession" to the World Trade Organization. On the other hand Prince Saud Al Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs has launched the Saudi Arabian Embassy's Web Site in London. The launching ceremony took place at the embassy in the presence of Prince Turki Al Faisal, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and other high ranking Saudi officials accompanying Prince Saud Al Faisal in his current visit to the UK .