June 17, 2005

PRINCE ABDULLAH REVIEWS WITH SULTAN QABOOS THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENTS ON THE GULF, ARAB, ISLAMIC AND INTERNATIONAL ARENAS. THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AND OMAN EXPRESS SATISFACTION OVER THE CURRENT LEVEL OF BILATERAL RELATIONS AND AGREE ON ENHANCING COOPERATION IN ALL FIELDS. THE COMMUNIQUÉ STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF ACHIEVING PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND SUPPORTS THE POLITICAL PROCESS AIMING AT THE PRESERVATION OF IRAQ'S UNITY AND SOVEREIGNTY AND NOT INTERFERING IN ITS INTERNAL AFFAIRS. THE SULTAN OF OMAN REVIEWS BILATERAL RELATIONS AND THE REGIONS AFFAIRS WITH THE KUWAITI LEADERSHIP. SULTAN QABOOS AND PRESIDENT MUBARAK REVIEW THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE, THE SITUATION IN IRAQ AND ENHANCING BILATERAL RELATIONS. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, met at his palace in Riyadh with visiting Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed of Oman. During the meeting, overall developments and incidents at the Arab Gulf, Arab, Islamic and International arenas were reviewed as well as the positions of the two countries towards them. In addition, they discussed aspects of cooperation between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in all fields in a way that serves their joint interests. On the Saudi side, the meeting was attended by Prince Mishaal Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Mit'eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz, Special Advisor to the king; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Abdul-Ilah Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Sattam Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region, Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, the Minister of Labor. On the Omani side, the meeting was attended by Sultan Qaboos's accompanying delegation. Sultan Qaboos of Oman had arrived in Riyadh for a several day state visit to the Kingdom. He was received at Riyadh air base by Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region, Prince Dr. Abdul Aziz Ibn Mohammed Ibn Ayyaf Al Miqren, Mayor of Riyadh city, princes, ministers, senior protocol officials, Omani Ambassador to the Kingdom Saeed Ibn Ali Al Kalbani, and Saudi Charge d'Affaires in Muscat Husham Ibn Abdul Wahab Zaraa. Sultan Qaboos was accorded an official welcome. When the aircraft carrying Sultan Qaboos came to a halt at the airport, it was boarded by the head of the Saudi Royal Protocols and the Sultanate's ambassador to Saudi Arabia who requested Sultan Qaboos to disembark. At the foot of the ramp, Sultan Qaboos was received by Prince Abdullah who welcomed Sultan Qaboos. Sultan Qaboos introduced to Prince Abdullah members of his accompanying delegation. Prince Abdullah introduced to Sultan Qaboos senior members of the welcome party. Then, Prince Abdullah escorted Sultan Qaboos to the dais of honour where the Royal Anthem of Oman and the Saudi Royal Anthem were played. Sultan Qaboos accompanied by Prince Abdullah inspected a guard of honour. Then, Prince Abdullah escorted Sultan Qaboos to royal saloon where Sultan Qaboos shook hands with princes, ministers, senior state civil and military officials. Following a short rest and after having Arabian coffee, Sultan Qaboos and Prince Abdullah headed to Prince Abdullah's Palace. Sultan Qaboos's visit to Saudi Arabia comes within the context of strong bilateral relations and as part of the joint efforts to further consolidate these relations in the interest of the brotherly Omani and Saudi peoples. Sultan Qaboos was accompanied during his visit by a delegation comprising Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, minister of the Diwan of Royal Court; General Ali bin Majid Al Ma'amari, minister of Royal Office; Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, minister responsible for foreign affairs; Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and deputy chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council; Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Rowas, Sultan Qaboos the Sultan's adviser for cultural affairs; Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry; and Said bin Ali Al Kalbani, Sultanate's ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, gave a lunch party at his palace in Riyadh in honor of Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed of Oman. The function was attended by Prince Mishaal Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Bandar Ibn Mohammed Ibn Abdul Rahman ; Prince Mit'eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Abdullah Ibn Mohammed Al Saud; Prince Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Abdul-Ilah Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Sattam Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region, other princes, ministers, senior civil and military officials. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Ministr and Commander of the National Guard paid a visit to Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed of Oman at his residence in "Al-Diyafah" Palace in Riyadh. They held a meeting in which discussions on a number of issues were taken up. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General hosted at Al-Azizia Palace in Riyadh a luncheon in honor of Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed of Oman and his accompanying delegation. The luncheon was attended by a number of princes, ministers and high-ranking officials. Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed received at his guest residence at Conferences Palace Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior. During the reception, they exchanged cordial talks and discussed topics of mutual concern and aspects of cooperation between the two brotherly countries. Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region, gave a dinner party here tonight in honor of visiting Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed of Oman and accompanying delegation. The function was attended by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Sattam Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region; princes; ministers; and a number of civil and military senior officials. Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed received at his guest residence at the Conferences Palace here today Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, they discussed topics of mutual concern between the two brotherly countries. The meeting was attended by Oman's Minister for Foreign Affairs Yousef bin Alawe bin Abdullah and a number of officials. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Oman expressed satisfaction over the current level of their bilateral relations and agreed on enhancing cooperation in all fields. This was mentioned in a joint communiqué issued on the conclusion of the two-day-visit of Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed of Oman to the Kingdom. The communiqué said that the two countries reviewed regional and international issues of common interest and the outcome of the consultative meeting of the leaders of The Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)'s countries held recently in Riyadh. It added that they also discussed the Iraqi issue and its latest security and political developments and the rising violence there. The two countries announced their support to the political process aiming at the preservation of Iraq's unity and sovereignty and not interfering in its internal affairs, the Communique said. "The two sides carefully followed up the events in Palestine and demanded that Israel stops aggressive acts against Palestinians, expansion of constructing settlements, the continuing of building separation barrier and violating all international laws and practices." The Communique stressed that the comprehensive peace in the Middle East will not be realized unless the principle of "Land for Peace" is applied and a Palestinian state, with Al-Quds as its capital, is established alongside the Israeli State which should withdraw from the Golan in Syria and Shaba'a farms in Lebanon. With regard to combating dangers of globalization, Saudi Arabia and Oman discussed the means of benefiting from the positive factors of globalization and avoiding its negative ones. In the sphere of terrorism phenomenon, the two countries renewed the call for making all international efforts to combat this phenomenon which threatens international peace and security. Also, they reviewed the proposal of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, about establishing an international center to combat terrorism. "The two sides explored the progress of the march of the GCC and expressed satisfaction over what has been accomplished in this context," the communiqué said. During his visit, Sultan Qaboos held wide-ranging talks with Crown Prince Abdullah. The visit of Sultan Qaboos was in response to an invitation extended to him by the Saudi Leadership, the Communique said. Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed of Oman and his accompanying delegation left Riyadh after an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At Riyadh Air Base Airport, he was seen off by Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Prince Sattam Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Vice Governor of Riyadh Region; and a number of princes, ministers and high-ranking officials. Meanwhile Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Abdul Rahman Ibn Hamad Al-Attiyah praised the visit of Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed of Oman to the Kingdom. In a press conference, he said that this visit is considered a culmination of the brotherly relationship between the two countries' leaderships in all aspects. Al-Attiyah also praised the support rendered by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz and Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed of Oman for the GCC's path. On the other hand Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held concluding talks with Sultan Qaboos of Oman, who wrapped up a several-day visit to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The talks, which later included delegations from both countries, tackled the situation in the Arab world, especially the Gulf area and the Horn of Africa, where the Sultanate of Oman is playing a key role in establishing security, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. The two leaders also discussed means to strengthen the bilateral co-operation ties in various domains, MENA added. Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit, Minister Omar Suleiman and Sinai Governor Moustafa Afifi attended from the Egyptian side. Sultan Qaboos Sultan Qaboos bin Said arrived in Kuwait on a three-day visit. An official session of talks was held between Sultan Qaboos and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait. They discussed bilateral relations and ways of boosting them. The session was attended from the Omani side by members of the delegation accompanying the Sultan. From the Kuwaiti side, it was attended by Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Jabir Al Sabah, first deputy prime minister and interior minister and head of the mission of honour accompanying the Sultan; Sheikh Nassir Al Mohammed Al Ahmed Al Jabir Al Sabah, minister of the Emiri Diwan; Sheikh Jabir Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah, deputy prime minister and defence minister; Mohammed Dhaif Allah Shrrar, deputy prime minister and minister of state for Majlis Al Umah affairs; Dr Mohammed bin Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah, minister of foreign afairs; Abdullah bin Abdurrahman Al Tawil, minister of commerce and industry; Badr Mashari Al Humaidi, minister of finance; Ahmed Fahd Al Fahd, undersecretary of diwan of the prime minister; Ibrahim Al Shathi, undersecretary at the Emiri Diwan; Khalid Sulaiman Al Jarrullah, undersecretary at the foreign ministry; Sheikh Fahd Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah from the administration office of the emir; and Sheikh Faisal Al Hamoud Al Malik Al Sabah, Kuwaiti ambassador to the Sultanate. Later, Sultan Qaboos attended an official dinner hosted by Sheikh Sabah at Al Bayan Palace in honour of the Sultan. The dinner was attended by members of the official delegation accompanying Sultan Qaboos, sheikhs, ministers, senior government officials and dignitaries. Earlier, the welcoming party for the Sultan on his arrival at Kuwait International Airport was led by Sheikh Sabah. Sultan Qaboos was also received by Jasim Mohammed Al Khrafi, speaker of Majlis Al Umah; Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Jabir Al Sabah, first deputy prime minister and interior minister and head of the mission of honour accompanying the Sultan; Sheikh Nassir Al Mohammed Al Ahmed Al Jabir Al Sabah, minister of the Emiri Diwan; Sheikh Jabir Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah, deputy prime minister and defence minister; Mohammed Dhaif Allah Shrrar, deputy prime minister and minister of state for Majlis Al Umah Affairs; and Sheikh Salim bin Suhail Al Ma'ashani, Sultanate's ambassador to Kuwait. Sultan Qaboos was accorded an official welcome. When the aircraft carrying Sultan Qaboos came to a halt at the airport, it was boarded by the head of the Emiri Protocols and the Sultanate's ambassador to Kuwait who requested Sultan Qaboos to disembark. At the foot of the ramp, Sultan Qaboos was received by Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, prime minister of Kuwait, who welcomed Sultan Qaboos. The Sultan then introduced to Sheikh Sabah members of his accompanying delegation. Sheikh Sabah introduced to Sultan Qaboos the senior members of the welcome party. Then, Sheikh Sabah escorted Sultan Qaboos to the dais of honour where the Royal Anthem of Oman and the Emiri Anthem of Kuwait were played. Sultan Qaboos, accompanied by Sheikh Sabah, inspected the guard of honour. Then, Sheikh Sabah escorted Sultan Qaboos to the emiri saloon where Sultan Qaboos shook hands with princes, ministers, senior state civil and military officials. Following a short rest and after having Arabian coffee, Sultan Qaboos and Sheikh Sabah headed to Bayan Palace where Sultan Qaboos will stay. Sultan Qaboos's visit comes within the context of strong bilateral relations between the Sultanate and sisterly Kuwait and ways of boosting them in the interest of the brotherly Omani and Kuwaiti peoples. Sultan Qaboos is accompanied during his visit by a delegation comprising Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, minister of the diwan of royal court; Gen. Ali bin Majid Al Ma'amari, minister of royal office; Yousef bin Alawi bin Abdullah, minister responsible for foreign affairs; Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and supervisor of the Finance Ministry; Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry, and Sheikh Salim bin Suhail Al Ma'ashani, Sultanate's ambassador to Kuwait. Meanwhile, GCC Secretary-General Abdurrahman bin Hamad Al Attiya hailed the visit of Sultan Qaboos the Sultan to Kuwait. In a statement, he said Sultan Qaboos's visit would crown the brotherly relations and historical ties between the two nations. The visit, within the framework of continuous consultations between the two leaderships, will strengthen the GGC march, he said. He hailed Sultan Qaboos's recent trips to the Gulf region as part of exchanging views and unification of stances on regional and international issues of concern to the region. Sultan Qaboos bin Said received at his residence at Al Bayan Palace yesterday Jasim Mohammed Al Khrafi, speaker of Majlis Al Umah of Kuwait. They discussed ways of further boosting cooperation between the two countries in various fields. The meeting was attended by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, minister responsible for foreign affairs; and Sheikh Faisal Al Hamoud Al Malik Al Sabah, Kuwaiti ambassador to the Sultanate.