|
|
October 14, 2005 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
**** A Royal order has been issued extending the service tenure of Prince Mishaal Ibn Majed Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Jeddah, and Abdulrahman bin Abdul-Muhsin Al-Abdel-Kadir, the Deputy Minister of Civil Service, for an additional term of four years effective from 2/9/1426 AH. Turki Ibn Khaled Al-Sudairi, who previously worked as a state minister and Cabinet member for eight years, has been appointed chairman of the Human Rights Commission, an independent rights watchdog recently set up by the government. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah made the appointment by royal decree, the Saudi Press Agency said, adding that Sudairi would have the rank of a minister. The Cabinet approved the new human rights commission, which will be under the supervision of the prime minister (the king) on Sept. 12, 2005. The body is directed to "protect human rights and create awareness about them ... in keeping with the provisions of Islamic law," SPA said. The commission's board will include at least 18 full-time members and six part-time members, SPA added. The king will name the board members for a four-year renewable term. Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Interior Minister, received at his office in Jeddah the U.S. Foreign Secretary's Coordinator for Iraq affairs Ambassador James Jeffrey and his accompanying delegation. During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in Iraq. Tha Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said it expects energy ministers from key oil producing and consuming nations to attend the November 19 inauguration of the permanent secretariat in Riyadh for the International Energy Forum. Leading oil producer and consumer nations agreed in 2002 to set up the secretariat for the informal forum, which aims to promote dialogue between the two sides. "The International Energy Forum Secretariat will help maintain and enhance dialogue between producing and consuming nations," state news agency SPA quoted Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi as saying. He said energy ministers and the heads of several oil firms would also attend a seminar in the Saudi capital Riyadh to discuss oil market conditions and their impact on the global economy as well as planned projects to boost oil production capacity and build new refineries. President Carlos Papoulias of Greece received the Saudi ambassador to Greece Abdullah Ibn Sa'ad Al-Madi on the occasion of the end of his term of office in the country. The Saudi ambassador conveyed greetings of Saudi leaders and people to the president, who commended the performance of the Saudi ambassador. Prince Salman Ib Abdul Aziz the Governor of Riyadh region received at his office the Director of the International Federation for Muslim Scouts Dr Abdullah Ibn Omar Nassif who briefed him on the past and future programmes of the federation as well as Saudi Arabia's participation in the International Camp. Prince Salman also received the Nepalese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Director of Al Nour institute for the blinds Walid Abdul Rahman Al Haidar and members of the board who briefed Prince Salman on the services the institute provides in the field of education. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of Assir Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and President of Arab Thought Foundation (ATF), and the Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora opened activities of the second Arab Forum for Education in the Arab World under the title:" Higher Education and Future". At the outset of the conference, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal delivered a speech in which he welcomed the audience and expressed pleasure of this important occasion. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of Asir Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President of Arab Thought Foundation (ATF), and chairman of the organizing committees of the Arab Translation Gathering and the Second Education Gathering , held a press conference following the conclusion of the two forums. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal thanked Lebanese leaders for patronizing the opening of the two forums. He also thanked the Lebanese Ministers of Culture, Information and Education for their support for and participation in this cultural work. Furthermore, he thanked all participants in the two forums and talked in detail about recommendations of these two forums. Following the remarks of Prince Khalid, several speakers thanked him for his efforts to make these two forums successful. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Sanioura received Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of Asir region and head of the Arab Thought Foundation. During the meeting, they discussed issues of common interest. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of Asir Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and President of Arab Thought Foundation (ATF), signed a cooperation agreement between the Arab Thought Foundation and the Union of Arab Banks . On behalf of the union, the agreement was signed by Chairman of The Board of Directors of the union Dr. Josef Taribiah. The agreement aims at promoting cooperation between the Foundation and the union in the field of exchanging information, studies, strategies and proposals which boost joint Arab work. President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Sheikh Khalifa commended the strong relations between the UAE and Turkey and said this will be marked with even more growth and development benefiting both countries. During the meeting, ways of reinforcing cooperation were discussed, in addition to recent regional and international developments. The President and Erdogan stressed the importance of finding ways to solve problems in the Middle East and ensuring the stability and security of the region. Sheikh Khalifa said, "Turkey is considered by the UAE and other countries in the region as an important partner in the economic, commercial, investment and tourism fields which, as a result, strengthens international and regional cooperation." Erdogan said, " Reinforcing relations with the UAE on all levels through opening joint coordination and cooperation fields will better the relations between the two countries which in turn will serve the ambitions of both." Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Public Works Department, attended the meeting along with Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, Sheikhs and senior officials. The Lebanese government has filled key security positions. The Cabinet appointed a new General Security chief to replace Major General Jamil Sayyed, who was arrested last month in connection with the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri. "Major General Wafik Jezzini has been named as General Security director," Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said, "and Jezzini's nomination is a very important measure on the path to building security institutions." Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the former Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland and the Saudi ambassador designate to the US, received the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Anthony Vegez on the occasion of the end of his term of office in London. Sir Anthony expressed appreciation for the role played by Prince Turki Al-Faisal during his work as the Saudi ambassador in London. On the other hand, Lebanese ambassador to Britain Jihad Murtaza hosted a luncheon in honor of Prince Turki Al-Faisal. The luncheon was attended by a number of Arab accredited ambassadors to the UK and some officials of the British Foreign Office. The Council of Arab Ambassadors in the United Kingdom held a luncheon in honor of Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi former Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland and Ambassador Designate to the United States of America on the occasion of the near end of his term of office in Britain. The banquet was attended by a number of British foreign office officials and ambassadors accredited to London. Also, a number of ambassadors accredited to the United Kingdom have held similar farewell parties in honor of Prince Turki Al-Faisal. The statistics of OECD taken from OAD and based on DAC reports confirm that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the Kingdom gives four percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on foreign aid annually, as 83 countries have benefited from its financial assistance. Saudi Arabia tops the list of countries extending foreign aid. The Kingdom has contributed more than $24 billion to the capital of several development organizations around the world, especially in Arab and Islamic countries. Saudi Arabia stands second after the US in foreign remittances of expatriate workers and these remittances are an important source of foreign currencies and financial resources for many countries. Prince Turki Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Culture and Information lauded the cultural exhibition held at King Fahd Cultural center of the occasion of the Saudi National Day. The prince said the exhibition demonstrates the activities of the Ministry of Culture and Information in celebrating the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by its founder the late King Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdul Rahman Al Saud. Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Eng. Ali Ibn Ibrahim Al Naimi confirmed that the oil prices are passing confusing times as they are subject to different pressures despite the fact that the infrastructure facilities of the oil industry are working in their full capacity. In a key speech before the 18th World Petroleum Congress in Johannesburg which takes place from 25 - 29 September 2005, Al Naimi said Africa was playing an important and growing role in world energy supplies and it will definitely be able to achieve, thanks to its active oil industry, its economic aspirations and assist at the same time in meeting the increasing energy needs of the world. Saudi Arabia denied press reports that it was engaged in secret negotiations with Britain over a $70 billion arms deal. However, it pointed out that London had expressed its desire to sell Typhoon fighter planes to the Kingdom. "There are no secret negotiations between the two countries on the deal to sell the Typhoon planes," the Saudi Press Agency quoted a Defense Ministry spokesman as saying. "But the British side has openly expressed a desire to supply Saudi Arabia with these planes, like any of the many friendly countries which produce sophisticated weapons systems," the official said. The spokesman said the Saudi government did not ask for or receive any official or unofficial offer from the British side on this subject. "Saudi Arabia has the right to defend its territory by developing its own weapons systems or acquiring new systems from any country in the world," he said. The defense official also stressed that the Kingdom's arms purchases were driven by "operational needs, and not in lieu of any political deals with these countries." The foreign affairs committee of Jordan's Parliament condemned the statement made by Iraq's Interior Minister Bayan al-Jabr against Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and said it was "unprecedented" for an Arab nation to make such remarks against a "brotherly Arab state." Jabr made his comments on a visit to Jordan to discuss tightening border controls against insurgents. At a press conference after the Jiddah meeting, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Jabr's remarks were "regrettable." "They are very unfortunate. We have full appreciation and respect for the Saudi leadership and his royal highness, the minister," Zebari said, sitting next to Prince Saud. Russia urged Iran to adopt an agreement allowing unannounced inspections of its controversial nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Russia's Foreign Ministry said Iran would create a measure of trust by voluntarily adopting the terms of the IAEA Additional Protocol signed by Iran in 2003 but never ratified. Russia says such a move will help Iran normalize the situation over the nuclear dispute. Last month, the IAEA's board of governors passed a resolution saying Tehran is not in compliance with nuclear non-proliferation safeguards -- which could prompt the case to be sent to the UN Security Council. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed at producing energy for civilian use -- and not the creation of nuclear weapons. Russia has an $800 million contract to build Iran's first nuclear reactor. The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs has issued its directives to all its branches around the Kingdom to collect donations only through Charitable foundation. Dr Tawfik Al Sudairi Under Secretary of State for Islamic Affairs warned that the Ministry will combat all illegal collections. He denied that the Ministry received an American request to control charity work and added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoys its sovereignty and can never accept such issues. Islam does not represent any threat to international peace and security, declared, on Friday, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Speaking at a meeting in the NATO Headquarters with the London-based Arab press, Scheffer said: "we should not allow Islam be taken hostage by those people who use it to serve their terrorist objectives." He added that terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are a challenge to all international community members. Scheffer highlighted the importance of the Mediterranean region for NATO, which explains the initiative of the Mediterranean dialogue, promoted in 2004 to the level of partnership between NATO members and countries like Morocco. The NATO SG deemed that reinforcing this partnership is crucial in view of the strategic position of the Mediterranean region not only for the countries of the area, but also for NATO member-States. At its concluding session, the IAEA General Conference adopted resolutions on nuclear issues, including the implementation of safeguards in North Korea and the application of IAEA safeguards in the Middle East. More than 100 States met at the Conference in Vienna. The resolution on the application of safeguards in the Middle East, as similar General Conference resolutions have done in the past, calls upon "all States in the region to take measures, including confidence-building and verification measures, aimed at establishing a nuclear-weapon-free-zone in the Middle East." The resolution was adopted without a vote. Arab states were pushing for a denunciation of Israel as a nuclear threat to the Middle East, on the final day Friday of a weeklong conference of the watchdog UN atomic agency. "This year we hope to get a little bit more," Egyptian ambassador Ramzy Ezzeldeiin Ramzy told AFP about an Arab drive to have the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) discuss "Israeli nuclear capabilities and threat," as proposed in a resolution by Oman. Arab states have in past years dropped this agenda request in order to win Israeli participation in a consensus on a call for nations to work towards a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East. But 15 Arab states plus Palestine said in a letter distributed at the 139-nation IAEA conference in Vienna that they would insist this year on the agenda item since "Israel is developing an advanced nuclear programme for military purposes, which has a negative impact on peace and stability in the Middle East region and on efforts to prevent proliferation in the region." Diplomats said they expected the traditional compromise to take place, although emotions are running high after the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors last week found Iran guilty of violating the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The move opens the way to taking Iran to the UN Security Council, which could impose trade sanctions. Arab states resent the fact that the IAEA is cracking down on Iran for what the United States charges is a covert nuclear weapons programme while US ally Israel, believed to be the only nuclear weapons power in the Middle East, avoids such scrutiny. The IAEA conference was delayed for at least two hours as delegations engaged in intense behind-the-scenes lobbying. Israel had rejected the Arab charges that it is a nuclear threat to peace after Egypt proposed the creation of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East. Israeli atomic energy commission chief Gideon Frank told the IAEA conference that the Arab initiative to name Israel as a nuclear threat was unacceptable as it was "politically and cynically motivated." Jack Straw was heckled as he told the Labour party conference in Brighton that Britain was in Iraq "for one reason only: to help the elected Iraqi government build a secure, democratic and stable nation". A delegate, who was 82 years old and has been a Labour party member for 60 years, was bundled out by security guards after he shouted, "That's a lie," during the foreign secretary's keynote conference address. The outburst came during one of the few mentions of Iraq in the conference hall. The foreign secretary warned the conference to "expect more dark moments" from Iraq, but compared the situation with post-war Germany, where it took four years before national elections were possible. "In Iraq it was less than two" he said. He told delegates: "Two wars have followed September 11. In each case, alongside the US, we in the British government worked tirelessly for an alternative. But there was a moment of decision where we had to judge which was lesser of two evils: to stand by and allow these two monstrous regimes to go on defying the international community, or to act. In each case we chose the latter course. "And I believe we were right to do so." The two other big themes of the foreign secretary's speech were Turkey and Iran. Mr Straw referred to Turkey's bid to join the EU. Britain currently holds the EU presidency and Mr Straw said admitting Turkey, a country with a large Muslim majority would set "a shining example across the whole of its neighbouring region". Despite preliminary talks having already begun, large majorities in France, Germany and other countries oppose the expansion. Pointing out that Turkey joining the EU was first mooted in 1963, Mr Straw said it would be a "huge betrayal" to "turn our back" on the country, not least of the programme of reform currently being instigated by its prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mr Straw said that by declaring Iran "non-compliant" with its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the international community sent a strong signal that commitments had to be respected. "But if Iran does come into compliance the door will be thrown wide open to cooperation - economic, political and social - between another great people and the EU," he added. Mr Straw also repeated calls for reform of the UN, saying the UK had been "in the vanguard" for change at the Millennium summit a fortnight ago. While noting an improvement in the past year in the situation between Israel and the Palestinians, with the withdrawal from Gaza and a new Palestinian president, the foreign secretary specifically called on the Israelis to "alter the route of their security wall." President Bush warned that the bloodshed and violence by Iraqi extremists will escalate as the country moves into the last phase of its transition over the next three months -- beginning with the referendum on a controversial new constitution on Oct. 15. "We can expect they'll do everything in their power to try to stop the march of freedom," Bush warned during comments in the Rose Garden about terrorism. After talks with Casey and Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, Bush expressed confidence that the U.S.-led campaign to quell Iraq's insurgency can deal with a further escalation. "Our troops are ready for it," he said. Bush heralded the weekend killing of al Qaeda's second-in-command in Iraq, Abdullah Abu Azzam, as a major break in the hunt for high-value targets loyal to al Qaeda. The U.S.-led coalition, he said, is now "constantly adapting" its targets to the insurgents' shifting tactics. Bush claimed success in the recent offensive in northwest Tall Afar. Iraqi forces for the first time outnumbered U.S. troops in an operation that killed or captured hundreds, he noted. "Iraqi troops remain in Tall Afar to ensure that terrorists are not allowed to return and regroup," Bush said. "We have a plan to win." Sultan Qaboos bin Said gave an audience at Bait Al Barakah to Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister and minister of state for foreign affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). During the audience he conveyed the greetings of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, and his best wishes to the Sultan and to the Omani people. Sultan Qaboos asked Sheikh Hamdan to convey his greetings to Sheikh Khalifa and to the brotherly people of the UAE. They also discussed aspects of cooperation between the two countries in all fields in the mutual interest of the two brotherly peoples. The audience was attended by Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, minister of the Diwan of Royal Court; Sheikh Mohammed bin Marhoon Al Ma'amari, the Sultanate's ambassador to the UAE, and the delegation accompanying Sheikh Hamdan. The European Union overcame a last-minute crisis and opened membership talks with Turkey -- a historic move to include a mostly-Muslim nation that brought relief in Turkey and all round Europe. "We have just made history," British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and EU enlargement commissioner Ollie Rehn. The talks had been threatened at the 11th hour by division among the 25 EU governments after Austria demanded that Turkey be granted a less-than-full version of membership. Gul, who flew to Luxembourg to attend the brief, middle-of-the-night ceremony to formally open the negotiations, said both Europe and Turkey stood to gain. "Our relations with Europe began in 1963, a period of more than 40 years. We have arrived today at a historic stage," he said. "It is not just Turkey that will win, but also the European Union will win." It took last-minute wrangling among EU foreign ministers during gruelling talks to agree a joint mandate for opening the negotiations with Ankara. After Austria relented, the EU sent its terms for talks to Ankara. Gul boarded a flight after Turkey approved the terms. |