October 14, 2005

PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK RECEIVES PRINCE KHALID IBN SULTAN WHO BRIEFS HIM ABOUT PRINCE SULTAN INTERNATIONAL WATER PRIZE. PRINCE KHALID IBN SULTAN: THE WATER PROBLEM IN THE ARAB AND MIDDLE EASTERN REGION IS MORE SERIOUS THAN BORDER CONFLICTS AND SOLVING WATER PROBLEMS AND MANAGING WATER RESOURCES PROPERLY CAN REDUCE THAT DANGER. KING ABDUL AZIZ MEDICAL CITY WILL HOST A CONFERENCE ON ORGANS TRANSPLANTATION. Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak received Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Saudi Assistant Defense and Aviation Minister for Military Affairs. The meeting was attended by Saudi Charge d'affaires in Cairo Ahmad Ibn Mohammed Al-Sudeiri. They reviewed issues of mutual interest. Prince Khaled Ibn Sultan congratulated Mubarak on the occasion of his new term of office as the President of Egypt, and reiterated the importance of the existing fraternal relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt in all spheres notably in the military sphere. Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz International Prize for Water, had in Egypt to chair the meeting of the board of directors of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz International Prize for Water in their second session held to select the prize's five winners for this year 2005. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency, Prince Khalid explained that this is the first time that the meeting of the board of the prize is held outside Saudi Arabia in an initiative that aims at holding more constructive meetings outside Saudi Arabia to publicize the prize, explain its goals and call for proposing candidates to it. Minister of Water and Electricity Eng. Abdullah Ibn Abdul Rahman Al Hosain also arrived in Cairo to participate in the meeting of the board of directors of Prince Sultan International Prize for Water. The minister was accompanied by a number of officials who will also participate in the meeting. At the airport, he was received by senior officials. The Board of Directors of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz International Prize for Water held its first meeting in Cairo under the chairmanship of Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Military Affairs. Addressing the meeting, Prince Khalid prayed to Almighty Allah to make the efforts aiming at water best management a success. On his part, Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Dr. Mahmoud Abu-Zaid welcomed the Saudi delegation, wishing them good stay. He said the initiative to hold the prize's first meeting outside the Kingdom reflects the high-level of the bilateral relations binding the two countries. He said the event coincided with the Kingdom's national day celebrations and Egypt's presidential elections which gave President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak his fifth six-year term of office. Prince Khaled Ibn Sultan, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Military Affairs, has called for finding effective solutions to the Middle East water problem and warned that water could trigger the region's next war. "The water problem in the Arab and Middle East region could cause the next war as it is more serious than border conflicts. So by solving water problems and managing water resources properly we can reduce that danger," Prince Khalid, who is chairman of the Prince Sultan International Prize for Water, told a press conference in Cairo after a meeting of the prize committee. The meeting endorsed the prize's amended regulations and decided to hold an international conference on water along with the award ceremony. Launched in October 2002, the prize acknowledges special scientific achievements in the provision, protection and preservation of adequate and sustainable water resources, particularly in arid regions. Prizes will be awarded in five categories: Surface water; ground water; alternative (non-traditional) water resources; water resources management; and protection of water resources. The winners will be announced in October 2006 and the award ceremony will be held in November 2006. The prize includes a cash award of SR500,000 for winners in each of the five branches apart from a gold medallion and a certificate. Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz International Prize for Water, left Cairo after paying a visit to Egypt. During the visit, he chaired the meeting of the board of directors of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz International Prize for Water. At Cairo International Airport, he was seen off by senior officials. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz International Prize for Water derives its international importance from being both a humanitarian contribution by the Kingdom and an initiative that deals with the issue of water considered as one of the basic life elements in our existence. Besides, the award is extending its support to all recognized research works worldwide. This award is an indicative of the Kingdom's message to the world that reflects the true image of Muslim nation and Islamic civilization, and projects expressively its humanitarian international responsibility. Such a purposeful approach is made manifest through the sincere patronage of the Saudi leadership. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been extending effective contributions to the humanitarian activities to bring about prosperity, peace, and security to all corners of the universe. Given the dry weather conditions in the Arab region in general and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular, this award has been planned in compliance with the need for water. Accordingly, there has been a sense of urgency to contrive supportive methods to water researches adopted at world scale. These methods bounded with a sense of appreciation extended to concerned intellectual inventors with an aim to provide them with a suitable, moral, and financial atmosphere conducive of a free and! vivid spirit of contest. An atmosphere that would result in creative constructive outcomes capable of producing benevolence and prosperity to all peoples: in the kingdom, in the region, and in the whole world. The Prize is intended to reward the efforts undertaken by innovative scholars and scientist as well as applied organizations in the realm of water resources worldwide. The Prize is established to acknowledge the special achievements that have contributed to the development of scientific solutions. The Prize aims to advance the researches dedicated to solve the problems associated with the provision as well as the preservation of adequate and sustainable water resources, particularly in arid regions. The branches of the Prize encompass all the various intellectual as well as material achievements which have resulted in an increase in the level of human awareness and ability to control, water resources. The Prize embraces the following branches: 1- Surface water 2- Ground water 3- Alternative (non-traditional) water resources 4- Water resources management 5- Protection of water resources An international award bestowed in the five branches, consisting of a monetary award in the amount of 500,000 Saudi Riyals (about US$ 133000) to be awarded for each of the five branches. The Prize will be accompanied by a gold medallion, armor and a certificate. On the other hand the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Ministry of Water and Electricity, has been awarded the prize of the international Desalination Organization in the sector of management of water in recognition of its success in the rationalization of water consumption. It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Water and Electricity has distributed more than 2.9 million kits of rationalization of water consumption in various regions of the Kingdom. These kits have positively contributed to rationalization of water consumption by about 30 percent. The Ministry has also implemented a program of kits containing water tools for the rationalization of water consumption at the governmental buildings and public utilities. It has distributed more than 1.3 million kits which led to the rationalization of water consumption by a rate ranging between 25 to 50 percent, On the other hand a conference will be held at King Abdul Aziz medical city next November 26, for three days to discuss organs transplant. A number of scientists and experts from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Egypt, Lebanon, other countries as well as specialist consultants from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will take part in the conference. This was announce by Dr Gharam Allah Al Ghamdi kidney consultant at the King Abdul Aziz Medical City and Chairman of the organizing committee. He added that several subjects will be discussed at the conference and many papers will be presented.