Ain-Al-Yaqeen - December 23, 2005

		December 23, 2005

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES LAYS THE FOUNDATION STONE FOR A NUMBER OF MEDICAL PROJECTS IN KING ABDUL AZIZ MEDICAL CITY IN JEDDAH.
KING ABDULLAH HOPES THAT THESE PROJECTS WILL SERVE THE SAUDI PEOPLE, RESIDENTS AND ALL MUSLIM PEOPLE.
PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL REVIEWS WITH UGLU THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OIC SUMMIT'S RESOLUTIONS IN MAKKAH.
PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL SPEAKS TO THE PRESS IN WASHINGTON.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz laid the foundation stone for a number of new medical projects at King Abdul Aziz National Guard Medical City in Jeddah. This was announced by Dr Abdullah Al-Rabia'h, the executive director of the health affairs at the national guard, in a statement to

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz patronized the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of Center of Kidney Diseases and Surgery; College of Nurses and Assisting Medical Sciences at King Saud University for Health Sciences-Jeddah Branch; outpatients clinics; expansion of emergency ward; operation rooms; expansion of Prince Nourah bint Abdul Rahman Al-Faisal Center for Tumors; and units of bone marrow transplantation and burns in Jeddah-based King Abdul Aziz Medical City.

The ceremony was attended by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General.

Upon arrival at the venue, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was received by Prince Abdul Majeed Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Makkah Region; Prince General Miteb Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs; Prince Dr. Khalid Ibn Faisal Ibn Turki Al Saud, Undersecretary of the National Guard in the Western Sector; Prince Mishaal Ibn Majid Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Jeddah; Prince Mohammed Ibn Faisal Ibn Jelawi, Assistant Undersecretary of the National Guard in the Western Sector for Technical Affairs; Dr. Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Rabia'h, Executive Director General for Health Affairs of the National Guard and a number of officials.

A speech ceremony was held on this occasion. In his speech, Prince General Miteb Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz said that the title of '' King of Humanity'' has been conferred on King Abdullah as he makes human beings happy, praising great achievements in the health field.

On his part, Dr. Al-Rabia'h announced that King Abdullah has approved the set up of the National Family Safety Program in the health affairs of the National Guard in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs.

He pointed out that the total cost of the seven projects is nearly SR 200 million.

Dr. Al-Rabia'h announced that the Monarch issued his directive to transfer the Moroccan Siamese Twins to King Abdul Aziz Medical City for the required checkups and the possibility of their separation. The Monarch issued his directive to name the Center of Heart Diseases and Surgery after King Faisal Ibn Abdul Aziz.

Then King Abdullah watched a film on the medical projects and pressed a button marking the start of the projects.

The King laid the foundation stone of the projects saying they will serve the Saudi people, residents and all Muslim people.

Putting down on a visit book, the King expressed his great pleasure over these national accomplishments which are in the interest and service of citizens, adding that these projects are an extension of building the modern state founded and united by late King Abdul Aziz (Allah bless his soul).

The Monarch praised those working in these medical edifices, wishing them all success.

The ceremony was attended by a number of princes, ministers and senior officials.

The projects include the Kidney Diseases and Surgery Center, College of Nursing and Support Medical Sciences at the new Jeddah branch of King Saud University for Health Sciences, the outpatient clinics and expansion of the Emergency Section, Operations Theater, Princess Noora Bint Abdul Rahman Al-Faisal Center for Tumors, Bone Marrow Transplant Unit and the Burns Unit.

The King laid the foundation stone saying the projects will serve Saudi citizens as well as the whole Muslim Ummah. Later, he watched a film on the medical projects and pressed a button marking the start of the projects.

Signing the visitors book, the Monarch expressed his great pleasure over the accomplishments of national projects meant to serve the general public. He said these projects are an extension of building the modern state founded and united by King Abdul Aziz (MAY ALLAH BLESS HIS SOUL).

The Monarch praised those working on the project and wished them all success.

The ceremony was attended by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General. A number of princes, ministers and senior officials were also present.

Welcoming the King on the occasion, Prince Miteb Ibn Abdullah, Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs, said that the health affairs have recognized their big academic, research and training roles and they have been the first to adopt the best health educational programs and higher education in this country. Those programs resulted in the establishment of the first medical university in the Middle East called King Saud University for Health Sciences.

Workers in the Saudi medical sector expressed happiness over the massive expansion, wishing that such type of projects will not to be limited to the National Guard or military sector only.

The details about the projects have made us feel elated. The expansion of certain departments would serve the society, said Majdy Qutub, a consultant family physician at King Abdul Aziz Hospital, Jeddah. We wish it includes all medical sectors and not to be limited to the National Guard.

Qutub said that Jeddah is serving most of the Western region cities and it has witnessed a massive growth in population that does not go along with the available health services. Such medical projects, he said, are needed.

The Ministry of Health too has some development projects in the pipeline, he said.

A big hospital is being built in North Jeddah and a project for 2,000 ideal primary health care center has been started, he said.

More healthcare projects in the Kingdom will help in saving lives, especially those of kidney and heart patients who might be exposed to danger by traveling abroad and being cheated by commercial medical centers, Qutub said.

Ismail Khodary, a consultant surgeon and endoscopist at King Fahd Hospital, Jeddah, said the medical sector at the National Guard has proved its efficiency in different fields and that it complements the other health sectors in the Kingdom. Yet he expressed his wish that the Ministry of Health follows the same procedures in developing its services.

At this time, we need developments in the health sector, and we should be happy wherever it occurs, he said.

Abdul Wahab Andejani, a consultant of internal diseases and tumor at Princess Nora Bint Abdul Rahman Tumor center, Jeddah, said the new services are only an extension to the present ones.

He attributed the Saudi government s focus on developing the health sector and the opening of new departments to the return of the Saudi doctors from abroad.

Among the expansions in the National Guard Hospital will be a new external clinic capable of serving over 200,000 patients annually, a new burn unit, and an updated emergency ward.

The National Guard Hospital has followed the Saudization process and currently employs over 70 percent Saudis, including doctors, nurses and other staff members.

It s time that we give our boys and girls a chance to prove themselves in these fields, said an official from the National Guard Hospital, who asked to remain unidentified.

We have qualified Saudi doctors and nurses who have worked hard to prove themselves; they deserve the spot they are in now, he added.

The past two years the National Guard Hospital witnessed 250 burnt patients, which prompted the idea of opening a specialized burns unit. The ward will be equipped with the latest high tech appliances and it will contain five patient rooms and an operating theater.

The new external clinic will serve over 200,000 patients yearly-100,000 more than the previous clinic.

The Princess Nora Bint Abdul-Rahman Al-Faisal Tumor center will also increase capacity to be able to treat more than 300,000 patients yearly and up to 100 patients at one time.

The center will welcome patients from all regions and will aim to meet their medical, physical and psychological needs.

The number of beds in the emergency ward of the National Guard Hospital will increase and all sections will be upgraded to handle more than 85,000 patients yearly. The emergency ward at the hospital will be ready to accept all kinds of accidents, said the official.

Meantime Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has instructed Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal to meet with OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu here today to set out a working program to implement the Makkah summit resolutions.

The quick order from King Abdullah, the main architect of the extraordinary summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, proves that he was serious when he said the Makkah summit would open a new chapter in the history the Islamic nation.

The two-day conference, which was attended by most heads of state of the 57-member OIC, approved a 10-year action plan for the overall development of OIC countries and sought a complete facelift of the organization in order for it to play an effective role on the world stage.

According to Atta Al-Mannan, spokesman of the Jeddah-based organization, OIC officials have already started discussions with the Islamic Development Bank on establishing a fund to fight poverty as part of efforts to carry out the summit's resolutions. He said expert committees would identify the priorities among the resolutions and work out an implementation timeline.

Al-Mannan said it would take time to realize the results of the 10-year action plan. "The restructuring of the organization will also take time as it involves changing the OIC Charter," he said.

In Washington Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Turki Al-Faisal discussed a range of issues with reporters at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, including Iraq, terrorism, reform in Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the recent Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) summit. Prince Turki's meeting with US reporters was his second of the week.

Commenting on Iraq, Prince Turki that he is an optimist, and that he sees good things taking place there despite the difficult situation. He cited the recent reconciliation conference among the various Iraqi factions that took place in Cairo and the upcoming elections, which will be indicative of the coming together of Iraqi factions and will give the Iraqi government the legitimacy it needs to move forward.

Prince Turki pointed out that Saudi Arabia does not support any single Iraqi group, but will deal with any of them.

The ambassador added that he was surprised that no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq following Saddam Hussein's ouster. Saudi Arabia believed Saddam had WMD, although there was no specific information, he said. Prince Turki served as the Director General of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID), the Kingdom's main foreign intelligence service, from 1977 to 2001.

Addressing the insurgency in Iraq, Prince Turki commented that terrorists are using political actions by the US for their own purposes. "Terrorists use whatever excuse is offered to them," he commented. The prince said that while the US invasion of Iraq may have accelerated global terrorism, he believes terrorism would have continued on a global scale with or without the invasion because terrorism is a disease that is ideologically motivated.

Prince Turki stressed that terrorism is a global threat, not country-specific, and requires a global response. "Response [to terrorism] should be on a global scale," he said, noting that an international counterterrorism center as recommended by the Riyadh Declaration would be one way to enhance global cooperation in fighting terrorism. He pointed out that the Kingdom's successes in terrorism are due to better intelligence, improved technical know-how and an exchange of information with other countries.

Turning to Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network, Prince Turki speculated that bin Laden is likely still alive. If the terrorist had been killed there would be indicators such as messages on jihadist Web sites or social signs including mourning among his relatives and supporters, the prince said.

However, Prince Turki questioned bin Laden's leadership of Al Qaeda, pointing out that there appears to have been a shift towards Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who has "done all the talking" lately.

Whoever the leader might be, the Al Qaeda network is still a threat, Prince Turki warned. It exists as a cult with a leadership and a philosophy, and remains able to recruit adherents and give them orders. While Saudi Arabia remains Al Qaeda's No. 1 target, everyone is a target, the prince said.

On Iran, Prince Turki remarked that Saudi Arabia has good relations with the Islamic Republic and, that those relations have reached a level in which they can discuss any subject.

He noted that Iraqis have complained about increased Iranian interference in Iraq, such as taking over village councils and intimidation in the election process, but said that there are no specifics.

Commenting briefly on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Prince Turki said that Israel's withdrawal from Gaza was a "remarkable achievement" on the part of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He also had praise for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who must be supported. "There couldn't be a man better tailored to lead the Palestinians through peace than Mahmoud Abbas," the prince said.

Prince Turki said he believes reform will progress in Saudi Arabia, but stressed that it will take time and that it must come from within without being imposed by the government. "Society sets the pace for reform," he said. "If it takes a long time, so be it, but rather have it take a long time and be on sure footing." He said he believes women will be elected to the Consultative Council (Majlis al-Shura) and regional councils.

Prince Turki drew attention to the third extraordinary Organization of the Islamic Conference summit, which concluded today in Makkah. He noted Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's speech at the summit, which emphasized moderation, the importance of Islamic cooperation, and devotion of resources to disaster relief, poverty and disease in the Muslim world. He also remarked that King Abdullah has proposed changing the name of the OIC to Organization of Islamic Countries in order to give it an identity.

Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Turki Al-Faisal met with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Washington. They discussed bilateral relations, the situation in Iraq and the latest developments in the Middle East.

Prince Turki also met with British Ambassador to the US Sir David Manning. They discussed bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.

In Makkah Al Mukkaramah Sheikh Dr Saleh Ibn Abdullah Ibn Humaid the Imam of the Al Haram mosque delivere the Friday prayer sermon in which he urged Muslims to unite against divisions and overcome differences. The Imam said the Muslim Ummah has been given many gifts from God the Almighty and they should use them in the right way.

The Imam urged Muslim to follow the moderate path of Islam and to drift away from violence and corrupted ideas. He said Islam is a moderate religion and a tolerant religion that rejects violence and calls for reforms where there is no place for hatred.

Dr Ibn Humaid went on to say that Muslims must look into themselves and rebuild themselves on the real principles of the religion built on God's laws and the Sunnah of the Prophet.

On the other hand Dr Mohamed Al Habib Secretary General of the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Makkah Al Mukkaramah has hailed King Abdullah's speech delivered in the opening of the Third Extraordinary Summit for the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) , which was held in Makkah on December 7-8, 2005.

In a statement to the SPA , Dr Mohamed Al Habib said the King's speech was expressive and motivating all Muslims to unite in the light of true Islamic teachings and principles away from extremism and fanaticism.

He added that Muslims are experiencing difficult times and that requires the Muslim leaders to unite as Allah the Almighty Says:" Hold fast to Allah's rope [in unity] and not to be divided".

Also, he underlined the importance of the King's call for reforming the Islamic Fiqh Academy such as to make it the jurisprudential authority of the Ummah.

He said the Islamic Fiqh Academy, which is an affiliate of the OIC, has been overhauled to assume its historic role and responsibility in resisting extremist ideology in all forms and manifestations.