December 30, 2005

FRUITFUL TALKS BETWEEN THE SAUDI LEADERSHIP AND THE BRITISH SECRETARY OF DEFENCE. CROWN PRINCE SULTAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ: "I AM CONFIDENT THAT THE SYRIAN AND LEBANESE PEOPLE WILL NEVER DISAGREE, WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES." A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UK TO REPLACE TORNADO AIR-DEFENSE AIRCRAFT BY TYPHOON AIRCRAFT. PRINCE SAUD AL FAISAL: NO DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN MEMBER STATES OF THE GCC OVER IRAN'S NUCLEAR FILE. SHEIKH SABAH STRESSES THAT THE INITIATIVE OF THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES TO SET UP AN INTERNATIONAL CENTER WILL HELP ERADICATE TERRORISM. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud received at his palace British Defense Secretary Dr. John Reid and his accompanying delegation. The Secretary conveyed to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques the greetings of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In turn King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz sent his greetings to the British leadership. They also reviewed aspects of cooperation between the two friendly countries. The audience was attended by Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs; Prince Bandar Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Secretary General of National Security Council; Prince General Miteb Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs; Prince Mohammed Ibn Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz, Saudi Ambassador to Britain; Adel Al -Jubeir, Advisor at the Royal Court; and British Ambassador to the Kingdom Sherard Cowper Coles. Meanwhile Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, held a meeting with British Defense Secretary Dr John Reid. Speaking on the occasion, Prince Sultan highlighted the existing deep-rooted Saudi-British relations, and said these relations go back to more than 100 years. They reviewed aspects of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Britain in the various spheres notably in the military sphere. They also reviewed the issue of the British planes due to join the Saudi armed forces in addition to the situation in Iraq. The meeting was attended by a number of Saudi and British High-ranking officials. On his part, Dr John Reid underlined the significant role being played by Saudi Arabia at the regional, Islamic and international arenas. 'I have come to your country with an open heart and a great hope to work for further enhancing our friendship', said Dr Reid and added 'we will exchange views on our common enemy and threats'. Reiterating the keenness of Britain to work for developing the Saudi armed forces, Dr Reid lauded the admission of Saudi Arabia to the World Trade Organization (WTO). In response to questions raised by the press, Prince Sultan said he had not reviewed with Dr Reid issues pertaining to the extradition of some Saudi dissidents residing in Britain, and added 'we have never asked Britain at any time to extradite Saudis in return of certain deals.' Prince Sultan said his talks with Dr Reid included issues pertaining to Al-Yamama Project, and hoped that the deal of the modern airplanes would soon be concluded with Britain. Prince Sultan said the GCC Leaders had approved to work for the development of Al-Jazeera Shield and to enhance its capabilities. On the situation in Iraq, Prince Sultan said the Saudi and British sides are optimistic about the developments of the situation in Iraq withinthe next months. Meanwhile, Prince Sultan said they had not reviewed the issue of the Iranian nuclear program. On his part, Dr Reid congratulated the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz on the success of the Islamic Summit, recently held in Makkah. He highlighted the existing strong relations between Saudi Arabia and Britain, and said cooperation is existing between the Saudi and British armed forces. He noted that the number of the Saudi students studying in the United Kingdom is greater that the number of the Saudi students studying in the US. 'We will continue to cooperate in the field of training and confronting our common enemy, the terrorism, and I do appreciate the advices extended to me by Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz as regards the situation in the region and the Kingdom', said Dr Reid. Dr Reid added 'we are going ahead on the development of the Saudi armed forces, notably in the fields of training and skills. Dr Reid denied whether his talks with Prince Sultan had covered the issue of the Saudi terrorists in Britain, and said 'we have a united front for combating terrorism'. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, held at his palace a dinner party in honor of British Defense Secretary Dr. John Reid and the accompanying delegation. The party was attended by Prince Bandar Ibn Mohammed Ibn Abdul Rahman; Prince Miteb Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Miqren Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence; princes; ministers; senior officials and British Ambassador to the Kingdom Sherard Cowper Coles. British Secretary of State for Defense John Reid and the accompanying delegation had arrived to the Kingdom on a two-day official visit to the Kingdom. At the airport, he was received by Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs, and other officials. British Defense Secretary Dr. John Reid and his accompanying delegation left the Kingdom at the end of their two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia. At Riyadh Airbase, they were seen off by Chief of General Staff General Salih Ibn Ali Al-Mohayya; Deputy Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Sultan Ibn A'di Al-Mutairi; commanders of the armed forces; senior officers and British Ambassador to the Kingdom Sherard Cowper Coles. On the other hand Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, received the British Secretary of Defense John Reid. During the meeting, they discussed issues of common interest. An official source of the Ministry of Defense and Aviation stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the United Kingdom. The MOU aims at deepening the partnership between the two governments in modernizing the Saudi Arabian Armed forces and developing stronger relations between the military sectors of the Two countries through joint military exercise and training. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the official said that based on the aforesaid MOU, Saudi Tornado Air-Defense aircraft and others currently in service of the Saudi Royal Air Forces will be replaced by Typhoon aircraft, and Britain will continue to develop a regional defense industrial center of excellence. In the same context, British Aerospace has agreed to invest large amounts of money in Saudi companies, develop a plan to transfer the associated technology to Saudi Arabia, employ thousands of Saudi citizens and enhance the nation's self-reliance ability to sustain equipment. The source added that this MOU comes within the British government's appreciation of the Saudi government's wise leadership to achieve regional stability and accomplish the Saudi-British realization of the joint goals toward global security and war on terrorism. The deal "is intended to establish a greater partnership in modernizing the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and developing close service-to-service contact especially through joint training and exercises," the British Embassy said in a statement. "The specific details of these arrangements are governed by the existing confidentiality agreement," the embassy said. London will also support Riyadh in developing what the statement called "a regional defense industrial center of excellence." Prime contractor BAE Systems will invest in local training for thousands of Saudi nationals, it added. "This (Document of) Understanding is good news for both UK and Saudi industry. BAE Systems, as prime contractor, and its many UK sub-contractors will benefit from the work envisaged under this understanding, which will help sustain several thousand UK jobs over the next 10 years," Reid said in the statement. In addition, the associated technology transfer, training and inward investment packages will generate many skilled jobs in Saudi Arabia, he added. As for the future of Syrian-Lebanese relations, Prince Sultan said: "I am confident that the two countries will never disagree, whatever the circumstances." Reid said the relationship between the two countries was strong and friendly, adding that the number of Saudi students in Britain outnumbered that in the US. Stressing the need for continued cooperation between the two countries, he said such a common stance was necessary to confront terrorism. "Both our countries have shared perceptions on issues of mutual concerns. We are also working closely for developing the Saudi armed forces," he said, adding that there was also ongoing cooperation in the fields of education and human resource development. On the other hand the father of slain anti-Syrian Lebanese MP and journalist Gibran Tueni has said that he was honoured by his meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques who offered his support to him and his family. Mr Ghassan Tueni added that as the Editor in chief of Al Nahar newspaper he will keep it running. Mr Tueni said he will sue Syria's ambassador to the United Nations for derogatory comments about his son, Lebanese press reported. Veteran Lebanese diplomat Ghassan Tueni charged that Syria's UN ambassador Fayssal Mekdad compared his son to a "dog" in comments reported by the US daily, The New York Sun. "I will sue him (Mekdad) before the American courts," Tueni, 79, told reporters. The Tueni-owned Al-Nahar newspaper said that Mekdad had sent a letter to Tueni in which he "categorically denied" the comments attributed to him by the US daily. Mekdad wrote to Tueni, claiming the report was entirely "baseless and untrue." In his letter, he offered his condolences for the "loss" of the late Gebran Tueni, without mentioning the brutal murder or the "martyr" tag that is now attached to the name of the fiery anti-Syria defender of Lebanon's sovereignty and independence. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, received the Dean of Beirut-based al-Nahar House for Press and Publication and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Nahar Newspaper Ghassan Twaini and a number of members of his family. Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region, received at his office in Riyadh today Ghassan Tueni, Editor-in-chief of the Lebanese newspaper of Al Nahar, who is also dean of Al Nahar House for Press and Publishing. During the meeting, they exchanged cordial talks. Saudi Arabia has released nearly 400 detainees, held for security reasons, after providing them with intense counselling and making sure they are free of deviant thoughts, the Saudi Press Agency reported yesterday quoting a security official. Dr. Muhammad Al-Nujaimi, head of the department of civic studies at King Fahd Security Academy in Riyadh, said the 400 were set free during the past months. In a previous statement, Interior Minister Prince Naif had spoken about plans to release some detainees after they repented and decided to return to the right path. Prince Naif, however, emphasized that the government would not set free those militants arrested for planning terrorist attacks across the country. "They are still under investigation and will be transferred to court for trial," the SPA quoted him as saying. Prince Naif said the ministry's counselling program, which started two years ago, was aimed at providing advice to those held in connection with security incidents that had taken place in the country in recent years. A number of prominent scholars, intellectuals, social scientists and psychiatrists are taking part in the program. Meanwhile Prince Saud Al Faisal, Foreign Minister of Sadui Arabia confirmed that the Libyan ambassador to Saudi Arabia Muhammad Saeed al-Qashat will return back to resume his mission in Riyadh after one year of boycott, following the deterioration of relations between the two states. Sources said contacts were made in the past few weeks and had resulted in an agreement for the return back of the two states' ambassadors, but details about these contacts were not disclosed, the sources added that Saudi ambassador to Libya, Muhammad al-Tasji, will return back shortly to assume his mission in Tripoli. On December 22, 2004, the Saudi authorities asked the Libyan ambassador to leave Riyadh after it had withdrawn its ambassador from Libya which it had accused of involving in a conspiracy for assassinating the Saudi Crown Prince at that time, Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz. Libya denied these accusations. On the other hand Prince Saud Al Faisal denied the existence of any differences in views between member states of the GCC with regards to the Iran's nuclear program. The Foreign Minister said that Iran must have interest in the stability and the security of the Gulf and fears from the proliferation of nuclear weapons are normal. Prince Saud the suggestion presented by Prince Khaled Ibn Sultan with regard to the development and improvement of Al Jazeera shield has been accepted by member states. Meanwhile the GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Ibn Hamad Al Attiyah praised the resolutions of the 26th Summit and thanked the leaders of the GCC member states. On the other hand an official source at the commerce ministry said the agreement of the admission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the World Trade Organization (WTO) gives it the right to deal commercially with all WTO's member states in line with the articles and stipulations of the agreement and the Organization's regulations and laws. The statement comes to refute allegations carried by some information media which said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has cancelled the first class boycott with Israel. 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has only cancelled the second and third classes boycott in line with the resolution of the Gulf summit ten years ago, and the first class boycott has nothing to do with the agreement of the Kingdom's admission to the WTO', said the official source adding that 'the Kingdom, after its admission to the WTO, will continue in the implementation of the first class boycott as the case was before its admission to the WTO. Meanwhile the Saudi embassy in Sanaa has categorically denied a report published by a Yemeni newspaper. The report said that the Saudi forces had moved from the Saudi city of Khamis-Misheit to Najran to besiege Yemeni followers of Al-Houthi. 'The report is baseless and fabricated', said the statement released by the Saudi embassy in Sanaa. Sanaa-based 'Al-Balagh' newspaper, which published the report on December 6, 2005, also published the denial of the Saudi embassy in this respect in its issue of this week. On the other hand Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, said the 26th GCC summit in Abu Dhabi is an active contribution to pushing the GCC march forward to meet ambitions of the Gulf peoples. Sheikh Sabah, described the summit as "very important" because it would be held within many developments at the regional and international arenas. "We have to continue the serious and relentless work to push forward our work in the Gulf," said Sheikh Sabah. The Kuwaiti Prime Minister said the summit is an added value to meet ambitions of the peoples in the six Gulf states. Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah addressed the Third Extraordinary Islamic Summit on behalf of the Amir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah. Sheikh Sabah started his speech by thanking Saudi Arabia for hosting this momentous conference to discuss issues of vital concern to Islamic nations worldwide. Sheikh Sabah said that the Islamic world was up against a cornocupia of challenges that the conference could appropriately address, such as the scourge of terrorism, armed conflict in hot spots around the Islamic globe, economic malfunctioning by many nations, in addition to daunting scientific, technological and cultural challenges that buffet numerous Islamic societies. There is a plate-full of issues that await the conference's handling, not the least of which is the Ten Year Program facing the Islamic World during the 21st Century, indicated Sheikh Sabah in his speech. The Program, he said, has the distinction of being contributed to by some of the distinguished scholars and thinkers of the Muslim world. The Program, he averred, should be taken into account by the conference. Addressing the phenomenon of international terrorism, Sheikh Sabah underscored the fact that the face of terrorism had no particular nationality and reflected no particular civilization or particular religion or faith. Terrorism, he noted, had taken its toll on some Islamic nations, as regularly seen in Iraq, and recently in Saudi Arabia and lately in Jordan. He bemoaned the actions of a few wayward groups in some Muslim societies who thrived on extremist thought and conduct and resort to gratuitous violence to put across their messages of hate and destruction. They would carry out heinous acts of violence in the name of Islam, a religious faith known throughout the ages for its tenets of tolerance and respect for all religions and faiths, he said. It was incumbent on Muslim nations, said Sheikh Sabah, to propagate a true image of Islam, predicated on its emphasis of moderation and tolerance, equality and justice, peace and prosperity. Embodying Kuwait's adherence to Islam's true image and values is its satisfaction with the results of the recent international conference on fighting terrorism, which was held in the city of Riyadh. That conference advanced the Saudi proposal for the establishment of an international center for fighting terrorism, conjointly with the efforts of the United Nations in that regard, all of which Kuwait endorsed with open arms. One sure way to eradicate the roots of terrorism, said Sheikh Sabah, was to obviate sources of socio-political tension in societies where terrorist groups could take advantage of in carrying out acts of violence. Foremost among these tension-riddled hot spots is the Arab-Israeli conflict where continued Israeli occupation with its flagrant disregard of international norms posed as a breeding ground for acts of terror. Whereas Kuwait affirms its stance focusing on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people for an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, Kuwait nonetheless urges the Israeli government to continue further its withdrawal from territories in the Gaza Strip and in the northern parts of the West Bank. Kuwait moreover asks Israel to abide by the dictates of international resolutions regarding bringing an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Sheikh Sabah said that the Islamic world had recently witnessed a number of developments pertinent to the political process in Iraq, through which the Iraqi people had shown resolution to challenge the harsh security conditions in their country. The Iraqi people, said Sheikh Sabah further, had also sacrificed for building the new Iraq based on democracy and respect for human rights and religious diversity. They moreover sacrificed to end the era of prosecution and repression the country has suffered from under the former regime, said Sheikh Sabah. Kuwait will spare no effort in supporting the Iraqis, he confirmed as he urged all Islamic nations to channel support to Iraq, based on the international-community-approved mechanisms and methods including the implementation of UN resolution 1546. Sheikh Sabah welcomed the approval of the Iraqi constitution, which would pave the way for holding free elections and forming a constitutional government by the end of the current year. He also welcomed the outcome of the recent Cairo meeting, which was attended by disparate groups representing an array of the political spectrum in Iraq. The Islamic nations, stretching over a vast geographic area and having tremendous human, cultural and other resources and fortunes have not been playing the projected role on the international arena, due to instability resulting from disagreements and armed disputes. Such disagreements have held back the nations' human and economic resources from forging on ahead. Based on that, the premier said, Kuwait is urging all Islamic countries to work side by side with the international community to make the Middle East a WMD-free area and figure out methods to peacefully settle down conflicts between Islamic countries. Within this context, Sheikh Sabah referred anew to Kuwait's proposal related to founding the Islamic Court of Justice, being an important means for peacefully resolving disputes, and urged all sides to endorse the relevant agreement. Development with all its spheres is a key factor for the creation of international stability, he said, as work for achieving political stability, or combating terrorism and organized crime remains incomplete without such economic development. Kuwait has full belief in the development issue and has been working on it with full responsibility, through the useful and economically feasible projects co-financed mainly in Islamic countries by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED). The natural disasters that hit a number of Islamic countries lately have triggered Kuwait to extend support for disaster-stricken areas. The KFAED and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) have extended humanitarian assistance worth USD 100 million to south east Asian nations hit last year by an earth quake and tsunami tidal weaves. In addition, he added that another USD 100 million were offered to the victims of the recent earth quake which had hit the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The amazing advancement of information and communication technologies has eliminated commercial and economic barriers and magnificently increased interaction between societies, thus creating new conditions which Islamic countries have to handle taking into consideration all the relevant positive and negative points, while protecting the cultural heritage of the Islamic nations and protecting their rights, Sheikh Sabah added. To conclude, the Prime Minister hoped that the conference would be successful and fruitful for all the Islamic nations and peoples