January 6, 2006

NO MINISTERIAL RESHUFFLE FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THE CURRENT HAJJ SEASON. CROWN PRINCE SULTAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ ANNOUNCES THE NAMES OF THE WINNERS OF KING FAISAL INTERNATIONAL PRIZE. GCC LEADERS SUPPORT THE VIEWS OF THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES CONCERNING THE ENHANCEMENT OF AL-JAZEERAH SHIELD FORCES. PRINCE SULTAN PRAISES THE BROTHERLY RELATIONS WITH YEMEN, THE UAE AND PALESTINE. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General chaired the 29th meeting of Selection Committee of King Faisal International Prize for the Service of Islam for 1426/1427H. Upon arrival at the venue, the Crown Prince was received by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Assir Region, Director General of King Faisal Charitable Foundation and Chairman of the Prize's Commission; Prince Bandar Ibn Saud Ibn Khalid, the Foundation's Deputy Director General; Dr. Abdullah Ibn Salih Al-Othaimeen, the Prize's Secretary General and members of the Committee. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, announced that Sheikh Salih Ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Hussein from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Sheikh Yusuf Ibn Jaber Ibn Mohammed Al-Hajji from Kuwait are the joint winners of King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam. Al-Hussein is Chairman of the King Abdul-aziz Center for National Dialogue (Saudi Arabia) and Al-Hajji is Chairman of the International Islamic Charity Organization (Kuwait). The Crown Prince announced the names of the winners after chairing the 29th meeting of the Selection Committee of King Faisal International Prize for the Service to Islam for 1426/1427H. Addressing a press conference last night, Crown Prince Sultan said the prize committee had carefully studied and reviewed names of a number of men working in the service of Islam and selected these two distinguished persons in recognition of their remarkable roles for service to Islam. The Crown Prince pointed out that the prize for the service to Islam differs from the prize to the Islamic studies. Answering questions from the press, Crown Prince Sultan denied reports which said that the Saudi leadership was planning to undertake a ministerial re-shuffle following the conclusion of the current Hajj season and change some governors of the Kingdom's regions in addition to increasing the number of the administrative regions in the country. "I would like to confirm that these reports, in this respect, are untrue," he added. Commenting on the development of Al-Jazeerah (Peninsula) Shield Forces, Crown Prince Sultan said the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has assigned certain specialized bodies to study the possibility of developing Al-Jazeerah Shield Forces. He noted that the Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Military Affairs had conveyed messages from the King in this regard to the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) leaders, who have supported the views of the King and made the required arrangements for the implementation of the idea of enhancing Al-Jazeerah Shield Forces. On the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Britain about the modernization of the Saudi armed forces, Crown Prince Sultan said the Ministry of Defense and Aviation had published the goals of the agreement, and added "we will purchase typhoon planes from Britain." He pointed out that Britain had taken more than 200 Saudi used planes, either manufactured in Britain or in the US, and said "this has provided a clear evidence of the existing Saudi- British friendship." Crown Prince Sultan said this development would enable the Saudi pilots to undertake their works at the new planes. "But what was reported about the values of these planes, I would like to confirm that the report was untrue." "Moreover, all matters relating to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be announced by next March. We will never conceal any thing from the Saudi people," Crown Prince Sultan said. He made it clear that the deal of the planes would have no adverse impact on the projects due to be implemented by the state or on the gifts of the state to the men of the country or on the country's economy. On the Syrian-Lebanese issue, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a friend of all Arabs and Muslims, and it will spare no effort in the service of the Arab and Muslim causes. Prince Sultan refuted the reports, which said that the Saudi women are deprived of their rights, and said 'Islam has recognized women's rights, and will follow the teachings Islam in this respect'. Prince Sultan expressed optimism about the future of the country and said the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has made clear the Kingdom's policy either through the 8th five-year development plan or through the State's general budget. Prince Sultan appraised the significant role being played by members of the Shoura (consultative) Council, and said 'we don't oppose the idea of electing members of the Shoura, but the public interest makes it necessary for the people to stand on one line with their leadership'. 'Anyway, we have had the experience of the municipal elections', he noted. As regards to women driving cars, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz said 'we will study the issue when it is demanded by the fathers, husbands and brothers'. "When fathers, husbands and brothers ask us for women to drive we will look into it, but if they ask us the opposite we can't force them (to let women drive)," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the Crown Prince as saying. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz said the Saudi stand vis-à-vis the Iranian nuclear program does not differ from what was mentioned in the communiqué of the GCC Summit, and added 'with the grace of Almighty Allah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is capable of enhancing its security and protecting its people and properties as long as it is following the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah (the Prophet's teachings). He said nothing could worry the Kingdom about the menace of the deviant groups, and added that through cooperation of the various sections of the society the deviant ideology could be defeated. Crown Prince Sultan said the Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) is going ahead on the path of privatization, and within the next few years it will turn from the governmental sector to the private sector. He reiterated the support of the Saudi and Gulf people to their Yemeni brethren, and highlighted the significant role being played by the Saudi-Yemeni Coordination Council in enhancing relations with Yemen. On the other hand Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, received the Yemeni ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Khalid Isma'il al-Akwa on the occasion of the end of his term of office in the country. Speaking on the occasion, Prince Sultan highlighted the existing fraternal Saudi-Yemeni relations, and said the Saudi and Yemeni leaderships are keen on further enhancing bilateral relations. They reviewed aspects of bilateral relations at the meeting attended by deputy chief of the court of the Crown Prince Hamad al-Suweilim. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General received at the Royal Court at Al-Yamamah palace the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Kingdom Saeed bin Hamdan Al-Naqbi who bade the Crown Prince farewell at the end of the Ambassador's term of office in the Kingdom. During the audience, the Ambassador conveyed to the Crown Prince the greetings of President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayid Al Nahayan. In turn, the Crown Prince sent his greetings to the President. They also exchanged cordial talks and reviewed aspects of cooperation between the two countries. The audience was attended by Deputy Chief of the Crown Prince's Court Hamad Abdul Aziz Al-Suwailim. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, received the Palestinian ambassador to the Kingdom Mustafa Hashim Deeb on the occasion of the end of his term of office in the country. Speaking on the occasion, the Palestinian ambassador highlighted the support extended by the Kingdom to the Palestinian people. On the other hand, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz received the Mayor of Manchester Mohammed Afdhal Khan. The Mayor of Manchester expressed appreciation for the warm welcome given to him by the Saudi officials. In Riyadh Prince Khalid Al-Faisal Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Assir Region, Director General of King Faisal Charitable Foundation and Chairman of King Faisal International Prize Panel, announced the winners of the prize for the year 1426 H. (2006) in the fields of Service to Islam, Arabic Language and Literature, Medicine and Science. This year's prize in the field of Islamic studies was withheld. Following are the prize's branches, names of winners and nationalities: Prize for the Service To Islam: co-winners are Sheikh Salih Ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Hussein, (Saudi Arabia), and Sheikh Yusuf Ibn Jasim Ibn Mohammed Al-Hajji (Kuwait); Prize for Islamic Studies (subject: the Origins of Islamic Jurisprudence) was withheld for this year; Prize for Arabic Language and Literature, (subject: the Arabic Language in Modern Linguistics), co-winners are Professor Tammam Hassan Omar (Egypt) and Professor Abdel Kader Fassi Fehri (Morocco); Prize for Medicine, (subject: Biology of Vascular Inflammation), winner is Professor Michael Anthony Gimbrone, Jr. (USA); Prize for Science, (subject: Mathematics), co-winners are Professor Simon Kirwan Donaldson, (UK) and Professor Mudumbai Seshachalu Narasimhan (India). This came in a press conference held by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal at the headquarters of the foundation in Riyadh. Sheikh Saleh Al-Hussein, chairman of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue (Saudi Arabia), and Yousef Al Hajji, chairman of the International Islamic Charity Organization (Kuwait), were declared the joint winners of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam. This was announced by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and Aviation, at a press conference held at the Prince Sultan Grand Hall of Al-Faisaliah Hotel. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, governor of Asir and director general of King Faisal Foundation, was among those present. Sheikh Saleh Al-Hussein was declared the joint winner of the award for promoting the moderate face of Islam and for confronting extremism in the Saudi society. Recently, he chaired the national dialogue meeting on "Us and Others" held in Abha for encouraging a spirit of tolerance in dealing with foreigners. Sheikh Al-Hussein said that in dealing with non-Muslims, Islam requires at the very least both justice and sympathy. And when it comes to Muslims' relations with fellow Muslims, the relation must be based on loyalty to Islam and governed by a bond of brotherhood. Sheikh Al-Hussein pointed out that the United States only banned racial discrimination in the 20th century whereas Islam applied the principle of equality over 1400 years ago. Al-Hajji was cited for his support to charitable works and for his role in promoting social reforms. Since 1976, he has been playing an active role in confronting the challenges facing the Islamic nation. His organization, the International Islamic Charitable Organization, set up several vocational training centers for underprivileged children in Kuwait.