News - December 2008

December 28, 2008-January 3, 2009

~~~~~~~~ [ Jan 3]~~~~~~~~~

Erdogan Arrives Today With 4-Point Gaza Plan [Jan 3]
"Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is due to arrive here Saturday for talks with King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, on ways to to end Israel’s offensive against Gaza. Ali Babacan, Turkish Foreign Minister said that Erodogan, who has held meetings with the Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian and Palestinian leaders, is bringing with him a four – point initiative covering ceasefire, opening of the crossings, stopping Hamas rocket attacks on Israel, and Palestinian reconciliation. Meanwhile in Jeddah, foreign ministers from member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) will meet in emergency session to discuss ways to stop the Israeli aggression.." [more]

Arabs Should be Flexible at UN, Says Egypt [Jan 3]
"Arabs should avoid unbalanced language that just blames Israel for the attacks on Gaza if they want the UN Security Council to act to end the violence, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Aboul Gaith said. Aboul Gaith, in an interview with the Dubai-based Al Arabiya television, also renewed his attacks on Iran, accusing Tehran of trying to control vital Arab interests and use this influence as leverage in any talks with the new US administration. Arab diplomats submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council seeking an end to the Israeli offensive and describing it as 'excessive' and 
'disproportionate'. The council adjourned without a vote on Wednesday. Western delegates described the resolution as imbalanced and focusing almost entirely on Israel's actions.." [more]

Saudi Sends Medical Aid to Stricken Gaza [Jan 3]
"Saudi Arabia has shipped 20 tonnes of medical and emergency supplies to the besieged Palestine people, according to a press release from the Saudi Embassy yesterday. Following directives of the Custodian of the Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia, 20 tonnes of medical and emergency supplies have been shipped through Al-Arish airport in Egypt. This was revealed by Prince Faisal bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, the President of Saudi Red Crescent Society, adding that the aid comes as the first airlift of relief of medicines and medical 
supplies from the Saudi government to Gaza. Prince Faisal said that the directives also provided for the medical evacuation of wounded Palestinians from Al-Arish in Egypt to Saudi Arabia. Cargo aircrafts have also been provided to send medical and emergency supplies to the people in Gaza.." [more]

Sweet Smell of Success for Saudi Women [Jan 3]
"Women on the factory production line may seem a little odd in conservative Saudi society, but the time has finally come, and it is smelling good. Perfume, a powerful aphrodisiac that can lift one’s spirits, and Saudi women, who spend a lot of money buying the stuff, may be the right fit for the 
manufacture of the sweet smelling essence. Saudi women are now involved in producing the bottles of perfume that they and their sisters adore shopping for. The first women only factory for manufacturing perfumes and cosmetics employs 60 Saudi women.. ..The factory is an experiment offering opportunities for Saudi women to be employed in the production line, and to be involved in packing, wrapping, security and monitoring. The women, whose qualifications range from intermediate and secondary school certificates to university degrees.. ..preparations are also under way to establish 40 showrooms for women around the Kingdom for the selling and marketing of the company’s products by specially trained Saudi saleswomen.." [more]

From Peak to Plenty – Oil’s Tumultuous Journey Through 2008 [Jan 3]
"And what an extraordinary year 2008 has been! From peak to plenty, the energy world has covered an exceptionally long — rather tumultuous — distance over a period of less than six months. As 2008 began, global energy markets crossed the Rubicon — the $100 mark — for the first time in history. And then it continued and continued registering one peak after the other, touching the $147 a barrel mark on July the 11th to be exact. And precisely at that moment, there were discussions all along of oil going even beyond the $200 mark. Those were the days it were the proponents of the peak oil theory who were reigning.. ..But now all this seems to have changed drastically. In less than six months, this industry, so crucial for sustaining the civilization of ours, stands completely transformed. It is now in the grip of what is being termed as over capacity. Ground realities have changed by 360 degrees. The year 2008 marked the worst ever year in the history, as far as oil markets were concerned. Who could have thought so even mid-last year.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Jan 2]~~~~~~~~~

Abdullah, Erdogan to Discuss Gaza Situation [Jan 2]
"Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will hold talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the continuing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip here tomorrow as part of a wider process of consultation being pushed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Also tomorrow, an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the 57-member OIC will be held in Jeddah to coordinate positions on the latest Israeli attacks against the Palestinians. 'Prime Minister Erdogan has embarked on a regional tour in a bid to ease tensions after Israel’s offensive in Gaza,' Turkish Ambassador Naci Koru said. Erdogan has already held talks with Syrian and Jordanian leaders. Koru said Erdogan’s talks with the king and top Saudi officials, including Foreign Minister Prince Saudi Al-Faisal, would focus mainly on the escalating situation in Gaza.." [more]

Donate, Help Gazans [Jan 2]
"King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has issued directives for organizing urgent fund-raising campaigns across the country in aid of the Palestinians in Gaza where UN agencies say a dire humanitarian situation looms as a result of Israel’s unrelenting bombardment. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has made an emergency appeal for $34 million to help the Gaza population.. ..The Saudi fund-raising campaign will be supervised by Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior. Gaza hospitals are struggled to cope with the high number of casualties. Infrastructure in several areas has been destroyed, leaving residents without electricity and water. The aid agency Oxfam said it had been forced to temporarily suspend most of its humanitarian work in Gaza because of the bombing, and a program which will feed 25,000 people has also been put on hold.." [more]

Saudis Arrest Two Over Riyadh Pro-Gaza Protest [Jan 2]
"Two activists who attempted to stage a demonstration against the Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip were arrested in the Saudi capital on Thursday, a Saudi rights groups said. Human Rights First Society said that the two activists, Khalid al-Omeir and Mohammed al-Otaibi, were arrested by police as they arrived at the site of the planned protest in south Riyadh. The arrests came a day after the interior ministry denied organisers permission to hold the rally on the grounds that demonstrations are banned in Saudi Arabia. A member of the group also told AFP that a prominent Saudi cleric who called for attacks on Israelis had also been arrested on Tuesday in the southern city of Abha. Sheikh Awad al-Qarni had on Sunday issued a religious edict encouraging attacks on Israelis everywhere in retaliation for the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip.." [more]

Kingdom’s Economic Challenges Real But Less Intense Than Others [Jan 2]
"The efficacy of Saudi Arabia’s record 2009 Budget of SR475 billion ($126.7 billion), which was announced by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Dec. 23 can in reality only be fully gauged in late 2009. The reason for this is that the Kingdom’s budget is heavily dependent on the price of crude oil. With the oil price plummeting from a record high of $147 per barrel only a few months ago to the current $43 per barrel, Saudi Arabia, like other oil producers, is taking a revenue hammering. Just as well the budget projections are based on an average oil price of $37 per barrel for 2009. As such, with revenues predicted to reach SR410 billion in 2009, the budget will have a projected deficit of SR65 billion, which is sustainable and which can easily be funded from the Kingdom’s foreign reserves and assets. After all, in 2008 Saudi Arabia experienced its largest budget surplus in its history — a sum of SR590 billion — based on projected oil revenues of SR1.13 trillion in 2008.." [more]

Angola Takes Helm as OPEC Enacts Record Output Cut [Jan 2]
"Angola, OPEC’s newest member, took over the group’s presidency yesterday as producers implement a record output cut to reverse last year’s slump in prices. The rotating leadership of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries passed to Angola from Algeria as the 12- member group starts a 9 percent reduction in its total production target agreed in December after prices crashed $100 in five months.. ..'Angola in the long run might not be a hawk among OPEC members, but in order to show their commitment in the beginning, they will cut production,' said Ehsan Ul-Haq, head of research at Vienna-based JBC Energy GmbH. 'These are difficult days for everyone, including Angola.' Oil prices fell 54 percent to $44.60 a barrel in New York last year, the first annual decline since 2001 and the biggest drop since trading began in 1983. OPEC trimmed production three times as crude crashed from a record $147.27 in July in the wake of the global economic crisis that cut world energy consumption. Angola’s priority as the head of OPEC will be to stabilize oil prices at a level which satisfies both consumers and producers.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Jan 1]~~~~~~~~~

Saudis Blame Hamas Amid Calls for Talks With Fatah [Jan 1]
"Saudi Arabia yesterday blamed Hamas for Israel's continuing offensive in the Gaza Strip and urged it to resolve bitter differences with the western-backed Palestinian Authority - even as divisions deepened with a new charge of treachery. Arab League foreign ministers meeting in emergency session in Cairo warned it was not possible to help until the Islamist movement in control of Gaza returned to national unity talks with its rival Fatah. A furious Hamas attacked the Arab League stance as "pathetic". Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum also accused Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, of ordering members of Fatah in Gaza to gather intelligence on the whereabouts of Hamas leaders to pass to Israel - a grave charge that underscores the deep rift between the factions.. ..Saudi Arabia did not name Hamas, but it was clear who was being blamed for having provoked Israel's attacks by failing to renew a shaky six-month ceasefire when it expired on 19 December. 'This terrible massacre would not have happened if the Palestinian people were united behind one leadership,' Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal told the Palestinians.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Most Business-Friendly [Jan 1]
"After realising that his country is not too business-friendly compared with the rest of the world, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia declared in 2006: 'I want Saudi Arabia to be among the top 10 countries in doing business in 2010. No Middle Eastern country should have a better investment climate by 2007.'  The country now ranks number one among 20 Arab nations in terms of doing business, according to a recent study done by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The study, which reviewed the business regulatory environment in the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa also found that doing business in most parts of the Arab world is now easier.. ..Overall, Saudi Arabia tops the Arab world ranking on ease of doing business, followed by Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Tunisia, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, West Bank and Gaza, Algeria, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Djibouti, Comoros and Mauritania. The report said starting a business, registering a property and getting credit are the easiest in Saudi Arabia.." [more]

Arab States to Take Gaza Issue Back to UN [Jan 1]
"Arab governments will take their case for an end to Israel’s attacks on Gaza back to the UN Security Council, a ministerial statement said yesterday. After a meeting of Arab ministers in Cairo, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said the ministers strongly condemned what they called barbaric Israeli aggression. Israel’s aerial bombardment has killed close to 400 people since it began on Saturday. '(The ministers) direct an immediate demand that the UN Security Council convene and ask it to issue a resolution that binds Israel to immediately stop the aggression,'.. ..The Arab governments will ask a delegation of Arab ministers, including the Saudi and Libyan ministers, to go to New York to press for the UN meeting, he said. They will seek a UN resolution that provides for international observers to guarantee that a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza is maintained.." [more]

NSHR to Seek Marriage Ban on Underaged Girls [Jan 1]
"The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is preparing to recommend to the higher authorities a ban on marriages of underaged girls; the society will seek to fix 15 years as the minimum marriageable age for girls. Dr. Saleh Al-Khathlan, Deputy Chairman of the NSHR, said the move was based on several court rulings on cases of underage girls married to men tens of years older than them, which have aroused debate in society. In the past two months, there were 10 cases of underage marriages in Hail, Jizan, Asir, Taif and Unaiza. The Child Rights Agreement signed by the Kingdom in 1995 defines a child as below 18 years of age. According to the Shariah, marriage can be held but it can be consummated only when a girl reaches puberty.." [more]

Bin Humaid Says Saudis Not Happy With Shoura [Jan 1]
"Saudi people have not yet developed a sense of satisfaction about the performance of the Shoura Council, said Sheikh Saleh Bin Humaid, chairman of the Shoura Council, Wednesday in Qassim. The Saudi Shoura Council is not an exception in this regard, he said. 'Approval rate of all parliaments in the world does not exceed 20 percent,'.. ..Drawing on the relationship between Western democracy and Islamic shoura, he said the two aim at the same goals while being different at mechanisms. Islam, however, does not mind taking the positive side of Western democracy, he said. Shoura (or consultation) in Islam is a way of participating in the decision-making process through wise counsel, he said. The decision-making process in the Western democracy, on the other hand, is inspired by the people as a whole, he said. Sheikh Bin Humaid said if shoura failed to work in the Kingdom, the failure would be blamed on the human element in its implementation, ruling out the implementation of Western-style democracy in the Kingdom.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 31]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Arabia Denies Clashes With Gaza Protestors [Dec 31]
"Saudi Arabia denied reports about clashes between protestors and police in the Eastern city of Qateef, where the majority of people are Shiites. Major General Mansour Al Turki, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, said reports that security forces had used force to disperse people who took to the streets to protest Israel's aggression on Gaza were not true.. ..According to Al Turki, there had been no protest in Qateef. 'As you know, protests are banned in the Kingdom. Demonstrations would disrupt public life and undermine the law and order in the country. Therefore, the governing laws in the Kingdom prohibit either holding demonstrations or taking part in it,' he added. Press reports and accounts of eye witnesses said that Saudi police fired rubber bullets to break up a pro-Palestinian protest on Monday, injuring up to eight people. Residents said between 200 and 300 people took part in the march.." [more]

Saudi Talks With Pirates On Sirius Star Making Progress [Dec 31]
"Reports from Riyadh suggest that Saudi talks with Somali pirates to get an oil tanker released are making progress. The oil tanker, Sirius Star has been in the hands of the pirates since November 2008. Somali pirates have reportedly agreed to release the Saudi super-tanker, Sirius Star, withdrawing a 25 million dollar ransom demand. A mediator of the pirates holding the ship and Saudi government said that the pirates were considering releasing the ship.. ..The pirates demanded a $25 million ransom, but the Saudi authorities strongly opposed the idea of negotiating with hijackers and Prince Saud al-Faysal said it would be up to the owners of the vessel to decide how to deal with piracy.." [more]

Oil Falls to $38, Down More Than 60 pct in 2008 [Dec 31]
"Oil slid to $38 a barrel on Wednesday, heading for a fall of 60 percent in 2008 as the global economic slowdown bit deep into energy demand. Crude oil hit an all-time high of more than $147 in July but prices have collapsed in the last six months as the credit crisis has pushed the industrialised world into recession. Dismal data from the United States on Tuesday added to pessimism that oil demand will suffer further in 2009, countering any support from Middle East tensions and hopes for another Saudi output cut.. ..Top OPEC exporter Saudi Arabia is set to cut oil supplies further in February, market sources said on Tuesday, potentially taking output below its agreed OPEC target. With oil coming off more than $100 from its record peak mid-year, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has announced its biggest-ever production cut of 2.2 million barrels per day to fight the price slide.." [more]

Scuttled Dow Venture Hinders Saudi Deal [Dec 31]
"A scuttled Kuwait deal could affect not only Dow Chemical Co.'s planned acquisition of Rohm & Haas Co. but a $22 billion joint venture in Saudi Arabia as well.. ..Dipping further into the $17 billion financing facility could siphon cash from other big Dow projects already reeling from the global recession. Among them: a $22 billion joint venture with Saudi Arabian Oil Co. to build a giant petrochemical facility on the Persian Gulf. Dow has said it is "fully committed" to the project, despite a restructuring that has included thousands of layoffs. Meanwhile, the global economic slowdown and falling oil and commodity prices have prompted Saudi Aramco to postpone other big projects.." [more]

New Year Celebrations in Most Parts of Arab World Cancelled [Dec 31]
"New Year celebrations in most parts of the Arab world have been cancelled in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip following five days of a massive Israeli air offensive. New Year events scheduled to take place in Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan and many other parts of the Arab world have been either postponed or cancelled. Five days of fighting between Israel and Hamas in the tiny enclave has left at least 380 Palestinians dead and more than 1,800 injured, prompting angry demonstrations that have overtaken the festive mood typically behind New Year’s celebrations.." [more]

Judicial Reforms to Start Jan. 1 [Dec 31]
"Saudi judicial reforms will start Jan. 1 and the process to bring about structural and procedural changes will take 20 years, said Minister of Justice Sheikh Abdullah Aal Al-Shiekh. 'This is only the beginning of the overhaul plan and there will be more future reform plans,' he said. A budget of nearly SR7 billion has been allocated for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Project for Developing the Judicial System. The project entails developing new court systems, building new courts and training judges. A new Supreme Court – to replace the existing Higher Judicial Council – will be tasked with execution of Islamic Shariah laws and monitoring compliance, and reviewing death penalties handed down by Appeals Courts. The King will appoint the head of the Supreme Court.." [more]

Saudi Planes Sent to Arish [Dec 31]
"Two Saudi planes carrying 20 tons of medicines and medical relief materials intended for the injured people in Gaza arrived at the Arish airport in Egypt on Tuesday. The consignments, sent from Riyadh at the orders of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, will be transported to Gaza by road and supplied to all hospitals there. The king also ordered to airlift as many injured Palestinians as possible for treatment in hospitals in the kingdom. Two planes were sent to Arish on Monday for the purpose.." [more]

GCC Appeals for End to Massacre [Dec 31]
"The Gulf Cooperation Council yesterday condemned the blatant Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and urged an end to relentless air raids that have killed nearly 370 people since Saturday. In a statement issued at the end of the 29th GCC summit in Muscat, the Gulf leaders called on the international community to take immediate steps to stop the massacre of Palestinians and Israel’s withdrawal from all the occupied lands. 'The GCC strongly condemns this Israeli aggression and holds Israel responsible for the dangerous course events have taken as a result of its inhumane policies toward the Palestinian people,' the statement said.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 30]~~~~~~~~~

Gulf Arabs Divided Over Gaza Solution [Dec 30]
"Gulf Arab heads of state were divided at a summit in Oman on Tuesday over how to address the conflict between Israel and Hamas, even though they were united in calling for an end to Israeli raids on Gaza. Qatar, one of the six U.S. allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council, has called for an Arab summit to discuss the offensive that has killed about 350 Palestinians, while regional power Saudi Arabia has said it saw little benefit in a meeting where leaders make weightless statements. Saudi Arabia has urged an end to Israel's attacks but appears inclined not to endorse a summit which may boost support for Hamas, an Islamist militant group backed by Shi'ite Muslim Iran and its Syrian all. 'Obviously it will be difficult for them to reach a unified stance on the matter. Saudi Arabia has no interest in helping Hamas through political stances and it is aware that an Arab summit will do only that,'.." [more]

Saudi Denies Clash Report [Dec 30]
"Witnesses said Saudi police fired rubber bullets to break up a pro-Palestinian protest yesterday, injuring up to eight people, but a government official denied the report. Residents said between 200 and 300 people took part in the march in the Eastern Province. Many protesters held pictures of Palestinians wounded in Israel’s military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 300 Palestinians since it began on Saturday. At least three witnesses said they saw riot police fire rubber bullets after demonstrators clashed with security forces in the Al Qatif area. However, interior ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said there had been no protest.." [more]

Saudi National Soccer Team Willing to Go Training in Brazil [Dec 30]
"Saudi Arabia's deputy minister for Youth Welfare, prince Nawaf Bin Faiçal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, was in Rio de Janeiro last week to discuss cooperation projects with Brazilian sports leaderships.. ..Al Saud spoke to Brazilian sport officials about the possibility of the Saudi Arabian Football Team coming to practice in Brazil and about cooperation in the area of sports medicine, according to Alessa. He also talked about the 2014 World Cup, which will be held in Brazil, and about the Rio candidacy to host the 2016 Olympics.. ..The prince's advisors also traveled to the city of São Paulo to visit the São Paulo Futebol Clube installations - including Morumbi Stadium and the Training center - and to talk to heads of the team that has just won the Brazilian Championship for the sixth time.." [more]

Saudi Minister Warns of Racism Towards Expats [Dec 30]
"Saudi Labour Minister Ghazi al-Gosaibi has warned against growing racism among Saudis towards the millions of foreign workers in the kingdom, mainly domestics, media reports said yesterday. Gosaibi told senior labour ministry officials on Sunday that the country should treat foreign workers better, protect their rights and not succumb to racism, local newspapers reported. 'Regrettably, we have become overwhelmed by arrogance and even racism, and we have begun to imagine that we are better than those who have come to share in shouldering the burden of development,'.. ..Foreign workers have a huge presence throughout the kingdom, estimated at more than 8mn altogether in a country with a native population of over 17mn.. ..The minister’s comments came amid controversy over a privately financed television and newspaper advertising campaign promoting respect for foreign maids, drivers and other low-wage workers.." [more]

Oil Set for Rebound as Record Drop Spurs OPEC Cuts [Dec 30]
"Oil futures may rebound from their worst year to average $60 a barrel next year as OPEC makes record production cuts to counter the deepest economic slump since World War II. The forecast, the median of 33 analysts compiled by Bloomberg, represents a 52 percent gain from today’s $39.48 price. A 14 percent reduction in supply, equal to 4.2 million barrels a day, pledged by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will erode U.S. crude inventories that rose 10 percent this year as the slowing economy reduced world demand for the first time since 1983.. ..Analysts expect oil prices to rise through the year to $70 a barrel in the fourth quarter as demand improves and OPEC production curbs announced this month take hold. The U.S. economy may return to growth in the second half of 2009, reviving consumption in the world’s largest energy user. OPEC pledged Dec. 17 to reduce production from 11 of its members to 24.845 million barrels a day. The group may meet again before a scheduled March conference if prices keep falling.." [more]

Gulf Arabs Approve Monetary Union Pact [Dec 30]
"Leaders of Gulf Arab oil-producing nations approved in a summit on Tuesday a monetary union agreement that would pave the way for a single currency, a senior Gulf Cooperation Council official said. "The monetary union has been approved. They have not decided the location (of the common central bank), hopefully within the next five months," Naser al-Kaud, deputy assistant secretary-general of the GCC secretariat told Reuters after the summit.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 29]~~~~~~~~~

Saudis Send Medevac Planes to Gaza [Dec 29]
"Saudi Arabia has sent two hospital aircraft staffed with medical personnel to Gaza to help with the injured from Israel's attacks on the Palestinian territory and to carry any severely injured patients to hospitals inside Saudi Arabia for treatment, the government said on Monday. The two Medevac (medical evacuation) aircraft departed Riyadh Air Base for Al-Areesh airport, carrying representatives from the Saudi Red Crescent Society and other medical personnel, medical equipment and supplies to treat those injured in the attacks.. ..Minister of Health Hamad al-Mane told SPA that the country's hospitals were prepared to receive incoming casualties from Gaza.." [more]

Saudi Aramco, Total Award First Contract for Jubail [Dec 29]
"Saudi Aramco's and French oil major Total (TOTF.PA) awarded a construction contract for its $12 billion joint-venture refining and petrochemical facility in Saudi Arabia, the companies said on Monday. The contract, which is required to support the construction phase of the complex at Jubail, is an indication of the companies commitment to push through the project. The contract was awarded to the Saudi Arabian based contractor, Contracting and Contruction Enterprise Ltd. Under the agreement the construction company will develop about 600 hectares with basic infrastrucutre allowing for the accomodation of 30,000 workers, temporary offices, and 3,000 personnel. Construction of all facilities is to be finished by the end of 2012, with commercial operations of the facilities set for March 2013. The contract award comes on the back of Kuwait's decision to scrap a deal to form a $17.4 billion petrochemical joint-venture company. The cancellation of the deal, was expected to pay off a large part of the company's $13 billion debt.." [more]

GCC States Expected to Vote One Currency Approval [Dec 29]
"The leaders of the six GCC states could give a final approval for the common GCC currency at the end of the 29th GCC Summit on Monday.. ..According to sources a different name for the currency may be adopted to avoid identical names of the currency in the GCC countries like dinar, riyal and dirhams. 'I can tell you that 'Khaleeji' is being seriously considered for the name of the new common GCC currency,' a sourced told Gulf News on the condition of not being named. The only stumbling issue that needs to be ironed out before the decision on monetary union is of the location of the GCC Central Bank.. ..Oman pulled out of the Common currency programme in 2005 after informing the other member states during the 2005 Summit in Saudi Arabia. Oman has also agreed for the other five countries to go ahead with the agenda and even agreed to help give the final shape to the monetary union pact during its hosting of the Summit here.." [more]

Saudi Cleric Urges Attacks on Israelis [Dec 29]
"A prominent Saudi cleric called in a religious edict yesterday for attacks on Israelis everywhere in retaliation for the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip. 'All (Israeli) interests, and anything else related to Israel, are a permitted target for Muslims everywhere,' said Sheikh Awad al-Qarni in what he described on the Internet as a fatwa, or religious edict. They (Israelis) should become targets.. ..'This is a fatwa that I am responsible for in front of Allah,' Qarni said on the Islam Online website. He also lashed out at Arab governments, mainly Egypt, which he accused of being 'part of the conspiracy'.." [more]

US Visa Delays Ruining Education of Many [Dec 29]
"A group of Saudi students in the US has launched a campaign to monitor problems faced by them when they return to the Kingdom on short breaks. These students are forced to reapply for visas at the US Embassy in Riyadh, a process that often takes several months if successful. Organizers of the campaign, entitled 'My Visa Threatens My Future,' say they wish to also create awareness about the problems faced by Saudi students in the US who, fearing the lengthy visa process in Saudi Arabia, remain in the US continuously for years to complete their education. 'The campaign does not intend to challenge the standards according to which visas are issued,' said Basil Al-Sadhan, one of the organizers. 'Acquiring visas is a nightmare for many students. The campaign intends to raise awareness about the difficulties faced by students and the negative effect that these difficulties have on their studies,'.." [more]

Saudi Journalists Want Their Body to be Proactive [Dec 29]
"Journalists in the Kingdom have called on the Saudi Journalist Association (SJA), which held board elections in Riyadh last week, to be proactive, help women journalists and protect the rights of journalists in general. Sawsan Al-Homidan, director of Asharq Al-Awsat’s women’s office in Riyadh, called on the new board, which includes seven editors-in-chief, to implement all decisions and do more than just express words. 'The association has a huge responsibility. We’re hoping the new board members will provide all services.. ..I hope it won’t be just names on paper, payment of fees and then nothing,'.. ..The SJA was established in 2004. Although four years have passed, the organization has made little contribution other than charging journalists membership fees, many people say.." [more]

Oil Prices Higher on Evidence of OPEC Cuts [Dec 29]
"Oil prices rose in Asian trade Monday on evidence that OPEC members have begun complying with agreed output cuts, rebounding slightly from four-year lows before the Christmas break. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for February delivery, rose 84 cents to 38.55 dollars a barrel in the afternoon, on top of a gain of 2.36 dollars to 37.71 in US trades on Friday. Brent North Sea crude for February delivery rose 1.01 dollars to 39.38 in afternoon trade, after rising 1.76 dollars to 38.37 in London on Friday. Analysts said the surge in prices was partly due to evidence that OPEC was cutting output as announced two weeks ago.. ..Two weeks ago, OPEC agreed to cut output by 2.2 million barrels per day but prices continued to fall. Analysts have said recent US data showing that the world's biggest economy -- and largest energy consumer -- remains mired in a recession are likely to keep crude prices under pressure in the short term. A sharp global downturn has slashed the world's demand for energy, pulling prices sharply lower since record highs above 147 dollars per barrel in July.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 28]~~~~~~~~~

Bush, Saudi King Talk Amid Israel-Gaza Bloodshed [Dec 28]
"Saudi King Abdullah told US President George W. Bush by telephone on Saturday that major countries must take action to halt Israel's attacks on Gaza, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe had said earlier that the king had called Bush, who was preparing to usher in 2009 on his Texas ranch, to discuss 'the Middle East' and had declined to offer further details. But SPA reported that King Abdullah had discussed 'the Israeli aggression against Gaza' and the 'implications of continuing Israel's policies of blockade, occupation and torture against the Palestinian people all over the Occupied Territories.' The king also called for 'the major countries to shoulder their responsibilities to stop this Israeli attack and save the lives of the innocent and remaining infrastructure in the Palestinian territories.'.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Calls For Fresh Bids on Landbridge Project [Dec 28]
"MEED reported that the government of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Railways Organization are calling for fresh prices from all four original consortiums namely Agility, Mada, Tarabot and Tracc due to financial turbulence. As per report, Saudi Railways Organization is re opening the bidding on the Saudi Landbridge rail project and asking all four original consortiums to submit revised financial proposals. The Saudi government and the Saudi Railways Organization is now asking for fresh bids in the light of the global financial crisis and felling raw materials costs, in move designed to achieve more accurate costs for completing the railway. The Landbridge had been estimated to cost up to USD 7 billion and it is not clear whether the increase in the cost of debt due to the financial crisis will be wholly offset by the fall in the price of raw materials.." [more]

Gulf Arab Agenda on Track as Gaza Overshadows Summit [Dec 28]
"Gulf Arab rulers gathering in Oman on Monday were set to sign monetary union pacts even as Israel's attack on Gaza and global financial turmoil overshadow their mainly economic agenda, an Omani official said on Sunday. 'I don't think the agenda will be derailed,' Abdulmalik al-Hinai, undersecretary for economic affairs at Oman's Ministry of National Economy, told Reuters in an interview, outlining nine economic issues set to be discussed by the Gulf rulers. 'Definitely they will discuss all of the current issues, including Gaza and other issues ...but the GCC likes to have stability in their decisions. If there are new things that will be discussed, it will happen in the right manner.' Leaders of the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Saudi Arabia, are meeting amid tight security in the Omani capital Muscat to approve a long-awaited agreement that will take most of them one step closer to issuing a single Gulf currency.." [more]

Arab Governments, Protesters Condemn Israel’s Gaza Air Strikes [Dec 28]
"Arab protesters in Damascus and Beirut burned Israeli flags and governments across the Middle East condemned Israeli air strikes against the Hamas-led Gaza Strip that left at least 285 people dead. In Beirut, police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of demonstrators protesting the attacks. At least 10 Arab governments agreed to hold an emergency meeting in Doha, Qatar to call for an end to the attacks, which have led to the largest death toll in the seaside strip since 1967, Al-Jazeera television reported. 'Divisions and the polarization among Arab governments is so big that even if the heads of state agree to meet, their resolutions will be just ink on paper' said Emad Gad, an analyst with the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies. 'The Arab street will continue to be inflamed.'.. ..Saudi King Abdullah spoke with U.S. President George W. Bush and called for international action to stop the attacks.." [more]

Demand to Raise Duty on Tobacco [Dec 28]
"A committee of health ministers in the Gulf Cooperation Council has asked Ministries of Finance in GCC countries to increase customs duty on tobacco. The proposal came up during the committee’s 69th meeting in Riyadh on Saturday. Increasing customs’ duties and raising the price of tobacco is a successful way of reducing the number of smokers of both sexes,” said Abdullah Al-Serouji, senior official in Makkah’s Kafa (Stop) Smoking Association. According to Al-Serouji, there is scientific 
evidence that an increase of only 10 percent in the price of a packet of cigarettes will result in a four percent reduction in tobacco consumption in developed countries, and an eight percent reduction in developing and underdeveloped countries, with a much smaller number of children and teenagers buying cigarettes.." [more]

Iran: West Downgrading OPEC Decisions [Dec 28]
"Iran's OPEC governor has accused Western media of weakening the organization by downgrading its decisions to reduce oil output. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided in an October summit to cut output by 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) as of November and assigned new reduced quotas to its member states. The 12-member group reduced supplies by another 2.2 million bpd in December to prevent oil prices from falling further. 'OPEC members have reduced between 60 to 80 percent of their output since November. This is suitable. But some Western media have tried to show that OPEC has been unsuccessful in this regard,' said Iran's OPEC Governor Mohammad-Ali Khatibi. Oil prices have lost about $110 since hitting an all-time high of $147 a barrel in July as the global financial crisis has sharply slashed demand.." [more]

December 21-December 27, 2008

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 27]~~~~~~~~~

Fight Terrorism Jointly: Saud [Dec 27]
" Urging cooperation of all nations in ending terrorism, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said yesterday that there is nothing terrorists would like to do more than sow dissension and create conflict. This is what they see as their success, he added. 'This is what we must prevent through collective action,' the minister said at a news conference following talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. 'Terrorism is a cancer, we need to cut it out,' Prince Saud said. The best way to deal with terrorism is to 'destroy it completely,' so that tragedies like Mumbai are not repeated, he added. Prince Saud was here to convey condolences on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to the people of India and the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks.. ..The Saudi minister’s visit assumes added importance as it comes at a time of heightened tension between India and Pakistan over the Mumbai killings, which Delhi has blamed on terrorists based on Pakistani soil.." [more] 

Saudi Market Slide Uninterrupted [Dec 27]
"Saudi Arabian shares fell as uncertainty about oil prices and gloomy economic conditions kept investors largely on the sidelines.. ..Sinking oil prices are giving pause to investors across the Gulf, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest petroleum exporter. The price of a barrel of crude oil in the futures market closed at US$37.71 on Friday after trading in the $30s all week. The week before, oil prices were closing in the $40s. Mr Sharewy said these prices will significant impact the petrochemical industry. 'When oil is selling in the $40s it is a cause for concern but in the $30s is a bad sign,'.." [more]

Ottawa Ups Saudi Efforts [Dec 27]
"Ottawa has ramped up efforts to spare the life of a Canadian sentenced to death and whose fate now lies in the hands of Saudi Arabia's king. Calgary East MP Deepak Obhrai, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke recently to several top-ranking officials, including the Saudi foreign minister, about the situation of Mohamed Kohail, 23. The Montreal man and his 17-year-old brother, Sultan Kohail, were accused of murder in the case of Munzer al-Haraki, a 19-year old Syrian student who was killed in a schoolyard brawl in Jeddah about two years ago.. ..Obhrai declined to comment whether his trip has made a difference in the appeal of Mohamed's case. He said that Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon also raised the case in a phone call with his Saudi counterpart this month. The embassy in Riyadh has also sent a diplomatic note to Saudi authorities.." [more]

Official Reveals 80% Electronic Goods, 50% Tires Sold Here are Fake [Dec 27]
"Over 80 percent of electric appliances and 50 percent of imported tires available in the Kingdom are fake and not in conformity with Saudi specifications and standards, a quality control official said. The Saudi market has become a dumping ground for inferior 'time-bomb' products sold in broad daylight with the knowledge of the authorities concerned, said Abdul Rahman Al-Harbi, member of the anti-commercial fraud committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), who also holds a key post in the regional quality control laboratory. He said the Saudi economy loses more than SR16 billion yearly, since more than 80 percent of electric appliances, 65 percent of textile products and 50 percent of tires – that are mostly rejected by other markets but imported by dealers in the Kingdom – are fake.." [more]

Abbas Leaves for Saudi Arabia as Gaza Under Israeli Air Strike [Dec 27]
" Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday left Jordan's capital of Amman for Saudi Arabia as the Gaza Strip is under heavy air bombardment. Abbas strongly condemned Israeli massive air strike on the Gaza Strip, his spokesman Nabil Abu Erdeinah said in a press statement. 
Abbas asked the Israeli government to stop the attack immediately and urged for international interference to stop the Israeli aggression, Abu Erdeinah added. The Gaza City is currently under heavy air raids by Israel. At least 140 Palestinians have been killed and more than 200 injured in the Israeli blitz, according to Palestinian hospital sources. Meanwhile, Israel announced that the military attacks 'will be expanded, deepened and widened if necessary.'.." [more]

Wider GCC Economic Consultation Urged [Dec 27]
"Wider consultation on economic policy is the key to Gulf countries riding out the global economic crisis, a group of activists said in the Bahraini capital yesterday. 'Economic security in the Gulf cannot be guaranteed without the people’s participation in policy and decision making,' the Parallel Forum said in a statement that will be presented at the Gulf Co-operation Council’s (GCC’s) annual summit in Muscat next week.. ..The activists, from Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, called on GCC countries to stop wasting oil revenues on buying arms and to stop focusing their economies on oil, a depleting commodity. “The people of the GCC countries do not accept that once again oil revenues are squandered on an arms race and projects that do not serve the public,” the activists said in their statement, released at the meeting in Manama. The Parallel Forum, which aims to hold corresponding populist meetings at the time of all GCC summits.." [more]

Arab Summit Aims to Lure Foreign Investors [Dec 27]
"Arab countries will call for an economic openness with international agencies to lure external investments in the upcoming summit, said Arab League Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs, Dr. Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri. To be hosted by Kuwait on Jan. 19-20, the summit would constitute a “historic turning point for bolstering inter-Arab cooperation.” The event will open the door wide for pressing ahead with inter-Arab economic integration, paving the way for openness with the global economy, in addition to luring investments from the non-Arab world, he said. He confirmed that the summit would address a host common issues for the Arabs, such as the establishment of the common custom union, implementation of the Arab accord for services and granting businessmen a special card that allows them to move freely across the borders of the Arab states.. ..Al-Tuwaijri called on the Arab states to follow suit of the European Union, noting that the Europeans succeeded in realizing unification at various levels despite some political disputes and past struggles.." [more]

Egypt Denies KSA Holding Egyptian on Charge of Spying [Dec 27]
" Egypt’s foreign ministry on Friday denied claims by a human rights group that an Egyptian man was being detained in Saudi Arabia on suspicion of spying. The Arab Network for Human Rights on Thursday, citing the family of Yusef Al-Ashmawi, an Egyptian software engineer, alleged that he has been detained in Al-Hayer Prison in Riyadh since Aug. 24. 'The charge is not spying,' Ahmed Rizq, Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs, told AFP on Friday. 'Many Egyptians work in sensitive workplaces in Saudi Arabia.' He declined to specify the charges filed against Al-Ashmawi.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 26]~~~~~~~~~

All Nations Need to Cooperate Against Terror, says Saudi Arabia [Dec 26]
"Saudi Arabia on Friday joined India in pressing for urgent and transparent cooperation of all nations in ending terrorism after New Delhi apprised the Foreign Minister of the influential Arab country about how Mumbai attacks were carried out by elements based in Pakistan. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal, who arrived here in the morning amid chill in Indo-Pak relations, held talks with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on issues related to the Mumbai attacks. Mukherjee is believed to have impressed upon Al-Faisal the need for Saudi Arabia using its influence on Pakistan to ensure that those behind the Mumbai carnage, who are in Pakistan, are brought to justice at the earliest.. ..At a joint media interaction with his Saudi counterpart after the talks, Mukherjee said terrorism is not an issue between India and Pakistan but a global menace.." [more]

Slow Start To OPEC Cuts [Dec 26]
"The United Arab Emirates said loud and clear Friday that it was deepening its cut of oil production, which seemed to highlight the deafening silence from some of the cartel's other members in complying with an OPEC agreement to reduce oil output by a record amount earlier this month.. ..The UAE is the first OPEC member after Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer and lead figure in the cartel, to have detailed how it will comply with the record 2.2 million barrels-per-day cut announced on Dec. 17. If other members do not follow suit, the market will be all the more skeptical about whether the group can comply with its agreement. Saudi Arabia had already been informing its customers (half of whom are in Asia) of sharper curbs to supply than for December. But one North Asian refiner was quoted by Reuters as saying Wednesday that it had not received any similar notices from other producers.." [more]

Foreign Women Married to Saudis Abuse the System [Dec 26]
"A group of sociologists and a lawyer are currently studying the issue of non-Saudi women who marry Saudis and apply for divorce after obtaining Saudi citizenship. Wail Joharji, 36, a lawyer and legal consultant, believes foreign women divorce their Saudi husbands as soon as they get citizenship for many reasons, which include their eligibility to claim social security, the right to take substantial business loans from the Centennial Fund or the Saudi Credit and Saving Bank, and the opportunity to marry non-Saudis who wish to have a Saudi sponsor to run businesses in the Kingdom.. ..He added that the study is in the interest of Saudi society in general and those children who are affected by such divorces in particular. 'We’re not against men or women. We’re against people abusing the system to serve their own twisted purposes,'.." [more]

Over 23,600 Indonesian Workers Deported This Year [Dec 26]
"Saudi Arabia deported 23,644 Indonesian migrant workers, mostly maids, in 2008. Most of these workers entered the Kingdom on Umrah visas and overstayed, said senior Indonesian officials. 'The total number of Indonesian workers deported this year will be a little more than the figure of 23,644 
given by the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah,' said Indonesian Embassy spokesman Arif Suyoko. 'In fact, the total number of deported workers from Saudi Arabia as a whole can be higher if we include Riyadh immigration also,'.. ..Deportation in such huge numbers cause a lot of problems to Indonesia 
in terms of employment, especially at this time of global financial crisis. The island state is facing the brunt of a global recession.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 25]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Must Urge Russia to Join Opec: Experts [Dec 25]
"Saudi Arabia will have to take the lead in ensuring that Russia becomes a member of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), analysts and recent reports from think tanks in the sector suggest. Russia has not only stubbornly set aside a possibility of joining the Opec, but it has also not 
announced an anticipated cut in its production to bolster the 2.2m (4.2m if cuts since September 2008 are considered) barrels a day Opec cut that takes effect from the first week of January 2009. At over 9.5 million barrels of oil production everyday, Russia is the world's largest producer of oil. However, it consumes much of its produce and thus falls behind Saudi Arabia on charts that compare oil exports.. ..Apprehensions that Russia might joint the group mounted in September after Moscow surprised the producer group with a MoU designed to strengthen the relationship beyond the energy dialogue began earlier this year.." [more]

Saudi Women's Group Assails Judge Over 8-year-old's Marriage [Dec 25]
"A group fighting for women's rights in Saudi Arabia condemned a judge Wednesday for refusing to annul the marriage of an 8-year-old girl to a 47-year-old man. The group's co-founder, Wajeha al-Huwaider, told CNN that achieving human rights in the kingdom means standing against those who want to 'keep us backward and in the dark ages.' The Society of Defending Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia, in a statement published on its Web site, called on the "minister of justice and human rights groups to interfere now in this case" by divorcing the girl from the man. 'They must end this marriage deal which was made by the father of the girl and the husband.' On Saturday, the judge, Sheikh Habib Abdallah al-Habib, dismissed a petition brought by the girl's mother.. ..Al-Jutaili said the girl's father arranged the marriage in order to settle his debts with the man, 'a close friend' of his.." [more]

Report Alleges Rise in Child Abuse in Saudi Arabia [Dec 25]
"Domestic violence against children is on the rise in Saudi Arabia, according to the latest figures released by the Saudi National Human Rights Society. "Nearly 45 per cent of children in the Kingdom are facing some sort of abuse and domestic violence," the group pointed out. It also circulated findings of a study among participants of a function organised during the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of the UN Human Rights Convention.. ..Nearly 70 per cent of children are subjected to violence of some sorts from their parents, who are illiterate while it is 24 per cent as far as parents with an elementary school certificate are concerned. There are very few cases concerning the highly qualified parents.." [more]

Saud to Visit Delhi [Dec 25]
"Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal will visit New Delhi Friday for talks with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee on bilateral, regional and international issues, said Muhammad Barri, Saudi charge d’affairs New Delhi. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to visit Saudi Arabia early next year, sources in New Delhi said. Singh was set to visit Riyadh last month, but had to defer his plan due to prior commitments of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.." [more]

Over 10,000 Job Openings for Saudi Women Eyed [Dec 25]
"The chambers of commerce and industry in the Kingdom have asked their subscribers to inform them of job openings for Saudi women. These jobs include administrative posts for secretaries and cashiers, as well as posts in sales and reception, and in the tailoring and beauty profession. The step by the chambers is meant to ascertain the total number of job openings in order to develop job training programs. Yusuf Al-Dawsari, head of the commercial committee at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Eastern Province, said studies indicated the availability of more than 10,000 job opportunities for Saudi females in the private sector in the new year.." [more]

Ministry: Labor Law Doesn’t Ban Gender-Mixing in Workplace [Dec 25]
"A legal expert at the Ministry of Labor has denied that the Kingdom’s new labor law bans mingling of men and women in workplace. 'While article 166 of the old labor law prohibited men and women from mingling in workplace, the new law only stipulates that their employment should be in accordance with Islamic Shariah,' Al-Watan newspaper quoted the unnamed expert as saying. The expert was clarifying comments made by Chairman of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Ibrahim Al-Ghaith at a recent event in Riyadh. 'The Ministry of Labor is the right authority to implement regulations regarding the employment of women. It should implement the labor law, including Chapter 10 that bans the mingling of men and women in workplace,'.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 24]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Arabia to Invest Billions in Public Works [Dec 24]
" Facing a global economic slowdown and plummeting oil prices, the government of Saudi Arabia is taking a page from President-elect Barack Obama's book and pouring additional billions of dollars into public works, even as the country expects its first budget deficit in six years. But unlike the United States, Saudi Arabia will be drawing from its substantial savings, rather than issuing new debt.. ..Much like Obama's plan to jump-start the U.S. economy by injecting capital into education and public infrastructure, Saudi Arabia is focusing on its schools, universities, clinics, waterworks, roads and telecommunications. 'There are a lot of projects being carried out in the kingdom,' said Qussay Badran, editor in chief of the Saudi magazine Al Eqtisadiah, or the Economist. 'The pace of development projects in the education, health, transportation sectors has not slowed down despite the international crisis.'.." [more]

India to Seek Saudi Anti-Terror Help [Dec 24]
"India will ask Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal to pressure Pakistan into taking action against Islamic terrorists, sources say. With the prince to arrive in New Delhi Friday to meet with Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Indian officials will use the opportunity to demonstrate what they say are clear links between Pakistani elements and the Mumbai terror attacks, unnamed sources told the Inter-Asian News Service Wednesday. The sources said Mukherjee is likely to cite Indo-Saudi ties that were strengthened following Saudi Arabian King Abdullah's visit to New Delhi two years ago in seeking Riyadh's support in placing pressure on Islamabad to crack down on terrorism. The news agency said New Delhi will ask the Saudis' cooperation in choking off the financing of terrorists, some of whom use Saudi charities and other fronts for generating funds for terror activities.." [more]

Top Opec Official Expects Oil Prices to Recover in Late 2009 [Dec 24]
"Opec Secretary-General Abdullah Al Badri says oil prices would recover in the second half of 2009 and are likely to reach $75 a barrel in early 2010. In a report published in Al Hayat newspaper on Wednesday, Al Badri said he expects Opec countries to stand by supply cuts agreed upon at the meeting in Algeria, that aim to bring balance to an oversupplied market.. ..Oil Ministers of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced their largest production cut at the December 17 meet, slashing 2.2 million barrels per day from oil markets in a race to balance supply with rapidly crumbling demand for fuel. 'Some activists in the market believe that the Organisation will not comply with its decision. That is untrue. The Organisation is aware that there is a problem coming in 2009,' said Badri. 'We think that all the problems have accumulated in the end of 2008 and will appear in 2009'.." [more]

Euro-Med Offers Gulf States Observer Status [Dec 24]
"The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has been offered a stake in a new union of Mediterranean and European countries because of the growing economic and political influence of its member states.. ..'It has been proposed that the GCC should send observers to our EMPA,' said Pottering, who is the president of both the European Parliament and EMPA, the legislative body of the proposed Euro-Med union. The group includes the 27 EU member states and 16 non-EU countries on the Mediterranean coast.. ..Referring to the proposal to offer observer status to the GCC in the Euro-Med union, he said that the Gulf countries could make a contribution to the development of the Mediterranean politically and economically by accepting this proposal. He said he hoped that the GCC would approve the idea at its summit meeting in Muscat on Dec. 29 and 30.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 23]~~~~~~~~~

GCC Suspends EU Free-Trade Talks [Dec 23]
"The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council has suspended talks with the European Union over a free-trade agreement, the GCC's secretary general said on Tuesday. 'We have informed the European side of the suspension of negotiations on a free-trade accord,' said Abderrahman al-Attiyah, interviewed by telephone in Muscat, where he is preparing for the annual GCC summit. 'We are suspending the negotiations until the European side agrees to sign the (most recent) draft accord, adding that the petroleum-rich monarchies had "made many concessions and responded favourably to the EU's many demands.' The decision came as no surprise, with member nation Qatar warning on December 15 that a suspension was in the offing if an impasse in the 20-year-old negotiations continued. 'Some day in the near future the GCC states will decide to suspend the talks which have so far had no result,' Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani said in Singapore. The GCC -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- has been in talks with the now 27-member EU about a free trade agreement since 1988.." [more]

Saudi Campaign Against Maid Abuse [Dec 23]
"A Saudi Arabian campaign against the abuse of domestic workers in the country has sparked controversy. There are an estimated 1.5 million foreign domestic workers in Saudi. Many complain of abuse. Critics say the ads misrepresent Saudi society. Rights activists say abuse is common, and 
acknowledging it is a first step towards solving the problem. A report by Human Rights Watch earlier this year said some foreign workers are treated like slaves. The adverts appeared on Saudi-owned satellite channels and newspapers.. ..But major Saudi newspapers have refused to publish the advertisement, apparently because for them, it was too shocking. Some writers and journalists have called for an end to the campaign because they believe it shows Saudi people as cruel and heartless. Journalist Terad Al al-Asmari, told Islamonline, that the campaign overlooked abuse of domestic workers in other societies. 'It could lead to hatred between foreign labour and the Saudi citizen,'.." [more]

Taleban Leader Omar Denies Talks [Dec 23]
"Taleban leader Mullah Omar has denied there are any talks under way to end the insurgency in Afghanistan, a statement from the organisation says. He rejected reports he had written to the king of Saudi Arabia or the Afghan government about ending the conflict, the statement in his name said. 
He said reports that Taleban and Afghan officials had met were part of a propaganda campaign.. ..Recent reports from Iran and the Middle East had said Mullah Omar wrote to the Saudi king suggesting ways of ending the fighting. In September, former members of the Taleban and Afghan officials were reported to have met at a dinner in Saudi Arabia. The statement, received by the AFP news agency, read: 'The truth is that the Afghanistan Islamic Emirate [Taleban] has had no negotiations in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or anywhere else'.." [more]

Saudi Religious Police Deny Ban on Lingerie Saleswomen [Dec 23]
"The head of Saudi Arabia's religious police has denied banning women from working in lingerie shops, as complaints from female customers about male-only sales staff rise, newspapers said on Tuesday. Sheikh Ibrahim al-Gaith of the powerful Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice stressed that he does not oppose women sales personnel in lingerie stores per se. But he said shops with female clerks had to be in malls restricted to women only, so the saleswomen did not come into contact with men. 'We don't reject the work of the women in lingerie stores if they are not next to men's stores,' Gaith said, adding that this was government policy. Saudi women have long complained that they feel uncomfortable having to buy lingerie from men and would prefer female sales assistants. But the kingdom's ultra-conservative religious leaders have opposed allowing saleswomen in shops where men are allowed on the grounds that it would violate restrictions on contacts between opposite sexes not from the same family. Those rules do not extend to salesmen and women customers, however.." [more]

King Unveils Visionary Budget [Dec 23]
"Saudi Arabia yesterday announced an SR475 billion ($126.7 billion) economic stimulus budget for 2009, allocating more money for education and increasing public spending by 15.8 percent (SR65 billion), despite a sharp decline in oil prices that have dipped to $43 a barrel. Custodian of the 
Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who unveiled the Kingdom’s largest-ever budget during a Cabinet session at Khoraim Gardens, said a record SR225 billion has been allocated for new projects and SR122 billion is slated for education, training and scholarship. The king said the budget allocation for new projects in 2009 was 36 percent more than the allocations made in 2008.. ..The 2009 budget projected revenues at SR410 billion, leaving a deficit of SR65 billion.." [more]

UK Muslim Delegation in Kingdom Seeking Darfur Solution [Dec 23]
"A delegation of British Muslims visited Riyadh recently after taking a tour of the troubled Darfur region of Sudan in order to show their support for a peaceful resolution to the protracted conflict. The delegation visited the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Islamic Development Bank and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), to discuss the status of Sudanese who have been displaced by the yearslong conflict. The four-member delegation held talks with members of the Shoura Council and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Muslim World League in order to figure out a solution to the conflict, which according to the delegation involves 'Muslims killing Muslims.'.. ..Members of the delegation said they were pleased with the response of the Saudi officials to the issue.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 22]~~~~~~~~~

Oil Rises Near $43, Saudi Says Price to Stabilize [Dec 22]
"Oil rose toward $43 a barrel on Monday, partly inspired by a weak U.S. dollar and comments from Saudi Arabia that OPEC supply cuts will succeed in stabilizing the market. The January U.S. crude oil futures contract expired on Friday after touching a low of $32.40, the lowest since February 2004, depressed by high levels of stocks at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for New York crude futures.. ..The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries last week cut output by 2.2 million barrels per day, on top of an earlier cut of 2 million bpd, to balance supply and demand and put a floor under prices. But supply cutbacks have yet to stem the oil price slide. The world's largest exporter, Saudi Arabia, has tried to quell doubts about OPEC's ability to stick to its new supply limits. 'Don't doubt the efforts of OPEC or its members to return the oil market to stability,' Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told reporters at the weekend.." [more]

Saudi Peace Initiative for a Taliban-Karzai Truce Fruitless so Far [Dec 22]
"The Saudi-sponsored American-British initiative to broker a peace deal between the Karzai administration and the Taliban have failed so far due to trust deficit between the two sides and also because of the obstinacy of the former rulers of Afghanistan who are still determined to fight out the US-led Allied ’occupation forces’ from the war-torn country, before re-establishing their gone empire — Islamic Emirate of Taliban. Talks involving the Saudis and ’facilitated’ by the American and the Britons have been both denied and admitted, but the reality is that somebody, somewhere and somehow is talking to the Afghan Taliban on behalf of those who are evolving an exit strategy for Afghanistan after the Taliban furiously fought their way into a position that has made them stakeholders in the Afghan power game.." [more]

Saudi to Slash 2009 Spending as Budget Deficit Forecast [Dec 22]
"Saudi Arabia announced on Monday it will cut spending next year by 6.9 percent as the plunge in oil prices hits revenues for the world's largest crude exporter. The government has set spending of 475 billion riyals (127 billion dollars) compared with 510 billion riyals (136 billion dollars ) in 2008, and projected a deficit of 65 billion riyals (17.3 billion dollars) next year, according to a cabinet spokesman. The deficit comes after a record surplus of nearly 600 billion riyals (160 billion dollars), with government income soaring to 1.1 trillion riyals (293 billion dollars) in 2008 after oil prices surged to as high as 147 dollars a barrel during the year. With government spending the main driver in the Saudi economy, the planned deficit suggests Riyadh is struggling to forestall a sharp slowdown next year as the global economic crisis affects the kingdom.." [more]

Divorce Bid for Girl, 8, is Rejected [Dec 22]
"A Saudi court has rejected a plea to divorce an eight-year-old girl married off by her father to a man who is 58, saying the case should wait until the girl reaches puberty, a lawyer involved said. 'The judge has dismissed the plea (filed by the mother) because she does not have the right to file such a case, and ordered that the plea should be filed by the girl herself when she reaches puberty,' lawyer Abdullah Jtili said in a telephone interview after Saturday’s court decision.. ..The father had agreed to marry off his daughter for an advance dowry of 30,000 riyals ($8,000), as he was apparently facing financial problems, they said. The father was in court and he remained adamant in favour of the marriage, they added. Lawyer Jtili said he was going to appeal the verdict at the court of cassation, the supreme court.." [more]

Saudi Women’s Chances of Employment Double [Dec 22]
"The chances of Saudi women getting jobs has doubled with the Ministry of Labor informing companies that employing one Saudi woman would be construed as employing two Saudi men when evaluating the private sector’s performance in meeting the required Saudization (job-localization) quota. The ministry is also coordinating with the private sector to create work-from-home opportunities for Saudi women, it is learned. Tens of thousands of Saudi women have registered themselves in the labor offices and are on the waiting list for jobs.." [more]

SCTA Board Approves 13 Tourism Projects [Dec 22]
"The newly reshuffled board of directors of the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities (SCTA) held its first meeting in Riyadh yesterday and adopted a series of important decisions to strengthen the Kingdom’s tourism industry. 'The meeting reviewed executive plans for 13 projects related to historical city centers and popular markets and decided to hand them over to municipalities in order to make them attractive tourist sites,'.. ..The board meeting, which was chaired by Prince Sultan bin Salman, also approved a joint program aimed at marketing Saudi Arabia as a major tourist destination at local and international levels. The program aims at developing local tourism products to make them more attractive and competitive.Development of the Kingdom’s conference/exhibition market was another major topic that figured high at the meeting. 'The market already accounts for 17 percent of total tourism spending in the Kingdom,'.." [more]

Study Says Economic Abuse of Women Widespread [Dec 22]
"Social, verbal and economic abuse of women is more widespread in Saudi society than physical and sexual abuse, according to a recent study on violence against women. The study, which was conducted by Khaled Al-Radihan, 51, an assistant professor of anthropology at King Saud University in Riyadh, involved 267 women. In his questionnaire, Al-Radihan classified violence into eight categories — physical, verbal, sexual, social, psychological, health-related, economic and violence in the form of negligence and deprivation — and gave examples illustrating each type of violence. “In my research, I categorized the 267 women into married and single. Results showed that married women are abused mainly by their husbands; single women are abused by their male siblings more frequently than their fathers,” Al-Radihan told Arab News. Al-Radihan said that economic abuse is when the husband forcefully takes his wife’s money or when he applies for a bank loan under her name without her consent. The results of his research showed that 67 percent of women suffer from economic abuse.." [more]

Oil: Outlook for Next 10 to 15 Years [Dec 22]
"Worried about 'peak oil'? The International Energy Agency’s annual report, 'The World Energy Outlook 2008,' admits for the first time that 'although global oil production in total is not expected to peak before 2030, production of conventional oil...is projected to level off toward the end of the projection period.' When The Guardian’s environmental columnist, George Monbiot, pressed IEA director Fatih Birol on that opaque phrase, the actual date turned out to be 2020. The IEA’s previous reports, which assured everyone that there was plenty of oil until 2030, were based on what Birol called “a global assumption about the world’s oilfields”: That the rate of decline in the output of existing oilfields was 3.7 percent a year. But this year some of the staff actually turned up for work occasionally and did a 'very, very detailed' survey on the actual rate of decline. It turns out that production in the older fields is really falling at 6.7 percent a year.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 21]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Religious Police Says Some Movies Possibly OK [Dec 21]
"The chief of Saudi Arabia's powerful religious police said some movies may be acceptable in the kingdom, despite a three-decade ban on cinemas, local press reported on Sunday. Sheikh Ibrahim al-Gaith, head of the feared Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, made the concession after last week's breakthrough public showings in Jeddah of the comedy feature 'Manahi'. 'A movie could possibly be acceptable if it serves good and is suitable under Islam,' Sheikh Gaith said. Gaith pulled back from comments he made two days earlier branding movies 'an absolute evil' in the wake of screenings in the Red Sea port city. 'I did not say that we reject all cinema, but I said that we were not consulted during the organisation of these movie showings,' he explained.." [more]

Naimi Says OPEC Determined on Oil Market Stability [Dec 21]
"The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, supplier of more than 40 percent of the world’s crude, is 'determined to bring stability to the oil market' after prices plunged more than 100 dollars from a high in July, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said. All members of OPEC share the goal, Naimi told reporters at a conference in Doha, Qatar, today. Naimi spoke in Arabic and his comments were translated. He declined to answer questions in English. “I’ve said all I had to say at Oran and again in London,” he told reporters, referring to the last OPEC meeting in Algeria and a gathering of consumers and producers in the U.K.. ..Oil and energy ministers from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries met in the Qatari capital. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are the members of the organization known as OPEC. The Gulf Cooperation Council’s other two members are Oman and Bahrain. OPEC last week agreed to cut production quotas by 9 percent to revive prices as a global recession reduces demand for crude. The group agreed to a record 2.46 million barrel-a-day cut at a meeting in Oran on Dec. 17. The 13 members are next scheduled to meet March 15 in Vienna.." [more]

Kingdom Denies Counterterrorism Operations in Haj [Dec 21]
"The Ministry of Interior has denied reports published in a Washington-based online newspaper that Saudi officials had launched a massive crackdown on Al-Qaeda terrorists who were allegedly planning to attack pilgrims participating in this year’s Haj. The Middle East Times — a sister publication of the Washington Times which is owned by News World Communications — carried the report on Dec. 16 quoting unnamed US intelligence officials. The report said the Saudi government’s operation followed alerts that Al-Qaeda planned to launch a bloody assault on pilgrims. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, described the report as 'incorrect.' 'We didn’t launch any huge counterterrorism operation,' he said, adding that there was no intelligence of an attack targeting the pilgrims.." [more]

Saudi Trade Exchange Rises by 1525% in a Decade [Dec 21]
"Saudi Arabia's trade with other countries witnessed huge increase during the period 1998-2007, amounting to 1525.64% and resulting in a trade balance surplus. The surplus increased from SR32.99bn in 1998 to SR536.3bn in 2007 according to a report by the Central Department of Statistics and Information. The report indicates that the most important countries to which Saudi Arabia exported were: The USA, Japan, South Korea, India, PRC, Singapore, Taiwan, UAE, Bahrain and the Netherlands. Exports accounted for about 72% of the total exports in the Kingdom. The most important national exports in 2007 were crude oil and its derivatives, plastics and related industries like polyethylene and polymers, chemical organic products, like ethylene glycol, beotal, Trimethyl Urea fertilizers.." [more]

Saudi Shares Fall More Than 4% Amid Crude’s Deep Plunge [Dec 21]
"Saudi Arabia’s benchmark stock index fell by the most in more than a week yesterday, led by Alinma Bank and Saudi Basic Industries Corp, the Middle East’s biggest publicly traded petrochemicals company. The Tadawul All Share Index dropped 4.1% to 4,705.44 in Riyadh, with shares worth 3.4bn riyals changing hands. Some 104 shares fell and 18 rose.. ..Crude oil for January delivery fell 6.5% on Friday, capping the biggest weekly drop since the Gulf War in 1991, as rising stockpiles in Oklahoma leave little room to store supplies for delivery next year. Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest oil exporter. Arab National Bank, the bourse’s top loser, fell 8.8% to 30.20 riyals. The Saudi bourse is the only Arab exchange monitored by Bloomberg open on Saturdays. Saudi Arabia has pledged to spend $400bn on development and investment in the next five years.." [more]

Reform Process Dawns on Imam University [Dec 21]
"President of Imam University in Riyadh Sheikh Sulaiman Aba Al-Khail said that the university has been going through a steady stage of reform. The university came under fire in the aftermath of 9/11, especially when the Ministry of Interior revealed that nine on its earlier list of the 26 most wanted terror suspects were graduates of the university. 'The reform process of curriculum and academic life inside the campus is meant to enhance the sense of loyalty to the country and its leaders and scholars in an attempt to warn against extremism, terrorism and to promote tolerance and flexibility,' he said in an exclusive interview by phone from Riyadh. 'Reform at the university has been supported by the university staff and there was no mass resignation in protest to the reform process', he said.." [more]

Steps Taken to Protect Rights of Foreign Workers: Labor Ministry [Dec 21]
"Saudi Arabia has taken a series of measures to protect the rights of foreign guest workers in the country, the Ministry of Labor said in a statement yesterday on the occasion of World Human Rights Day, which is celebrated on Dec. 10 every year. 'We have set up a department for taking care of expatriate workers. This department strives to protect the rights of workers and prevent abusing them,' the ministry said. Spelling out other efforts by the ministry in the service of guest workers, the statement said preliminary and high-level committees have been established at labor offices to settle labor disputes quickly. Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi has issued a decision for the punishment of employers who delay payment of salaries for two months, the statement said, adding that such employers would be barred from recruitment for a year.. ..The Kingdom’s Labor Law also prevents inhuman treatment of workers, employment of children and forcing children into begging.." [more]

Time For All of Us to Stand Against Evil [Dec 21]
"I was overwhelmed with hope at the sight of thousands of people holding hands in Mumbai calling for better governance and leadership from their country’s politicians. In a peaceful demonstration called 'Mumbai for Peace,' more than 200 groups, from nongovernmental organizations, the business community and student movements took to the streets to protest against the devastating attacks that have killed nearly 200 innocent people and injured hundreds more. Their message was, 'We are united; we want peace, and nobody can create any wedge or difference to divide us. We are Indians first and last.' I wish this message could be heard and echoed all over the world.. ..The majority of the Arab and Islamic world have denounced the barbaric act and stressed the need to protect humanity and stop the vicious cycle of violence.." [more]

December 14-December 20, 2008

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 20]~~~~~~~~~

As Oil Sinks, Producers Reprioritize Investments [Dec 20]
"Plummeting oil prices have rattled the energy industry, leading oil-rich nations and energy companies to cut production and investment in an effort to stop the slide.. ..Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, perhaps the most influential voice in the oil industry, gave a gloomy assessment, saying tumbling oil prices were 'wreaking havoc on the industry.' Current and planned investments were under threat, he said, potentially crimping global supplies that could lead to future oil price increases when demand recovers. 'Reprioritization is the buzzword,' said Daniel Yergin, chairman of energy consultants Cambridge Energy Research Associates, in an interview. 'If you look at the high-cost projects, many of them are on hold.' Nearly across the board, oil companies have begun cutting spending.." [more]

Bush: Peace Process is Irreversible [Dec 20]
"President George W Bush said yesterday that the Middle East peace talks are a hard but 'irreversible' process as he met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas one month before he leaves the White House. Speaking beside the US leader, Abbas said Palestinians are 'practically committed' to negotiations launched by Bush a year ago and was confident incoming President Barack Obama would pick up where Bush left off. Their comments came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that renewed violence against Israel following the end of a six-month truce by Abbas’s rival Hamas movement will only hurt the Palestinian goal of statehood.. ..'I was pleased to note that the UN Security Council passed a resolution which confirms that the bilateral negotiation process is irreversible and it’s a path to a Palestinian state and a path to peace in the Middle East,' he said. Abbas promised to move the process forward.." [more]

Cinema is an Evil – Commission Chief [Dec 20]
"Cinema is an evil, the chief of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said here Friday, one day after a long awaited and much celebrated cinema festival ended in Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Dr. Ibrahim Bin Abdullah Al-Ghaith, the Commission chief, then declared that the Commission is against opening movie theaters in the Kingdom. His statement is bound to dampen the hopes of thousands of Saudi men, women and children who had enjoyed the 9-day cinema festival Dec. 10-18 in Jeddah and Taif, the highlight of which was 'Manahi,' a comedy film with a touch of Saudi culture and tradition. Organized by Rowad Media and Kawthar Foundation and Production, the festival had marked the return of public cinema in the country after 30 years. Ayman Halawani, director general of Rotana Studios, had hailed “Manahi” as 'the first film in the revival of Saudi cinema.' But Sheikh Al-Ghaith made it clear Friday that the Commission would have none of that.." [more]

GCC Summit to Focus on King’s Proposals [Dec 20]
"King Abdullah’s proposals to remove all obstacles in forging integration of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will be the focus of the grouping’s summit meeting in Muscat at the end of the month. Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah, GCC Secretary General, said here on Friday that a committee to study the proposals has already completed its task. The economic issue, he said, would dominate the meeting which would endorse the monetary union besides setting up a monetary council paving the way for the foundation of a central bank for member states.. ..He said the GCC leaders would be briefed on a report made of the GCC General Secretariat for utilization of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.." [more]

Investors Keep Eye on Saudi Budget [Dec 20]
"Saudi shares were volatile last week, but the Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) gained 5.35 percent since the resumption of trading last Saturday after a week-long Eid Al-Adha holiday. TASI closed week at 4,903.81 points, which represents a 55.5-percent decline since the beginning of the year. The Riyadh-based Bakheet Investment Group (BIG) said in its weekly report investors are anticipating companies announcements of dividends, that will halt profit making in the short run, in addition to the government’s annual budget that should be released this week, which will help investors evaluate the best performing companies listed on the Saudi stock exchange that mainly depend on the state of the local economy.. ..Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) shares jumped 10.80 percent last week to SR59. The stock market turnover was over SR22.42 billion last week. Arab stock markets showed mixed performance last week as investors appeared skeptical over the annual results of listed firms in the wake of the financial crisis that swept the world’s leading economies, financial analysts said yesterday.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 19]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Arabia is a Staunch Ally: Bush [Dec 19]
"President George W. Bush said on Wednesday he is leaving to his successor a stronger anti-terrorism partnership with Saudi Arabia forged in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. For Bush, who leaves office on January 20, the 2001 attacks were a defining moment of his presidency term. In a speech at the US Army War College, he praised the coalition of countries that sided with Washington to fight terrorism.. ..The US-Saudi relationship is a delicate one President-elect Barack Obama will inherit next month. US ties with Saudi Arabia deteriorated in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, which leaders of the two countries have tried to mend.. ..Bush praised Saudi relations, saying: 'A nation that produced 15 of the 9/11 hijackers now serves as a staunch ally in the war on terror.' Bush said improved intelligence had choked off terrorist financing and derailed plots.." [more]

Low Oil Prices Mean Less Future Supply: Saudi [Dec 19]
"The steep fall in oil prices is causing 'havoc' with investment plans in oil producing countries and jeopardizes future oil supplies, Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said on Friday. Naimi told a meeting of producer and consumer countries in London that oil prices, which have fallen by more 
than $100 a barrel from a high of almost $150 in July, were already too low to support some necessary investment in energy projects.. ..Naimi, representative of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' biggest oil producer, repeated previous assertions that $75 a barrel was a 'fair and reasonable' price for crude oil. Benchmark U.S. crude oil futures for January fell below $36 on Friday. 'It is the price that marginal producers need to maintain investments sufficient to provide adequate supplies for future oil consumption needs. When oil is priced lower, such as it is now, there will be less investment and less future supply.'.." [more]

Gulf States Seen Posting Deficits in ’09 [Dec 19]
"Saudi Arabia and other Gulf oil producers will almost certainly run unaccustomed budget deficits next year as they take a double hit from the collapse in oil prices and deep crude output cuts, economists said on Thursday. Still, huge surpluses amassed during a six-year boom when oil prices rallied as much as seven-fold compared with 2002 levels will allow the biggest oil-exporting region to keep on spending to sustain local economies during a global recession. 'If oil averages $45 a barrel next year, then I expect to see significant budget deficits in Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia,' said Simon Williams, senior economist at HSBC in Dubai. 'We need to keep the shortfalls in perspective, however. Next year’s deficits won’t even begin to approach the value of the surpluses generated over the past five years.' The Gulf posted record fiscal surpluses this year.." [more]

Saudi Aramco No. 1 for 20th Year [Dec 19]
"For the 20th year in a row, Saudi Aramco has been named the No. 1 oil company in the world by Petroleum Intelligence Weekly (PIW).  The rankings are based on six operational criteria — oil reserves and production, natural gas reserves and output, refinery capacity and product sales volumes.. ..Saudi Aramco has held on to the top spot amid general strengthening of national oil companies (NOCs) that has seen China’s CNPC surpass BP and Shell.. ..In contrast, private-sector firms generally lost ground, especially in the top tiers. Exxon Mobil was the exception, holding on to its No. 3 position. Comparing results from the last 10 years shows that as a group, the top private oil companies now account for a smaller global share of the six ranking criteria than they did before the mega-mergers that created them.." [more]

Saudi Arabia to Back Green Fuel With $75 Crude [Dec 19]
"Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil supplier, will today voice its support for the development of alternative energy to complement fossil fuels. Ali Naimi, Saudi Arabia's oil minister, is expected to tell a meeting of energy ministers hosted by Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, that an oil price of $75 a barrel is fairand would stimulate the investment in oil and alternatives necessary to meet the world's future energy needs. It will be the first time that Saudi Arabia has voiced such unequivocal support for alternative energy in such a high-level forum.. ..Mr Naimi will also warn consuming countries that taxing petrol would hamper the recovery of a fragile world economy and trying to gain independence from any particular oil-producing region is counterproductive. He will say that oil at $75 would allow producing countries to make a reasonable return while not harming the development of world economies, especially those of developing countries. But he will emphasise that coal, oil and gas will continue to supply the lion's share of the world's energy, a view also held by the International Energy Agency, the consuming nations' watchdog.." [more]

First Lady Laura Bush's 'On the Record' Exit Interview [Dec 19]
"..LAURA BUSH: You do see how different it is. And I think you probably remember this -- the women were very, very covered, in many cases even their mouths were covered, that we met in Saudi Arabia. And I realized that I had gone in with sort of a stereotype where I thought they were closed to me. And then when we started having the discussion of breast cancer, which is really sort of an intimate discussion, I realized that they are in so many ways like us, and that women around the world are similar in a lot of way. We want to be educated. We want to live in peace. We want our children to be safe and healthy. We want to be healthy ourselves. And that is what I saw, that even under the robes, we, all of us, have a lot of the same dreams.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 18]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Arabia Plans Big Medical City [Dec 18]
"Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health has announced plans to build the largest medical city in the Middle East in Makkah. Dr Khalid Mirghalani, official spokesman for the Health Ministry, said on Wednesday that the medical city named after Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, would consist of three hospitals with a total of 1,500 beds when complete. He told reporters the first phase of the King Abdullah Medical City was completed on an area of 850,000 square metres.. ..The city, which will become operational next year, will serve not only citizens and expatriates but also Haj and Umrah pilgrims.." [more]

Fitch Cuts Ratings on 15 Gulf Banks [Dec 18]
"The Fitch credit ratings agency on Thursday lowered its ratings on 15 banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council area, citing a growing impact of the global credit crisis on the region. Seven banks in Saudi Arabia were among the 15 whose standalone individual ratings were cut by Fitch, though the agency kept the outlook on all the banks at stable, saying the firms have strong government backing. Fitch reviewed the position of 48 banks and non-banking financial institutions in the six-nation GCC alliance. It said it will continue to monitor them in the coming months. 'Fitch's outlook for GCC banks has become less favourable as it has become evident that the region's banks and financial institutions will not be able to fully insulate themselves from the global credit crisis,' it said. 'GCC banks are now feeling the effects of the crisis which is likely to cause deterioration in banking sector profitablity and capitalisation going forward,'.." [more]

Oil Sinks Despite Record OPEC Cut [Dec 18]
"Crude oil dipped below $40 for the first time in over four years Wednesday after a large increase in US reserves heightened global demand worries and eclipsed OPEC’s announcement of a record production cut of 2.2 million barrels of oil a day.. ..The market action came after ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, meeting in Oran, Algeria, agreed to cut output in a bid to shore up prices that have slumped from a record high of above $147 in July. The output cut, which takes effect on January 1, aims to reduce official production to 27.3 million barrels a day. It was the third time in three months that OPEC has lowered production, and the largest reduction since the it introduced production quotas in 1982. But analysts questioned whether the cuts would be sufficient against rapidly falling demand in a slowing global economy gripped in a financial crisis and whether OPEC members would abide by the new quotas.." [more]

NCR Seeks to Suspend Visas for Indonesia [Dec 18]
"Saudi Arabia’s National Committee for Recruitment (NCR) has called on the government to stop issuing visas to Indonesian workers after the Indonesian Labor Federation called on recruitment agencies in that country to ignore labor regulations implemented recently in the Kingdom. 'The government should suspend recruitment of Indonesian workers until differences between the two sides over the new regulations are settled,' said Saad Al-Baddah, chairman of the NCR, an affiliate of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The new regulations — entitled 'The Unified Labor Contract' — seek to unify rules for bringing domestic workers to the Kingdom and protect the rights of Saudi employers and expatriate workers. The regulations were issued with the approval of the Ministry of Interior. The contract stipulates that labor recruitment agencies sign with the NCR contracts that define the rights of both employers and employees, such as salaries, working hours and vacations.. ..'The conduct of the Indonesian Labor Federation will, obviously, trigger a new crisis in recruiting workers from that country. The Indonesian authorities are supposed to implement the contract beginning 2009,'.." [more]

Kingdom, Qatar Plan Commercial Agency [Dec 18]
"Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which signed six landmark agreements on Tuesday including a land and sea border treaty, have announced plans to set up a joint commercial agency to boost trade and investment links. The move is to set out a new vision of bilateral relationship in all sectors and also promote commercial activities between the two Gulf neighbors, which were a bit hampered in the past years because of the strained relations. The move is significant keeping in view the fact that Interior Minister Prince Naif has reaffirmed again yesterday that all bilateral accords will be implemented immediately.. ..The visit of Crown Prince Sultan to Doha in March this year paved the way for further reconciliation between Riyadh and Doha. It was only in July this year that the Kingdom and Qatar decided to resume the process of delineating the border and also resolved to find solutions to all issues.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 17]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Arabia: Prince Saud Al-Faisal Participates in Quartet Meeting [Dec 17]
"Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, said at the meeting of the Quartet, held last night at United Nations Headquarters, that the peace process in the Middle East did not yield tangible results in the last year. 'We must recognize the fact that peace will not be attained through holding fruitless 
meetings and negotiations while ignoring the core of the conflict.' he said. 'We are discussing the same points we have been discussing for a long time and we are reaching the same outcomes we reached before, he said adding that no tangible results were reached despite the efforts exerted by the United States of America and the Quartet,' he added. Prince Saud Al-Faisal noted that Israel has been going ahead on its policy of building settlements in East (Al-Quds) Jerusalem, and that makes it difficult for any Palestinian government to convince the Palestinians with the benefits of the peace.." [more]

Rio Tinto Abandons $10 bln Saudi Aluminium JV [Dec 17]
"Mining giant Rio Tinto is unable to finance its 49 percent stake in an aluminium joint venture in Saudi Arabia, projected to cost $10 billion because of the global crisis, its Saudi partner said on Wednesday. 'Rio Tinto will not be able to participate in the capital of Maaden's integrated aluminium project," Saudi Arabian Mining Co 1211.SE, also known as Maaden, said in a statement posted on the bourse's website. Maaden holds the remaining 51 percent in the capital of AlumCo, the company formed with Rio Tinto to develop the 740,000 tonnes per year aluminium smelter using bauxite from Saudi mines. Dick Evans, the Chief Executive of Rio Tinto's aluminium business Rio Tinto Alcan, attributed the decision to the global financial and economic crisis.. ..Rio Tinto will continue to work with Maaden on the project by providing technical and advisory support in line with agreements signed by the two firms.." [more]

OPEC Likely to OK 2 Million Barrel Oil Output Cut [Dec 17]
"Saudi Arabia, OPEC's de-facto leader, said Wednesday the group will slash a record 2 million barrels from its daily production, while Russia and other countries said they would join in the effort by removing hundreds of thousands more barrels from the market. Saudi oil minister Ali Naimi said there was an OPEC consensus ahead of a formal agreement later in the day for the cut. An official decision to cut 2 million barrels from output all at once would be a first for the organization. OPEC had cut that amount from its output four years ago, but that was done in two stages. Also significant would be formal support from Russia, Azerbaijan and other non-OPEC producers. Mexico, Norway and Russia slashed production in the late 1990s, at a time oil was selling for about $10 a barrel.. ..Oil producers fear a drawn-out lull in prices could hurt investment and lay the groundwork for another sharp price spike when the world's economy rebounds.."[more]

New Era Dawns on Saudi-Qatari Ties [Dec 17]
"The Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council (SQCC), meeting for the first time, signed here Tuesday six landmark agreements covering borders, political coordination and media, cultural and commercial cooperation. Also concluded was an agreement to establish a joint business council between the 
Saudi and Qatari chambers of commerce and industry.. ..Interior Minister Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz and Qatari Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani co-chaired the meeting. 'We’ve implemented the directives of the two countries’ leaders in the best way possible covering all concerns,'.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 16]~~~~~~~~~

Deal on Ransom, Sirius to be Freed [Dec 16]
" Somali pirates are likely to release the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star within 72 hours since a ransom deal has been struck, a source said Monday without revealing the ransom amount. 'The negotiators on behalf of the owners of the Sirius Star have agreed to pay a ransom,' Abubakr Dari, one of the negotiators, said by telephone. Representatives of Saudi Aramco subsidiary Vela International, which owns the supertanker, have been in contact with tribesmen and the pirates’ representatives in the Somali port of Harardhere .. ..According to unconfirmed reports, the ransom amount has come down from an initial $25 million to $3.5 million.." [more]

Saudis Say 2 Million Barrel Production Cut Likely [Dec 16]
" OPEC powerhouse Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that the oil cartel would cut production by about 2 million barrels a day to halt a precipitous fall in prices. Oil minister Ali Naimi said 'supply is still somewhat in excess of demand' and global stockpiles are higher than normal, reflecting comments 
made earlier by OPEC President Chakib Khelil and other delegates. 'Of course, to bring things in balance, there will be a cut to the tune of about 2 million barrels, Naimi said. OPEC is not slated to officially announce a decision on production levels until Wednesday. Saudi Arabia, by far the largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, usually sets the tone on production cuts and other major policy decisions.The presence of a high-level delegation from nonmember Russia, the world's second-largest oil producer, and the bleak outlook OPEC painted in its latest market report only added to investors' hopes that coordinated action would be taken to stop crude's rapid slide from the record it hit in July above $147 a barrel.." [more]

Huge Saudi Security Operation Foils Al-Qaida Plot Against Hajj [Dec 16]
"Alerted by Saudi and other intelligence agencies that al-Qaida planned to launch a bloody assault on Muslim pilgrims taking part in the annual pilgrimage - the Hajj - the Saudi government last week launched a huge counterterrorism operation, one of the largest in recent memory, according to 
U.S. intelligence officials.. ..The Saudi operation began three months ago with preemptive raids by Saudi security forces on suspected al-Qaida cells, according to a former senior CIA official. Several hundred suspects were taken into custody, he said. U.S. officials would not comment on the nature 
of the intelligence of a probable terrorist incident, but in November 2007, Saudi security forces arrested 208 al-Qaida suspects accused of planning an attack during the Hajj. Another 28 suspects were arrested the following month. 'The number of al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia isn't very large, but they are just as lethal as ever,' said a former senior U.S. intelligence official. Washington-based Middle East expert Tony Cordesman agreed: 'It only takes one truck with a fertilizer bomb to cause a major calamity.'.." [more]

Saudi 2009 Oil Revenues Seen Down 41 Pct [Dec 16]
"Saudi Arabia's oil export revenues could fall 41 percent to $172 billion in 2009 due to lower production and prices, a local investment bank said in a research report. This will result in the kingdom posting real economic growth of 1.5 percent in 2009, which would be the lowest since 2002.. ..The world's largest oil exporter's average daily production is expected to shrink 8.7 percent to 8.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2009 down from an average 9.2 million bpd in 2008, it said. Lower oil prices and production and an increase in domestic consumption will drive down oil export revenues to $172 billion riyals in 2009 from an expected $292.7 billion in 2008, it said. Jadwa based these estimates on an average price for a Saudi barrel of oil of $65.8 in 2009, down from $95 in 2008, both of which are well above current international prices.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Cuts Key Interest Rate Half a Point [Dec 16]
" Saudi Arabia cut its benchmark interest rate for the fourth time in less than three months to help boost bank liquidity and protect lenders and businesses from the global credit crunch. The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency reduced its main repurchase rate to 2.5 percent from 3 percent and 
lowered the reverse repurchase rate to 1.5 percent from 2 percent.. ..Central banks across the Persian Gulf have slashed rates, guaranteed deposits and given cash to lenders to help avert a liquidity crisis as foreign investors pull money out of the region and credit evaporates. The Saudi central bank has cut the repo rate by 3 percentage points since Oct. 12. Plunging oil prices may contribute to slowing growth in Gulf countries.." [more]

Public Cinema After 30 Years Enthralls Audience [Dec 16]
"After a long wait of 30 years, public cinema is back in Saudi Arabia. Using the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, Rowad Media and Kawthar Foundation and Production screened a show for the public at the King Abdul Aziz Cultural Center in Abraq Al-Raghama, attended by a large number of interested men and women who watched the comedy film 'Manahi.' 'We haven’t had public cinema in Saudi Arabia for 30 years,” said one viewer. 'That’s a long time, and we have missed it,' he added. The 9-day festival began on Dec. 10 and two shows are being screened daily in Jeddah and Taif.. ..'I think that the opposition to public cinema will not continue for long. We previously witnessed opposition to satellite channels in Saudi Arabia and a ban on mobile phones with cameras,' he said. Among those who came to see the film, young Saudis enjoyed the movie a lot.." [more]

Saudi Consumers Demand Govt Action on High Prices [Dec 16]
"Saudi Arabia’s newly-formed Consumer Protection Association urged authorities yesterday to force merchants to cut prices of products and services. 'Wholesalers and retailers in the Kingdom must respond to what happened globally in terms of a general decrease in the prices of most products and services,' the association said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA. It was the first public statement to be made by the group since its inception earlier this year. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah had endorsed the creation of the group. Like other countries in the Gulf Arab region, Saudi Arabia has been battling a surge in inflation which peaked at almost 11 percent in the summer but has eased only slightly since then to 10.35 percent in September.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 15]~~~~~~~~~

Verizon-Led Group to Spend $3 Billion on Saudi Operation [Dec 15]
"U.S. firm Verizon Communications Inc has taken a 15 percent stake in new Saudi fixed-line operator Optical Communications Co, which will need to spend $3 billion on infrastructure, an executive said on Monday. 'Our strategic and founding partner Verizon has agreed to take 15 percent of the company's capital and undertake on a pro-rata basis the costs of investments we need,' the Optical Communications executive told Reuters. In addition to Saudi partners, the consortium also includes Millicom International Cellular.. ..The executive declined to give more details on the breakdown of Optical's share ownership. 'For the moment, we have set a $3 billion budget for the optical wire infrastructure alone,' he added. He asked not to be named because he is not allowed to speak to the media.." [more]

Saudi Makes Oil Cut Ahead of OPEC Meet: Khelil [Dec 15]
"The world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has already cut supply in anticipation of OPEC agreeing further curbs at its meeting on Wednesday, OPEC's President said on Monday. Chakib Khelil said the kingdom's oil minister Ali al-Naimi informed him Riyadh had cut its supply by eight percent. OPEC's last overall cut of 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd), agreed in October, was just over 5 percent. 'Everybody is supporting a cut -- I don't have any doubt about it. The Saudis have already taken a decision ahead of the meeting, as you know, they have reduced their supply to the market by 8 percent, which has had an affect on the market,' Khelil told reporters. 'The Saudi minister has declared he is producing 8.399 (million barrels per day).'.." [more]

OPEC Clashes With Goldman on $75 Oil as Demand Slumps [Dec 15]
"..While Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah said last month that his country needs oil priced at $75 a barrel to spur development, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. predicts crude may slide to $30 from $46.28 today. Oil’s $100 a barrel collapse since July ended a windfall that quadrupled OPEC export revenue in five years, instead creating government budget shortfalls. Ecuador, a member of the group, said last week it will default on foreign debt. The U.A.E., Kuwait and Qatar need crude above $55 to balance their current accounts and fiscal spending, Citigroup Inc. estimated. 'There is a real danger of oil going down to $30 a barrel unless OPEC acts boldly and decisively,' said David Hufton, managing director of PVM Oil Associates Ltd. in London, the world’s largest broker of over-the-counter crude trading between banks, hedge funds and oil companies.." [more]

Hilton to Build 13 New Hotels in Kingdom [Dec 15]
"Hilton Hotels Corporation has entered into a non-exclusive strategic development agreement (SDA) recently with the Saudi-based Abdulmohsen Al-Hokair Group for Tourism and Development on plan to build 13 Hilton Garden Inn properties (comprising 2,500 rooms) in strategic locations across the Kingdom. The first property is anticipated to open in 2009 in Riyadh. The landmark agreement marked the entry of the first Hilton Garden Inn, the Hilton Family’s focused service brand, in the Middle East and Africa region. Over the next five years, Hilton and Al-Hokair plan to introduce Hilton Garden Inn hotels across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in locations such as Riyadh, Al-Khobar, Dammam, Jubail, King Abdullah Economic City, Taif, Abha, Tabuk, Hail/Buraydah and Yanbu.." [more]

Saudi’s King-Size City Faces Delay [Dec 15]
"The developer of the King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia’s flagship mega-project, is being forced to reconsider its plans and may delay some work as the global financial crisis stymies attempts to attract foreign investment and dries up financing. The $27bn (€19.8bn, £17.7bn) city, which is due to welcome its first inhabitants next year, has been hailed as a crucial element of the oil-rich kingdom’s plans to diversify its economy and create much-needed private-sector employment for a growing young population. The plan was to attract both foreign and domestic companies to the city to create 1m jobs and a population of 2m people. But as the financial meltdown hits industries worldwide, the city’s planners are having to increase their focus on luring Saudi businesses to its investment zones, according to Joseph Kilar, chief operating officer at Emaar, the Economic City (EEC), the developer. 'People are going to be hesitant to make a move from outside so we want to focus on the Saudi market,'.."[more]

When International Agreements Conflict with Saudi Court Rulings [Dec 15]
"Abiding by international agreements as well as Shariah has been a stated focus of the governmental Saudi Human Right Commission, which recently commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One such international agreement is the Convention on the Rights of the Child that the Kingdom voluntarily signed in 1996 that, among a list of other articles, prohibits putting to death criminals who committed their crimes when they were under the age of 18. In November, the Shoura Council approved a law officially defining the age of adulthood as 18, a move aimed at putting the Kingdom in sync with the definition of the age of a minor in the eyes of the United Nations and a large number of countries. The Kingdom has committed to not putting to death minors under this definition.. ..Because evidence of puberty begins before the age of 18, a judge who determines that a young person convicted of murder is an adult based solely on this physical evidence of adulthood might sentence a minor (as defined by the UN convention the Kingdom has signed) to death. Alternatively a minor might also be held until he is no longer considered a minor and then executed..." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 14]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Foreign Assets Expected to Reach $878 Billion in Year 2010 [Dec 14]
"Saudi Arabia's foreign assets could increase more than twofold to nearly $878 billion (Dh3.22 trillion) at the end of 2010 because of massive fiscal surpluses spawned by a surge in its petrodollar income, according to a Saudi Bank. The assets controlled by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (Sama)Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (Sama)Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency SAMA, the Kingdom's central bank, peaked at an all time high of about SAR1.62trn ($432bn) at the end of August.. ..Projections by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) showed the sharp growth in the country's fiscal surpluses would largely boost SamaSama's foreign assets by the end of this year while the Saudi American Bank (Samba) expects the investments to be more than double by the end of 2010.." [more]

OPEC Divisions Again on Display Heading to Algeria [Dec 14]
"OPEC, the oil-producing group that consumers worldwide love to hate, is fine tuning its strategy heading into a meeting this week in Algeria, determined that its fourth attempt in as many months to reverse plummeting crude oil prices will succeed. Working against the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is its own past — a history pockmarked with the rival priorities of its 13 member states and major policy blunders in times of economic crises.. ..David Kirsch, oil analyst with Washington-based consultancy PFC Energy, said Saudi Arabia, the group's largest producer and de facto leader, may have allowed crude to tumble as a warning to other members of what's in store should they fail to adhere to production cuts immediately. 'Definitely, they were playing a game of chicken going into Cairo,' said Kirsch. 'I don't think they're doing that any more.'.." [more]

Five-Year Cap Rule For Expatriates in the Gulf [Dec 14]
"A proposal by the GCC labour ministers to impose a cap on expatriate workers has a "good chance" of being endorsed at the forthcoming GCC summit, a Bahraini official has said. 'The suggestion to limit the stay of foreigners in a GCC country to five years has a 70 per cent chance of being approved by the GCC states at the Muscat summit this month,' Majeed Al Alawi, Bahrain's Labour Minister, told Gulf News. 'The chance for the proposal endorsement was only around 40 per cent when it was first made,' he said. The ban will be imposed only on unskilled workers who make up around 85 per cent of the around 13 million foreigners living in the six Gulf states.. ..'With the massive presence of foreigners on their soil, the Arabian Gulf countries have a unique feature in the world. This could lead to a total alienation of the native population and the loss of the local identity,'.." [more]

Saudi Mission in Athens Safe, Says Envoy [Dec 14]
"The Saudi Embassy in Athens, which saw two of its diplomatic cars damaged during the recent troubles in Greece, is safe and has reported no damage during the unrest. 'The embassy, which has now opened after the Eid Al-Adha break, is far from the troubled area,' Saudi Ambassador to Greece Saleh Mohammed Al-Ghamdi told Arab News yesterday. According to Al-Ghamdi, the riots in Athens had eased but demonstrations will likely continue. 'We offered our Eid prayers inside the Saudi Embassy mosque in the Greek capital,' he said. Referring to the volatile situation which is now returning to normal, he said: 'The diplomats have no problems in terms of movement, and as I speak to you, I am on the way to Athens airport to receive an Arab diplomat.'.." [more]

Thousands of Pilgrims Visit Madinah [Dec 14]
"Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims stayed behind Friday in Saudi Arabia after the annual Haj pilgrimage ended for an additional visit to the tomb of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in Madinah. The journey to Madinah - Islam's second holiest city after Makkah is not an essential part of the Haj, but many pilgrims are encouraged to do it. Of the nearly 3 million pilgrims who performed the week-long Haj this year, many took the extra trip to Madinah 440 kilometres north of Makkah in western Saudi Arabia, to pray at the Mosque of the Prophet.. ..The tomb was built on the spot where Mohammad died, in his home that stood adjacent to an earlier mosque. Today, it is inside a giant mosque that can hold more than 700,000 worshippers at a time. Construction work over the past 50 years made the mosque several times bigger, at an estimated cost of $1 billion.." [more]

Crucial Meeting Set to Bolster Saudi-Qatari Ties [Dec 14]
"The first meeting of the Saudi-Qatari Joint Council will be held in Riyadh on Tuesday. The meeting will be co-chaired by Interior Minister Prince Naif and Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. The recently constituted council aims to increase the political coordination and cooperation in all issues of mutual concern for the two countries. It would promote cooperation in areas of energy, industry, telecommunication, transportation, civil aviation, exchange of technical know-how, environment and agriculture. The council’s objectives also include collaboration in military matters and joint maneuvers. Saudi Arabia and Qatar, like other Gulf countries, share the same security concerns and face the same limited options that should lead to the adoption of close strategic decisions.. ..Saudi Arabia is Qatar’s largest trading partner with the latter’s imports from the Kingdom steadily rising over the years. Saudi Arabia and Qatar signed a landmark border agreement in July.." [more]

Saudi Stocks up Over 4% [Dec 14]
"After a break for Eid Al-Adha, the Saudi stock market showed positive performance on the first day of trading yesterday. The Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) jumped 4.09 percent or 190.37 points to close at 4,845.25. However, the index is still down 56.11 percent so far this year. Out of 125 companies traded, only four companies were in the red. The stock market turnover crossed SR5 billion yesterday. Qassim Agriculture was the top gainer as its shares surged 9.92 percent to SR7.20. Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) shares edged higher by 9.85 percent to close at SR58.50 yesterday.. ..The 30-share BMG Saudi Index started the week with a strong increase of 5.31 percent to 242.86 points in yesterday’s trading session. The total turnover also increased by 8 percent to SR4.2 billion ($1.1 billion). The total number of shares traded also appreciated by 17.4 percent to 232.2 million shares versus 197.8 million in the previous session.." [more]

Prince Alwaleed Loses 19% of Wealth on Global Slump [Dec 14]
"Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Citigroup Inc.’s largest individual investor, lost 19 percent of his personal wealth in the past year as the global economic slump reduced the value of banking and property assets, according to Arabian Business. The Saudi billionaire was ranked the wealthiest Arab with assets worth $17.08 billion as of Dec. 2, the 2008 Rich List, published on the Dubai-based magazine’s Web site today said. That compares with $21 billion a year ago, the magazine reported, citing Alwaleed’s private financial accounts. 'Everyone has been guessing for 20 years' about the assets, Alwaleed was quoted by Arabian Business as saying. 'I want you to get it right -- to get it absolutely right.'.. ..Alwaleed was lauded by Time magazine as the Middle East’s answer to Warren Buffett, the Sage of Omaha, after his 1991 investment in Citicorp, Citigroup Inc.’s predecessor, helped make the Saudi billionaire one of the world’s five richest people. This year, Alwaleed’s investments haven’t kept pace with regional benchmarks.." [more]

December 7-December 13, 2008

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 13]~~~~~~~~~

Group Attacks Saudi Airline Office in Iran [Dec 13]
"Iran's state-run newspaper says a militant group has attacked the office of Saudi Arabia's state-owned airline in Tehran over a Saudi-backed peace initiative with Israel. Iran newspaper says the group — identified as Ikhwan al-Radwan, or Brothers of Heaven in Arabic — attacked the Saudi Arabian Airlines office with several Molotov cocktails Wednesday, causing minor damage to the building. Saturday's newspaper report quotes a statement by the group saying the reason for the attack was Saudi Arabia's support for an Arab peace initiative.." [more]

Saudi Market Adds Four Pct in First Post-Holiday Session [Dec 13]
" The Saudi stock market pushed up four percent on Saturday in the first session after the long Eid al-Adha holiday, shrugging off economic turmoil in the United States and elsewhere. The Tadawul All Share index rose 4.09 percent to close at 4,845.25, up 190.37 points from the previous session.
All key indices rose, with Alinma bank topping turnover and rising 0.6 riyals to close at 11.75 riyals (3.1 dollars). Market leader Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) jumped 9.85 percent.. ..Trading on a Saturday-to-Wednesday week, the Saudi bourse was the only Gulf region stock market open on Saturday.." [more]

KAUST to Build Solar Power Plant [Dec 13]
"Conergy Asia-Pacific (a regional subsidiary of Hamburg-based Conergy AG) has been awarded a contract for a two-megawatt solar power plant for Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). The project will be executed in collaboration with Saudi-based National Solar Systems (NSS), a leading solar systems integrator in the Kingdom. Under the agreement, Conergy will manage the design and components supply, while installation and operational management are implemented by NSS. The power plant features premium components, combining high-efficiency solar modules from Sunpower Corporation with Conergy proprietary mounting systems and power electronics.. ..The scope of work consists of two rooftop solar plants with an output of 1-megawatt each, to be installed on the North and South Laboratories of the university. The photovoltaic plant, valued at 11.3 million euros, is also the first large-scale solar project of its kind in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).." [more]

Mideast States to Invest $1b in Australia Farms [Dec 13]
"Middle Eastern countries flush with oil funds want to invest up to $1 billion in Australian farmland as they extend a drive for food security to the world’s second-largest wheat exporter, a grains official said on Friday. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are among the nations looking at Western Australia, the country’s top wheat exporting state, scrambling to get a tighter grip on the food they consume after a supply scare earlier this year that drove the price of everything from wheat to rice to record highs. 'They’re not talking about $2 or $3 million, they’re talking about $20 million to up to $1 billion of investment in big projects,'.. ..Saudi Arabia was keen to buy and develop wheat properties following its decision to phase out its own wheat production by 2016 as part of a water management plan.." [more]

Refacing Mecca [Dec 13]
"Five times a day, Muslims around the world turn to face Mecca in prayer. At least once in their lives, Muslims are also urged to join the annual pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest city. This year, as in years gone by, millions of Muslims flocked to Mecca at the beginning of December on the haj, crowding its streets and filling the central Haram mosque to bursting. The city has always struggled to deal with this massive influx of visitors and there is now talk of redesigning the mosque to increase its capacity.. ..Even before the plans to give the Haram mosque a facelift emerged, many Muslims were uneasy about the renovations already underway in Mecca. The modern city bears little resemblance to the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad.. ..The Saudi rulers are doubtless well aware of the sensitivities involved in the attempts to renovate Mecca. And Lord Foster and Ms Hadid are used to criticism of their uncompromising modern architectural style. But if they do end up revamping Mecca, they should be prepared for a particularly hostile reaction.." [more]

OPEC Seen in Consensus on Output Cut [Dec 13]
"OPEC ministers are in agreement on the need to cut output when they meet on Wednesday in Algeria to prop up sagging prices, OPEC President Chakib Khelil said on Saturday. 'There is an OPEC consensus on the reduction. But I can not tell you (more),' Khelil told reporters. Since early September, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has already agreed to reduce supply by a total of two million barrels per day (bpd). OPEC oil ministers are scheduled to meet in the western Algerian city of Oran on Wednesday amid expectations they will endorse a large cut in supplies to prevent further falls in oil prices.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 12]~~~~~~~~~

Saudi Health Ministry Manages to Keep Haj Free From Diseases [Dec 12]
"This year's Haj was safe and free from any contagious diseases, the Saudi Minister of Health said. 'All pilgrims are enjoying good health, thanks to Almighty Allah, and then the leadership of Saudi Arabia, headed by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz,' Dr Hamad Al Manie announced in a statement. 'More than 10,000 members of the medical and non-medical staff under the ministry participated in making the ministry's Haj plan a resounding success.' Al Manie said that the Ministry had prepared a comprehensive preventive plan for prevention of epidemic quarantine diseases. The minister said the pilgrims were subjected to examinations at the kingdom's entry point to ensure that they are free from epidemic diseases.." [more]

Oil Will Retain Leading Role, Says Saudi Aramco Official [Dec 12]
"Presenting his views on the future of petroleum supply and demand in the "The Global Energy and Materials Forum", Saudi Aramco Executive Vice President of Operations Khalid A. Al-Falih said that oil will 'retain its leading role among the world's energy sources (as) there is consensus that fossil fuels will still be supplying some 80 percent of the world's total energy requirements.'.. ..Al-Falih noted that development of alternatives will face serious economic and technical impediments in addition to customer acceptance and the impact on food supplies and prices. 'Calls to move away from fossil fuels do not represent a practical or effective strategy, ' he said.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Hosts World’s Richest Event [Dec 12]
"The world’s leading squash players head for Saudi Arabia this weekend where the Saudi International will offer the biggest prize in the sport’s history. The winner of the $250,000 PSA Tour Super Series Platinum event, from December 14-19 in the Saudi city of Al-Khobar , will receive an unprecedented $37,400. According to World Squash Federation announcement, Egypt’s world number one Amr Shabana is seeded to secure the title for the third successive year.. ..The Saudi International also completes the year’s Super Series calendar, the leading events on the PSA Tour from which the eight players earning the most points qualify for the ATCO Super Series Finals championship.." [more]

Riyadh Joins Singapore Airlines Network From Sunday [Dec 12]
"Singapore Airlines will launch its inaugural flight to Riyadh on Sunday, 14 December 2008. SQ454 will depart Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 1250hrs and is expected to arrive at Riyadh King Khalid International Airport Terminal 1 at 1820hrs.. ..'We are delighted to welcome Riyadh as the latest destination in our global network, and we look forward to extending our welcome to customers on this new service. The warm relationship between Singapore and Saudi Arabia has grown over the years, and we believe the introduction of Singapore Airlines’ new service between the two cities will help foster even closer bilateral trade links.'.. ..Riyadh is the second city in Saudi Arabia to which Singapore Airlines operates, after Jeddah. The Airline will maintain its current three-times-weekly services to Jeddah, via Abu Dhabi.." [more]

Arabs Should Leave Israel, says Livni [Dec 12]
"Israeli Foreign Minister and leader of ruling Kadima party, Tzipi Livni yesterday said that Arab Palestinians should leave Israel for a Palestinian state once such a state is established. This call is viewed as a new Israeli move to confiscate Arab lands. Speaking to high school students in Tel Aviv, Livni said, 'My solution for maintaining a Jewish and democratic state of Israel is to have two nation-states with certain concessions and with clear red lines.' 'And among other things I will also be able to approach the Palestinian residents of Israel, those whom we call Israeli Arabs, and tell them, ‘your national solution lies elsewhere,' the Israeli Radio quoted her as saying. In response to Livni’s comments, the Arab member of Israeli Cabinet Ghaleb Majadeleh said, 'The roots of the Arab citizens of Israel were planted before the state was established. They are residents of this country with rights; their residency and citizenship are not open for negotiation.'.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 11]~~~~~~~~~

Saudis Signal Deeper Oil Output Cuts Than Expected [Dec 11]
" Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, cut production more than traders and analysts had estimated last month, reflecting the nation’s commitment to halt the $100 plunge in crude prices. Oil rallied after Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said in an interview in Poznan, Poland, that the kingdom pumped 8.493 million barrels of oil a day in November. That’s 287,000 barrels a day less than estimated by the International Energy Agency, and close to Saudi Arabia’s OPEC quota of 8.477 million barrels. Libya’s top oil official Shokri Ghanem said previous OPEC cuts haven’t been enough.  The comments suggest that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will cut production for a second time when it meets next week in Oran, Algeria.. ..'Everybody was looking to Saudi Arabia and saying they have to do something otherwise we will have even lower prices,'.." [more]

Saudi Arabia and the Future of Afghanistan [Dec 11]
"Reports of Saudi-brokered talks between Afghan officials and the Taliban in late 2008 prompted a new round of speculation about the role Riyadh might play in the future of Afghanistan. Amid U.S. calls for a regional approach to the Afghan crisis, observers and politicians--including President-elect Barack Obama during the U.S. presidential campaign--have said Saudi intervention could shape the success of the Western-led mission, from fostering talk with militants to encouraging Pakistan to help stabilize Afghanistan. But some analysts say Saudi brokering is motivated by more than just a desire to bring peace to Afghanistan. Following the reported September 2008 talks, only Iran condemned the negotiations; some believe the Afghan war zone has become a battleground for influence (ISN) between Riyadh and Tehran, as it was during the 1980s and 1990s.." [more]

Don't Strip Me of My Humanity [Dec 11]
"The one-minute video airing on Saudi-owned satellite channels shows an Arab businessman screaming at his maid, pleading poverty when a domestic server asks to be paid, and denying an employee time off to visit his daughter in the hospital. The clip closes with the businessman at prayer, pleading God for compassion, before fading to a line that reads: 'He who is not merciful himself, will not be afforded mercy [by Allah]'. The video is part of the 'Mercy' campaign, a privately funded public service effort aimed at reminding Gulf Arabs that their religion requires them to treat employees, particularly their omnipresent maids and drivers, in a humane way.. ..Al Khatib says the campaign is part of his company's social responsibility. 'I look at what is going on around us and try to do something about it,' he says. The way some people treat their household help is 'not good enough', he says, noting that 13-hour workdays are common and that living conditions are sometimes poor. 'We think it's normal, but maybe we need to check, to go the extra mile,' he says. 'We need to treat them as equals.' Mercy is an important virtue in Islam.." [more]

Obama to Offer Israel Nuclear Umbrella [Dec 11]
"US President-elect Barack Obama plans to offer Israel a strategic pact designed to fend off any nuclear attack on the Jewish state by Iran, an Israeli newspaper reported on Thursday. Haaretz, quoting an unnamed US source close to Obama for its information, said Obama's administration would pledge under the proposed 'nuclear umbrella' to respond to any Iranian nuclear strike against Israel with a US retaliation in kind. No immediate comment on the Haaretz report was available from Israeli officials or the US embassy in Tel Aviv. Iran denies its nuclear programme has military designs.." [more]

Haj Reflections Day 5 [Dec 11]
"It has been a hugely successful Haj. The efforts of the Saudi government have been lauded again and again by pilgrims in Mina. The organization of the stoning ritual through the use of the new Jamrat complex was excellent. It is inconceivable that there could ever be another stampede tragedy. As we write, it is 5 p.m. and the pilgrims who are leaving on Wednesday from Mina are rushing to avail themselves of transport and be out of the city within the hour. Pilgrims not outside the environs of Mina by sunset must remain in their tents for one more night.." [more]

UK Govt Pushes Ahead With Sukuk Law Despite Launch Delay [Dec 11]
"Bankers in London were disappointed by last-week’s announcement by British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling in the Pre-Budget Report (PBR), He said that the UK Treasury would not be issuing a debut sovereign sukuk (Islamic securities) in the wholesale sterling market at the present time. However, some Islamic bankers in the City advise that given the current financial crisis and the recession in the UK, the Treasury’s action is perhaps understandable and should not be construed as the Brown government’s getting cold feet in its commitment to issuing a sukuk or toward developing Islamic finance in the UK. The Treasury, in an official statement, stressed that 'after having considered these factors, the (UK) government has concluded that issuing sovereign sukuk would not offer value for money at the present time but it will keep the situation under review.'.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 10]~~~~~~~~~

Muslim Pilgrims Complete Annual Journey to Mecca [Dec 10]
" On foot and on the roofs of overflowing buses, Muslims poured into the holy city of Mecca for a final day of the hajj on Wednesday, many of them saying they felt reborn and cleansed of sin as they completed the annual pilgrimage. Around midday, the Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest shrine, was packed with pilgrims performing the Tawaf al-Widaa, or the "farewell circling" of the Kaaba — 
walking seven times around the cubical structure while praying and reading the Quran, Islam's holy book. Many of the nearly 3 million pilgrims came by bus or on foot from the nearby plain of Mina, where they had completed the ritual known as the stoning of the devil earlier in the day. Others sat on mats along the three-mile route, reciting passages from the Quran while waiting for the crowds to ease.. ..The annual pilgrimage has so far been incident-free, unlike in previous years when the event was marred by fires and stampedes.." [more]

Saudi Arabia is the Dirtiest : CCPI [Dec 10]
"The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) published annually by Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe compares the climate protection performance of 57 industrialised countries and emerging economies. Together they account for more than 90% of global energy related CO2 emissions. Top to bottom, no country does well enough in their emissions reduction efforts to 
merit a top prize. In light of this the authors have skipped the first three places and awarded the best of the bad countries with Sweden in 4th place.. ..At the lower end of the ranking, Saudi Arabia comes in last in 60th, with Canada 59th and the US 58th. Russia, the US and Canada have done badly due to their emissions trend, emissions level and climate policy. There are also some positive developments - in new emerging economies, which throw into stark relief the backtracking of EU countries.." [more]

Saudi Women's Group Wins EU Rights Prize [Dec 10]
"A Saudi charity which helps divorced and underprivileged women has won a European Union prize for human rights groups in the Gulf, the Riyadh office of the European Commission said on Wednesday. The Al-Nahda Philanthropic Society for Women won the first Chaillot Prize over several other rights groups for its range of activities, including preparing underprivileged and under-educated women for jobs, setting up a school for Down Syndrome children, and assisting needy families, according to the Commission. The award was announced to mark the 60th anniversary on Wednesday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, originally presented to the UN General Assembly at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris.. ..Al-Nahda is one of Saudi Arabia's oldest and most prominent non-governmental organisations, and its first foundation for women, founded in 1962 under the auspices of two respected princesses, Princess Sara al-Faisal and Princess Latifa al-Faisal.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Expected To Delay US Weapons Deals [Dec 10]
"The Middle East Newsline confirms that Saudi Arabia, alarmed by the fall in crude oil prices, was expected to delay the signing of billions of dollars worth of military contracts with the United States. 'Agreements that have not already been converted into contracts will most likely undergo significant delays in 2009,' an industry source said. 'The exceptions will be contracts meant to maintain the 
readiness of the Saudi armed forces.' In 2008, Saudi Arabia requested several billions of dollars worth of weapons and military systems from the United States. The requests included AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters, radars, armored vehicles and aircraft subsystems. Riyadh has sought to maintain projects meant to modernize the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), commanded by King Abdullah. SANG, with nearly 100,000 members, was designed to ensure internal and border security and was being transformed into a full-fledged military loyal to the king.." [more]

Haj Reflections Day 4 [Dec 10]
"The color returned to Haj yesterday. Mina is still an overwhelmingly 'white' city due to the Haj tents but now everyone is wearing their national dress and it is a vibrant mix. On Monday the pilgrims were exhausted after a night in the rough at Muzdalifah, followed by the rituals of stoning and sacrifice and then the 'Tawaf Al-Ifadah.' By 10 o’clock yesterday morning the pilgrims were awake and preparing for the second day of the stoning at the Jamrat. Many could be seen greeting acquaintances outside their tents, hugging each other. It is always so amusing to see the once white clad crowd burst into color.." [more]

Crude Oil Rises on Speculation OPEC, Russia Will Coordinate Cut [Dec 10]
"Crude oil rose on speculation that Russia may coordinate a production cut with OPEC next week to end the five-month slump in prices. Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said Russia will announce proposals for reducing output by Dec. 17, when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries meets, Interfax reported. OPEC, which pumps more than 40 percent of the world’s oil, may reduce 
its output limit by as much as 2.5 million barrels a day, billionaire hedge-fund manager Boone Pickens said yesterday. 'It would be a boost to OPEC if they commit something forward,' said Olivier Jakob, managing director of Zug, Switzerland-based PetroMatrix. 'The cuts from Russia are already happening, producers are not making money.'.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 9]~~~~~~~~~

Crude Oil Futures Decline Amid Signs Recession May Deepen [Dec 9]
"Crude oil declined amid signs the global recession may be deeper than anticipated, limiting demand for fuels.. ..The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries should make a “substantial” output cut when it meets in Algeria on Dec. 17, Libya’s top oil official, Shokri Ghanem, said yesterday. OPECagreed to cut daily output 1.5 million barrels in October as prices slumped and inventories 
rose.. ..Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, is furthest from meeting OPEC quotas, helping to dull the impact of the cartel’s policy. The country is producing at 107 percent of its limit.." [more]

China Filling Third Govt Crude Oil Reserve [Dec 9]
" China began filling its third government-owned strategic crude oil reserve last month, two industry sources say, as Beijing takes advantage of diving crude oil prices to build up an emergency supply buffer for the future. About 7.3 million barrels of crude, more than half of them from Saudi Arabia, were pumped into the storage tanks at the Huangdao base, in Qingdao city on the east coast, adding to reserves built up last year at China's first two reserve bases, sources who monitor shipments in China told Reuters.. ..The information could not be confirmed because news about the government's newly built stockpiles is a closely guarded state secret. Calls to the National Development and Reform Commission's news department on Tuesday went unanswered. An official with the National Energy Administration's Policy and Law Department, which is in charge of news releases, declined to comment on SPR issues. But the information supports what some analysts have suspected for months: that strong growth in China's crude oil imports over recent months has been driven in part by stockbuilding rather than demand from refiners, many of which have begun curtailing production 
as the Chinese economy slows and oil demand ebbs.." [more]

Yemeni-Saudi Joint Companies to be Established Soon [Dec 9]
"A Yemeni-Saudi Businessmen Council (YSBC) intends to establish soon two joint companies for Marketing and transport. The head of the investment committee in the Yemeni General Federation of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry Saeed Ba-Neaymoun told the state-run 26sep.net that the announcement of establishing the two companies would be during the meeting of the YSBC in 
Mukalla city on 20 – 23 December.. ..Ba-Neaymoun said that the YSBC is determined to carry out joint-capital company for transport and marketing in addition to a joint fund for financing future studies and projects would be set up shortly.." [more]

Virtual World for Muslims Debuts [Dec 9]
"Called Muxlim Pal, it allows Muslims to look after a cartoon avatar that inhabits the virtual world. Based loosely on other virtual worlds such as The Sims, Muxlim Pal lets members customise the look of their avatar and its private room. Aimed at Muslims in Western nations, Muxlim Pal's creators hope it will also foster understanding among non-Muslims. 'We are not a religious site, we are a site that is focused on the lifestyle,' said Mohamed El-Fatatry, founder of Muxlim.com - the parent site of Muxlim Pal. 'This is for anyone who is remotely interested in the Muslim culture and the Muslim lifestyle,' he said.. ..Mr El-Fatatry said because the trial version was only six months old it was likely to change significantly before the public launch in 2009.." [more]

Haj Reflections Day 3 [Dec 9]
"Yesterday was the beginning of the stoning ritual. Thanks to elaborate planning on the part of the Saudi authorities, the stoning at the Jamrat proceeded minus the sound of sirens that signal a deadly stampede. In any case, our team of journalists made its way to the King Abdullah Bridge to witness the proceedings. The pilgrims were marching with purpose to the Jamrat complex under the direction of their leaders. Spotting the individual groups is easy because each group leader holds a signature pole in the air. Before the rituals begin, the guides tie some object to a long, strong pole. Flags are the most common object but we've seen bunches of slippers, a tea pot, a black umbrella and a toy bicycle tied to different poles. One guide who seemed to have lost his pole was carrying a large branch from a neem tree. Whatever is different will do the job of helping the pilgrims keep their leaders in sight.." [more]

Mobily Network Reports 1.6 Million Users [Dec 9]
"Mobily network has reported 1.6 million users till yesterday, as the Haj reached its peak. This number, according to Humoud Al-Ghobaini, Mobily’s spokesperson, is the highest and represented 22 percent increase compared to last year. In fact, Mobily’s network usage rose by 20 percent compared to last year’s season, according to figures as of Friday, thanks to increased usage by pilgrims from abroad. Mobily said in a press release yesterday that it expects these numbers to rise even further during the remaining days of Haj.. ..Mobily has many services on offer for the pilgrims, such as free Internet connectivity through WiFi at the holy sites. The company is also giving away millions of awareness brochures and dispatching millions of SMS messages in an awareness campaign. The company also added new features to its Rihal package, which enjoys runaway popularity among pilgrims, and is giving away millions of gifts, such as umbrellas and water bottles.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 8]~~~~~~~~~

3 Million at Arafat for Haj Climax [Dec 8]
"After spending the day at the spiritual highpoint of meditation and prayers in Arafat, millions of pilgrims moved after sunset to Muzdalifah to spend the night there before they proceed at daybreak to Mina and Jamrat. There they will perform the stoning and other rituals, including the animal sacrifice marking the Eid Al-Adha. Yesterday, a sea of humanity made their trek from Mina to Arafat from dawn. Intonations of 'at thy service, my God, at thy service,' reverberated through the valley as the pilgrims stood to pray for God’s forgiveness in the most spiritual moment of the entire pilgrimage. The standing at Arafat is considered the most pious act in Haj because Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told his companions 14 centuries ago while teaching the rites of the fifth pillar of Islam, “Al-Haj Arafat” (“Haj is Arafat”) signifying that it is the importance of standing at Arafat. So far no major problems were reported in the event in which mediapersons said about three million pilgrims participated.." [more]

Crude Gains on Evidence of Saudi Supply Cuts [Dec 8]
"Oil prices leapt 6 percent on Monday to more than $43 a barrel, as a rebound in global equity markets and further evidence of supply cuts by Saudi Arabia helped the market to break a six-session losing streak. Prices dropped 25 percent last week, their biggest weekly fall in nearly 18 years, depressed by the world economic outlook. U.S. crude for January delivery was up $2.56 to $43.37 a barrel in pre-market trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell more than 6 percent on Friday to close at $40.81, its lowest since December 2004.." [more]

EU to Begin Somali Pirate Patrols [Dec 8]
"European Union warships and aircraft are due to launch anti-piracy patrols off the Somali coast. At least four ships and two observation planes from several EU countries, including the UK, France and Greece, will escort aid and merchant ships. The area, including one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, the Gulf of Aden, has seen almost 100 pirate attacks this year. It is the first naval operation in the bloc's history. It will take over from the existing Nato mission and last at least a year. The goal is not only to increase security for seafarers and shipping in the hazardous Somali waters, but to help in the delivery of food aid to Somalia.. ..The Saudi supertanker Sirius Star and its crew remain under pirate control after being hijacked in mid-November. It was the biggest tanker ever hijacked, carrying a cargo of two million barrels of oil - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output and worth more than $100m.." [more]

Haj Reflections Day 2 [Dec 8]
"By 7:30 yesterday morning we were ready to mount our mopeds. For journalists, every year the most important day of Haj begins with a terrifying ride from Mina to Arafat. Enormous coaches, mini-buses and SUVs all cram onto the same roadway. Two on a bike, we weave in and out between them. Cameras, long lenses and laptops are hung around our necks, on our shoulders and draped across our bodies and we hang on to the mopeds for dear life. One slip, one zig when we should have zagged, and the remainder of our Haj assignment would be spent in the hospital. There are two ways to report on the pilgrimage.." [more]

Global Crisis Hits Flow of Pilgrims From US, Europe [Dec 8]
"The global financial crisis has taken its toll on this year's Haj. The US subprime mess that triggered a credit crunch of immense proportion worldwide, has led to the decrease in the number of European and North American pilgrims, according to hotel managers in Makkah. Shaja Zaidi, general manager of Makkah Hilton, said that there has been a 25 to 30 percent decline in the number of pilgrims from these countries compared to last year in addition to a high number of cancellations. 'I didn't think it would be that steep,' he said, adding that overall spending by pilgrims will likely be much lower than last year due to the economic tumult that has not only affected Western markets but also regional ones. 'We've booked South African and Arab groups to make up for the shortfall in European and American pilgrims,'.." [more]

300 Media Personnel Covering Haj [Dec 8]
" About 300 pressmen from various parts of the world are covering Haj season this year. They represent Arab, Islamic and international television channels, news agencies, newspapers and broadcasting stations. The information centers prepared by the Ministry of Culture and Information at Arafat and Mina witnessed hectic movements by the pressmen who compete with each other in the coverage of the movements of the pilgrims. In an interview to Al-Jazeera channel, Saleh Muhammad Al-Namlah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Information, said the ministry was, for the last three years, focusing on television coverage. However, that focus, was not to rule out other media outlets like newspapers and web portals.." [more]

~~~~~~~~ [ Dec 7]~~~~~~~~~

Human Tide of Hajj Pilgrims Flood Mt Arafat [Dec 7]
"A human tide washed over Mount Arafat on Sunday morning as hundreds of thousands of devoted Muslims gathered for the key moment of the annual hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Starting just after dawn, in mild weather, the faithful made their way slowly on foot or by bus onto the hill, also known as the Mount of Mercy, where the prophet Mohammed delivered his last sermon more than 14 centuries ago. So far, no major problems have developed organisers said, although a record number of people have come from outside Saudi Arabia for the event and media say the total number of participants may reach three million.. ..A highlight comes in the middle of the day when pilgrims join in collective prayers at the Namera mosque, built on the site where Mohammed prayed while making the pilgrimage.." [more]

Saudi Banks Start Feeling Tremors of Global Meltdown [Dec 7]
"Saudi Arabia's banking sector, one of the largest in the Middle East, has started to feel the pinch of the global financial crisis with a decline in its performance in the third quarter for the first time in 2008. After surging by 29.1 and 8.3 per cent in the second and first quarters of this year, the combined net profits of the kingdom's listed banks plunged by nearly 22.2 per cent in the third quarter.. ..The decline was partly due to growing loan loss provisions that reached nearly SR1.2 billion (Dh1.17bn) at the end of September.. ..In another report, a key Gulf investment bank said the global financial crisis has impacted Saudi banks despite what it termed as their limited exposure. 'The Saudi banking sector, with its limited exposure to the global financial markets, was somewhat able to escape the severe implications of the global financial distress. However, being an important part of the intertwined global markets, some of the dampening effects were directly or indirectly translated into the kingdom's banking sector performance,'.. " [more]

Sultan, UN Chief Hold Talks on ME Peace Efforts [Dec 7]
"Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, received here Friday night UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The two leaders discussed the latest developments in the international arena, notably the situation in Mideast and efforts of the United Nations as regards the peace process in the region as well as the role of the world body in bringing about peace in troubled areas around the world. Ban Ki-moon lauded the call of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for promoting dialogue among followers of world religions and cultures.." [more]

Haj Reflections Day 1 [Dec 7]
"..The new Jamrat complex has a commanding presence, towering over all other structures in Mina. It is four levels now — ground floor, plus three additional stories. The area is fully floodlit and police were already on duty, securing the site. A few pilgrims had come out to discover the lay of the land per se. As the complex is so new it is an attraction in itself, aside from the role it will play in the Haj rituals. I have been covering the pilgrimage for a decade and the Jamrat complex is truly something to give every Muslim peace of mind. In times past, the small Jamrat bridge always seemed inadequate to cope with the flood of humanity. It was a source of anxiety to those of us who would watch tragedies unfolding near the pillars that symbolize Satan, again and again. There is confidence among all the Haj organizers now that every precaution has been taken to prevent loss of life during the stoning ritual.." [more]

Oil Price Plunges Under $40 a Barrel [Dec 7]
"Crude oil prices plunged below $40 yesterday to their lowest levels in nearly four years, as worse-than-expected jobs data in the United States raised prospects of a severe fall in energy demand.. ..The tumble in prices is sharply reducing income for oil producing countries. It is 'way, way premature' to think that the market has hit bottom, said David Moore, a commodities strategist with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. 'The focus is well and truly on the weakness in consumption, and that doesn’t seem likely to go away in the next 24 hours.' The International Energy Agency (IEA) yesterday lowered its projections for global oil demand in 2008-2013, foreseeing annual growth of 1.2 percent rather than 1.6 percent in the face of a worldwide economic slump. In an announcement, the IEA said demand for oil products should climb from 86.2 million barrels a day in 2008 to 91.3 million in 2013, altering forecasts it had made in July.." [more]

Spiralling Hotel Prices Discourage Haj Pilgrims [Dec 7]
"A severe shortage of hotel rooms in Mecca has led operators to increase rates by as much as 25 per cent during haj, forcing many pilgrims to cancel their travel plans because the cost is too high. The demolition of about 1,000 ­hotel and serviced apartments earlier this year to make way for the expansion of the Mecca Grand Mosque has caused an acute shortage of rooms for pilgrims during the haj season.. ..However, the Saudi government does not expect the number of visitors to drop this year. 'Even though the prices are higher, I think that people will still want to come and perform religious duty. This type of tourism is very unlike leisure, where one can afford to cut down,' said the official from the Ministry of Hajj. Up to two million people visit ­Mecca every year to do haj, one of the five pillars of Islam that is mandatory for 'financially able' ­Muslims to perform at least once in a lifetime. Religious tourism is the second-largest sector in Saudi Arabia.." [more]

Gulf Urged to Ease Land Curbs to Lure Foreign Capital [Dec 7]
"Gulf oil producers need to ease curbs on granting land to foreign investors within overall reforms aimed at attracting more capital and diversifying their sources of income, according to a key regional bank. Despite a surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) into the GCC states over the past two years, the capital was below their economic potential, the Kuwait National Bank (KNB) said. A surge in their economies due to strong oil prices over the past few years has allied with reforms to spur foreign investments but the GCC members need to expand those reforms regardless of the oil price movements.. ..'Access to resources, including land, is vital, as is an institutional environment that is attractive for investors. GCC countries are still lagging behind most countries in the Middle East region in terms of their privatisation programmes, which usually attract foreign participation,'.." [more]

University of Leeds and King Saud University [Dec 7]
"The University of Leeds has signed a Research Agreement with King Saud University in Saudi Arabia to develop collaborations in nanoscience, technology and engineering with the King Abdullah Institute of Nanotechnology. This new collaboration will develop joint PhD projects, funded research and enterprise activities in medicine and health, biology, chemical manufacturing, electronics and other sectors. The programme is administered through the University of Leeds NanoManufacturing Institute and will provide new funding for PhD research and collaborative exchanges.. ..King Saud University is Saudi Arabia’s oldest and most prestigious university. It was founded in 1957 by King Saud. Today it comprises more than 70,000 students and 5,500 staff based on its campus in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.." [more]

Saudi-US Relations Information Service
eMail: info@SaudiUSRelations.org 
Web: http://www.Saudi-US-Relations.org 
© 2009
Users of the The Saudi-US Relations Information Service are assumed to have read and agreed to our terms and conditions and legal disclaimer contained on the SUSRIS.org Web site.