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SAUDI
URGES SYRIAN PULLOUT
"Saudi Arabia has joined the chorus of
countries urging Syria to withdraw its forces
from Lebanon, saying Damascus should pull out
its troops "rapidly". Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad flew into the Saudi capital
Riyadh on Thursday for crisis talks Crown Prince
Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the country's de facto
ruler.."
BASHAR
FLIES INTO RIYADH TO CONSULT ABDULLAH
"Syrian President Bashar Assad flew into
Riyadh yesterday and held talks with Crown
Prince Abdullah. The two leaders held
"constructive and fruitful"
discussions on developments at the Arab, Islamic
and international level as well as the prospects
for strengthening bilateral relations, a
statement by the Saudi Press Agency said. The
president was accompanied by Syrian Foreign
Minister Farouk Shara.."
BUSH
APPLAUDS SAUDI ARABIA'S CALL FOR SYRIA TO LEAVE
LEBANON
"President Bush says Syria must completely
withdraw its troops and intelligence personnel
from Lebanon. The president also applauded Saudi
Arabia's call for Syria to end its military and
political presence in Lebanon. President Bush
welcomed Saudi Arabia's call for a complete
withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, as
already demanded by Europe, Egypt and the United
States.."
EGYPT,
SAUDI ARABIA PUSH SYRIAN WITHDRAWAL
"Egypt and Saudi Arabia are trying to
persuade Syria to accept a timetable to withdraw
its 15,000 troops from Lebanon, maybe by the end
of April, Arab diplomats said [Mar 2]. Calls for
Syria's withdrawal, a key demand of Lebanon's
anti-Damascus forces, Washington and the United
Nations, have risen to a fever pitch since the
Feb. 14 assassination of ex-Lebanese premier
Rafik Hariri and Monday's resignation of
Lebanon's pro-Damascus government.."
SAUDIS
TELL SYRIA TO LEAVE LEBANON
"Saudi Arabia's rulers warned Syrian
President Bashar Assad on [Mar. 3] to begin
withdrawing his country's troops from Lebanon or
risk damaging relations between their countries,
adding a leading Arab voice to a chorus of
demands from Washington and European capitals,
according to news reports from Riyadh, the Saudi
capital. Crown Prince Abdullah, who has
effectively ruled the kingdom since King Fahd
suffered a stroke in 1995, told Assad to start
getting Syrian forces out of Lebanon soon or
face deeper isolation, according to a Saudi
official quoted anonymously by the Associated
Press.."
EP
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
"Today the Eastern Province elects its
municipal representatives after a two-week
campaign that was largely split down sectarian
lines. Doctors, lawyers, engineers and other
highly educated professionals are among the
candidates vying for municipal council seats.
But education and experience were not of
foremost importance when people considered
potential candidates. Perceived religious
affiliation was the overwhelming factor in
attracting supporters.."
SHIITES
HOPE ELECTIONS WILL SOFTEN SAUDI BIAS
"The Shiite Muslim minority in this kingdom
once marked their Ashura holy day furtively in
darkened, illegal community centers out of fear
of stirring the powerful wrath of the religious
establishment. But this year Ashura fell on the
eve of the 10-day campaign for municipal council
elections, to be held here on Thursday, and a
bolder mood was readily apparent.."
MINORITY
SHI'ITES MAKE GAINS IN SAUDI ELECTIONS
"Shi'ite candidates triumphed in parts of
eastern Saudi Arabia in the second round of the
Muslim kingdom's elections to local councils,
according to results published on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia's oil-rich Eastern Province is home
to most of its marginalized minority Shi'ite
community, estimated at around 10 percent of the
total population, adding a sectarian edge to the
first nationwide election in the predominantly
Sunni kingdom.."
ONLY
7% VOTERS REGISTER IN JEDDAH THUS FAR
"When the registration period passed the
midway mark, only seven percent of eligible men
in Jeddah had registered their names to vote in
the forthcoming municipal election in the final
phase of the three-stage balloting process
across the Kingdom. According to Abdullah Al-Muallami,
the outgoing mayor, a total of 200,000 people in
Jeddah were expected to register as voters. Out
of the 2.3 million residents in the city, only
500,000 Saudi men are eligible to vote.."
SAUDIS
VOTE IN FORCE IN SHIA AREA
"Men in southern Saudi Arabia and the
largely Shia-populated Eastern Province have
turned out in their thousands to vote in
municipal elections. Some voters queued from
dawn on Thursday in the second stage of the
country's landmark local elections. 'We're
overjoyed,' said Hasan Khater, 25, after taking
a picture of his three brothers in front of a
polling station.."
REPOLL
ORDERED IN TWO NORTHERN CONSTITUENCIES AFTER
VOTE SNATCHING
"Repoll will be held in two constituencies
of Hafr Al-Batin in the Northern Province today
following storming of the polling booths by
voters. Speaking from Hafr Al-Batin, Turki
Faisal Al-Rashid, webmaster of
www.saudielection.com, told Arab News that the
voters, mostly bedouins, stormed the election
booths inside two Saudi schools demanding repoll
for their candidates.."
TERROR
SUSPECTS OPEN FIRE ON POLICE PATROL
"Unknown militants opened fire on a police
patrol car east of the capital early [Mar 3].
The car was being chased by the police patrol on
suspicion that it was carrying wanted terror
suspects. The chase and the shooting happened
east of the capital yesterday at 2 30
a.m.."
SAUDI
ARABIA TO FINANCE HOUSING PROJECT FOR
PALESTINIANS
"Saudi Arabia has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU), under which it will grant
US$20 million in emergency aid to Palestine. The
MoU was signed with the United Nations Relief
and Works Agency (UNRWA), and the money will be
set aside for the construction of 700
residential units, including the relevant
infrastructure and general utilities.."
FORMER
SAUDI EMBASSY DRIVER FACES CHARGES
"A former driver at Saudi Arabia's Embassy
faces charges of illegally smuggling Egyptians
into the United States by selling them
fraudulent Saudi work visas. Mohamed Abdel Wahab
Yakoub, an Egyptian who was fired from the Saudi
Embassy in 2002, appeared Wednesday in federal
court. He is accused of charging up to $5,000
for visas that were created with official
embassy letterhead and government stamps.."
SAUDI
ARAMCO TO PRODUCE 10 BILLION CUBIC FEET OF GAS
PER DAY BY 2010
"Saudi Aramco is implementing a program for
the expansion of the main gas network from the
Arabian Gulf to the coast of the Red Sea, as
well as to the northern and southern areas of
the Kingdom. The expansion program comes at a
time when it is expected that the production of
associated and non-associated gas would reach 10
billion cubic feet by the year 2010, after
successful construction and establishment of
more than 17 main gas utility facilities and
about 150 supporting laboratories and other
industrial labs.."
SAUDI
TRAVEL AGENCY PLANS SHARE ISSUE
"One of Saudi Arabia's leading travel
agencies, Al Tayyar, plans to go public within
two years and set up its own domestic airline,
CEO Nasser Al Tayyar said. The firm, which has
130 branches nationwide and six abroad, has
already sold 40 per cent of its shares to firms
and individuals within the travel
industry.."
PRIVATE
SECTOR PLAYS MAJOR ROLE IN MENDING FENCES WITH
THE WEST
"The private sector continues to play a
tremendous role in mending fences with the West.
In the recent Saudi-British conference in London
titled "Two Kingdoms: Facing the Challenges
Ahead" leading members of the Saudi
Committee for the Development of International
Trade were among the high level delegation that
accompanied Foreign Minister Prince Saud
Al-Faisal to the conference.."
U.S.
ACCUSES SAUDI ARABIA OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
"The State Department issued an annual
human rights report [Feb 28] that criticized not
only countries that have been found chronically
deficient, like North Korea, Syria and Iran, but
some close American allies in the Middle East.
The report said that the Saudi record of abuses
in 2004 'far exceeds the advances'; that Egypt's
rights record was poor, and that Jordan had
'many problems.'.. ..Of Saudi Arabia, it said:
'There were credible reports of torture and
abuse of prisoners by security forces, arbitrary
arrests, and incommunicado detentions. The
religious police continued to intimidate, abuse,
and detain citizens and foreigners. Most trials
were closed.'"
PANEL
TO MONITOR IAEA COMPLIANCE
"Saudi Arabia will establish an independent
commission to ensure non-proliferation of
nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, press
reports said yesterday quoting high-level
sources. The commission, under the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, will implement agreements with
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
and other related organizations. 'The new
commission is planned as part of the Kingdom's
efforts to make the Middle East free of weapons
of mass destruction,'"
EDUCATION
SHOW OPENS
"King Abdul Aziz University President
Professor Osama ibn Sadik Tayeb will open MEETES
'05 - The 11th International Event for
Education, Training, Human Resources, Equipment,
Aids and Services at the Jeddah International
Exhibition & Convention Center at Madinah
Road at 5 p.m. today. Alongside a large number
of leading Saudi organizations, countries
participating in this five-day annual event
include Australia, Germany, France, the United
Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Switzerland,
Malaysia, India, the United Arab Emirates and
Egypt.."
ABU
ALI LINKED TO SAUDI ARABIA AL QAEDA LEADER
"A Falls Church man accused of conspiring
to assassinate President Bush met several times
with an al Qaeda leader in Saudi Arabia who once
was the target of a global manhunt and a key
suspect in an attack that killed nine Americans
in Riyadh, law-enforcement authorities said.
Ahmed Omar Abul Ali, scheduled for a detention
hearing [Mar 1] in federal court on charges of
providing material support to al Qaeda, met with
Zubayr al-Rimi in Saudi Arabia between September
2002 and June 2003.."
SAUDI-FILIPINO
DIALOGUE-FORUM OPENS
"A Dialogue-Forum between Saudi and
Filipino businessmen began deliberations Tuesday
in Manila. The Forum's participants were
well-briefed on the Saudi economy and the
various kinds of dates available in Saudi Arabia
which could serve as a major exporting
product.."
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NID:
Saudi Municipal Elections - Round Two
Saudi
Economic Performance: 
"..On
the eve of the war's second anniversary, the
Middle East does indeed seem to be in the grip
of some sort of change. But, right now, much of
the change seems to be pushing in a welcome
direction, towards a new peace chance in
Palestine and the spread of democratic ideas
around the Arab world.."
