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Saudis in a Quandary Over Iran's Nuclear Row with US [Sep 16]
"America's standoff with Iran is a source of much stress here with Saudi Arabia worried about Iran's nuclear intentions but also fearful of the prospect of strong US action.. ..Analysts say that if attacked, Iran would retaliate against US interests in the region, and Saudi Arabia's oil installations across the Gulf are the biggest and most important.." [more]

Saudi Arabian Prince's Dh1.21b Bid for Rupali Bank Approved [Sep 16]
"The Bangladesh cabinet on Wednesday approved a $330 million (Dh1.21 billion) bid offer by Saudi Prince Bandar Bin Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud for a 67 per cent stake in its troubled Rupali Bank. The decision cleared the last hurdle in the prince's takeover of the bank, pending the Prime Minister's nod which is deemed a formality.." [more]

Prosecute or Free Them [Sep 16]
"Prosecute the Saudi detainees currently being held at Guantanamo Bay or release them, demanded Bandar Al-Hajjar, chairman of National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), during a meeting with Erica J. Barks-Ruggles, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.. ..According to published reports, the US military has held a total of 759 people at the naval base in Cuba. Of those, 136 have been Saudis, making them the second largest contingent of Guantanamo prisoners, behind the 218 Afghans. About 460 detainees remain at Guantanamo.." [more]

Muslims Ask Pope Benedict to Apologize [Sep 16]
"..The Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, deplored the pope’s statement and asked him to issue a clear and direct apology. In a statement, the GCC criticized the pope for intentionally ignoring the Islamic principles of tolerance as well as its humanitarian teachings that promote peace and oppose violence and hatred.." [more]

Saudi Stocks Plunge After Early Rally [Sep 16]
"Saudi stocks rebounded strongly in the first three days of the week but failed to sustain the rally in the
remaining days of the week. The Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) shed 214.41 points or 1.87 percent, ending week at 11,240.53 points. The index closed at 11,454.94 points in the previous week. On Wednesday the index dropped 386.61 points or 3.33 percent.." [more]

U.S.-Iran Standoff Stresses Saudi Arabia [Sep 15]
"America's standoff with Iran is a source of much stress here - with Saudi Arabia worried about Iran's nuclear intentions but also fearful of the prospect of strong U.S. action. Although the kingdom opposes any attempt by Tehran to develop nuclear weapons, it fears military action against Iran would be devastating for the Gulf region. Analysts say that if attacked, Iran would retaliate against U.S. interests in the region, and Saudi Arabia's oil installations across the Gulf are the biggest and most important.." [more]

Organization of the Islamic Conference criticizes the Pope [Sep 15]
"The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has criticized Pope Benedict XVI sharply on his latest remarks on Islam.. ..The pope's controversial remarks came Tuesday during a speech in Regensburg, in his home German state of Bavaria, when he quoted comments from a 14th-century Christian emperor which said Mohammed had brought only 'evil and inhuman' things to the world, and that Islam was spread 'by the sword'.." [more]

Media Code of Conduct Recommended [Sep 15]
"..In a communiqué issued at the end of the 7th Session of the Islamic Conference Information Ministers’ two-day summit here Thursday, they agreed to formulate a code of conduct for the media in Muslim countries. The supervisory ministerial committee will comprise Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Malaysia, Senegal, Syria and Morocco. The recommendation to set up such a committee is based on the decision made by Muslim leaders during the third extraordinary Islamic Summit in Makkah in which they stressed the importance of a joint media work on the international arena.." [more]

IMF Report Sees Solid Growth for Middle East [Sep 15]
"The Middle East is expected to grow according to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook, which was released by the IMF yesterday. It was revealed that the Middle East is set to enjoy a steady growth rate of 5.8 percent in 2006 and a growth rate of 5.4 percent in 2007. Of the countries in the region, Saudi Arabia’s economy is set to grow 5.8 percent in 2006 and by 6.5 percent in 2007.." [more]

Saudi Official: 82% of Crude is Untapped [Sep 14]
"The world has tapped only 18 percent of the total global supply of crude, a leading Saudi oil executive said yesterday, challenging the notion that supplies are petering out. Abdallah S. Jum'ah, president and chief executive of the state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co., known better as Aramco, said the world has the potential of 4.5 trillion barrels in reserves -- enough to power the globe at current levels of consumption for another 140 years.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Donates US$1 Million to FIFA Project in Palestinian Territories [Sep 14]
"Saudi Arabia has donated US$1 million toward soccer development projects in the Palestinian territories.. ..FIFA said US$2.6 million has now been raised for its "second Goal project," involving the construction of artificial pitches in Gaza and Ramallah, and a national stadium in Ram.." [more]

Saudi Shares Plunge on Oil’s Slump [Sep 14]
"Stocks in Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, posted the biggest drop since July after a slump in the price of the fuel raised concern profit growth will slow.. ..The Tadawul All Share Index lost 3.3% to 11,240.53 at the close in Riyadh, its biggest decline since July 19. Stocks had surged more than eight-fold in the four years leading up to a record in February, driven by all-time high oil prices.." [more]

Saudi IPO Summit in Riyadh [Sep 14]
"Corporate governance, transparency and long-term obligations to shareholders are the key to sustainable growth according to experts who will address the Saudi IPO Summit 2006. The conference, which is due to take place from November 19 to 22 in Riyadh, will debate the whole spectrum of issues concerning IPOs with a special focus on feasibility and the responsibility of companies once listed.." [more]

Lead Developer of PABMEC to Sign Agreement With MIT Entrepreneurial Center [Sep 14]
"Rakisa Holding, the lead developer of the Prince AbdulAziz bin Mousaed Economic City (PABMEC) in Hail in Saudi Arabia, is set to sign an agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Entrepreneurial Center (MIT Entrepreneurial Center).. ..The agreement envisages the setting up of an entrepreneurial center in Hail to impart training and provide guidance to entrepreneurs and acquaint them with elementary principles of prudent investment, with the ultimate objective of enabling them to design and launch successful new ventures.." [more]

Saudis Plan New Islamic Guidance Department [Sep 14]
"The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance is seriously considering establishment of female da'awa (Islamic guidance) department at the ministry as part of the measures to introduce a clear-cut mechanism for da'awa work among women.. ..he unveiled plans of the ministry to impose restrictions on the preaching among women without permission from the ministry, and this is also aimed at preventing the misuse of the da'awa field by some extremists for spreading their deviant ideologies.." [more]

We Need Effective Media: Sultan [Sep 14]
"Opening the seventh conference of OIC information ministers here, Prince Sultan emphasized the role of Islam in promoting brotherly relations among different peoples and setting an example of tolerance, justice and dialogue. He also noted its openness toward other civilizations.. ..Sultan underscored the power of the media and its significant role in creating political awareness and mobilizing public opinion.." [more]

Rulers Aim to Avoid Escalating Disputes [Sep 14]
"Gulf Arab states will not allow long-running border disputes over oil and gas fields to escalate into crises in the world’s top oil exporting region.. ..Territorial ambiguities came under the spotlight in July when a $3.5bn project to pipe Qatari gas to the United Arab Emirates was dragged into a territorial dispute between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.." [more]

Saudi, U.S. Officials Confident Technology Will Boost Reserves [Sep 13]
"Saudi Arabia's top oil company executive and the head of the U.S. government's energy forecasting agency said they are confident technological gains will boost oil reserves and production rates in coming years.. ..Saudi Aramco, the state-run Saudi oil company, has boosted its computing power 300-fold since 1999 and now has a better understanding of its reserves, Jum'ah said. The size of existing reserves and resources discredits the ``peak oil'' theory that world oil production is already close to peaking, the Saudi executive said.." [more]

Ratings Upgrade Set for Nine Saudi Banks [Sep 13]
"Moody's Investors Service has placed on review for possible upgrade the A3/Prime-2 long and short-term foreign currency deposit ratings for nine Saudi Arabian banks. This rating action follows an earlier similar rating action on Saudi Arabia's foreign currency bank deposit ceilings (A3/Prime-2), to reflect the improvements in the country's economic and financial situation.." [more]

Energy Curbs Likely to Hurt Global Growth says Saudi [Sep 13]
"Attempts by some governments to curb energy use may have an economic impact that could damage the world's energy future, Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Al Nuaimi said. 'While the world does need continued improvement in energy efficiency, some government policies which artificially curtail demand and create demand uncertainties irrespective of market signals will have economic ramifications that could jeopardise the global energy future'.." [more]

Saudi Arabia to Invest $70 Billion in Oil, Gas Sector [Sep 13]
"The Saudi minister of petroleum and mineral resources will invest over $70 billion in its oil and gas sector over the next five years as part of its commitment to keep a spare oil output capacity cushion of 1.5 to 2.0 million barrels per day at all times, Arab News reported. The minister said that as part of its commitment to keep the energy market well supplied, crude output capacity would be raised to 12.5 million bpd by 2009 through an investment of around $18 billion.." [more]

Address Problems Facing Saudi Students in US [Sep 13]
"The problems faced by Saudi students in the United States must be taken into account in a comprehensive and strategic manner and concrete solutions must be devised for them, said Ambassador Osama Naqli, Director of the Media Department at the Foreign Ministry.. ..several issues, including visa procedures, intellectual property rights, the current economic boom and the bureaucratic and administrative procedures in business transactions between the two countries would come up for discussion.." [more]

Jeddah Hosts Regional Border Security Meet [Sep 13]
"A major agreement to combat terrorism, illegal border infiltration and organized crime is likely to be signed by Iraq and its neighboring states including Saudi Arabia next week. The accord will be signed during a high-profile meeting of the region’s interior ministers, which will be chaired by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif in Jeddah on Sept. 18.." [more]

Saudi Minister Defends Policies on Unemployment [Sep 12]
"Saudi Arabia must push on with plans to replace cheap foreign labour with Saudis to end "frightening" unemployment among the national workforce, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, whose 24 million population includes over 6 million expatriates, has been struggling to implement "Saudisation" of its workforce in recent years. Businessmen resent the extra costs in employing Saudis and clerics oppose efforts to put women to work.." [more]

Oil Little Changed on Saudi Arabia Investment Plans, IEA Report [Sep 12]
"Crude oil traded near a five-month low as Middle East producers said they will invest as much as $94 billion on oil and gas infrastructure and the International Energy Agency lowered global demand estimates. Middle East countries will spend half of the money on oil- production capacity by 2011, Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al- Naimi said today in Vienna.." [more]

Saudi Delegation in BusinessWeek's 10th CEO Forum [Sep 12]
"H.E. the Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) Amr Al-Dabbagh will be heading a delegation of champion Saudi CEOs on a visit to Beijing in November, 2006 to attend the BusinessWeek Tenth Annual CEO Forum.. ..The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) is embarking on a major expansion program in Asia Pacific, and China in particular.." [more]

Saudi: New Program to Ensure School Participation in National Dialogue [Sep 12]
"For the first time ever a program to ensure school participation in the Kingdom's national dialogue has been implemented all across Saudi Arabia. Education Minister Dr. Abdullah al-Obaid directed all the education departments for both boys and girls to allocate 10 minutes within the school day to discuss the importance of dialogue in Islam and to acquaint the students with the national dialogue.." [more]

Saudi Says Don’t Blame Islam for Terrorism [Sep 12]
"..The Saudi government "expresses sympathy with the American people and the families of victims of the terrorist attacks witnessed by the US five years ago", said a statement issued after the weekly cabinet meeting. But it also stressed 'the hand of terrorism has reached innocent people of various nationalities and religions in more than one country, and Islamic states are at the forefront of states targeted by terrorist operations'.." [more]

Saudi Clerics Backtrack on Female Prayer Ban Near Kaaba [Sep 12]
"Saudi clerics appear to have backtracked on controversial plans to ban women from praying at the centre of the holy shrine in Makkah. At present, women can pray in the immediate vicinity of the Kaaba.. ..But plans by the all-male committee overseeing the holy sites would have placed women in two distant sections of the mosque overlooking the Kaaba, though at a distance while men would still be able to pray in the key space.." [more]

Irrational, Haste Decision-making Behind Arab Crises -- Saudi FM [Sep 12]
"Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal attributed on Tuesday the current situation and crises faced by the Arab world to irrational decisions made in haste. In an article published by the ministry's 'Diplomat' magazine, he noted that many emergency Arab meetings had been held in recent years and without much preparation to deal with grave problems. He added that decisions made under these conditions often led to escalating instead of resolving situations.." [more]

Hong Kong Eyes Electronics Market in Saudi Arabia [Sep 12]
"Hong Kong has mounted a new thrust in promoting its exports to Saudi Arabia. It is especially eying the market for its electronics goods and services. 'The Kingdom is the largest and most important market in the Gulf and we find the potential is vast for our goods and services,' Dinesh Mahbubani, director of Hong Kong-based Orbitronics Manufacturing Co.." [more]

Scars of 9/11 Show No Sign of Healing [Sep 12]
"The events of Sept. 11, 2001 were, as so many have said, a wake-up call for the United States. Five years after that tragic day, America and the Middle East still look at each other with suspicion and fear. As US missions in Saudi Arabia observed 15 minutes of silence yesterday in commemoration of the victims of 9/11, Saudis in the so-called “Arab Street” were reflecting in their own ways.." [more]

Saudi-U.S. Bilateral Cooperation to Grow [Sep 12]
"Holly Vineyard, Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Trade Administration, US Department of Commerce.. ..and her delegation visited the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EPCCI) Monday and held discussions with President Abdulrahman Rashed Al-Rashed and Secretary General Abdulaziz K. Al-Ayaf. Al-Rashed told the visiting delegation of the many investment opportunities opened for American businessmen. Accompanying Vineyard was John S. Kincannon, Consul General at the American Consulate General in Dhahran.." [more]

Motorola Wins Mobily GSM Network Deal [Sep 12]
"..Under the agreement, Motorola will deploy its latest Motorola Reach GSM solution and provide various managed services for the Mobily network.. ..Motorola will be responsible for project management services as well as the operation and maintenance of the network according to an agreed set of key performance indicators, and will also include the ongoing network planning and optimisation of the network to meet the operator’s increasing subscriber demand for high quality of service.." [more]

BlackBerry Signs Contract with Mobily in Saudi Arabia [Sep 11]
"The maker of the BlackBerry mobile email device has partnered with a Saudi Arabian telecommunications operator to offer mobile email service. Canadian firm Research in Motion (RIM), which produces the BlackBerry, signed the deal yesterday in Saudi Arabia with Mobily.. ..'Saudi Arabia has always been the largest market for most companies doing business in the Gulf region'.." [more]

Saudi Bank Launches Emerging Markets Fund [Sep 11]
"Saudi Arabia's National Commercial Bank (NCB) announced the launch of the Emerging Markets Fund (EMF) on Sunday aimed at capitalising on fast growth in the world's emerging markets. Brazil, Russia, India and China the so-called Bric countries are considered to be the best pros-pects among the emerging economies.." [more]

Saudi GDP Forecast to Hit $364 Billion [Sep 11]
"Saudi Arabia’s nominal GDP is forecast to increase to $364.5 billion at end 2006, registering a growth rate of 16-17 per cent, according to a SABB report. In real terms, GDP growth rate would be 5.67 per cent for 2006, it said.The average growth for 2006-2010 is forecast at 5.38 percent. This compared with a regional average of 4.46 percent.." [more]

Saudi Arabia to Enforce Strict Regulations for Umrah Pilgrims [Sep 11]
"The Ministry of Health announced that it has started strictly implementing health regulations for Umrah pilgrims.. ..The ministry has readied all arrangements and preparations to ensure that no pilgrim carrying any infectious disease enters the kingdom. According to a press statement issued by the ministry, the pilgrims coming from some African countries and those from the American continent should carry with them certificates showing that they have received vaccination against yellow fever.." [more]

Women’s Petition Opposes Grand Mosque Plans [Sep 11]
"Proposals to shift the women’s prayer area away from the Holy Kaaba and from out of the mataaf (circumambulation area) in the Grand Mosque to two alternative places in the massive prayer complex has faced stiff criticism from Muslim women across the globe. In protest at the proposals, a petition has been posted at the www.petitiononline.com website, which has so far attracted over 1,000 signatures.." [more]

Foreign Direct Investment: A Saudi Score Sheet [Sep 11]
"Foreign direct investment (FDI) or inflow of foreign capital to a country to promote economic growth to the benefit of foreigners and the national economy is a hot topic in developing countries. The Saudi Arabian government has sent some strong signals that it welcomes such an inflow by establishing an empowered entity — the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) — to spearhead the FDI effort.." [more]

Lebanon's Siniora in Saudi to Discuss Aid [Sep 10]
"Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to thank King Abdullah for Saudi aid to Lebanon during the recent war with Israel and discuss further economic help.. ..Saudi Arabia has played a central role in supporting the Lebanese economy since 1990 and made clear it wants to maintain that role, partly to challenge the influence Iran exerts through its funding of political and paramilitary group Hizbollah.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Plans $1 Trillion Worth of Projects Over Next Few Decades [Sep 10]
"Saudi Arabia has earmarked a staggering $1 trillion worth of projects over the next few decades, according to Deputy Minister of Commerce Fawaz Al-Alamy. In a speech read out on his behalf at the "Opportunities Arabia 3" conference held at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London on Thursday and organized by the Middle East Association, Al-Alamy said that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's vision for the Kingdom comprises robust forward-looking policies, gradual implementation of reforms, and a steady process of restructuring. The aim of this vision is for Saudi Arabia 'to adapt to global changes while preserving its valuable traditions'.." [more]

Saudi Arabia to Enforce Gender Segregation in International Schools [Sep 10]
"The Saudi Ministry of Education will implement its decision to separate boys and girls in Saudi-owned international schools. This decision will be applied from the beginning of the school year, which began 9 September, 2006.. ..Al Shelkhy concludes that the decision to separate boys and girls has not been implemented in the kingdom’s 70 schools for foreign communities in accordance with the diplomatic embassies.." [more]

Saudi in Talks With Russia Over Weapons Sales [Sep 10]
"Saudi Arabia is in talks with Russia over the possible purchase of Russian weapons for the first time by the oil-rich kingdom, which has traditionally used Western defense systems, a Western diplomat said yesterday. A team of Russian military experts visited Saudi Arabia in late August to discuss with Saudi military committees the possible sale to Riyadh of T-95 main battle tanks and Mi-17 helicopters, he told AFP, requesting anonymity.." [more]

Saudi Arabia - Most Attractive in the MENA Region [Sep 10]
"According to the World Bank International Finance Corporation’s 2007 Ease of Doing Business Index, Saudi Arabia ranked 38th, keeping pace with its performance the previous year, making it the most attractive in the MENA region. Since joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), Saudi Arabia has adopted a series of measures to improve the kingdom's investment climate.." [more]

Saudi Computer Firm Ready to Take on the Global Giants [Sep 10]
"Newly-created Saudi computer firm Ensyab is gunning for global giants such as HP and Dell in the region’s desktop and notebook markets. The company wants to become the first major Arabic PC brand.. ..Ensyab received permission last month from the authorities in Bahrain to establish a manufacturing operation in the Kingdom. If it can hit its ambitious targets, Ensyab’s production would dwarf the numbers of computers global vendors such as Acer, HP and Fujitsu-Siemens assemble at their plants in the region.." [more]

Saudis Bid to Widen Internet Access [Sep 10]
"Saudi Arabia’s government is looking at ambitious plans to extend internet access to all areas of the Kingdom by setting up a fund enabling internet service providers (ISPs) to share the cost of the project.. ..The Saudi government has already invested US$800m in developing e-government services and has a target to put 150 services online by 2010.." [more]

New Program Sends 15,000 Saudis to Colleges [Sep 10]
"Thousands of students from Saudi Arabia are enrolling on college campuses across the United States this semester under a new educational exchange program brokered by President Bush and Saudi King Abdullah. The program will quintuple the number of Saudi students and scholars here by the academic year's end. And big, public universities from Florida to Kansas are fiercely competing for their tuition dollars.." [more]

The SUSRIS project -- an independent, private-sector information resource - offers objective, comprehensive news and information on the history, breadth and depth of the US-Saudi Arabia relationship.
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