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Kingdom
Can Boost Output to Help Ease Prices: Naimi
"Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali
Al-Naimi said yesterday the Kingdom can produce an
additional 1.5 million barrels a day of oil to
help pull down rising world crude prices. Naimi,
who was in Manila on a three-day visit, said Saudi
Arabia was also building its capacity to bring its
output to 12.5 million barrels a day by
2009.."
Kingdom
Bans Import of Canadian Beef
"The Kingdom has banned import of Canadian
beef and beef products following reports of cases
of mad cow disease in Canada. "It is a
temporary ban imposed in the light of reports
issued by the Canadian authorities and
international organizations pertaining to the
health condition of cows in Canada," a
spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce said. The
ministry has urged importers to strictly adhere to
the ban to assure quality products for consumers
in the Kingdom.."
What
Is In The Saudi Peace Initiative?
"A Middle East peace initiative floated by
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah in 2002 is
being revived at the Arab League Summit in Algiers
despite that fact that it was rejected by Israel
three years ago.. ..The idea that all Arab states
might offer Israel normal relations and recognize
it as a state in the region is the most striking
element in the Saudi proposal.."
Poland
Seeks Joint Ventures With Saudi Arabia
"With the balance of trade tilted heavily in
favor of Poland, Saudi Arabia has decided to
activate the Saudi-Polish Business Council and
take other export promotion measures once the
council is up and running. This was one of the
action programs formulated at a meeting that
Poland's former President Lech Walesa had
yesterday with senior officials of the Council of
Saudi Chambers of Commerce and
Industry.."
Human
Rights Efforts Came From Within: Cabinet
"Saudi Arabia [Mar 21] highlighted its human
rights record and said its efforts to protect
rights emanated from its own principles and not
because of any external pressure. The Council of
Ministers, chaired by Crown Prince Abdullah, also
said that Israel's occupation of Arab territories
has destabilized the region. It approved the Arab
Charter for Unity and Solidarity as well as the
organizational setup of the Civil Aviation
Corporation.."
British
Secretary of State visits Saudi Arabia
"British Secretary of State for Defense
Geoffrey Hoon arrived in Riyadh on [Mar 21] to pay
an official visit to Saudi Arabia. Assistant
Minister of Aviation and Defense Prince Khalid bin
Sultan Al-Saud along with senior Saudi military
officials, the British ambassador to Riyadh and
the British Military attache to Saudi Arabia
received Hoon at the Riyadh Airport.."
Motorola
Wins iDEN Contract in Saudi Arabia
"Telecomms technology and equipment
manufacturer, Motorola, has said that it was
awarded a contract to create a nationwide iDEN
system for Saudi Arabia from a consortium of four
Saudi companies called, Public Telecommunications
Co. The iDEN system will allow Public
Telecommunications to launch push-to-talk
capabilities for public access mobile radio users,
and for commercial and industrial systems
customers by the second half of 2005.."
Arroyo
and Al-Naimi Promise to Make Energy More
Affordable for Filipinos
"President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo [Mar 22]
exchanged promises with Saudi Minister of
Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi to
make energy more affordable for the average
Filipino. The more substantial promise came from
Al-Naimi, who vowed to increase Saudi Arabia's oil
production by 1.5 million barrels a day to ease up
on the rising demand for crude oil, which results
in higher prices.."
Kingdom's
Vision for Water Outlined at Forum
"Saudi Arabia's vision to meet its future
water needs was outlined [Mar 22] at a forum held
on the occasion of World Water Day. The
presentation was made by Loay Ahmad Al-Musallam,
deputy minister for planning and development at
the Ministry of Water and Electricity (MOWE). The
forum was organized by the Jeddah Chamber of
Commerce & Industry (JCCI). 'MOWE has adopted
a challenging vision to be a world class utility
in meeting urban water demand by transforming the
water sector'.."
May
Crude Closes Lower On Saudi Arabia's Vow
"May crude oil, in its first day as the front
month contract, closed 2.5 percent lower [Mar 22]
after Saudi Arabia's oil minister promised the
kingdom would produce whatever was necessary to
meet world demand. "That put a pall on the
market," said Paul Boland, a broker with
Alaron.com. The contract closed at $56.03 a
barrel, down $1.43, after trading as low as $55.69
on the New York Mercantile Exchange.."
Kingdom,
Sudan to Sign Security Pacts
"Saudi Arabia and Sudan are set to sign two
agreements here [Mar 24] on fighting terrorism and
smuggling, and extradition of criminals. Interior
Minister Prince Naif held talks here yesterday
with his Sudanese counterpart Abdul Rahim Hussein
in preparation for the signing of the
accords.."
Motorola
Secures Contract From 'Mobily'
"Motorola, with over 30 years experience in
the Middle East, [Mar 24] announced an agreement
to implement Saudi Arabia's second GSM mobile
operator, Ettihad Etisalat, whose brand name is ''Mobily'',
with a GSM Base-Station System (BSS) mobile
network including Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution
(EDGE) and Push-To-Talk over Cellular (PoC).Under
the contract, Motorola will provide a turnkey
Radio Access Network (RAN) for GSM and EDGE,
including Horizon II base stations.."
Saudi
Arabia: First Saudi-Yemen Military Exercises
"Saudi and Yemeni troops will conduct joint
military exercises for the first time next week to
boost military relations and cooperation, reports
say. The official Saudi News Agency, SPA, said the
maneuvers will take place in Yemeni territory and
are expected to go on for several days. Ground and
air forces from the two neighboring countries will
take part in the exercise which is aimed at
'boosting brotherly relations between the two Arab
countries'.."
Gitex
Saudi Arabia 2005 to be held in Riyadh in April
"The capitol Riyadh will host the Gulf
Information Technology Exhibition 2005 (Gitex
2005) from April 24 to 28, 2005. Gitex is
considered to be one of the most important
exhibitions in the Middle East, as more than 500
local, Arab and international firms take part in
it and present the latest innovations and advances
in computers and information technology. Saudi
Arabia is considered to be the most important IT
market in the whole Middle East region and covers
about 58% of overall business and investment in
this sector. According to knowledgeable sources,
about SR 20 billion are invested in this sector in
Saudi Arabia.."
Saudi
Arabian Airlines To Buy 15 New Aircrafts
"Saudi Arabian Airlines plans to buy 15 new
medium sized aircraft with a capacity of between
50 and 100 passengers for use on domestic
flights.. .. The announcement followed a decision
by the Saudi cabinet to establish the Civil
Aviation Corp as an independent body that will
operate as a commercial organization responsible
for streamlining and developing the civil aviation
and air transport industry. New contracts for the
purchase of the new aircraft would be signed in
April.."
Saudi,
U.S. Religious Leaders Gather
"A meeting between Saudi Muslim leaders and
U.S. religious leaders in Riyadh was described
[Mar 23] as "very beneficial" by one
Saudi leader. Sheik Ibrahim bin Mubarak al-Juweir,
who headed the Saudi team, told the Saudi daily
Al-Watan the meeting with Christian ministers and
Jewish rabbis was not official, but productive
nonetheless.. ..He said the meeting, which took
place at the Congress Institute of Peace, was calm
and relaxed.."
No Ban on Foreign
Recruitment: Gosaibi
"There is no plan to stop recruitment of
foreign manpower and get rid of expatriate workers
in the Kingdom, Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi
said [Mar 25]. Gosaibi said his ministry had
decided to reduce foreign recruitment in order to
tackle the imbalance in the job market and create
jobs for Saudis. He also emphasized his ministry's
plan to hold a separate employment campaign for
women and said it required special
facilities.."
Oil
Firms Plan to Spend $176bn
"International oil and gas giants are
planning to spend $176.8 billion in exploration
and drilling operations this year, according to a
report carried by Al-Eqtisadiah business daily, a
sister publication of Arab News.. ..American
companies alone have increased their budgets by
7.8 percent to $41 billion, the paper said quoting
a survey. As many as 249 companies will spend
nearly $100 million each this year for their
various projects.."
Jordanian
King Says Foreign Minister Caused Spat With Saudi
Arabia
"Jordan's King Abdullah said in remarks
published [Mar 25] that his foreign minister was
responsible for 'a misunderstanding' with Saudi
Arabia over a Jordanian initiative for peace
between Arabs and Israel.. ..'When I visited Saudi
Arabia.. ..we agreed on a strategy for the peace
process and I am surprised.. ..that due to some
unclear reason the issue generated a negative
reaction from our brothers in Saudi Arabia,'
Abdullah said.."
Breaking
Free
"Her poetry is her fuel. It has carried her
across boundaries assumed non-traversable: book
signings and readings in mixed company at home in
Saudi Arabia and abroad; the first publication in
the United States of a collection of poems by a
Saudi woman; uncontested exposure in the Saudi and
American media. Nimah Ismail Nawwab's entry into
the public domain is a milestone of sorts, perhaps
the gentle tipping of an hourglass that Saudi
women have awaited for centuries. Her book of
poems, "The Unfurling," published in the
United States in December 2004, is not only an
outlet for political frustrations in the desert
kingdom but also is filled with a yearning to
break free.."
Aiyar
Keen to Take Indo-Saudi Ties to New Levels
"Saudi Arabia has come to recognize India as
a significant power and begun to take the country
seriously, according to Petroleum Minister Mani
Shankar Aiyar, who begins a three-day landmark
visit to the Kingdom [Mar 28]. Crediting Saudi
Arabia with taking the initiative to put
Indo-Saudi relations on firmer ground, Aiyar said:
'I have received signals from Saudi Arabia that
they regard us as a significant power. I have been
happy to reciprocate'.."
Saudi
Writers Heave a Sigh of Relief
"It is the second victory in the past five
years for Saudi writers and the Saudi media in
general. In a fair, bold and honorable decision by
Crown Prince Abdullah, the sentence imposed on
Saudi writer Dr. Hamza Al-Mizeini was annulled.
Besides putting the writer in jail for four
months, Al-Mizeini's sentence would have banned
him from writing in the media and given him two
hundred lashes. The crown prince, however, set
aside the sentence handed down by the judge in the
Shariah Court.."
New
Details on F.B.I. Aid for Saudis After 9/11
"The episode has been retold so many times in
the last three and a half years that it has become
the stuff of political legend: in the frenzied
days after Sept. 11, 2001, when some flights were
still grounded, dozens of well-connected Saudis,
including relatives of Osama bin Laden, managed to
leave the United States on specially chartered
flights. Now, newly released government records
show previously undisclosed flights from Las Vegas
and elsewhere and point to a more active role by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation in aiding some
of the Saudis in their departure.."
Stocks
Worth SR1.77 Trillion Exchanged on Saudi Bourse
"The total value of stocks exchanged on Saudi
bourse soared to a record SR1.77 trillion last
year from SR65 billion in 2000 thanks to new
initial public offerings (IPOs), says Dr. Abdul
Aziz Al-Dakheel, chairman of the Consultancy
Center for Finance and Investment (CCFI).
"Flotation of shares by some joint stock
companies as well as the decision taken by others
to raise their capital have played a big role in
increasing the volume of money invested in the
stock market.."
Saudi
Writers Risk Flogging to Challenge Islamists
"For a man just sentenced to 200 lashes and
four months in jail by an Islamic court, Saudi
academic Hamza al-Mozainy is strikingly cheerful.
The diminutive, twinkle-eyed professor of
linguistics was summoned by a Riyadh judge in
March after an Islamist colleague said Mozainy
made fun of his long beard in a newspaper
article.."
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30
Years Ago - King Faisal Assassinated
