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Congress
Wants U.S. To Limit Arms Sales To Saudi
"A group of prominent members in Congress
wants the Bush administration to limit arms sales
to Saudi Arabia. The demand comes as Congress has
complained of the administration's failure to
implement measures against Saudi Arabia in wake of
its designation as a major violator of religious
freedom. An increasing number of members of
Congress have questioned whether the United States
should continue to sell armaments to Saudi
Arabia.."
GCC
Currency in 2010: Al-Assaf
"The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council
countries are committed to issue the GCC common
currency in the year 2010, Finance Minister Dr.
Ibrahim Al-Assaf stated yesterday. He denied press
reports that the new currency has been named Gulf
dinar. "We have not yet finalized the name of
the currency as to whether it be Gulf dinar or
riyal or any other name.."
Expanded
Shoura to Have More Powers
"The much-awaited expansion and reshuffle of
the Shoura Council which is expected next week
will witness the induction of 110 new members,
press reports said yesterday quoting informed
sources. Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid will continue as the
council's chairman but his deputy Bakri Shatta and
Secretary-General Dr. Hamoud Al-Badr - both have
completed three terms - will be replaced, the
sources said. The reshuffle will also see more
powers vested in the council.."
Saudi
Judicial System Undergoes Sweeping Changes
"Saudi Arabia [Apr 2] announced plans to
reorganize its judicial system by setting up a
supreme court in Riyadh, appeals courts in all its
13 regions as well as labor and commercial courts.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd [Apr
2] issued a royal decree endorsing the
reorganization plan for the judiciary proposed by
the ministerial committee for administrative
reforms.."
Saudi
Reformists' Trial To Reconvene
"The trial of three Saudi reformists accused
of calling for a constitutional monarchy in the
conservative kingdom will reconvene behind closed
doors, their attorney told AFP. Ali al-Dimaini,
Abd Allah al-Hamid and Matruk al-Falih, who have
been held for over a year, 'were informed [Mar 29]
that the hearing will take place [Apr 2]'.. ..Dimaini,
Hamid and Falih were arrested in March last year
on charges of demanding a constitutional monarchy
in the oil-rich kingdom.."
Trial
of Reformists Put Off Again
"The trial of three reformists was adjourned
[Apr 2] for 20 days following a request by the
prosecutor for more time to produce evidence. The
request to reconvene on April 23 was made during a
closed-door court session, according to Saleh
Al-Khathlan, who represented the National Society
for Human Rights at the hearing.."
Tough
New Laws to Curb Misuse of Authority
"The Shoura Council will on [Apr 3] start
discussing a new draft law that seeks tough
penalties for public officials who misuse their
authority, with the punishment ranging from prison
terms of up to ten years to fines of up to SR1
million ($266,000). Both punishments could be
applied concurrently. Misuse of authority includes
wasting public money, negligence that results in
public funds being wasted, unauthorized disposal
of public assets, facilitating acquisition of
public money either by civil servants or others
and deliberate destruction of money.."
25
Saudi Suspects Repatriated
"Within the framework of a security pact
signed between the two countries, Saudi Arabia and
Yemen [Mar 28] exchanged a total of 33 wanted
criminals including 25 Saudis, according to the
Interior Ministry. "Security agencies in the
Kingdom have received 25 Saudis wanted for
security-related issues while eight Yemenis
detained for security reasons were extradited to
the authorities in Sanaa.."
Saudi
Forces Kill 3 Suspected Militants - State TV
"Saudi security forces killed three suspected
militants holed up in a house in northern Saudi
Arabia on [Apr 4], state television said. Al-Ikhbariyah
television quoted local governor Prince Faisal bin
Bandar bin Abdul-Aziz as saying another two wanted
men were wounded in fierce fighting around the
house in the town of al-Ras, 180 miles northwest
of Riyadh.."
3
Saudi Terrorists Executed
"Saudi authorities Friday beheaded three
terrorists convicted of several crimes, including
killing, kidnapping, stealing and arms smuggling.
An Interior Ministry statement said the three
Saudis convicts fought in Afghanistan, then set up
a criminal gang after returning home two years
ago.."
U.S.
Qaeda Suspect Can See Doctor About Torture Claim
"A U.S. man accused of plotting with al Qaeda
to kill President Bush can be examined by doctors
for any evidence of torture while he was being
held in Saudi Arabia, a federal judge ruled on
[Mar 29]. U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee
granted Ahmed Abu Ali's request for physical and
mental evaluations to see if there is any evidence
of torture.. ..In June 2003, Saudi officials
arrested Abu Ali, then a student at a Saudi
university, and him held in Riyadh for 20 months
until his return to Virginia last month after
being indicted by a federal grand jury.."
In
the Gulf, Dissidence Goes Digital
"..In this roiling political spring of
protest and debate about democracy in repressive
Arab countries, cell phone text messaging has
become a powerful underground channel of free and
often impolite speech, especially in the oil-rich
Persian Gulf monarchies, where mobile phones are
common but candid public talk about politics is
not.."
Saudi
Clerics Still Encouraging Jihad
"Inside Saudi Arabia [Apr 1] there's a
national campaign against extremism. Television
ads, billboards and even ATM machines drive home
the toll of terror. The Saudis recently hosted a
worldwide conference condemning all terrorism and
declaring they've cracked down.. .. Senior U.S.
officials say the Saudis have changed
significantly. Many clerics now speak out against
jihad. Yet when it comes to killing Americans in
Iraq, some send a very different message. 'I
praise the jihad against the occupiers in Iraq,'
said Sheik Ai'dh Al-Qarni on Arabic-TV. 'Throats
must be split and skulls must be
shattered.'.."
Saudi
Stocks Witness a Major Correction
"The Saudi stock market witnessed a major
correction at the end of the weekly trade on
Thursday as the market lost 354.68 points when it
closed at 10,499.26 points. Most of the setback
took place within 13 minutes of the two-hour
trading from 10 to 12 a.m. The exchange of stocks
on Thursday showed that the market was mentally
ready for the correction after reaching record
highs in the past weeks. Saudi shares fell 3.27
percent after a sell-off in industrial
stocks.."
Saudi
Stock Market Records 28% Growth
"The Saudi stock market grew by a record 28
percent in the first quarter of 2005, posting a
massive increase of 103 percent. The Saudi stock
index closed at 10,499 points in comparison to
5,182 points for the same period in 2004, setting
a new benchmark with a historical increase of 103
percent as it hit 10,853.94 by Wednesday, March
30. The market value of the stocks issued by the
end of the first quarter of 2005 closed up at
SR1.47 trillion ($392.2 billion).."
Vast
opportunities in Saudi Arabia
"Dubai is the tourism and trading hub of the
Gulf, but for energy and gas related projects
Saudi Arabia is still the king of the desert. And
behind the scenes much is changing to open the
Kingdom to global business and liberalize the
economy. WTO membership is now very close. Try to
take a step back from the headlines about
terrorism and dangers for Western expatriates.
Saudi Arabia has actually made some very strong
moves towards liberalizing its previously moribund
state-controlled economy over the past few
years.."
Saudi
Arabia Will Consider Canceling The Minimum Amounts
Required For Foreign Investments
"Two conditions are imposed to establish a
foreign investment company in Saudi Arabia; the
first is to abide by the list of excluded
activities (Negative List), and the second is to
abide by a minimum investment amount specified by
the foreign investments regulations.. ..Those
minimum amounts are considered as an obstacle that
face many foreign investors and prevent them from
investing in the Saudi markets. Canceling the
minimum investment amounts for foreign investments
is be part of requirements for Saudi Arabia to
join the WTO.."
Visit
Visa Rules Eased for European Businessmen
"European businessmen are to be granted visit
visas to enter the Kingdom with no strings
attached. The Saudi Foreign Ministry and Saudi
Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) have
reached an agreement to grant visit visas to
Europeans as long as they prove that they are from
the business or financial sector, revealed Amr Al-Dabbagh,
governor of SAGIA, yesterday during a meeting with
Saudi and foreign investors held at the Jeddah
Chamber of Commerce and Industry.."
Saudi
Firms Taking Part in Rebuild Iraq
"A marathon exhibition for Iraq's
reconstruction opens [Apr 4] with the
participation of 980 firms from 44 countries.
Organizers said that at least 60 Saudi firms
representing various sectors are taking part.
"The Rebuild Iraq 2005 Exhibition is the
largest to be arranged in the Middle East so
far.."
Tourism
Projects to Dot
"New tourism projects worth SR50 billion will
be established in the Kingdom, according to Prince
Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the
Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT). 'SCT intends
to carry out a number of tourism projects on the
Red Sea coast,' the Saudi Press Agency quoted the
prince as telling a group of travel and tourism
executives in Tunisia on [Mar 31].."
Education
Changes Tested in Pilot Program
"Usually, educational systems test students
through examinations, but important revisions in
the Kingdom's educational system are being tested
in a pilot program that education officials will
be examining closely. If it proves to be
successful, it likely will chart the Kingdom's
course for educational reform in the 21st century.
The newly developed educational system with
curricula and grading changes is being tested at
select secondary schools across the
Kingdom.."
India
Wants Long-Term Oil Deals With Kingdom
"India's Minister of Petroleum and Natural
Gas Mani Shankar Aiyar said [Mar 28] that India
was looking for long-term oil contracts with Saudi
Arabia. He said this in New Delhi while addressing
a press conference before leaving for Riyadh on at
hree-day visit during which the modalities of
long-term oil contracts could be established.
India wants "longer contracts than we have
now.."
Kingdom,
India Plan to Set Up Oil Refinery
"Saudi Arabia and India are considering a
proposal to set up an oil refinery in India as
part of a joint initiative to boost their
bilateral relations in the energy sector. This was
a major outcome of a meeting [Mar 29] between
Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali
Al-Naimi and his Indian counterpart Mani Shankar
Aiyar aimed at boosting trade and investment
opportunities in the oil, gas and mineral
sectors.."
Saudi
Arabia Airlines Launches Its Direct Flights To
Hyderabad
"Saudi Arabia Airlines has launched direct
flights to the Southern Indian city of Hyderabad.
The Jeddah-Riyadh-Hyderabad flight, which had
taken off from Saudi Arabia on [Mar 28] night,
arrived here [Mar 29] morning, marking the
launching of the bi-weekly flights of Saudi Arabia
from Hyderabad. The 220 passengers of the first
flight were formally received by the State
Information Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir.. .. The
Saudi Arabia Airlines Manager Mohammed Iftekhar
Ahmed said that starting the flight from Hyderabad
was extremely important for the airlines as
Hyderabad had become a very important and much
sought after destination for any airlines.."
Saudi-South
African Panel to Meet in Riyadh in May
"The Saudi-South African Joint Ministerial
Commission will meet in Riyadh in the first week
of May to review its achievements and plan future
course of action, according to South African
Ambassador Abdulhamied Gabier. In an interview, he
told Arab News that Minister of Trade and Industry
Mandisi Mpahlwa will head the Pretoria delegation
to the meeting while the Saudi side will be led by
Trade and Commerce Minister Dr. Hashim Yamani.."
Forced-Labor
Charges For Saudi Prince's Wife
"The wife of a Saudi prince was arrested
yesterday for allegedly forcing two Indonesian
housekeepers to work for her family at homes in
Arlington and Winchester for meager wages over
nearly two years. A federal grand jury indicted
Hana F. Al Jader on 10 counts of forced labor,
domestic servitude, and other immigration
offenses, alleging that she hid her servants'
passports and work visas and threatened they would
be harmed if they failed to perform the work.
Jader, a 39-year-old Saudi national married to
Prince Mohamed Bin Turki Alsaud.."
Saudi
Prince Accused of Drug Smuggling Avoids
Prosecution
"This week in Miami, while two drug
defendants face a jury of their peers, one of
their alleged co-conspirators remains safe and
sound. The defendants are charged in a drug
conspiracy case that involved the smuggling of two
tons of cocaine from Colombia to France.. ..The
prince is now under indictment in the United
States and France, but he remains in Saudi Arabia,
a royal fugitive, protected by his powerful
family, according to U.S. drug agents.."
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2005
Saudi Trade Mission
Women
of the Holy Kingdom
Arab
Human Development Report 2004
