In the News

Riyadh Seeks Apology From Budapest [Arab News]
"The diplomatic tiff between Saudi Arabia and Hungary still rumbled yesterday with both nations making opposing statements on the reasons for the cancellation of the visit of Hungarian Parliament Speaker Katalin Szili, who was to have visited Riyadh from Feb. 19-22. According to a report by the German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Saudi Arabia has said that it will not receive Szili until Budapest officially apologizes for the nasty remarks made by Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany against the Saudi soccer players.." 

Tensions emerge between UAE and Saudi Arabia [Middle East Online]
" Tensions have emerged between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia over a border row dating back to the 1970s and fresh differences, chiefly over trade links with Washington, Gulf officials say. The strains between the oil-rich neighbors coincide with problems between Riyadh and both Bahrain and Qatar, which are grouped with Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).." 

Saud Rules Out Ties With Israel Before Peace Deal [Arab News]
"Saudi Arabia will not make any contacts or relations with Israel until the Jewish state signs a comprehensive peace deal with Arabs, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has said. "If there is total peace and every Arab country signs the peace treaty that was proposed (by Crown Prince Abdullah) and accepted by the Beirut conference in 2002," he replied when The Washington Post asked him about the conditions to establish some kind of relations with Israel.." 

Salman, Schroeder to Open Commemorative Exhibition [Arab News]
"German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Riyadh Governor Prince Salman will open [Feb 27] an exhibition depicting 75 years of Saudi-German relations. The event is jointly organized by the German Embassy and Al-Turath Foundation. The chancellor's visit to Saudi Arabia is part of his swing through the GCC states and Yemen. He will exchange views with Saudi officials on various issues in the region, mainly the latest developments in Iraq and Lebanon.." 

Saudi Vote Stirs New Enthusiasm [Wash Post]
"The Riyadh results have been widely interpreted here as a triumph for the kingdom's large and diverse religious movement, which includes both peaceful democracy activists and strident clerics who advocate holy war in Iraq and elsewhere.." 

Saudis To Name Attack Suspects [BBC]
"Saudi Arabia has authorized British diplomats to release the names of the chief suspects to the British victims of al-Qaeda linked attacks in the country. A senior British official said that all such attacks going back at least 18 months had been linked to a group which, as he put it, had the "al-Qaeda franchise" in Saudi Arabia.."

Saudi Ministry Is To Employ Women  [BBC]
"Women will be employed in Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry for the first time this year, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has been reported as saying.  The move comes as the conservative country inches open the door to working women.  Last year, Crown Prince Abdullah, the de-facto ruler, told government departments to put plans in place for employing women.."

New Survey Shows Widespread Poverty [Arab News]
"Poverty exists in many parts of the Kingdom, often as a result of unemployment, a nationwide survey has revealed. The survey which was conducted by Prince Abdullah Foundation for Housing and whose results were published in Al-Watan daily on Monday, also revealed a growing crime rate in some parts of the country, especially in Al-Laith and Yalamlem (south of Jeddah).."

U.S. Citizen Accused of Plotting to Kill Bush [NY Times]
"A Virginia man, arrested and held in Saudi Arabia, has been returned to the United States to face charges of supporting al Qaeda, and was accused of plotting in 2002 and 2003 to kill President Bush, court documents made public on Tuesday said. Between September 2002 and June 9, 2003, while he was in Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali discussed with an unidentified co-conspirator two options for assassinating Bush, according to the 16-page indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia.."

Saudis See No Easing Of Oil Prices [Financial Times]
"Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer, on Thursday signaled a dramatic shift in the oil market towards sustained higher prices by predicting prices would be between $40 and $50 a barrel for the rest of the year. The comments by Ali Naimi, the Saudi oil minister, marked a break with tradition. It is the first time in recent history that Mr Naimi, the most influential minister in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, has disclosed the country's price  forecast.."

Investors Scramble to Buy Bank Albilad Shares [Arab News]
"Demand for shares in Saudi Arabia's newly established Bank Albilad is so huge that scuffles are breaking out at banks, and stock subscription forms are being sold on the black market, traders say. Thousands of people rushed to buy Bank Albilad shares from early morning on Monday - the first day of the opening of the initial public offering (IPO).."

Inquest Further Exonerates Scot Who Faced Beheading In Saudi [Scotland Today]
"A Scot who faced a public beheading in Saudi Arabia for a car bombing he denies, has been further exonerated. An inquest into the death of Christopher Rodway who was killed in the blast in Riyadh, has found no evidence linking Sandy Mitchell to the murder. Mitchell, who is originally from Kirkintilloch, was tortured into making a televised confession, and spent three years behind bars before being released.."