Saudi-US Relations Information Service

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SABIC and ExxonMobil Reach a Full Settlement of Their Disputes [Sep 30]
"Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has reached a full and final settlement of its disputes with ExxonMobil arising from technology and a patent that can be used in the production of polyethylene. Pursuant to the settlement, SABIC and its worldwide affiliates will have the right to use the technology royalties -free and will equally share in any third-party royalties from the past or future licensing of the technology by ExxonMobil.." [more]

For Once, the Worry is That Oil May be Getting a Little Too Cheap [Sep 30]
"Nothing spooks the markets like the oil price.. ..So last week, instead of worrying about confrontation between the US and Iran - concern that helped drive oil to a $78 August peak - the fears were of a nasty US slowdown, thanks in part to a crumpling housing market, that will undercut demand for crude. The price fell to $60, a six-month low.." [more]

No Decline in Saudi Business Visits To U.S. [Sep 30]
"A senior Saudi spokesman at the Kingdom’s Embassy in the United States has denied that the number of Saudi businessmen visiting the US has declined. 'The number has actually increased'.. ..He compared the visa processes between the two countries, noting that while it can take up to three months for a Saudi to obtain a US visa, Americans can get visas for Saudi Arabia in as little as 24 hours. Al-Jubair blamed much of the US delay on the requirement by American officials that they interview all visa applicants.." [more]

OIC Eyes Sunni-Shiite Meet in Makkah to Resolve Iraq Crisis [Sep 30]
"The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is making contacts to hold a meeting of Sunni and Shiite scholars in Makkah to discuss ways to end the sectarian conflict in Iraq.. ..the paper said the OIC was waiting for a response from Sheikh Ali Sistani, a top Iraqi Shiite scholar, who is yet to confirm his participation.." [more]

Saudi Firm to Buy Huntsman [Sep 29]
"The biggest chemical company on Teesside, Huntsman, has agreed to sell its base chemicals and polymers business to a Saudi company in a deal worth around £440m.. ..The Saudi company will pay around £370m ($700m) for the business, as well as covering pension liabilities of around £67m ($126m) at Huntsman.." [more]

Honeywell Announce $7 Million Contract for Plant in Saudi Arabia [Sep 29]
"Honeywell announced a $7 million contract to supply process and safety controls for Tasnee Petrochemicals' new ethylene plant in Saudi Arabia, Arab News reported. Samsung Engineering Co., Ltd., one of the main contractors for the project, selected Honeywell to provide its award-winning process automation solution, the Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS), to manage the ethylene production.." [more]

Saudi Arabia to Archive Entire Population's Fingerprints [Sep 29]
"The Saudi Interior Ministry intends to start archiving the fingerprints of all Saudis through the civil records departments in the various administrative regions, Asharq Al-Awsat has learned.. ..The plan aims to archive and store all fingerprints as a reference when there is a need to identify persons, missing people, or for any emergency circumstances required by the authorities. Another beneficial feature is that they will be included in the smart chips for use in the electronic identification of citizens, which will facilitate many of the measures at airports, border points, and so on.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Identifies 3 Locations as World Heritage Sites [Sep 29]
"The Ministry of Education announced earlier this week that it is focusing on three historical locations to nominate as the first UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Kingdom: The ancient Nabataean city of Madain Saleh, Jeddah's historic center, and the old neighborhood of Al-Dirriyah in Riyadh.. ..Being placed on UNESCO's list opens the way for more international collaboration in preserving the sites in question.." [more]

Saudi Arabia's Economy Set to Grow 6% This Year [Sep 29]
"Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s biggest economy, is poised to record a 6 percent growth in GDP this year, compared to a 6.6 per cent growth achieved last year, reaching $310 billion, according to the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) report.. ..Net foreign assets of Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (Sama) are projected to increase further to $167 billion, equivalent to 15 months of imports of goods and services.." [more]

Saudi Cultural and Social Lifestyle Expo on show in London [Sep 29]
"The British Council organized here yesterday an exhibition of photographs about the cultural and social lifestyle in Saudi Arabia in presence of academics from Britain and Saudi Arabia. The exhibition comes within the framework of the students exchange program between Saudi and British colleges.." [more]

US Lawmakers Press Arab Governments, China on Darfur [Sep 29]
"..Donald Payne, a New Jersey Democrat told VOA the lawmakers had, in his words, "drawn our line in the sand" regarding the need for urgent Arab government pressure on the Khartoum government to allow a 20,000-strong U.N. force into Darfur.. .. 'The support the Arab League gives to Sudan reflects I think as much in its policies for good as it may be for inaction'.." [more]

Saudi Students Message: 'Peace in the World is Possible' [Sep 28]
"..about 90 people gathered last Wednesday at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ to check in with 30 Saudi students enrolled in classes at Pacific University. Five of the students, who have been in town for about nine months, came to the microphone and spoke – in English – about different aspects of Saudi culture, from the educational system to religion and women’s roles. 'Peace in the world is possible, even though we have different faiths'.." [more]

Raytheon Dedicates HAWK Monument to the Royal Saudi Defense Forces [Sep 28]
"Raytheon Company officials dedicated a bronze HAWK monument to the Royal Saudi Defense Forces earlier this month.. ,,"The Saudis have shown that they are a pillar of stability in the region," said Dan Smith, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. 'We are proud of our continued relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia'.." [more]

Saudi Arabia to Construct Long Fence on Its Border with Iraq [Sep 28]
"Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with plans to build a fence to block terrorists from crossing its 560-mile border with Iraq according to a report by the Associate Press (AP). The barrier, which hasn't been started, is part of a $12 billion package of measures including electronic sensors, security bases and physical barriers to protect the oil-rich kingdom from external threats, said Nawaf Obaid, head of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project.." [more]

NSHR to Promote Human Rights with Film [Sep 28]
"The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) will for the first time produce films to educate Saudis and expatriates on basic human rights in the Kingdom, said Suhaila Zain Al-Abedeen, a senior member of the Society. The Society is determined to sponsor and produce a series of educational films on issues pertaining to domestic violence, expatriate and children’s rights, she said. 'Lack of knowledge about civil rights and rules and regulations is a big factor among the cases we often receive and pursue in the court of law'.." [more]

Italy Simplifies Schengen Visa Formalities for Saudis [Sep 28]
"The Italian Embassy in the Kingdom has simplified its requirements for issuing Schengen visas to Saudis. 'The new arrangement has been made by the embassy and its consulate general in Jeddah in order to facilitate trade and investments between Italy and the Kingdom,' Nicola Orlando of the embassy told Arab News.. ..Nicola said visas could be issued within a period of nine days for Saudis.." [more]

Oil Price Drop if Global Tensions Ease: Saudi Official [Sep 27]
"Easing of international geo-political tensions will certainly help in pushing down the global oil prices, but it is still very difficult to predict the level at which they will settle.. ..Muhammad Al-Jasser, vice-governor, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency.. ..Pointing out that the rise in oil prices was now demand-driven, the Saudi official said there was adequate supply and price rise has not been precipitated by shortage.."[more]

New Trading Hours for Saudi Stock Market Starting Oct 28 [Sep 27]
"Saudi Stock Market decided Tuesday to make its trading hours from 11:00 a.m. to 1:10 p.m., Saturday through Wednesday, starting from October 28, 2006. The head of the market's authority, Abdulrahman Al-Tuwaijri, said the change in the market's trading hours was made because the two trading periods did not fall in sync with trading in other international markets.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Seen as Gateway for SME Exports to Middle East [Sep 27]
"Indonesia is setting its sights on the Middle East as a prospective market for the products of its small and medium enterprises, with Saudi Arabia been mooted as the main gateway to the region.. ..'Maybe we will use Mecca and Medina as the main gateways for SME product exports to the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia and Eastern Europe',," [more]

OIC to Revive Islamic News Agency [Sep 27]
"The world's largest Islamic grouping will revive two Saudi Arabia-based news organizations to counter Western media's "skewered view'' of Islam, a Malaysian official said Wednesday. The 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC, will restart the International Islamic News Agency and the Islamic States Broadcasting Organization - both set up in the 1970s, Malaysia's deputy Information Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid said.." [more]

Guantanamo is a Source of Worry, Saudi Body Told [Sep 27]
"The Guantanamo detention centre is a source of worry to the US government, says Raphael Areca, US assistant secretary of state for human rights affairs. "The US administration is in the process of shutting down the detention centre. There are certain procedures yet to be completed," Areca said during her meeting with Banadar Al Hujar, president of the Saudi National Human Rights Society.." [more]

Saudi Firm Unveils SR1.32 Billion IPO [Sep 26]
"Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair & Company yesterday unveiled its prospectus in advance of the initial public offering to raise SR1.32 billion ($352 million). The proceeds of the IPO will be used for KSA and regional business expansion.. ..The IPO will be open for subscription for 10 days from October 7 to October 16, 2006. The minimum number of shares that an individual investor can subscribe is 10 shares and a maximum of 25000 shares.." [more]

Saudi Arabia to Host Women's Gold, Jewelry Exhibition Next November [Sep 26]
"The Saudi Arabian Capital, Riyadh, will host next month the second women's gold, jewelry, and wrist watch exhibition sponsored by the World Gold Council (WGC). In a press release on Sunday, WGC's Executive Director for the Middle-East region Muaath Barakat said the exhibition, dubbed "Women's Beauty 2006", will take place during November 12-15.." [more]

Ministry Urged to Rein in Wave of Suicides [Sep 26]
"The Saudi Human Rights Commission has urged the Ministry of Health to take urgent steps to contain the increasing number of suicides.. ..According to the figures released by the Ministry of Interior four years ago, the number of suicide and suicide attempt cases in the kingdom had exceeded 700 in a year.." [more]

UN Issues Three Appeals During Ramadan [Sep 26]
"The United Nations on Tuesday put three appeals to the Arab League and Islamic groups to coincide with the holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish New Year in order to restore peace and harmony to war-torn countries, including a peaceful month in Darfur, signing the fate of the two captured Israeli soldiers and to allow humanitarian relief in Palestine.." [more]

Inter-Faith Dialogue Crucial to Peace: Pope [Sep 26]
"Following international condemnation for his comments, Pope Benedict XVI told Muslim envoys yesterday that a dialogue between Christians and Muslims was vital toward preserving peace and stability in a world plagued by religious tensions. Speaking to representatives from 22 Muslim countries, the pope said, 'I should like to reiterate all the esteem and the profound respect that I have for Muslim believers'.." [more]

Water Forum to Explore Investment Opportunities [Sep 26]
"A forum will be held Nov. 11-14 to discuss investment opportunities in the Saudi power and water sectors. This will be the second year for the Jeddah Water and Power Forum, where event organizers estimate that about 500 participants from 39 Arab, Asian and Western countries will convene to discuss developments in these two important sectors.." [more]

Doubtful of the US, Saudi Arabia Begins Looking East [Sep 25]
"This year Saudi Arabia will produce 50 million tons of petrochemicals, making it the seventh largest producer in the world. There are tens of industrial projects in the kingdom valued at hundreds of billions of dollars that are likely to bring production of petrochemicals to 120 million tons by 2015. This growth should translate into sales of $60 billion per year, slowly but surely switching the Saudi economy away from crude oil production alone and making it the leading world producer of petrochemicals.." [more]

Global Campaign Launched to Better Understand Prophet [Sep 25]
"A major global campaign with the aim of properly understanding Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and removing misgivings about Islam has been launched here recently. The campaign was launched jointly by the Programme for Understanding the Prophet of Mercy, an offshoot of the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) and the International Committee for Supporting the Last Prophet.." [more]

Call to Change Weekly Holidays to Friday-Saturday [Sep 25]
"Saudi businessmen, academics and executives have called upon authorities to consider changing weekly holidays to Friday and Saturday saying the move would be essential in order to promote the country’s international business relations.. ..Dr. Abdul Ilah Saati of King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah supported the idea and said it was essential to protect the Kingdom’s economic and commercial interests. 'At present we are cut off from the rest of the world for four days — Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If we change holidays to Friday and Saturday we will get an extra day to make business contacts with companies in other countries'.." [more]

Sponsorship Transfer Liberalized [Sep 25]
"Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi yesterday issued a decision liberalizing transfer of sponsorship by expatriate workers. According to the decision, which comes into effect on Oct. 28, a worker should complete at least one year with his present employer to avail of the new facility.." [more]

Arab TV Channels Shift Focus on Terrorism [Sep 25]
"Several Arab TV channels are showing serials aimed at increasing public awareness about the dangers of terrorism, the Al-Watan daily reported yesterday. Director Aamir Mahmoud, is busy shooting anti-terror scenes for LBC’s “Tash Ma Tash” in Syria. The first episode of the serial was shown on Saturday. LBC is currently showing another serial called “Marigon” (Deviants) focusing on terror and its bitter consequences.." [more]

Private Sector Injects Massive Investments in Saudi Dairy Industry [Sep 25]
"The Saudi dairy industry has grown rapidly over the past two decades, from small farms to world class operations, equipped with modern dairy processing plants and large stocks of cattle. The private sector has injected massive investments in the industry over the years.. ..The development of the dairy industry plays an important role in the Saudi economy due to its links with a wide range of support industries supplying both raw and packaging materials.." [more]

Saudi Arabia Unable to Confirm bin Laden Death [Sep 24]
"Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had no evidence Osama bin Laden had died, shedding further doubt on a secret document leaked in France that said Saudi secret services believed he had died last month. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said that as far as he knew the al Qaeda leader was still alive.. ..Time magazine separately posted an article on its Web site quoting an unidentified Saudi source as saying bin Laden was stricken with a water-borne disease and may already be dead.." [more]

Oil Fuelling Islamic Finance Sector [Sep 24]
"The Islamic finance sector is prospering due to a growing demand from investors, both Muslim and non-Muslim, and the flow of oil money from the Gulf. Analysts estimate that the Islamic finance sector - which complies with Sharia law based on the Quran - is now worth up to $500 billion, compared to $200 billion two years ago.." [more]

Saudis Telecast Taraweeh Prayers in English and French [Sep 24]
"The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance has started live transmission of translation of Taraweeh prayers from the Haram Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah in English and French.. ..In a press statement, the minister said that the new programme aims to help hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, who do not know Arabic, to understand the verses of the Quran and the special prayers made in Taraweeh.." [more]

Politics and Technology Can Influence the Timing of Ramadan [Sep 24]
"..The timing of Ramadan, when the faithful fast from dawn until dusk, varies in different Muslim countries depending on the sighting of the new moon, according to the Islamic lunar calendar that binds the world's one billion Muslims. Reasons for the discrepancy range from the political to the esoteric. Most Gulf countries follow Saudi Arabia.." [more]

Saud Calls for Resolution of Mideast Row [Sep 24]
"Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal yesterday called for a quick and just solution to the protracted Arab-Israeli conflict. “It’s high time we reach just and comprehensive solution to this issue in the light of international law and UN resolutions,” he told the UN General Assembly.." [more]

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