FROM THE KINGDOM ......

DEATH OF CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL CHAIRMAN BIN JUBAIR

Chairman of Majlis Al-Shura (Consultative Council) Shaikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Jubair passed away at the age of 76 on January 24 at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. Shaikh bin Jubair served as Minister of Justice and headed the Court of Grievances before assuming the chairmanship of the council. Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid was appointed as chairman of the council. Born in Buraydah in 1950, Dr. Humaid has a PhD in Shari’ah (Islamic law). For the past two years he has been General President for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. He has been a member of the council for eight years.

SAMA DENIES REPORTS OF MONITORING OF PRIVATE BANK ACCOUNTS 

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) on February 6 denied media reports that it was monitoring the private accounts of individuals. Private accounts of individuals and private companies in Saudi Arabia enjoy the protection and privacy guaranteed by the Kingdom’s laws, SAMA stated. Banks are not allowed to provide any entity, whether official or non-official, domestic or foreign, with information on any bank dealings or accounts except through SAMA. The statement confirmed, however, the Kingdom’s cooperation with international efforts to combat terrorism and money laundering by enforcing the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Measures taken by SAMA in this regard relate to some 150 names indicated by the Security Council. Most of these, the statement said, are foreign, and 97 of them have no dealings with Saudi banks. Accordingly, only four accounts have been frozen.

GCC STANDARDS COMMISSION 

The ministers of commerce and industry of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries - Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates - met in Riyadh on February 12 to discuss the necessary mechanisms to unify procedures through the new GCC Commission for Standards and Classification, for the purpose of increasing the volume of trade among member states. 

TRADEMARK BILL APPROVED 

On January 6, Majlis Al-Shura (Consultative Council) approved the Trademark Bill. The 58-article bill was passed after thorough discussions over a number of sessions. 

SYMPOSIUM ON DEVELOPMENT OF RIYADH 

Riyadh has grown from a city of approximately one square mile with fewer than 30,000 inhabitants a century ago to one covering an area of more than 390 square miles and a population of about 4.5 million, head of projects and planning of the Higher Commission for the Development of Riyadh Abdellatif Al-Ashaikh told a symposium on the provision of public utilities to Riyadh on January 14. The symposium was organized by the commission in cooperation with the University of California at Berkeley to discuss the expansion of Riyadh and ways of meeting the city’s urban and industrial needs.  Mr. Al-Ashaikh said Riyadh’s population is projected to   increase to over 10 million by the year 2020. 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION 

Deputy Governor of Riyadh Province Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz opened in Riyadh on February 3 an international symposium on advances in environmental conservation. Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who is Managing Director of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD), in an address read on his behalf by NCWCD Secretary-General Dr. Abdulaziz Abu Zinada, reviewed the Kingdom’s economic, social, health, agricultural, scientific and educational development over the past two decades and stressed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to achieving development while safeguarding the environment. Secretary-General of the Higher Commission for Tourism (HCT) Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz said the commission is actively promoting environmental conservation in its national comprehensive strategy for the growth of tourism. 

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Iran on February 5 signed a memorandum of understanding on environmental conservation. Addressing the fourth session of the Saudi-Iranian Joint Commission in Tehran, Minister of Commerce Osama Faqih said the memorandum covers meteorology, preservation of biological diversification, development of wildlife and management of natural resources, as well as protection of the environment in the Arabian Gulf region. 

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY GROWING 

The number of physicians working in the Kingdom has grown to 6,281, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Dr. Hassan Jamal told a seminar on health services and environmental protection organized in Jeddah by King Abdulaziz University on January 6. He added that there are now 1,766 primary health care centers, and 189 hospitals, with 27,826 beds. In addition, there are 130 kidney centers and 19 dental facilities.