FROM THE PRESS, EDITORIAL HIGHLIGHTS, and photos ...... 

During March and April, Saudi Arabian newspapers reported on a variety of topics related to the Kingdom and the world.  Major headlines reported that:

·         On the instructions of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia in March sent tens of thousands of containers of food, clothing, tents, blankets and medicine, plus mobile medical clinics and money to help rebuild areas in Afghanistan ravaged by earthquakes. Also, urgently needed shipments of foodstuffs, tents and blankets were sent to Mauritania, hit by heavy rains and unseasonably cold weather in April. Similar relief aid was sent to victims of the cyclone that recently hit the island of Mauritius.

·         The Majlis Al-Shura (Consultative Council) reorganizes the composition of its eleven specialized committees.

·         Saudi Arabia has provided more than 76 billion U.S. dollars in aid to developing countries during the past three decades, Minister of Finance and National Economy Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf tells a conference on development financing in Mexico.

·         Some 180 boy and cub scouts from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain attend the Boy Scouts of America Spring Camporee 2002 at the Thumamah Park near Jeddah in March.

EDITORIAL HIGHLIGHTS

SAUDI-U.S. TALKS STRENGTHEN RELATIONS

The official visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to the U.S. for a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush on April 25 was viewed by Saudi Arabian newspapers as having bolstered already close relations between the two countries. The English-language Riyadh Daily said the contents of the talks as well as their tone “were a sure indicator that Saudi-U.S. relations are very much on a sound footing.”

The newspaper added that in addition to strengthening relations, the talks succeeded in pushing forward the prospects for Middle East peace. The 8-point peace plan put forward by Crown Prince Abdullah “is by far the most thoughtful and workable blueprint for peace in the region. ... This is the first serious effort being made to group together a practical solution to the impasse” that has taken hold of the peace process since Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took office.

UN SHOULD PROBE WHAT HAPPENED IN JENIN

Saudi Arabian newspapers called for a United Nations-sponsored investigation of the alleged massacre of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army in Jenin, and condemned Israeli efforts to derail such an investigation. “It is not just the Palestinians who say that a massacre took place there,” wrote the Jeddah-based English-language daily Arab News. “A host of independent witnesses say that something terrible happened there. Whatever it was, it has to be investigated. Justice demands it.” The newspaper said the many preconditions that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon set for the investigation were clearly designed to force the UN to abandon it. The newspaper, however, said “the speed with which it [the UN] threw in the towel is particularly shocking. The decision does great damage to the UN’s reputation. Not only will Palestinians be devastated by the news, so will anyone who had faith in the UN’s integrity. It had both the duty and the chance to make a stand for truth  and it has blown it.”

Page 13 photo: 

CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH AND U.S. SECRETARY POWELL MEET IN CASABLANCA

Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz met with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Casablanca, Morocco, on April 8, ahead of his official visit to the United States for a meeting with President George W. Bush. Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal attended the meeting.

Page 16 photo: 

SAUDI WORKS OF ART