VIP VISITS, NEWSBRIEFS, AND WASHINGTON NOTES ......

VISITING VIPs ….

KING FAHD MEETS WITH U.S. VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz met U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney in Jeddah on March 16. During the talks, which were attended by Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, they reviewed the latest international developments, in particular the escalating Israeli military aggression against the Palestinians in the occupied territories. Vice President Cheney also met separately with Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector-General Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Head of General Intelligence Prince Nawaf bin Abdulaziz and Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ambassador Prince Bandar said the talks included discussion of the Crown Prince’s vision for peace in the Middle East and Saudi-U.S. cooperation in the international campaign against terrorism.

SYRIAN PRESIDENT VISITS SAUDI ARABIA

King Fahd bin Abdulaziz met with Syrian President Dr. Bashar Al-Assad in Jeddah on March 5. The two leaders chaired a round of discussions attended by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Syrian Vice President Abdulhalim Khaddam, and Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Farouk Al-Shara. The talks covered the latest developments in the Middle East in light of Israel’s dangerous escalation of military operations against the Palestinian people.

KING FAHD MEETS WITH ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER 

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz met with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Jeddah on March 12, and chaired with him official Saudi-Italian talks that covered developments in the Middle East, notably the Palestinian issue, as well as cooperation between the two countries in all fields. During a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister Berlusconi discussed the Crown Prince’s initiative for peace in the Middle East. The talks were attended by Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector-General Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz and other senior officials. During his two-day state visit, Prime Minister Berlusconi also met with Minister of Interior Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi and Minister of Finance and National Economy Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf.

CHINESE DEPUTY PREMIER ON VISIT

King Fahd bin Abdulaziz received in Jeddah on March 31 Chinese Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economy and external trade, Ms. Wu Yi, who conveyed a message from Chinese President Jiang Zemin. The following day, Ms. Wu met with Minister of Finance and National Economy Dr. Ibrahim AL-Assaf, who commented afterwards that they had discussed relations between the two countries, notably in the areas of investment and commerce, and that they had agreed to create opportunities for increased trade and joint investment between the two countries.

NEWS BRIEFS ….

KING FAHD SENDS MESSAGE TO RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal delivered a message from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 18. The message dealt with bilateral relations, as well as regional and international developments. During his two-day visit to Moscow, Prince Saud (left) also met with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, and speaking to reporters after their meeting, described the situation in the Middle East as extremely dangerous. He called for withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied Palestinian territories and the provision of international protection for the Palestinian people. Prince Saud said Crown Prince Abdullah’s peace initiative, which was endorsed by the League of Arab States Summit meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 28 [see story, Page 1] offers a unique opportunity for resuming talks aimed at securing a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Minister Ivanov said Riyadh and Moscow share identical views as regards an immediate end to Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

KINGDOM ADDRESSES HUMAN RIGHTS SESSION IN GENEVA

Assistant Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prince Dr. Turki bin Muhammad bin Saud Al-Kabeer, led the Saudi Arabian delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva on April 12. In a speech to the meetings, he noted that Islam endorses the principles of human rights and strongly condemns all terrorist acts that target innocent people and their property. He added that Saudi Arabia promotes human rights not only at home but also overseas, through its support of various United Nations organizations. Reiterating the Kingdom’s condemnation of the terrorist acts against the United States on September 11, 2001, Prince Turki noted that the ongoing U.S.-led efforts to combat international terrorism should not deflect attention from the Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people and the violation of their human rights. He also called on the United Nations to support Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz’s initiative for peace in the Middle East.

SAUDI DELEGATIONS ATTEND IMF AND WORLD BANK MEETINGS

Minister of Finance and National Economy Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf attended the annual sessions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, as well as the Saudi-U.S. energy and economic meetings in Washington, DC, in late April. At a meeting of the World Bank Development Committee, Minister Al-Assaf said the industrialized countries should provide the financial resources needed for development and open their markets to products from developing countries. Addressing the IMF’s monetary and financial committee, he reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to stabilize oil prices through cooperation with oil-producing and consuming nations, and said the Kingdom had taken appropriate measures to combat money laundering and the financing of acts of terrorism.

Addressing the Saudi-U.S. energy and economic meeting, Minister Al-Assaf stated that September 11 was a shock not only to Americans, but also to the people of Saudi Arabia. He said the strong friendship that has existed between the two countries over the past seven decades, however, was able to contain the adverse impact of those acts of terror.

WASHINGTON NOTES ...

UNPF OFFICIAL SPEAKS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Dr. Thoraya Obaid of Saudi Arabia, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations, said the involvement of local religious and community leaders is vital for the success of UN efforts to improve medical and living conditions in the developing world. In a statement entitled “Building Bridges for Human Development” that she delivered at Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies on April 25, Dr. Obaid said that when approached, such leaders and groups have responded positively and have helped improve the efficiency of the UNPF’s various projects, including those for reproductive health, gender equality and HIV prevention efforts.

SAUDI ARTIST EXHIBITS WORK IN WASHINGTON

Saudi Arabian artist Nahed Turkestani held an exhibition of her works of art at George Washington University’s Dimock Gallery in Washington, DC, in April. Ms. Turkestani’s works are primarily ceramic sculptures and panels that reflect the influence of her native Jeddah’s traditional architecture, culture and climate.