It was announced today that the Faculty of Architecture and Planning at King Saud University, in collaboration with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance, will organize an international seminar on the architecture of mosques during the lunar month of Shawwal, which begins on January 18, 1999. This seminar is within the framework of the celebrations on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the event that led to the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and will focus on the historical expansion of the Two Holy Mosques. An international exhibition on the architecture of mosques will be organized at the fringes of the seminar to highlight the efforts exerted by the Kingdom in the service of mosques worldwide.

Meanwhile, the French and Greek ambassadors to the Kingdom, in a radio broadcast yesterday, both congratulated the Saudi government and people on the occasion of the centenary, underlining the close relations that exist between their countries and Saudi Arabia. The French ambassador remarked that France was one of the first countries to recognize the Kingdom following its unification by King Abdul Aziz, and referred to the common desire to develop bilateral relations not only at the political and defense levels, but also in economic, commercial and financial spheres. The Greek ambassador underscored the importance of the centennial, noting the Kingdom's distinguished status in the Muslim world, and praised Saudi efforts to support the Middle East peace process and to enhance the pillars of stability in the Arabian Gulf region. He described Saudi-Greek relations as excellent, and based on principles of mutual respect.

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