Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, opened at the royal court at al-Salam Palace in Jeddah today the fourth year of the Shoura Council's second round.
The meeting was attended by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Prince Fahd bin Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz, Prince Bander bin Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Prince Mit'eb bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Public Works and Housing, Prince Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Prince Badr bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Commander of the National Guard, Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Abdul Aziz, Prince Bander bin Khalid bin Abdul Aziz, Prince Abdullah bin Turki bin Abdul Aziz, Prince Mamdouh bin Abdul Aziz, chief of the Strategic Studies Center, Prince Abdulmajeed bin Abdul Aziz, governor of Makkah region, Prince Miqrin bin Abdul Aziz, governor of al-Madinah region, other princes, Ulemas, ministers and senior civil and military officials.
Addressing the gathering, the monarch said the practice of Shoura (consultation) according to Islamic principles had been in operation for 75 years, since the founder of the Kingdom, the late King Abdul Aziz, issued Saudi Arabia's first Shoura Council's system in 1925.
Farsighted, King Abdul Aziz was aware that correct decisions are those based on consultation with experienced and educated people, King Fahd said.
He highlighted the role of the Saudi Shoura Council in various aspects of development and in contributing to the regulation of different aspects of life in the country. ‘As the country has made great strides in development, I issued the new Shoura Council's system to match contemporary developments in a way that would not contradict Shariah law', he said.
He said the Saudi citizen would remain at the heart of his government’s concerns.
King Fahd vowed not to make any concessions or compromise on Islamic Shariah, citing the Shoura Council's positive experience in the world of today. He said the experience had been well-received by impartial circles in the world. King Fahd pointed to the speedy economic and social development as well as to the psychological satisfaction and comfort of the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a rare combination conducive to stability. He drew the attention to the pressures being exerted on the Kingdom to revise its Shoura experiment and religious system, citing the recent campaign against human rights system in the Kingdom. In response, he drew the attention to daily breaches of women’s and children’s rights in non-Saudi and non-Islamic societies.
He cited the 26th article of the Shoura Council's act as stating that the Saudi government protects human rights according to Islamic Shariah law.
He expressed respect for endeavors in the world to bring about comfort and prosperity to the people of the earth, but warned of the repercussions of attempts to force religious societies to abandon their religious cultures, particularly the Islamic faith.
He stated that Saudi Arabia supports understanding with other cultures and totally rejects the concept of oppression or domination of one particular culture over others.
He said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was not living on an isolated island in the contemporary world. ‘It is part of what is going on, and despite difference with others on some issues, it supports all steps leading to the development and prosperity of societies’, he said. He added that the Kingdom was keeping a close eye on the recent challenges characterizing the world of today. Advanced means of telecommunications made the world virtually one community, a community which has to live in harmony.
To this effect, he cited the flow of trade and investment, easy transfer of capital and elimination of market barriers in the world.
He said the Kingdom was aware of the importance of cooperation among the parties of the world and urged the industrial countries in particular to facilitate the transfer of technology to developing countries in order to minimize the economic gap between rich and poor countries.
In this connection, he said cooperation among the industrialized countries was not enough to alleviate the forthcoming crises. The developed countries themselves have to be ready to create the infrastructure for effective economies, with robust scientific and financial investment policies, to guarantee progress, he added.
He said the Kingdom was proceeding in its bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Also he recalled the issuance of the foreign investment system which he said had been welcomed in the world’s economic and investment circles and had attracted many international investors to begin negotiations with the Kingdom on their investment future ‘in our country’. He expected this development to contribute to a qualitative leap in the Saudi economy, while generating good profits for foreign investors in the Kingdom.
Measures are currently being taken to hold an economic conference to discuss the environment and opportunities for investment in the Kingdom, he declared adding that the event would gather an elite of politicians, businessmen, decision-makers, industrialists, legal counsellors and bankers in the public and private sectors as well.
He considered the Supreme Economic Council in the Kingdom as part of a system of measures currently being taken by the Government to diversify and support the Saudi economy, citing the recent call of the Supreme Council for Petroleum and Minerals Affairs to international oil companies to invest in the Kingdom.
He said so far some 18 international companies, including the world's biggest oil conglomerates, have extended bids for investment in the Kingdom. He expected that the measure would pour billions of dollars into the Saudi economy over the next ten years and foresaw the beneficial effects of this investment on the standard of living, and job opportunities for Saudi youth and sub-contractors.
He expressed confidence on the stability of oil prices and the cooperation of oil partners to secure the interest of both producers and consumers.
He emphasized the role of the private sector in development, citing the power generation, telecommunications, educational, health, entertainment and ports projects. In this context, he gave an account on the development of the Saudi private sector, which he said has grown by 8.4 percent at current rates and by 2 percent at fixed rates last year.
He expressed optimism for the continuation of these positive indexes.
Casting light on this year's budget, the monarch said the Government continued its policy of stabilizing local prices of commodities as well as the exchange rate of the local currency. He cited the healthy condition of the Saudi banking system.
He lauded the newly-introduced cooperative medical insurance and recalled that studies are underway to establish a Saudi services stock company in the cities of Jubail and Yanbu.
The King also drew the attention to the establishment of the Saudi Electricity Company last year.
This year, the Higher Commission for Tourism was established and regulations to issue tourist visas were implemented. He said that developing tourism was one in a series of measures aiming to reactivate the economy. He pointed out that several steps were successfully being taken in a record time.
He confirmed the success of the last pilgrimage (Hajj) season.
He showed the importance of transportation and roads in this continent-like country.
He underscored the importance of rationalizing water consumption.
The King then gave a full account on the Kingdom's strong position in support of Islamic causes and communities abroad. He cited Kosovo and Chechnya and the visits paid by Arab leaders to the country or Crown Prince Abdullah's visits or Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the second Deputy Premier's visits to Arab countries. He stated the Kingdom's unequivocal stance that Israel's procrastination and intransigence was the only cause of the derailment of the peace process in the region. In this context, he congratulated Lebanon on the reclamation of its southern part from Israel and vowed to continue support for Syria in regaining the Golan Heights.
Turning to the Kingdom's relations with its Gulf partners, the King said the agreements and joint ventures among the GCC member states was another evidence of its good relations. He described the GCC as a successful experience. In this context, he lauded the demarcation of borders between the Kingdom and the state of Qatar.
On the Kingdom's foreign policy, he said the Kingdom always supported whatever enhanced security and peace in the world. He expressed support for the Arab League's efforts to unify Arab ranks and also expressed support for the Organization of Islamic Conference.
He then thanked the governors of the regions and municipalities for their efforts to support development in the Kingdom.
Source: SPA