Riyadh: The Kingdon’s census will enter a key phase next week with the nationwide listing of buildings and commercial entities, including abandoned homes, tents and mud houses built in far-flung desert areas.
“The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) is looking for a growth of four percent in terms of tourist arrivals,” said Abdullah S. Al-Jehani, SCTA vice president for marketing & media affairs, while addressing a press conference here on Tuesday.
The spokesman, Osama Nugali, confirmed, however, that the 17-year-old has arrived in Syria with her mother and is in “good health and spirits.” “The repatriation of Iman is not a political issue,” said Nugali, referring to media reports that have surfaced since her escape from a family compound near Tehran to the Saudi Embassy in the hopes of leaving Iran.
The festival, which will stage about 150 cultural programs over the next two weeks, has been designed this year to showcase the achievements of the Kingdom, he added. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah formally inaugurated the event on Wednesday. “The festival has also become a strong forum where a large number of politicians, writers, scholars and thinkers gather together every year regardless of their ideological backgrounds to express their views on matters of common concern,” said Prince Salman, referring to the interfaith dialogue promoted by King Abdullah.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah inaugurated this two-week cultural extravaganza at Janadriya village, 45 km north-east of the capital, on Tuesday. “The focus will also be the presence of about 400 scholars, writers and men of letters including litterateurs and artists, who will start performing from Wednesday and carry on until March 30,” said Abdul Mohsin Al-Tuwaijri, assistant deputy commander of the National Guard.
The talks covered a range of international issues with added emphasis on stability in Bosnia, bilateral ties and the need to boost Saudi investment in that country. During his one-day visit to Riyadh, Silajdzic was received by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, at Al-Yamamah Palace.
Yekaterina Mayering-Mikadze, who presented a copy of her credentials to Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, is the current Georgian ambassador to Kuwait. She also represents her country in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE.
The GCC foreign ministers, meeting in Riyadh, also condemned Tel Aviv for the deliberate inclusion of several Islamic monuments, including Al-Ibrahim Mosque in Al-Khalil, (Hebron) and Bilal Mosque in Bethlehem, among its Jewish heritage and culture sites.
“The two law firms have endorsed an agreement that will enable them to cooperate and offer a broad range of legal services to clients in this country and abroad,” Konstantin Mettenheimer, Freshfields’ senior partner, said on Wednesday. “This association will prove beneficial to clients of both firms, and will strengthen our law team and our practice on all fronts,” said Mettenheimer, who is currently visiting Saudi Arabia.
Muneer Ahmed M. Yunus, a spokesman of the Jeddah-based International Bunkering Co., which owns and operates the tanker, said the company “lost communication with the vessel on Monday.”