SUSRIS Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]
Abbas in Riyadh Ahead of Expected Peace Talks With Israel [May 4]
“Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas held talks in Middle East oil kingpin Saudi Arabia on Tuesday amid a flurry of diplomacy ahead of an expected resumption of peace talks with Israel. Abbas was met by intelligence chief Prince Miqrin bin Abdul Aziz and was scheduled to hold talks with King Abdullah, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. “The visit comes as a part of diplomatic coordination ahead of the so-called proximity talks,” a Palestinian diplomat told AFP, referring to the US-brokered indirect negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis. After meeting Abdullah, Abbas will head to Egypt for talks with President Hosni Mubarak, ahead of a planned meeting on Friday with US Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell, who arrived in the region Tuesday. Mubarak met in Egypt on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the two discussed the resumption of peace talks, the Israeli leader’s office said. Saudi Arabia has played a key role in supporting negotiations towards a two-state solution, and in 2002 launched an Arab peace initiative towards this end. Egypt is also a key Arab partner in the negotiations..” [Complete Report]
‘Modernists’ Should Not Be Backed: Al-Barrak [May 4]
“Saudi Islamic scholar Abdul Rahman Al-Barrak has urged Minister of Justice Muhammad Al-Eissa and two other leading scholars, Eissa Al-Ghaith and Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, not to support ‘modernists.’ In a statement on Monday, Al-Ghaith denounced Al-Barrak’s arrogant attitude and asked him not to adopt extreme views, make false allegations and provoke people against the Kingdom and its rulers.. ..Earlier, in a letter to the three scholars, Al-Barrak wrote, ‘Don’t be the keys for evil (to pervade) among the Ummah by belittling and underestimating that which the enemies of God … want in terms of changing the condition of this beloved Kingdom.’ He said liberalization of women was one of the major outcomes of the enemies’ plots. ‘This has led to the mingling of sexes in the worst form in work places and educational institutions, and the opening of cinemas, and music and dance clubs,’ he said, citing the situation in some Muslim countries..” [Complete Report]
Saudi Arabia Delays Signing Arms Contract [May 4]
“Saudi Arabia is waiting for the next British government to take shape before signing a defence contract worth up to £4 billion to the UK economy, The Times has learnt. The contract concerns weapons for the Eurofighter Typhoon jets sold to Riyadh by BAE Systems under a £20 billion deal signed by the two governments in September 2007. The munitions contract is the last big package of the al-Salam deal still to be signed. Negotiations are believed to be well advanced but Riyadh is understood to have balked at finalising the agreement because a change of government in Britain looks likely. The move echoes the Saudi approach when agreeing the original contract to purchase 72 Typhoons at a cost of £4.43 billion four years ago. Although al-Salam — meaning peace in Arabic — was agreed in August 2006, Riyadh resisted signing the deal until September 2007, a few months after Gordon Brown had replaced Tony Blair as Prime Minister..” [Complete Report]
Saudi School Aims To Save The Planet [May 4]
” How much would it cost to solve some of the world’s biggest problems? King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia says about $10 billion — that’s the endowment he’s given to the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or KAUST, a huge research facility devoted to solving some of the major problems facing the planet. The brand new school — it opened just this past fall — rises from the desert north of Jeddah like the secret research lab in a James Bond movie. The desert blooms here, thanks to a private desalination plant and an army of gardeners. With a private Red Sea beach, knock-your-socks-off architecture and world-class labs, KAUST hopes to lure the world’s brainiest scientists to this Xanadu for nerds..” [Complete Report]
Tabreed Saudi Unit Wins $480 Mln Aramco Deal [May 4]
“The Saudi unit of Dubai-listed refrigeration and cooling company Tabreed TABR.DU has won a $480 million contract to build a central cooling station for Saudi Aramco, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. Saudi Tabreed — a Saudi private sector joint venture company with Tabreed, also known as the National Cooling Co — expects to complete the project in the first quarter of 2012, pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on its website. The project at Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran is being financed by Banque Saudi Fransi 1050.SE, the newspaper said..” [Complete Report]
