SUSRIS Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]
Saudi’s Naimi, From Office Boy to Top Oil Min [Sep 10]
“Saudi Arabian OilMinister Ali al-Naimi helped to calm a record price rally, halta record crash and restore OPEC’s damaged credibility. Repeated rumours the 75-year-old minister plans to retirefrom the top of the world’s most powerful oil ministry have sofar proved unfounded. One of the leading oil exporter’s highest rankingnon-royals, the technocrat commands respect for his market savvyand deft handling of OPEC politics, notably between Riyadh andTehran, the group’s second biggest producer. For the OPEC press corps, which has pursued Naimi aroundluxurious hotel lobbies across the world, an interview with himis the ultimate scoop and every syllable he utters to the unrulyscrum is instantly flashed on to the wires. “Naimi is doing a superb job. Everyone in the kingdom hasthe highest regard for him,” said Sadad al-Husseini, a formertop official at Saudi state oil giant Saudi Aramco. “When your horse is winning you don’t get off your horse.” Naimi was promoted to the top oil job in 1995 after spendingnearly half a century making his way through the ranks..” [Complete Report]
WAMY Chief Fears Violence Following Burning of Quran Copies [Sep 10]
“Saleh S. Al-Wohaibi, the head of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), has expressed fears the burning of copies of the Qura’n by a small church in Florida on Saturday, the anniversary of the September 2001 attacks, has the potential of sparking violence in different parts of the world. The WAMY chief said that the burning of the Holy Book could spark anti-American violence, including against US soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. “This is also a concern shared by the US commander in Afghanistan,” said the WAMY chief, referring to Gen. David Petraeus’ recent comments about the controversy.. .. Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki also spoke out against the planned book burning, calling it “an act of heinous aggression on Islam and its religious book.”..” [Complete Report]
Italy Pledges More Efforts to Ensure Middle East Stability [Sep 10]
“Saudi Arabia and Italy, which have been actively engaged in attempts to revive the Middle East peace process, have pledged to exert more efforts to stabilize the region. “The move is to ensure peace and security in the region as the renewal of direct talks in Washington seek to contribute to a possible agreement between Palestinians and Israelis,” said Velentino Simonetti, a career diplomat who presented his credential as new Italian ambassador to Saudi Arabia last week. Italy, he said, was also spearheading efforts to put together a credible UN peace force for southern Lebanon. On the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, he said the Kingdom and Italy believe in a two-state solution and are equally engaged in attempts to revive the peace process..” [Complete Report]
Saudi Arabia Lacks High End Retail Space [Sep 10]
“Despite a high population with good purchasing power, the lack of luxury retail space in Saudi Arabia is hampering firms’ attempts to maximise opportunities there, a leading local executive has warned. According to Fadi Jabbour, the Chalhoub Group’s regional retail chief operating officer, Saudi visitors from the Eastern Region provide as much as 50 percent of the clientele of high end stores in nearby Bahrain.. ..He added: “But there is a need for a more mainstream destination such as the Mall of the Emirates [in Dubai] or Bahrain City Centre. The opening of Star Avenue in Jeddah has not yet given the full results that people were expecting.” .. ..Jabbour described the Chalhoub Group’s first half in Jeddah as “quite flat” and said that he could see no new developments on the horizon that would solve the problem..” [Complete Report]
