ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]
Saudi Arabia Backs Relaunch Of Israel-Palestinian Direct Talks [Aug 24]
“ Saudi Arabia, a leading provider of aid to Palestinians, has welcomed proposals to relaunch U.S.-initiated direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians aimed at reaching a peace settlement in an year. The Saudi Cabinet in a late-night sitting on Monday gave its approval to the plan for direct negotiations on a two-state peace settlement starting in Washington on September 2, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA ) said. The Saudi backing comes a day after King Abdullah discussed the peace plans with visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan.. .. Oil-rich Saudi Arabia has played an important role in mobilizing regional support for its Arab land-for-peace initiative, based on a two-state solution with east Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital..”
[Complete Report]
Lockheed Nabs $6.5 Million Deal to Build Test Systems for Saudis [Aug 24]
“Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control in Orlando has received an Air Force deal worth $6.5 million to produce advanced weapons testing and maintenance equipment as part of a U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said Monday. The deployment test-and-maintenance kits are used to examine and repair navigation and weapons-firing systems for U.S. combat aircraft that are part of the Saudi military. Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed has been a part of several major U.S. arms deals this year with the Saudis. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. and Saudis are negotiating a deal potentially worth $30 billion involving F-15E fighter jets. Lockheed produces the F-15E’s night-vision navigation and weapons-targeting systems in Orlando..” [Complete Report]
UK-Supplied Planes ‘Attacked Yemen’ [Aug 24]
“Tornado fighter-bombers supplied by the UK to Saudi Arabia are “extremely likely” to have been used in attacks on civilians in Yemen, human rights campaigners have said. Amnesty International UK called for the Government to suspend all arms supplies to Saudi Arabia pending a full investigation. The UK must ensure that any support it has provided for the jet fighters “did not facilitate violations of international humanitarian law, including possible war crimes, by the Saudi Arabian air force,” it said. Amnesty’s report, Yemen: Cracking Down Under Pressure, found it was “extremely likely that the Saudi air force deployed UK-supplied Tornado fighter-bombers in the strikes” over northern Yemen in early November 2009..” [Complete Report]
Ministry of Justice to Monitor Judges’ Performance Online [Aug 24]
“The Ministry of Justice will start online monitoring of the performance of judges in all courts in the Kingdom with the completion of the current work for the link up of courts with the ministry, Al-Watan daily reported on Monday. “The inspectors of the Supreme Judicial Council will follow in detail the proceedings of a judge while handling a case in any court once the networking is completed. They will also look whether judges are keeping the time schedule for case sittings and if the courts are fulfilling the required conditions while examining cases and passing judgments,” Director General of the Computer Department in the ministry Majed Al-Adwan said. While the inspectors would be supplied with secret codes to gain access to live proceedings in courts, the system would not allow the supervisors to interfere with the work of a judge, Al-Adwan added. The online linking of courts will also enable a court of appeal to review the proceeding of a lower court without calling for the physical transfer of documents or evidences to the court of appeal, he said..” [Complete Report]
SEC Approves SR14.7 Billion Power Projects [Aug 24]
“Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) on Monday said it approved the award of seven power projects worth SR14.7 billion ($3.92 billion) to meet rising demand in the Kingdom.. .. Power demand in the world’s largest oil exporter is rising at an annual eight percent and is expected to triple to 121,000 megawatts from 40,000 megawatts currently, government officials say. In April, SEC secured a SR15 billion ($4 billion) soft loan from the government. The bulk of the loan will finance the construction of the plant in Rabigh where the giant King Abdullah Economic City is under construction..” [Complete Report]
Kingdom Remains Key Contributor to Sukuk Market [Aug 24]
“Saudi Arabia contributed more than 14 percent to the total value of sukuk issued globally in the first half of 2010, while the international Islamic bond market is expected to reach $30 billion this year, according to a report. Total sukuk issued globally during the first half of this year was valued at $16.5 billion, an increase of 116.3 percent from $7.6 billion during the corresponding period in 2009, said the report prepared by Kuwait Finance House (KFH) Research Limited. Sukuk market is set to maintain its vitality during 2010 on the back of the recovery in global economic activity, record low interest rates, continued sovereign fund-raising to support economic growth as well as a revival of private sector projects. Approximately 79.7 percent of fund-raisers were sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities during the first half of 2010..” [Complete Report]
Saudi Official: Paralysis Not Considered as Punishment [Aug 24]
“Saudi authorities backed away Monday from reports last week that a court was preparing to order a man paralyzed as punishment for paralyzing another man, allegedly in a fight. The paralyzed man, identified by the Saudi newspaper Okaz as 22-year-old Abdul-Aziz al-Mitairy, requested the paralysis under sharia law, and, Okaz reported, the judge in the case had sent letters to several Saudi hospitals asking if they could sever a man’s spinal cord. But the Saudi Ministry of Justice denied that paralysis was ever considered as a punishment in the case, a high ranking Saudi government official told CNN. The president of the court in the northwest province of Tabuk, where the incident took place, also disputed the reports. “The proceedings in this case are still pending, and no verdict had been issued in that regards,” Sheikh Saud Al-Yousef told Al-Riyadh newspaper..” [Complete Report]
