"RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 18 — Saudi Arabia's foreign minister urged the United States this weekend to give peace a chance in Iraq and focus instead on settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  The foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, interviewed at his office in the Foreign Ministry building here, said the Bush administration's obsession with Iraq "has diverted attention from many crucial issues in the Middle East, particularly the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the need for this region to move again toward economic development."  Complete report...

SAUDIS HELD FOR SUSPECTED AL QAEDA TIES

"Saudi Arabia holds more than 100 Saudi nationals suspected of ties to al Qaeda, Interior Minister Prince Nayef was quoted [Nov. 20] as saying. "Prince Nayef unveiled the arrest of more than 100 Saudis who returned from Afghanistan on suspicion of having links to the al Qaeda organization," al-Eqtisadiah newspaper reported. It was the first official estimate of the number of detainees on terrorism charges in the kingdom after last year's September 11 attacks on the United States. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers in those attacks were identified as Saudis..."  [Expired Link]

SAUDI SAYS TERROR SUSPECT CAUGHT AFTER SHOOTOUT IN RIYADH

"A suspected terrorist was wounded and captured after a shootout with police in the Saudi capital, an interior ministry spokesman said [Nov 18]. “Mohammad Al Sahim, wanted on security charges, tried to flee and shot at security forces who managed to arrest him after shooting him in the right leg,” the spokesman said. He said no policemen were hurt in Saturday's shooting, after an exiled Saudi opposition spokesman told AFP eight policemen were wounded in the firefight in Al Shifa district, south of Riyadh.  Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef Ben Abdul Aziz, also denied any police were wounded in the several-day hunt for the man who was wanted for terrorism..."  Source: Jordan Times, AFP

SAUDI LEADS EFFORT TO CUT OIL

"OPEC power Saudi Arabia has changed tack on output policy and is leading a drive aimed at reining in overproduction to help stem a slide in world oil prices, industry and OPEC sources said on [Nov 19]. Riyadh has informed many customers of cutbacks in December supplies under term contracts after several months of heavy leakage above its official OPEC quota, they said. The move comes as Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries officials fret that quota-busting has got out of hand, undermining oil prices despite the bullish threat of a war against cartel member Iraq..."  [Expired Link]

AL-WALID BIN TALAL DONATES HALF A MILLION FOR CAIR CAMPAIGN IN THE USA

"The office of the Saudi prince al-Walid Bin Talal announced in a statement it issued [Nov. 18] that it offered a donation of USD half a million to finance a campaign organized by the Council of the Arab-Islamic relations CAIR in the USA in order to defend Islam in the American society..."  Complete report...

AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE MADE MANDATORY IN SAUDI ARABIA

"Motorists in Saudi Arabia will now be required to have compulsory automobile insurance starting tomorrow. The new automobile insurance scheme, with an estimated of 2.5 billion riyals of market volume will be implemented for more than two million automobiles during the first phase. The scheme, which is expected to cover seven million automobiles on completion, will be implemented gradually over the next three years..."  Complete report...

TOURISM TO FETCH SR4.5B IN 5 YEARS

"Saudi Arabia expects SR4.5 billion in revenues from tourism by 2007, according to a five-year comprehensive tourism development plan prepared by the Supreme Commission for Tourism. The commission expects the revenue to reach SR11.7 billion because of the sector’s lucrative investment potential. Feasibility studies have indicated that each riyal invested in the sector will have a return of SR6.62..."  [Expired Link]

MUSLIM-AMERICANS ASKED BUSH TO DEFEND ISLAM

"President Bush’s recent show of support of Islam and Muslims has been praised for his rebuff of right-wing evangelical leaders who made a series of offensive, ignorant and racist statements against Islam and Prophet Mohamed. It now appears the president’s statement came after a series of serious nudgings by the Muslim-American community, who felt Islam was being deliberately slandered..."  [Expired link]

PRAYER, SHOPPING MARK SAUDI RAMADAN
“The sound of Quranic chanting fills the empty streets of Jiddah and the capital, Riyadh, every evening during the fasting month of Ramadan. Saudis pack mosques to perform special Ramadan prayers, called taraweeh, that follow the fifth and usually last prayer of the day. Then, after an hour of worship, they hit the souqs -- marketplaces open until 2 a.m. during the holy month that entice shoppers with raffles for cars or mobile phones. Ramadan in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, may not be as festive as it is in other Arab countries, such as Egypt and Lebanon. But even here, Islam's holiest month has turned into a lucrative industry.  "Ramadan has been commercialized," said Khaled al-Maeena, editor-in-chief of the English-language Arab News. ‘It used to be the essence of prayer and worship…’”  [Expired Link]