JEDDAH, 6 January 2003 — Minister of Commerce Osama Faqeeh said yesterday Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard,would open an e-commerce conference scheduled to be held in Jeddah from April 5 to 9. The conference aims at promoting e-commerce in the Kingdom with special emphasis on small- and medium-scale establishments. Saudi SMEs are expected to increase their competitiveness in the international market with the help of e-commerce. The five-day event will also focus on topics such as e-trade and e-banking.