RIYADH, 20 September 2004 — Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), said here last night that some countries are still doubtful about the intentions of the Kingdom, whose leaders are busy building a modern Saudi nation and introducing reforms in almost all sectors.
The Kingdom, he said, seeks to promote moderation and tolerance. “Saudi Arabia has been facing major challenges and they are being met by galvanizing the country as a whole, by reforming the government and determining the direction of the country with a view to focusing more on the country’s development,” said Prince Sultan, while opening the Alexandria Library exhibition.
Referring to the new library, designed by a Norwegian architectural firm Snohetta, Prince Sultan said it is a landmark representing culture and civilization of this region in particular and the world in general. Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. founded the city of Alexandria and his successor later founded this library with a collection of almost 700,000 rare scrolls in many languages.
Trond Haavard Rudi, charge d’affaires at the Norwegian Embassy, highlighted Saudi-Norwegian relations.
Asked about the spate of terror attacks hampering plans of the Saudi government, Prince Sultan said: “Saudi Arabia’s economy is prospering today and its future is very bright. The government is busy building, developing and changing our nation, while others are busy doubting the Saudi direction.”
“The Kingdom,” he said, “is a major Islamic destination and our initiative is to enable Umrah visitors to enjoy a prolonged stay in Saudi Arabia. Umrah plus program is geared toward that.”
About the proposed merger of antiquities department with the SCT, Prince Sultan said: “We hope to add value to the antiquities and museum sector and we will be shortly presenting a restructure plan.”
The SCT will be officially taking over the antiquities sector early next year. The commission has already appointed an international agency to prepare a comprehensive four-year strategy to package and present antiquities and museums for tourism purposes.
About the efforts to develop important historical sites and to merge the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museum with the SCT from next fiscal year, Professor Saad Abdul Aziz Al-Rashid, deputy minister for antiquities at the Ministry of Education, said the Kingdom is working to formulate new laws, which will help preserve and promote high-value historical and Islamic monuments including sites of archaeological importance and museums across the country.
