JEDDAH, 21 September 2004 — The Kingdom will soon root out the deviant group, declared Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, in reference to the ongoing campaign against Al-Qaeda sympathizers blamed for a series of bombings and shootouts across the country over the past 16 months.
“Islamic history like world history is full of such deviant groups who appear abruptly triggering violence but disappear quickly. This group will also be crushed as they are deviants who will not last long,” Prince Sultan told the Lebanese magazine Al-Sayyad.
He said terrorism and violence were not a new phenomena. “We have seen violence in Europe and the United States. This reminds us that they do not occur because of Islamic reasons,” he pointed out. He highlighted the government’s efforts to contain terrorism and flush out terrorists.
Prince Sultan said terrorism and violence would not receive any acceptability at Islamic and social levels, adding that Saudis would not accept destruction of the country’s property and weakening of its relations with other countries or damaging the national economy.
“The Kingdom’s anti-terrorist operations cannot be called a war, because this deviant group does not deserve such a big word. Iman or faith in God is our main weapon to confront these renegades because those who believe in the right doctrine will have strong faith,” he added. He said the anti-terror campaign was not targeting Islam.
In his wide-ranging interview, Prince Sultan noted Saudi Arabia’s efforts to bring about comprehensive political and social reforms taking into consideration their social acceptability. “The reforms demanded by some people are meant to overshoot social realities as they want the state to have a magic wand, and this is not possible,” he explained.
Referring to the forthcoming municipal elections, he said it was part of the reform plan announced by King Fahd on May 17, 2003. “It reflects the progress achieved by Saudi society and the wisdom of carrying out gradual reforms in tune with the nature of our society,” he added.
He reiterated Saudi Arabia’s commitment to stabilize world oil market. “We know that chaotic oil prices will have negative impacts, which will not be limited to a particular country,” he said.
He blamed international oil companies as well as growing world demand in addition to worsening security situation in Iraq for skyrocketing oil prices. The Kingdom has the capacity to supply 1.3 million barrels daily in addition to its OPEC quota if market demands it. “Our goal is to bring down oil prices to $30 per barrel,” he added.
He said the government would continue its efforts to modernize its administrative systems. “Government agencies and civil servants will be reorganized to utilize financial and human resources with a high degree of efficiency. We will also improve working and monitoring systems in the civil service,” he added.
