JEDDAH, 14 November 2005 — The government will take strict measures to prevent pilgrims from overstaying in the country and stop expatriates working for individuals or companies other than their sponsors, Interior Minister Prince Naif has said.
Prince Naif urged authorities to license only the required number of restaurants, groceries and pharmacies in a city or town to avoid closure of such disorganized businesses, throwing their workers out of job.
“All ministries including the labor, municipality and commerce must work together to address this problem and make sure that the recruited workers work for the sponsors who brought them and whether the sponsors needed them in the first place,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the prince as telling reporters.
Prince Naif said security raids carried out by the ministry against overstayers and illegals were costing the government a lot. “Hundreds of people are arrested, and they should have rights. We must differentiate between those living here legally from those living illegally. This requires time and detention centers,” he pointed out.
At the news conference in Abha, the interior minister said the Kingdom had taken measures to deal with those Saudis who have gone to Iraq to fight alongside insurgents in order to prevent a repeat of Afghanistan.
“We are in contact with the Iraqi authorities and countries such as the United States and Britain who have forces there to extradite Saudis... There is the possibility of fighters forming groups like they did in Afghanistan. We have also taken steps to prevent Saudis from traveling to Iraq,” he said.
He said Saudi Arabia was also seeking the cooperation of Iraq’s neighbors like Iran, Turkey, Syria and Jordan in this regard.
Prince Naif said the Kingdom had taken adequate security measures near hotels, hospitals and other public facilities to prevent terrorist attacks and called for joint international efforts to combat terror.
