JEDDAH, 31 January 2007 — A meeting of Saudi and Yemeni security officers will be held within three weeks to discuss measures to stop the increase in cross-border smuggling operations between the two countries, according to Lt. Gen. Talal Mohsen Angawi, director general of the border guards.

Angawi said the largest number of smuggling operations was taking place through the Kingdom’s southern border. Border guards recently foiled the smuggling of four anti-tank missiles, one rocket propelled grenade, 390 bombs, 3,190 dynamite sticks and 819 kg of explosives into the Kingdom.

“This is the first meeting with the participation of border guard officers from both countries,” Angawi said in comments published yesterday. “We have already received the list of Yemeni participants which we have been waiting for.”

He said the meeting would discuss all aspects of border security, including across the border smuggling of weapons and drugs, organizing of pasturing, protection of livestock and intrusion of individuals. It will be followed by another meeting at the level of border guard directors general in both countries.

An annual report issued by the border guards said they had stopped 344,781 intruders and 2,894 smugglers and confiscated 12,000 kg of hashish, 32 kg of opium, 10,000 narcotic tablets and more than five million kg of qat.

“The foiling of large-scale operations to smuggle weapons and drugs reflects the vigilance of our officers along the Kingdom’s vast borders,” Angawi said. “We, the border guards are considered the first defense line of the country,” he said, and emphasized the need for protecting young Saudi men and women from the influence of drug mafias.

Angawi said he had noticed a considerable rise in the smuggling of weapons, drugs, cattle and foodstuffs though number of intruders from Iraq through the Kingdom’s northeastern border had declined considerably. “But the number of intruders through the southern border is increasing and they include Eritreans, Somalis and other Africans,” he said.

Angawi said an Eritrean was injured during a confrontation between smugglers and border guard officers in Dhahran Al-Janoub three days ago. “The injured man has been taken to hospital. He was being used as a drug carrier.”