RIYADH, 13 April 2007 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will deliver a speech at the Shoura Council tomorrow in which he is expected to mention the Kingdom’s internal and external strategies for the coming year.

The President of the Shoura Council Sheikh Saleh Bin-Humaid described the speech to be “constitutional.” He added that it in addition to it reflecting the Kingdom’s strategies, it would also touch on new developments in the Kingdom over the past year.

The president of the council said that according to Shoura laws, the king is required to deliver a speech at the Council every year to clarify the state’s domestic and foreign policies. “There is no doubt that when the king delivers a speech, he wants to address the nation and looks and discusses things from his point,” he told a local daily.

Shoura member Osama Al-Kurdi told Arab News that the king’s speech last year was a major drive for the creation and execution of the Shoura Council’s plan. “I expect a similar interest from the Shoura Council with regard to what the king has to say on Saturday,” he said.

Last year’s speech focused on the need to proceed with reforms, combating corruption, and fighting the ideology of takfeer (accusing Muslims of not being Muslims), in addition to the call for more development plans, and housing and public services. The speech also discussed efforts to rid the Kingdom of extremism and the combating of terrorism.

King Abdullah last year called for global Islamic unity and spoke about the suffering of the Palestinian people. Abdullah stated clearly that Saudi Arabia was not excluded from the international community and was affected by changes around the world.

On the economic front, he reiterated the Kingdom’s role to stabilize the oil market and highlighted new measures taken to encourage local and foreign investment.

The king last year also set the foundation stones for the Kingdom’s five economic cities, which will not only be the backbone for the Saudi economy in the near future, but are also expected to provide jobs to thousands of Saudi citizens.

In addition, his visit to several Asian countries last year was a milestone for the process of creating bridges with the east and opening new venues for cooperation. As a result, Memorandums of Understandings were signed with China, India, and Malaysia. Consequently, Saudi businessmen signed agreements in the hundreds of millions with their counterparts in those countries.

The king’s speech last year had a large impact on Saudi society, not only because King Abdullah spoke to the Shoura Council about the need for more reforms, but because his speech touched the hearts of Saudi men and women alike.

The king promised Saudis that he would be faithful to the oath and be there for citizens in good and bad times being their “brother” and “friend,” something which has earned him the title of the “King of Hearts.”

“I say to you all men and women citizens that I have known you as you have known me throughout the years of being faithful to the oath. And God willing, you will find me loyal to my religion, and then to my country, and together with you loyal to the oath,” he said, adding, “I shall be amongst you in our progress as we raise the flag of Islam and the country high above.”

In addition to the 150 members of the Shoura Council, all ministers of state, senior officials, as well as dozens of ambassadors are expected to arrive at the council tomorrow to listen to the speech.