RIYADH, 15 April 2007 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday called on the citizens to preserve the country’s national unity and reinforce its structure, saying that sectarian disputes, tribal preferences and putting one sector above another were not only against Islam but were “a threat to national unity and the security of the state.”
Addressing 150 Shoura Council members, the Kingdom’s ministers and senior officials as well as a number of ambassadors, King Abdullah gave the annual speech to outline the country’s domestic and international policies and strategies.
King Abdullah reiterated his oath to serve the interests of the people of Saudi Arabia, asking the Almighty to guide him.
He stressed the importance of social unity in preserving national unity. He mentioned that every citizen had a role in social development, urging them to bond with one another and serve their country with loyalty and honesty.
Abdullah said Saudi Arabia was seeking fair prices for crude oil in order to protect the interests of both producers and consumers.
The king also pointed out that the Kingdom’s comprehensive development plans would only materialize if every member of society played his expected role. “Nothing can be achieved without contributions from everyone — the male and female teachers in their schools, the employees in their offices, the farmers on their farms and the noble security officers at their posts,” he said.
He also called on government officials to be loyal, saying they were in their positions to serve the people, and he described that service as a “great responsibility.”
“Let all officials know that they are responsible to God Almighty and then to me, and the Saudi people will look very harshly upon any intentional mistake or shortcoming,” the king said.
He lauded the role played by security officers in protecting the country’s security against those who sought to distort its image and tarnish its accomplishments.
Abdullah said that even though terrorism and its effects had been reduced in Saudi society, it was still a threat. “What is unfortunate is that they (the terrorists) call themselves followers of Islam, the religion of mercy, peace, harmony, moderation and forgiveness. The perpetrators of terrorist acts have tried to undermine the stability of the fortress of Islam.”
The king said that Saudi Arabia was determined to root out terror which was a threat to national security and development. “We are determined to fight terrorism in all its forms no matter how long it takes or how much it costs, until the deviants return to sanity or are expelled from Saudi society.”
Speaking about the Saudi economy, King Abdullah said the Eighth Development Plan (2005-2009) had been planned to meet the requirements of the country’s development. The plan, he said, focused on preserving Islamic ethics, reinforcing national unity, social stability, improving living conditions, providing jobs for citizens, developing human resources, providing more private sector participation, achieving balanced development in the Kingdom’s different regions and supporting scientific research.
Abdullah also said the government would continue to support the private sector and “make it a strategic partner in economic development. We will remove obstacles facing Saudi and foreign investors so they can benefit from the Saudi economy.”
He noted that on his trips around the country he had noticed that some regions were more in need of development than others and that this must be dealt with in order to achieve balanced national development. The king said the Kingdom’s budget surplus in the past three years had been allocated to reducing public debt from SR660 billion in 2002/2003 to SR366 billion in 2006/2007.
Speaking about domestic politics, Abdullah said the enacting of the succession law was to ensure a smooth succession to the throne. He praised the municipality elections, saying that they were “fair” and “smooth.”
He said that the number of civil society groups in the Kingdom had increased. “They (the groups) have begun taking roles in social and economic decision-making,” he said, giving as an example the establishment of the Human Rights Association and the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue.
Next year, said Abdullah, would bring more challenges for Saudi Arabia, adding that the government would meet those challenges by continuing its domestic development plans.
He cited as an example the National Project for Developing Education, economic cities, science and technology institutions, restructuring the justice system, establishing an anti-corruption commission and combating unemployment.
Because of turbulence in the region and misunderstandings between countries, the king said, the government was obliged to increase its diplomatic efforts on regional and international fronts “in order to calm fears, avoid destructive confrontations and resolve problems by diplomatic means according to Islamic principles and our sense of responsibility.”
He gave as examples of the Kingdom’s efforts its hosting the emergency OIC meeting in Makkah as well as the Arab summit in Riyadh. “It is the Kingdom’s duty, which stems from its desire to solve the problems of Arabs and Muslims, that it give a proposal before others,” he said.
Maintaining unity and preserving the Arab and Islamic identity, as well as defending the Islamic world’s interests and combating the dangers to it are top priorities in the Kingdom’s foreign policy, he said. “The problems include strife between Islamic schools of thought, especially between Sunni and Shiite, and the sectarian violence in different parts of the Islamic world, especially Iraq and Lebanon,” he said. The Kingdom, he said, had always striven for a balanced stance. “We have always called for dialogue.”
He said it was also the Kingdom’s policy not to interfere in other countries’ domestic affairs.
The last GCC summit was a chance for reviewing the progress of the GCC over the years, said the king. He said a unified currency, the common market and the implementation of the customs union were “legitimate rights” of all Gulf citizens. “The well-being of citizens is a top priority for the GCC governments.”
Abdullah said the Palestinian cause remained Saudi Arabia’s first problem, as was for all Arabs, saying that it was at the center of the Kingdom’s regional and international initiatives. He said he thanked God that the Kingdom had been successful in bringing together various Palestinian factions in Makkah in order to settle their differences which later led to the formation of a unity government.
Abdullah called on the various Lebanese groups to settle their differences through dialogue and to use the voice of reason and logic for the sake of the country’s unity.
As for Iraq, the king said Saudi Arabia was keen to attend all the conferences concerning Iraq in order to support regional and international initiatives to rebuild a secure country that would guarantee national unity and equal rights to all citizens.
The king noted that the nuclear problem had added a burden to the region. “Saudi diplomacy has been keen on solving this problem through logic and objectivity, away from rigidity,” he said. The Kingdom supported ridding the region of weapons of mass destruction, while, at the same time, preserving the right of any country to develop nuclear power for civilian use.
Abdullah said that developing relations with the East was in the Kingdom’s national interest and was due to developments in global demography. “The Kingdom is the largest country in western Asia that invests in China. India is also the Kingdom’s fourth largest commercial partner. And both China and India have an impact on regional and international politics,” he pointed out.
The king said the Kingdom was linked by religion to Pakistan and Malaysia, two countries he visited as part of his Asian tour last year. He pointed out that several memorandums of understanding and agreements had been signed between Turkey and Saudi Arabia during his visit last year.
Speaking of the oil market, Abdullah said the Kingdom maintained its position in order to stabilize prices which would serve the interests of both consumers and producers. He said the Kingdom was reinforcing its oil production for development plans and to meet international demand.
Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal described the king’s speech as comprehensive. “He has always enlightened us so that we achieve what is best for the country. His trip to Asia last year was to illustrate the importance of the private sector’s involvement in those countries,” the prince said.
The governor of the Saudi Arabian Investment Authority, Amr Al-Dabbagh, said the king’s speech pointed out various future economic projects which would soon be implemented. “As state officials, we take King Abdullah’s speech as a guideline for our work,” he said.
Lt. Gen. Talal Angawi, commander of the Border Guards, said the king’s speech touched the hearts of citizens. “It was a speech from the heart directed to hearts. As a government servant, I take pride in the king’s recognizing the efforts of security officials. And I give him my oath that we will serve him and our country with all our might in order to protect our borders.”
