JEDDAH, 18 June 2007 — Crown Prince Sultan yesterday announced Saudi Arabia’s plan to establish a war college next year. “We’ll provide details about the college after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s approval, which will be given two months later,” he said.
Prince Sultan was talking to reporters after attending a graduation ceremony at the Command & Staff College in Riyadh. He said officers who have received war college certificates would be given the responsibility of setting up the new college.
Earlier, an official statement said that Prince Sultan had donated SR5.6 million for a national project to prepare books on Islam and Saudi Arabia and distribute them free of charge.
“This international book project aims at promoting cultural understanding and presenting a true picture of Islam and Saudi Arabia,” the crown prince said.
Fostering mutual respect among different cultures and civilizations is essential in order to establish a humanitarian society that will support intellectual and cultural projects that serve the world, he said.
“It will also reduce the fear and hesitation caused by the domination of one culture over the other,” he explained.
Sultan, who is chairman of the Supreme Committee for Islamic Affairs, said all humanity wanted to deepen the values of tolerance and the peaceful coexistence of civilizations.
“The presence of different cultures is a basic factor in building a planet based on truth and justice,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the crown prince as saying.
A group of 57 scholars and intellectuals from around the world has been appointed to prepare the books and translate them into different languages. The project has offices in Riyadh, London and Paris.
In a related development, Interior Minister Prince Naif is set to meet with imams, khateebs and preachers in Riyadh tomorrow. Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh described the meeting as an important one.
