CAIRO: Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif held talks here on Monday with President Hosni Mubarak on major regional and international issues.
“My meeting with President Mubarak was successful and fruitful,” Prince Naif told reporters, adding that Mubarak spoke highly about Saudi leaders and people.
He also disclosed plans to sign two agreements with the Egyptian Interior Ministry regarding extradition of prisoners and combating drugs. “People in the two countries will benefit from these two accords,” he said.
“Saudis will receive special care and cooperation from Egyptian authorities to solve their problems,” the prince said, adding that Egyptians working in the Kingdom would receive the same care. The meeting with Mubarak was also attended by Prince Fahd bin Naif, State Minister Musaed Al-Aiban, Commerce and Industry Minister Abdullah Zainal Alireza, Saudi Ambassador to Cairo Hisham Nazer, and Gen. Abdul Rahman Al-Rubaian, supervisor of Prince Naif’s office.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt, meanwhile, signed a series of agreements to promote cooperation in education, scientific research and industry.
The agreements were signed following a meeting between Prince Naif and Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif. The two leaders explored prospects of expanding cooperation between the two Arab countries. Prince Naif highlighted the historic relations between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. “The agreements that were signed today reflect the continuing strong cooperation between the two countries,” he added.
Abdullah Al-Othman, president of King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Muhammad Al-Saadani, president of Mubarak Science City for Applied Science and Research, for cooperation in science and research. The KSU president signed another MoU with Alexandria University for cooperation in chemistry and biotechnology, and a third agreement with Cairo University for the production of polymers.
The National Center for Research in Egypt also signed an agreement with the Riyadh university for strengthening cooperation in chemistry, especially in ceramics. Commerce and Industry Minister Alireza signed an agreement with his Egyptian counterpart Rasheed Muhammad Rasheed for promoting industrial cooperation.
The talks between Prince Naif and Nazif were attended by the delegation accompanying the prince as well as the Egyptian ministers of interior, trade and industry, petroleum and higher education.
Prince Naif, who arrived here on Sunday on his first visit to Egypt after becoming the second deputy premier, will attend a meeting of interior ministers from countries neighboring Iraq. That meeting will be held Tuesday at the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
The meeting will be attended by the interior ministers of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey, Iran and Egypt as well as the Arab League, which will be represented by Ahmed bin Hali, deputy secretary-general. The preparations for the meeting began Sunday.
Meanwhile, Egyptian security expert Maj. Gen. Fouad Allam praised the success achieved by Saudi security forces under the leadership of Prince Naif in combating terror.
“The security strategy followed by Saudi Arabia has brought about positive results, saving the Kingdom and the region from the dangers of terrorism,” Allam said. He also commended the policy of dialogue adopted by the Saudi government toward militants in order to bring them to their senses.
