DAMMAM, 18 October — Interior Minister Prince Naif declared yesterday that the Saudi government would stand by its citizens whose image has been tarnished by the Western media. “We will stand by our innocent citizens,” he told reporters after inaugurating a conference of police directors here.
Prince Naif said he expected good cooperation between US and Saudi security agencies with regard to Saudi citizens detained in the United States following the Sept. 11 attacks.
He reiterated that Saudi Arabia was against all forms of terrorism anywhere in the world. “People should not forget that we have been facing terrorism for the past 20 years and people behind the subversive acts are now hiding in caves,” Prince Naif said. “It is unfortunate that they are Muslims.”
“How can a handful of men defy the country’s leadership, its people and scholars,” the minister asked. “We will not accept such things,” he added. “Unfortunately we see some people in our country sympathizing with them. We simply tell them to repent and come to their senses,” he said.
He allayed fears about security and safety of the citizens. “We were in full control of the situation a decade ago during the Gulf War and we will do the same in the current chaotic conditions. We pin our hopes only on Allah the Almighty.”
On the Alkhobar explosion, he said, the investigations were in progress but no major breakthrough was made yet.
Prince Naif called upon citizens in general and the media in particular to be vigilant. “Your vigilance will avert all kind of subversive acts and help bring the perpetrators of such acts to book,” he said.
Prince Naif lauded the efforts of the traffic department and the media in generating awareness about the necessity of seat-belt use. “Since the implementation of the seat-belt rules, rate of fatalities in road accidents have gone down significantly,” he said.
The interior minister reaffirmed Kingdom’s commitment to combat drug trafficking and said the country has developed many programs to counter the menace and keep society free of drugs.
He assured all help to the police personnel and said, “I am always there to help you. I will make sure that your job conditions are constantly improved.”
