RIYADH, 25 June — In a new move to get facts across to the public — both local and international — four ministers have been named Saudi Arabia’s official spokesmen.
The official spokesmen are minister of information — Cabinet affairs; minister of interior — national security; minister of defense — military and armed forces affairs and external security; and foreign minister — foreign policy.
This was announced on Sunday night by Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation. He said a decision to this effect was issued by Prince Abdullah, the regent.
Prince Sultan also said that Saudi-British relations would grow stronger regardless of the British media’s ongoing smear campaign against the Kingdom.
"I would like to make it clear that there is a difference between government-to-government relations and the unjust and false campaign launched by some British newspapers against our country," the prince told reporters.
"Our relations will not change but grow stronger," he added.
He was answering a question on what impact last Thursday’s car-bomb killing of a Briton in Riyadh would have on Saudi-British relations.
"Relations between the two countries do not change in any case; on the contrary cooperation has been increasing throughout history," he said.
"I have asked a British friend who works for the Western media: ‘Why are you attacking a friendly country of great interest to you? He replied: We are not insulting. It is the Zionists and those invidious of your security and prosperity who are attacking your country despite the fact that your country has been generous with those invidious elements’."
Prince Sultan was speaking to reporters after patronising a ceremony to honour distinguished students of Kingdom Schools, owned by Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal.
He denied any Saudi plan to impose entry retrictions similar to the ones imposed on Saudi citizens by certain countries. Prince Sultan asserted the Kingdom’s keenness to maintain friendly relations with other countries. "Our sense of morality and our religion, Islam, forbid us from answering evil with evil."
He referred to the recent arrest of three Saudis in Morocco on suspicion of being linked to Al-Qaeda.
"It is too early to speak about the matter. We will wait and see what comes of the Moroccan investigation," he said.
Reports reaching here said Saudi Ambassador to Morocco Abdul Aziz Khoja visited the Saudi suspects — Hilal Jaber Al-Asiri, Abdullah Mesfer Al-Ghamdi and Zuheir Al-Thbaiti — at Okasha Jail in Casablanca on Saturday to inquire about their condition.
