AMMAN, 7 October 2004 — Prince Khaled ibn Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs, yesterday inaugurated the headquarters of the Saudi military mission in Jordanian capital.
Talking to reporters after the inauguration ceremony at the fashionable Amman neighborhood of Abdoun, Prince Khaled described the move as “an excellent step toward boosting cooperation and exchange of expertise between the armed forces of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, building on what has been achieved in this respect over the past years”.
He said the setting up of a separate Saudi military mission in Amman would be “instrumental in deepening further the already strong relations between the two sister countries”.
The people and leaders of Saudi Arabia harbor deep affection and respect for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, he added.
Saudi Military Attache in Amman Brig. Saleh Bin Mohammad Al-Ghamdi said the “significance of the establishment of the Saudi military mission in Amman lies in promoting bilateral military cooperation and benefiting from the experiences of the two sides”.
The ceremony was attended by senior military and civilian officials in Jordan.
Arab Airlines Mull Alliance
Five Arab air carriers are considering the formation of a marketing alliance to cope with increasing challenges facing the aviation industry, a senior executive of Royal Jordanian airlines said yesterday.
“We have discussed creating a marketing alliance among five members of the Arab Air Carriers Organization,” Royal Jordanian’s President and CEO Samer Majali said at the end of a two-day AACO meeting.
He pointed out that the alliance, which was still in preparatory stage, would include Saudi Arabian Airlines, Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines, Gulf Air, Egypt Air and Royal Jordanian.
AACO Secretary-General Abdul Wahab Teffaha said apart from forging the alliance, 250 executives representing 17 Arab airline companies focused on cooperation among the air carriers in introducing electronic booking and ticketing systems.
The AACO welcomed three new members — Jordan Aviation, Ettihad Airways of Abu Dhabi and Air Arabia in Sharjah. It also welcomed the re-emergence of Iraqi Airways after 14 years of absence.
