JEDDAH, 11 January 2005 — Following the announcement yesterday of the closure of the German Consulate in Jeddah, a German Embassy spokesman clarified the situation saying the consulate would reopen in Jeddah.
“Certainly the consulate will open again in Jeddah,” said Susanne Wolfkhan, 2nd Attache Media and Culture. “It is only for security reasons that we require a new building,” she told Arab News yesterday.
There has been a move recently by the German government to trim expenditure on diplomatic activities worldwide. Wolfkhan emphasized that the Jeddah closure had nothing to do with the policy to close embassies or consulates in order to save funds. She confirmed that a new site had been chosen in Jeddah for the new consular building but declined to specify the location. However, she did confirm that “it is our own property.”
She estimated that the new consulate would not be ready for business in less than a year, as the details of the construction had to be approved by German authorities.
Addressing visas, Wolfkhan said that those that had already been applied for and accepted would be returned with the passports to the applicants, who could collect them from the French Consulate.
The embassy in Riyadh announced yesterday that the Consulate General in Jeddah would, while the new premises is being built, be run from temporary accommodation yet to be announced. Future visa applications would have to be sent to the embassy in Riyadh and would be returned from there.
Explaining the rapidity of the change, Wolfkhan said, “We still have to work out the details of the system as the changes came upon us very swiftly. If it proves that the courier system is not enough, perhaps there will be new features.”
Inquiries concerning arrangements and visa, Wolfkhan said, should be addressed to the German Embassy in Riyadh (01 488 0700, or [email protected]) and for the collection of outstanding visas to the French Consulate in Jeddah. (02 668 1550 e-mail: [email protected])
