TAIF, 23 July 2006 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah arrived in Taif yesterday as part of his regional tours to observe the state of the people of the Kingdom up close and to inaugurate a number of developmental programs.
Children with bouquets welcomed King Abdullah at the Taif airport. Elaborate arrangements were made to welcome the king with folk music and dance as the occasion also coincides with the anniversary of King Abdullah’s accession to the throne. Both sides of the road leading from the airport were festooned with flowers and other decorations.
The king urged the people to cut short the festivities as a mark of sympathy for their suffering fellow Arabs in Lebanon and Palestine, Saudi Press Agency reported yesterday.
Interior Minister Prince Naif and several princes and high-ranking officials accompanied the king.
King Abdullah is also scheduled to open SR3.5 billion in projects, including the first phase of the Taif university campus, technical and training projects and roads.
Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, chairman of the board of directors of the General Organization for Technical Educational and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT), said in a statement to SPA: “King Abdullah will lay the foundation stones for various training units under the GOTEVOT in Taif. The projects, which are part of launching vital projects through out the Kingdom, aim at expanding the base for training and increasing the capacity for the training facilities available in the Kingdom.”
The training projects being opened in the region at a total cost of SR300 million, include technical colleges for boys and girls, women’s technical education and vocational training institutes and a women’s college of vocational training in Mysan.
The king will also attend the function to launch the construction of the 12-km two-way Hada-Kara road, estimated to cost SR198 million.
