MUSCAT, 24 December 2006 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah received an unprecedented welcome when he arrived here yesterday on his first visit since becoming king. Sultan Qaboos and top Omani officials including Deputy Premier Fahd ibn Mahmoud Al-Saeed and Foreign Minister Yousuf ibn Alawi Abdullah were present at the airport to welcome the Saudi leader.
King Abdullah accompanied by Sultan Qaboos later left for Al-Alam Palace. As the king and his motorcade arrived at the gate of Muscat, an array of horsemen accompanied them until they reached the palace where folklore troupes received the Saudi monarch and his delegation by ululating in joy. King Abdullah was given a 21-gun salute.
Omani Foreign Minister Abdullah said the whole of Oman was celebrating King Abdullah’s visit. He described the royal visit as a major historic event in Saudi-Oman relations. He noted the special relationship between King Abdullah and Sultan Qaboos.
Speaking about the summit talks between Abdullah and Qaboos, the minister said the leaders would cover all the important issues concerning the two countries. “They have discussed most issues at the Dec. 9-10 GCC summit in Riyadh. Now, their talks will focus on the latest developments in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon,” he said while underscoring deep-rooted relations between the two countries.
King Abdullah is heading a high-level delegation that includes Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Director of Intelligence Prince Muqrin, Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, Finance Minister Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf and Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani.
Prospects of increasing trade exchange will figure high at the Muscat talks as the present volume of trade between Saudi Arabia and Oman, amounting to SR2.3 billion according to statistics issued last year, accounts for only 7.6 percent of the total trade exchange between the Kingdom and GCC countries. The trade balance is in favor of Saudi Arabia, which exported goods worth SR1.37 billion against Oman’s exports worth SR910 million.
Saudi Ambassador to Oman Abdullah ibn Abdul Rahman Aalam said the king’s visit would strengthen the relations between the two GCC neighbors. He emphasized the two countries’ determination to bolster the Gulf Cooperation Council that groups Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. “Saudi Arabia and Oman believe that a strong GCC is essential to make the group more influential,” the ambassador said and commended King Abdullah’s efforts for the success of Arab and Islamic causes and resolving regional and international issues.
“The king’s visit is aimed at promoting bilateral relations and discussing major regional, Arab and international issues,” said Omani Ambassador to Riyadh Saeed Al-Kalabani. He underscored the important role being played by Saudi Arabia and Oman at international forums.
He denied reports that Saudi Arabia was making efforts to convince Oman to join the GCC monetary union scheduled to be launched in 2010. “GCC countries have taken into consideration the special situation of Oman and understood its viewpoint,” he said.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Oman reached new heights in recent years. They signed an agreement on a border point during talks between Interior Minister Prince Naif and his Omani counterpart Saud Al-Bousaeedi in Riyadh earlier this month. The border point will be operational within two years. Saudi Arabia occupies 80 percent of the Arabian Peninsula and Oman occupies its southeastern corner.
King Abdullah recently ordered that the Omani conjoined twins, Safa and Marwa, be separated at King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Riyadh.
“King Abdullah has given instructions to conduct necessary tests on the two children at the medical city in order to study prospects of separating them,” said Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, head of National Guard Health Affairs. Al-Rabeeah, who headed a team of surgeons to separate a number of conjoined twins at the hospital in recent years, praised the king for his humanitarian gesture.
Al-Rabeeah expressed his optimism that the twins, who arrived in Riyadh on Friday, could be separated without too many complications. “We have to conduct medical tests to find out the depth of their attachment. Previous tests have shown that they are connected in skin and bone of the head and the outer cover of the brain,” he said. The conjoined baby girls are part of triplets born to an Omani couple. Their brother was born separately.
