Humanitarian king

THE opening of King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Work in Riyadh and the laying of its foundation stone by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman send the message that Saudi Arabia attaches utmost importance to humanitarian activities without any vested interests.

King Salman’s gesture to give SR1 billion to the new center in addition to more than SR1 billion he had allocated in emergency assistance to the Yemenis shows that Saudi Arabia while taking a decisive action against the Houthis does not ignore the humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people and other nationals.

In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony, King Salman reiterated Saudi Arabia’s readiness to alleviate the suffering of people facing civil wars, conflicts and natural calamities, inspired by the teachings of Islam. The center has stated that its mission aims at providing relief to people in difficulty and extending support to the poor and needy in order to enable them lead a decent life with health. It also comes as an extension of the Kingdom’s humanitarian role and its international message.

Humanitarian work has been the Kingdom’s hallmark since its was established by King Abdul Aziz and all the founder king’s sons have followed their father’s good example. King Salman has made it clear that Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian activities are not aimed at making any political or material gains.

— By Mohammed Al-Waeel, Al-Riyadh

Camp David summit

ANALYSTS and researchers in the Arab world, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have been following the Camp David summit talks between US President Barack Obama and GCC leaders with great interest.

The summit is significant as it reflects the Obama administration’s desire to meet with GCC leaders to discuss vital issues related to the region’s security and stability.

It comes at a time when the Arab world is going through important developments and changes and follows after a series of contacts and discussions between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and other GCC leaders including Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. US Secretary of State John Kerry also visited Riyadh to hold talks with King Salman and met with GCC foreign ministers to prepare for the Camp David summit. He also visited Moscow and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Obama met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House before the summit. The two princes also held talks with the US defense secretary and other senior US officials before the Camp David meeting.

These side meetings show Camp David was not an ordinary summit. GCC countries wanted to strengthen their security and stability, prevent interference in its internal affairs and foil plots that target their security and stability. The US and the GCC states are linked with a strategic alliance and a partnership relationship that dates back to six decades. It was based on what is popularly known as the Eisenhower Doctrine, which reaffirms American readiness to defend the security and stability of Gulf countries.

This was a verbal agreement between the two sides. However, the US has fulfilled its pledge on many occasions, especially for the liberation of Kuwait. But this agreement became weak with the arrival of Obama in power as he follows a policy different from his predecessors.

The Obama administration has decided not to participate in any wars or conflicts outside the US and this has caused concern among the US allies in the region. GCC countries want renewal of the Eisenhower doctrine on the basis of a written agreement, ensuring US military participation to defend them.

— By Jasser Al-Jasser, Al-Jazira

Dependence on US

AFTER seven decades of strong relations between the GCC and the United States, the two sides have reached an agreement in Camp David offering unprecedented defense cooperation. The Camp David summit has agreed to hold meetings and set up committees to set out the framework for this security and defense cooperation between the two sides. The US has agreed to supply qualitative weapons to GCC countries quickly and pledged to stop Iranian threat. On the sidelines of the summit, a White House spokesperson said it was open to the idea of granting its GCC partners major non-NATO ally status. These outstanding results show that GCC leaders are capable of drawing their future relations with the US to realize their interests.

When the Saudi-led alliance launched Operation Decisive Storm to crush the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, it heralded a new GCC era, telling the world that it would not wait for Washington’s nod to determine its future.

This historic GCC move led by Saudi Arabia helped change the US policy toward the group. It seems that administration officials should have advised Obama to change its policy. As a result there was substantial change in US attitude toward the GCC during the past two months.

I think Obama has got the GCC’s message. GCC leaders have convinced Washington that they are capable of determining their future and confront regional threat posed by Tehran. GCC countries have capabilities that many other Arab states lack and if they use it properly they could make better achievements at regional and international levels.

— By Mohammed Al-Osaimi, Okaz

Smoking among women

SMOKING is injurious to health. People know about its dangerous effect but still continue with this cancerous habit. Of course, people need strong determination to quit smoking. Many have tried and failed but many others have succeeded. Some use special medicine to get rid of smoking addiction. Despite all these efforts, there are at least 1.3 billion smokers in the world, according to the latest statistics issued by the World Health Organization.

The addiction, according to scientific facts, is caused by nicotine in tobacco. Some people hold the false belief that smoking will help them have some kind of mental satisfaction, help them relax and forget about their worries. Many believe it would make them more energetic and do their work efficiently. A report issued by a group of senior American doctors has said that the effect of nicotine is as bad as heroine and cocaine. As a result, many smokers are likely to become victims of drugs due to association with bad friends.

Whenever I see a smoker I wished that God may help him/her to quit this bad and unhealthy habit, not only to protect his/her health but also of their family. Some people smoke while their little babies are in their hands without taking into account the dangerous effects of smoke on their children’s health. I was surprised when I read a report issued by Kafa charitable society that there are 1.5 million women among the six million total smokers in the Kingdom. This figure is alarming and demands joint efforts by all concerned parties and agencies to combat smoking in our society.

Women’s smoking would have a dangerous effect on the health of future generations. Parents should keep a close watch on their children and their friends to prevent them from adopting the bad habit.

— By Ibrahim Mohammed Badawood, Al-Madinah

Real estate prices

SOME realtors repeatedly say that a large number of home seekers in the Kingdom have the necessary liquidity to pay the current but exorbitant market price estimated at SR2 million to own a villa.

They also say that the Housing Ministry’s products target only those Saudis having limited income, who represent only 20 percent of applicants who want to have their own homes.

I don’t know the real intention of these realtors by making these statements. Do they want to keep their products away from the market drivers of demand and supply or protect the price of their properties from a possible steep decline?

What we can observe is that these realtors want to promote their products by spreading the rumor that 80 percent of home seekers can afford current prices. No study has been published showing how many people can afford present prices.

In my opinion only people who earn high salaries can have their own homes, not because of their savings but because of their ability to get bank loans. But it will eat away their salaries due to huge interest rates.

Most citizens are burdened by debts and are unable to buy homes because of exorbitant prices. Realtors want to spread false information, especially among authorities, to keep prices up and steady.

— By Sattam Al-Thaqeel, Al-Eqtisadiah

Recruitment of maids

MANY had spoken loudly, using traditional and new media, on the need to take decisive action against the recruitment committee for exploiting citizens and failing to resolve their pressing issues. Many had to wait for a year or more for the recruitment of a maidservant.

We thank God for authorities finally firing the national recruitment committee, which had created a big hue and cry in the media for several years as a result of its failure to resolve citizens’ recruitment issues.

The committee was responsible for the dearth of maidservants in the country and the creation of a black market for maids that led to prices shooting up, making it difficult for citizens to get domestic help.

We have also seen that many of the workers recruited as domestic help were not up to the mark due to lack of training and experience. Some of them were suffering from chronic diseases while others were wanted for committing crimes. As a result of this situation, Saudi families were uncomfortable with keeping their children with such maids.

Saudi citizens finally succeeded in removing the committee from its position, by launching a campaign against them through the Twitter. The Labor Ministry has refused to pay compensation to citizens when maids leave them after serving them for a few months.

I hope the Interior Ministry and police would not blame citizens if they are forced to use the service of illegal workers due to the failure of the Labor Ministry and Recruitment Committee to supply them with qualified maids.

— By Abdul Aziz Al-Khodairy, Al-Sharq