MUSCAT -- King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia arrived here yesterday on a three-day official visit to the Sultanate. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos led the welcoming party for the Saudi monarch upon his arrival at the Royal Airport. The king was accorded an official welcome upon the arrival of the motorcade with His Majesty the Sultan and the king at Muscat Gate. The motorcade was received by popular troupes which lined up along the road. More than 3,000 citizens took part in the popular reception, singing folklore songs and performing Omani traditional dances welcoming the royal guest.
After that, the motorcade was escorted by a group of horsemen, starting from the Muscat Gate until the Al Alam Palace. Upon the arrival of the motorcade at the Al Alam Palace, His Majesty the Sultan escorted King Abdullah to the dais of honour where the Saudi National Anthem was played to the accompaniment of a 21-gun salute. Then His Majesty the Sultan shook hands with the official delegation accompanying the king. The royal guest shook hands with the members of the Royal Family, the Chairmen of the Majlis Addawla and Majlis Ash'shura, ministers, the Inspector-General of Police and Customs, the head of Internal Security Service, the Chief of Staff of the Sultan's Armed Forces, the Commanders of the Armed Corps and members of the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Muscat.
At the end of the official welcome ceremony, His Majesty the Sultan and the king proceeded to the honorary hall where they had Arabian coffee. The king then proceeded to the Al Alam Palace Guest House where he will stay. His Majesty wished him a happy stay in his second home -- the Sultanate of Oman. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos earlier headed the welcoming party for the king upon his arrival at the Royal Airport welcoming him to the Sultanate.
King Abdullah was also received by His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers; HH Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture; Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud al Busaidy, Minister of the Diwan of the Royal Court; Gen Ali bin Majid al Maamari, Minister of the Royal Office; Sayyid Badr bin Saud al Busaidy, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs; Sayyid Saud bin Ibrahim al Busaidy; Interior Minister; Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs; Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah al Hinai, Justice Minister; Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, National Economy Minister and Supervisor of the Finance Ministry; Shaikh Salim bin Hilal al Khalili, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries; and Said bin Ali al Kalbani, Oman's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
A mission of honour formed to accompany King Abdullah during his visit here is headed by Al Khalili. The mission also includes Oman's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi king is accompanied by a high-level official delegation comprising Prince Saud al Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Foreign Minister; Prince Maqran bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Head of General Intelligence; Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed al Saud, Assistant Head of General Intelligence; Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; Prince Mansour bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz al Saud; Prince Dr Bandar bin Salman bin Mohammed al Saud, Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Minister of State, member of the Council of Ministers and Head of the Council's Premiership Office; Prince Mansour bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud; Dr Ghazi bin Abdulrahman al Qusaibi, Minister of Labour; Dr Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz al Assaf, Minister of Finance; Iyad bin Amin Madani, Minister of Culture and Information; Shaikh Mishaal al Abdullah al Rasheed; Khalid bin Abdulaziz al Tuwaijri, Head of the Royal Diwan; Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Tebaishi, Chief of Royal Protocol; Ibrahim bin Abdulrahman al Tasaan, Head of Special Affairs of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; Dr Fahd al Abduljabbar, Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in-charge of Royal Clinics; Khalid bin Abdulrahman al Issa, Deputy Head of Royal Diwan; Adil bin Ahmed al Jubair, Adviser at the Royal Diwan; General Hamad bin Mohammed al Ouhali, Commander of the Royal Guard and Abdullah Abdulrahman Aalim, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the Sultanate.
The visit stems from the care given by His Majesty the Sultan and the king to support and strengthen the excellent brotherly bilateral relations for further realising the hopes and aspirations of the Omani and Saudi peoples. During the visit, viewpoints will be exchanged on a number of regional issues and events, besides Gulf, Arab and global matters of common concern, both at the political and economic levels.
BANQUET: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos hosted an official banquet at Al Alam Palace yesterday in honour of King Abdullah. The dinner was attended by members of the Royal Family, the chairmen of the Majlis Addawla and Majlis Ash'shura, ministers, advisers, the Inspector-General of Police and Customs, the Chief of Staff of the Sultan's Armed Forces, the commanders of the SAF corps, members of the Majlises, under-secretaries, diplomats, heads of departments at the Foreign Ministry, shaikhs and dignitaries of Muscat Governorate, editors-in-chief of local newspapers and senior officers of the Sultan's Armed Forces and Royal Oman Police.
© Oman Daily Observer 2006
