The 26th of the month of Jumada II, in the year 1428 of the Hegira, was the second anniversary of the enthronement of His Majesty King Abdallah bin Abdelaziz Al Saud, Servant of the Two Sanctuaries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
During the last two years the kingdom has witnessed important achievements which were characterized by globalization and harmonious development, constituting a unique phase in the building and development of the nation.
The reign of His Majesty has been marked by indications of his transcendent qualities, notably his commitment to his country, his fellow-citizens, his Islamic nation and to the whole of humanity both within and outside the nation. In addition, there is his ongoing concern for enacting laws and building a state of institutions. Directives have been given by the monarch to find appropriate solutions for all the problems facing the kingdom.
King Abdallah continues the process of development and planning in order to ensure the maximum of comfort and prosperity to the kingdom and all its people. And he accomplished important achievements in the various educational, economic, agricultural, industrial, cultural, social and reconstruction fields.
Wisdom and farsightedness
By his wisdom and dexterity, His Majesty has consolidated the role of the kingdom in political, economic and commercial terms on the regional and international levels, which has established for him a high and solid reputation among world leaders and has enabled him to take a principal role in the taking of international decisions.
Under the wise direction of King Abdallah, the Saudi kingdom has safeguarded its constant principles by following the path traced by the founder of the kingdom, Abdelaziz bin Abdelrahman Al Saud.
Among the main preoccupations of the monarch is his concern to have close knowledge of the needs of the citizens, in order to improve their living conditions and to activate the national economy. On the 17th of Rajab, 1426 AH, he ordered the raising of the salaries of all those working in the state sector, be they civilians or in the armed forces, as well as the pensions of retired persons by 15 percent. He notably increased the salaries of civil servants working in the sectors of social security, water, electricity, real estate development, the Credit Bank for Industrial Development and of the Fund for Industrial Development. He has also reduced the prices of gasoline and diesel fuel.
In addition, he has established new schools and universities, and has resolved to make the kingdom a leader in the field of computer sciences.
The eighth five-year (1425-30) plan has given new impetus to economic growth, on the basis of a strategic vision aimed at achieving permanent development. This plan lays down an order of priorities, at the head of which is preservation of Islamic values, consolidation of national unity, security and stability; raising of living standards, combating unemployment, ensuring diversity of the economic base, development of technical and computer sciences, encouragement of scientific research, safeguarding water resources, and protection of the environment.
Qualitative leap forward
The budget of the current year provides more benefits for every citizen since large credits have been allocated to achieve a qualitative leap forward in the development of human resources, which represent the basic pillar of comprehensive development, as well as in the field of health and social security.
Benefits have been raised for orphans and the handicapped, as well as the struggle against poverty.
HM King Abdallah has made many visits to the citizens in the various provinces of the kingdom, which have enabled him to make contact with them and become acquainted with their needs and the aspects of their daily life.
Security in the kingdom is one of the problems to which the monarch has long given close attention, being concerned to base his action on Islamic law. There is in addition his focus on implementing projects in the sectors of education, health, transport, communications, industry, water, electricity and agriculture.
Islamic summit at Mecca
On the Islamic level, matters of interest to the Islamic nation have been at the center of the preoccupations of the king, who took the initiative of hosting the Third Extraordinary Summit in Mecca on Dhu'l-Qaada, 1426 AH (equivalent to December 7-8, 2005), on the basis of his concern to establish closer ties between peoples and states. And this to deal, in a spirit of solidarity, with the problems to which peoples are vulnerable, by establishing a Special Aid Fund.
In opening the Islamic summit, King Abdallah said, "`Islamic unity will not be won by the shedding of blood, as some claim, that is, persons who are affected by extremism. It is not possible to live in a fertile land without a spirit of tolerance and moderation. The Islamic religious institutions must assume their historic role and responsibility by combating extremist thought in all its forms. We are called to consult with one another in all our affairs, be they political, economic, cultural or social, in order to reach the stage of solidarity and true unity".
The monarch added: "The nature of a Muslim lies in his faith, his knowledge, his principles and morality. You will share my opinion that the development of educational programs is a necessity for the formation of a tolerant Islamic personality to attain a society rejecting isolation, closed-mindedness and hostility to the other, while at the same time engaging in interaction with the whole of humanity in order to take from it what is of benefit and to reject what is corrupted".
In his concern to deal with the problems confronting the Islamic nation, the king is committed to providing the best facilities to serve the pilgrims who flock to the kingdom in evergreater numbers. Thus, he has allocated 70 billion riyals during the past two years to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
On the political level, the kingdom follows the line defined in the time of its founder, opting for a policy comprising moderation, balance, wisdom and farsightedness on all levels, especially the external level, in order to serve the causes of Islam and the Muslims.
On the Arab level, the monarch convened the Nineteenth Arab Summit in Riyadh on March 29 of this year, at the end of which was proclaimed the Declaration of Riyadh, which insisted on the necessity of preserving the Arab identity while giving priority to the development of educational programs in the various member states of the League, ensuring joint Arab action in all domains.
Support and aid for Lebanon
In regard to Lebanon, the kingdom condemned the Israeli aggression of July 2006 and alerted the international community, drawing its attention to the seriousness of the situation in the region, which was moving towards a climate of war and a new cycle of violence whose consequences no one could foresee, above all because of the complaisant attitude of the international community to Israel. It called on this community to assume its legal and humane responsibilities by stopping the Israeli aggression and protecting the fraternal Lebanese people and their infrastructures and supporting the legitimate Lebanese government in the action it was taking to safeguard Lebanon and its sovereignty, and assisting it in extending its authority over the whole of the national territory.
In accordance with the instructions of His Majesty, the kingdom was in touch with the international community through its relations with the United States and with other member-states of the United Nations in order to obtain an end to the hostilities and the Israeli air raids on the Lebanese capital and the Israeli attacks on South Lebanon.
In addition, being fully aware of the human drama provoked by the Israeli attack on Lebanon, King Abdallah ordered a public collection of funds, and he also placed the sum of one billion dollars in the Lebanese central bank as a form of support for the national economy.
And in response to the appeal of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, King Abdallah gave instructions to place at his immediate disposal the sum of 50 million dollars to cover rescue operations and ensure necessary services for the fraternal Lebanese people following the Israeli attack. He also ordered the allocation of 500 million dollars to the Lebanese people as a basis for further funds to be provided by an International Arab Fund for the Reconstruction of Lebanon.
At the conference of donors to Lebanon in Paris (Paris III) held last January, Saudi Arabia offered Lebanon the sum of one billion dollars to support projects of public utility through the Saudi Development Fund, in coordination with the Lebanese government, in addition to a gift to the Lebanese government to help it balance its budget.
The whole world appreciates the humanitarian contributions of the Saudi monarch, who comes immediately and generously to the aid of brothers and friends, to the sick and those afflicted by disasters.
Support for Arab causes
The foreign policy of the kingdom expresses with transparency and sincerity its commitment to the causes of the Arab nation, at the top of which is the Palestinian cause and the recovery of the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem. This commitment also concerns common interests, with a commitment to the Charter of the Arab League.
Concerning Iraq, Saudi Arabia has stressed the urgent need for international cooperation so that the country becomes again a sovereign state enjoying security and stability.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also contributes through all its means to the development of Arab societies. It undertakes considerable action on the international scale in defense of the principles of security, peace, justice, human rights, in combating violence, racial discrimination, terrorism and criminality, following the precepts of the Islamic religion, to the principles of which the kingdom adheres in its domestic and foreign policy.
Further, Saudi Arabia supports the role of international organizations and advocates world cooperation in order to help developing societies.
Dialogue between civilizations and cultures
On more than one occasion, King Abdallah has called for consolidation of dialogue between civilizations and cultures, stressing the necessity of coming to know the Other and establishing with him relations of mutual respect.
In the face of the crises and conflicts the region is witnessing, Saudi diplomacy has redoubled its efforts on the regional and international levels by adopting dialogue, consultation, reason and wisdom in order to protect the peoples from the dangers of destructive conflicts and to resolve problems peaceably, in accordance with the principles of Islam.
© Monday Morning 2007
