Saudi Arabia is biggest success story of 21st century, says Crown Prince

News Network
September 21, 2023

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NEOM: Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman said that Saudi Arabia is the biggest success story of the 21st century.

In an interview with Bret Baier, chief political anchor of Fox News, at NEOM, the Crown Prince said the Palestinian issue is crucial to normalizing ties with Israel as he wanted to see a good life for the Palestinians. In the interview on “Special Report with Bret Baier” that was aired on Thursday morning, he reiterated that if Iran possessed a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would do the same “for security reasons and the balance of power.”

Saudi Arabia had achieved the fastest growth in gross domestic product (GDP) among the G20 countries for two consecutive years, the Crown Prince said while pointing out about the bid to join G7. “We tried to join the G7, but some countries wanted to dictate their conditions to us,” he said.

In his first interview with a major American news network since 2019, the Crown Prince addressed a wide range of domestic, regional and international issues. Prince Mohammed bin Salman highlighted the robust growth and comprehensive social and economic reforms that Saudi Arabia is witnessing under its Vision 2030. “Saudi Arabia is so big, so I'm quite sure most people in the world, directly or indirectly, have something to do with Saudi Arabia. Our vision is great and we are surprised every day when achieving our goals quickly as our non-oil growth this year will be among the fastest in the G20 countries,” he said.

When asked about efforts to normalize relations with Israel, the Crown Prince emphasized that the Kingdom has no relationship with Israel at present. “Every day we get closer, it seems it's for the first time real one serious. We get to see how it goes," he said. The Crown Prince insisted his country could work with Israel, no matter who is in charge, calling the deal "the biggest historical deal since the end of the Cold War," which he stated would rest upon agreements related to the treatment of the Palestinians. "If we have a breakthrough of reaching a deal that gives the Palestinians their needs and makes the region calm, we're going to work with whoever is there," he said, while reiterating that he wanted to see "a good life for the Palestinians."

When asked about the potential for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and what it means for Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince clearly stated that should Iran ever obtain such a weapon Saudi Arabia would "have to get one, for security reasons, for balancing power." "We are concerned if any country gets a nuclear weapon: That's a bad, that's a bad move," he said. "They don't need to get nuclear weapons because you cannot use them. Any country using a nuclear weapon that means they are having a war with the rest of the world," he said while reiterating the position of Saudi Arabia that the region must be stable for Saudi Arabia to achieve its goals. "The world cannot see another Hiroshima. If the world sees 100,000 people dead that means you are in a war with the rest of the world. So to use this effort to reach a nuclear weapon because you cannot use it if you use it, you got to have a big fight with the rest of the world."

The Crown Prince also spoke about relations with the United States, saying: “We have important security ties with Washington. We have a special relationship with President Joe Biden, and he is very focused and prepares himself well,” he said while adding that Saudi Arabia wants American and foreign companies to come and invest in a safe environment in the Middle East. "We are one of the five largest buyers of American weapons, and our move to buy weapons from countries other than the United States is not in their interest."

He also highlighted the various attacks Osama bin Laden planned and executed against Saudi Arabia in the 1990s. Bin Laden was able to recruit Saudis to help his cause but that it "doesn’t make any sense" for the country itself to help a man actively hurting it. "After that, killing Saudis and foreign people at that time in Saudi Arabia, he's our enemy and he's the American enemy," the Crown Prince said.

Referring to the Khashoggi issue, the Crown Prince said that Saudi Arabia prosecuted those involved in Khashoggi’s killing and made reforms to prevent such things happening again. “Anyone involved in Khashoggi’s killing is serving time in prison and must face the law. We take all the legal measurements that any country took ... We did that in Saudi Arabia and the case was closed," he said. "Also, we try to reform the security system to be sure that these kinds of mistakes do not happen again, and we can see in the past five years nothing of those things happened. It's not part of what Saudi Arabia does." He noted that the country is working to reform some laws and the government does not interfere in the work of the judiciary.

The Crown Prince also touched on economic files, stressing that the Kingdom monitors supply and demand in the oil market and takes the necessary measures to stabilize the energy market. “Our role in OPEC + is to bridge the gap between supply and demand. We are keen on the stability of energy markets and we are doing what is necessary in this regard.”

Referring to the recent deal signed with regard to establishing India – Middle East – Europe Economic Corridor during the G20 Summit, the Crown Prince said that the Economic Corridor that will connect the Middle East with Europe will save time and money and will shorten the distance to Europe to 3-6 days.

Regarding the BRICS group of countries, Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that this group “is not against the United States, as evidenced by the presence of Washington’s allies within it.” The Crown Prince stressed that the BRICS group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is not a political alliance.

The Crown Prince also explained about the measures being taken to make the Kingdom a major global tourism destination. He said that attracting tourism is linked to developing other major sectors, including sports, entertainment and culture. “We do not mind developing the sports sector as it has become effective in economic returns. We are working to ensure that sports contribute 1.5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) soon,” he added.

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News Network
December 3,2023

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A brutal Israeli attack targeting a refugee camp in Gaza has killed more than 100 people as the regime continues with its relentless aggression against the besieged Palestinian territory.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said in a Saturday report that many people had also been injured in the Israeli missile strike that took place earlier in the day and targeted the Jabalia refugee camp in the north of Gaza.

It said the attack had targeted a residential building belonging to a large family in Jabalia, adding that many members of the family were still missing under the rubble.

The attack comes a day after the Israeli regime resumed its brutal military campaign against Gaza after a seven-day ceasefire deal with Gaza’s ruling Hamas movement came to an end.

Nearly 200 people were killed in the renewed round of attacks on Gaza until early Saturday, according to Gaza Health Ministry authorities.

Israel’s aggression against Gaza started on October 7 hours after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on the Israeli-occupied territories of Palestine near Gaza.

More than 15,000 people had been killed in Gaza in the first round of Israel attacks before the truce with Hamas came into force on November 24.

Israel had targeted Jabalia and other camps hosting refugees in Gaza in its first round of attacks.

More than a million people have been displaced in Gaza as a result of the Israeli aggression.

Rights organizations and governments have repeatedly condemned Israel’s indiscriminate targeting of places of gathering for displaced Palestinians, including hospitals, schools, mosques and refugee camps in Gaza. 

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News Network
November 24,2023

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has held talks with Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Doha where he has traveled as part of a regional tour for consultations amid the Israeli invasion of Gaza.

The meeting on Thursday night (November 23) came as a breakthrough four-day truce in the war will start on Friday morning and an exchange of captives and prisoners will follow hours later.  

Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails will be released on Friday, adding a list of names has been approved, without saying how many.

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani discussed the plan with Amir-Abdollahian and thanked Iran for its “pivotal role and valuable efforts in helping to achieve a humanitarian cessation of the war against Gaza”, Fars news agency reported.

“We have reached a good stage,” the Qatari minister said, adding the first priority is the ceasefire, and then “our effort is to extend the temporary ceasefire and stop the war and killing of Palestinians completely and prevent a return to war”.

Amir-Abdollahian welcomed the ceasefire, saying if the Israeli regime continues the war, “the situation in the region will become more tense and the reactions will be more widespread”.

He said Israel is not able to continue the war without the support of the United States.

Amir-Abdollahian said what had happened against the United States in the region in the last six weeks was the reaction of the resistance groups to US support for the genocide in Palestine and had nothing to do with Iran.

US forces in Iraq and Syria have seen an uptick in attacks since Israel launched its invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip, leaving scores of American troops injured, including over two dozen soldiers diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.

Amir-Abdollahian said Hamas is a liberation movement which has emerged from within the civil society of the Palestinian nation.

Hamas, he said, cannot be eliminated and its enemies should not think they can achieve through political means what they failed during more than a month and a half of war.

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News Network
November 23,2023

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Bengaluru, Nov 23: The data of the ‘Socio-Economic and Education Survey’, popularly known as caste census, is “safe” and “intact”, according to K Jayaprakash Hegde, chairman of Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes.

His clarification comes following the emergence of documents suggesting that the original report of the caste census is missing from the office of the Commission.

Kicking up a storm, the BJP questioned the credibility of the caste census that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wants to take forward. 

In October 2021, when the BJP was in power, Hegde had written to the government stating that neither the main report nor a photocopy was available in sealed boxes that were opened.

He also brought to the notice of the government that the signature of the member-secretary was missing from the available documents. 

In August 2022, a letter was written to Transport Secretary Dr N V Prasad who was the member-secretary of the Commission when the caste census report was finalised. The letter sought Prasad’s response to his missing signature. In this letter, too, the Commission states that the original report and its photocopy were not available in its office. 

“It is baffling to note that after spending crores of tax payers’ money to prepare this caste census report, we do not have the original copy,” BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said in a tweet and asked if the government had filed a police complaint or acted against officials responsible for this. 

Former BJP MLA V Sunil Kumar asked the Congress government to clarify before the start of the winter session of the legislature on December 4. “If a government document has gone missing, did someone steal it? Will the government get a fresh report done?” he said. 

But according to Hegde, the caste census data is not missing. “The data is 100% correct and intact. The data has the signature of the then chairperson, members and member-secretary. The data has been uploaded safely in our software developed by the BEL,” he said. 

Hegde explained that the caste census has two parts -- the data and a resultant report. “In the report comprising recommendations that had to be given to the government, some worksheets are missing,” he said. 

The BJP also taunted the Congress for being divided. “In this government, the CM and DyCM have different stands. Who should people believe?” Kumar said while Yatnal accused the Congress of “orchestrating this spectacle” for the Lok Sabha polls.

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