Saudis’ ’total war’
Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan declared that his country is in a “total war” against terrorism after more militant attacks last week on the desert kingdom.
Prince Bandar praised security forces for disrupting another terrorist plot by killing five militants in a gunbattle in the port city of Jidda on Thursday.
“The actions of our security forces are further proof that the terrorists, whose objective is to kill innocent people, cannot hide from justice,” he said. “We are in total war with these terrorists, and there will be no compromise.”
The shootout followed a suicide bombing at the General Security building in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, that killed six persons, including an 11-year-old girl, and injured 148.
Prince Bandar called the attack a “despicable act by a desperate group of criminals who are devoid of all Islamic and human values.”
Saudi Oil Minister Ali bin Ibrahim al-Naimi, on a visit to Texas, reiterated that his government is committed to maintaining price stability in the oil market, with the average cost of a gallon of gasoline approaching $2 in the United States.
Mr. al-Naimi, who is scheduled to be in Washington this week, told the World Affairs Council of Greater Dallas on Friday, “We in Saudi Arabia firmly believe that consumers, producers and the world economy all benefit from stable and predictable oil markets.”
The Saudi government says it wants the price of a barrel of oil to average about $27. The price was more than $36 in New York markets last week.
He attributed the price of gas in the United States partly to low oil-refining capacity.
“Even if [the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries] were to raise output, it would not necessarily translate into more gasoline for U.S. consumers,” he said. “This is because the supply bottleneck is created by the fact of U.S. refining capacity, not by the amount of available crude oil in the world markets.”
Diplomatic traffic
Foreign visitors in Washington this week include the following:
Today
• Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania of Georgia, who meets Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He also will hold talks this week with Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman, Senate leaders and officials at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
• Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, who meets Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick. He is accompanied by Josef Motzfeldt, a member of the Home Rule government of Greenland.
• Sinan al-Shabibi, governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, who addresses the Financial Services Roundtable on efforts to reform the Iraqi banking system.
Tomorrow
• Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson, who meets President Bush on Wednesday to discuss European security and the Middle East.
• A delegation from Saudi Arabia that includes Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf; Oil Minister Ali bin Ibrahim al-Naimi; Abdullah Jum’ah, chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco; Sheik Hamad al-Sayan, governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency. They participate in an energy forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
• Jurgen Trittin, Germany’s minister for the environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety. He addresses the Brookings Institution.
Wednesday
• Grigori Marchenko, assistant to the president of Kazakhstan, who addresses the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Thursday
• Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, who meets President Bush on Friday.
• Shinzo Abe, secretary-general of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, who addresses the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.
Friday
• Guatemalan President Oscar Berger, who meets President Bush.
• Call Embassy Row at 202/636-3297, fax 202/832-7278 or e-mail jmorrison @washingtontimes.com.
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