JEDDAH — King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is closely following the case of the kidnapped Saudi diplomat in Yemen, Prince Ahmed, Minister of Interior, has said. He reiterated that the ministry had been exerting maximum effort to ensure his safe return. Abdullah Al-Khalidi, the Kingdom's deputy consul in Yemen's port city of Aden, was abducted by the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula from outside his residence on March 28. Prince Ahmed made the remarks following official talks with his Bahraini counterpart Lt. Gen. Sheikh Rashed Bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa in Jeddah Sunday The talks focused on the recent raids by the Bahraini security forces that resulted in the uncovering of “terrorist hideouts” and seizure of materials used for manufacturing explosive devices. He said the signing of the agreements on money laundering and tightening border controls with Bahrain is within the framework of cooperation with all countries. He lauded the cooperation between the two countries in security aspects as it was in the interest of the citizens and residents in either country. During the meeting, Sheikh Rashed stressed the historic relations between the two countries and pointed out that the bilateral relations reached the peak in the era of the two prudent leaderships. Prince Ahmed said, “The Bahraini leadership is making all efforts in the best interest of the Bahraini citizens. These efforts are based on strong principles of social justice as is the case in the Kingdom and other Gulf states.” He said the two parties discussed several issues, including the flow of people and goods across King Fahd Causeway linking the two countries and cooperation in areas of combating terrorism, cyber crimes and natural disasters. Meanwhile, the interior minister approved a three-pronged Civil Defense emergency plan for the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah during Ramadan. At least 18 ministries and government agencies will contribute to the endeavor to provide the highest level of safety for millions of pilgrims who come from within the Kingdom and abroad to perform Umrah and pray at the Prophet's Mosque in the holy month. Lt. Gen. Saad Al-Tuwaijri, Director General of Civil Defense, said all arrangements were in place to carry out the plan that envisaged a big jump in the number of pilgrims throughout the month, particularly in the last ten days. Some 10,000 safety officers and privates as well as 1500 pieces of equipment and nine helicopters will be deployed in the two cities throughout the month. – SG/SPA
