Saudi Arabia is keen on the future of Arab youth and strenuously focuses on ways to dissuade them from being lured by elements with deviant thought, Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister, said here on Monday. Addressing a press conference here at the end of the two-day meeting of Arab Interior Ministers, Prince Naif said media has a great role to play in portraying the reality of the masses. He said any constructive criticism in this regard is always welcome. Answering a question, Prince Naif assured that Crown Prince Sultan's health “is at a very good level and he enjoys good health. God willing and after the leave of absence given to the Crown Prince by the physicians, he will arrive in the Kingdom fully healthy.” On intellectual security and problems of the deviant thought in the Arab homeland and ways to confront them, Prince Naif said the issue has been discussed several times. The intellectual security is not less than public security at all security agencies. “We have started with our universities especially with King Saud University to devote a number of researchers to discuss formulating a intellectual security strategy. A chair was also established for this. We hope it will soon present a strategy that will be positively received by intellectuals and the media to serve this goal. We hope it will be presented to the Arab interior ministers so that it might confront the thought with thought, Prince Naif said. Asked about the response to the Arab reconciliation call launched by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, at Kuwait Arab summit on security, Prince Naif said the initiative is comprehensive as it has its impact on not only the security field but also the social, economic, political and intellectual fields, hoping that it would achieve all the constructive goals aimed at by the Monarch. Asked whether Arab people could be reassured on living in peace, away from violence and terrorism soon, Prince Naif said, “we hope so.” He said, “we hope that our Arab youth will not become an easy prey for those who are working against our culture and religion.” On extradition of Saudi and Iraqi prisoners, Prince Naif said many Iraqis were released from Saudi prisons with the exception of those facing capital charges like drug trafficking. Saudi Arabia, he said, has asked the Iraqi authorities to extradite Saudi prisoners on charges related to terrorism “or sentence them and then extradite them so that we could reach facts and work for rehabilitating them.”
