Saudi Arabia has suspended the use of national ID cards to travel between the Kingdom and the UAE by the nationals of the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted Director General of Passports Maj. Gen. Salim Bin Muhammad Al-Blaihid as saying, Thursday. The measure follows the wrong depiction of the map on the identity cards of UAE nationals, which is not in conformity with the border demarcation agreement signed between the Kingdom and the UAE on Aug. 21, 1974, said Al-Blaihid. Now the nationals of the two countries must use their passports instead of their national identity cards to travel between the Kingdom and the UAE, he said. The Kingdom on several occasions and through several official channels brought the discrepancy to the notice of the UAE government but nothing was done to rectify the map, said Al-Blaihid. Since the UAE did not respond, the Kingdom decided to stop the entry of UAE nationals using their national ID cards in line with the rules of Article Four of the Joint Communiqué, he said. Article Four of the Joint Communiqué issued by the ministries of interior of the two countries on May 5, 2007, gives any of the two countries the right to end the facilitation of travel by using national ID cards by notifying the other party. It becomes effective after 90 days from the date of notification. __
