MINISTER OF FINANCE DR. ABDULAZIZ AL-ASSAF OPENED HERE TODAY SAUDI EUROMONEY CONFERENCE 2007 HELD AT PRINCE SULTAN GRAND GALLERY AT ALFAISALIA HOTEL IN RIYADH TODAY UNDER THE TITLE "FINANCING IN A CHANGING WORLD". LEADING MORE THAN 400 PARTICIPANTS, KHALID BIN MOHAMMED AL-GOSAIBI, MINISTER OF ECONOMY AND PLANNING, DR. MOHAMMED JAMEEL MULLAH, MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, AND HAMAD AL-SAYYARI, GOVERNOR OF SAUDI ARABIAN MONETARY AGENCY ALSO ATTENDED THE CONFERENCE. THE TWO-DAY EVENT IS ORGANIZED BY INTERNATIONAL EUROMONEY IN COOPERATION WITH THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE , GENERAL COMMISSION FOR INVESTMENT AND A NUMBER OF BANKS AND PRIVATE COMPANIES. IN A KEYNOTE ADDRESS, AL-ASSAF SAID THE ORGANIZERS HAVE THIS YEAR CHOSEN THE ISSUE OF FINANCE IN A CHANGING WORLD IN VIEW OF THE POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS WITNESSED BY THE SAUDI ECONOMY INCLUDING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF GIANT PROJECTS REQUIRING PROBING INNOVATIVE AND NEW MEANS AND MECHANISMS OF FINANCING THAT MATCH WITH THE NATURE OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS. AL-ASSAF CITED THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ AS SAYING IN A SPEECH BEFORE THE SHOURA COUNCIL EARLY THIS YEAR THAT THE GOVERNMENT VOWED TO EXTEND SUPPORT FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO MAKE IT A STRATEGIC PARTNER IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WORK TO REMOVE THE OBSTACLES FACING THE LOCAL AND FOREIGN INVESTOR THROUGH AVAILING THEMSELVES, AS FAR AS POSSIBLE, OF THE RELATIVE PRIVILEGES OF THE SAUDI ECONOMY. --MORE
