10-11-2004, 11:03 PM
<b>Naif Rules Out Womenâs Vote in Civic Poll</b>
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
http://arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=...=11&m=10&y=2004
JEDDAH, 11 October 2004 â Interior Minister <b>Prince Naif yesterday ruled out prospects of womenâs participation in the upcoming municipal elections. âI donât think itâs possible,â</b>he told reporters in Kuwait when asked whether Saudi women could take part in the first-ever nationwide civic elections.
Prince Naifâs statement, the first by a top official, puts an end to speculation on womenâs participation in the elections, which are to start Feb. 10 and continue until April 21. The elections will be conducted in three phases in order to choose half the members of the 178 municipal councils in the Kingdomâs 13 regions.
The General Committee for Municipal Elections stated last month that women would not be allowed to run in the elections. Responding to intentions of some women to run for office, an official source said they had misunderstood the law which had clearly stated that only
<b>âmuwatinâ (male citizens) are allowed to participate.â The law did not use the word âmuwatinaâ (female citizen), thus excluding women from taking part in elections, Al-Jazirah newspaper reported, quoting the source</b>.
At his news conference, Prince Naif refuted the claim unemployment was the reason for terrorism in the Kingdom. He said many of the terror suspects arrested by security officers were either employees receiving high salaries or traders.
Referring to the closure of Al-Haramain Charitable Foundation, the minister said the measure was due to organizational reasons. âThe foundation was not organized... and this resulted in things happening that harmed the country,â he said. However, he emphasized that it would not affect charitable activities in the Kingdom.
He described the two-day meeting of GCC interior ministers in Kuwait as successful.
The ministers reiterated their rejection of terrorism and pledged full support for Saudi Arabiaâs battle against Al-Qaeda militants. âThe ministers reiterated their countriesâ rejections of all forms of terrorism, regardless of its source and justification,â said the final communiqué read by GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah. âThey expressed satisfaction at measures and mechanisms adopted by member states at the domestic, regional and international levels in confronting the scourge of terror,â the communiqué added.
The GCC consists of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The GCC states âdeclare their total support for all measures adopted by Saudi Arabia in confronting terror attacks by misguided terrorist elements,â said the communiqué.
During Saturdayâs opening session, Prince Naif said the GCC states needed to do more to defeat terrorism. âYou are aware that our confrontation of terrorism was, and continues to be, fierce and very strong,â he said.
The Kingdom has suffered a string of terror attacks in the past 18 months that has left some 100 people dead and hundreds wounded.
The attacks have led to strong government crackdown on Al-Qaeda sympathizers blamed for the violence.
The ministers commended the Kingdomâs plan to host an international conference on terrorism in February. âThis shows Riyadhâs desire to make effective contributions to regional and international efforts to fight terrorism,â the communiqué said
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
http://arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=...=11&m=10&y=2004
JEDDAH, 11 October 2004 â Interior Minister <b>Prince Naif yesterday ruled out prospects of womenâs participation in the upcoming municipal elections. âI donât think itâs possible,â</b>he told reporters in Kuwait when asked whether Saudi women could take part in the first-ever nationwide civic elections.
Prince Naifâs statement, the first by a top official, puts an end to speculation on womenâs participation in the elections, which are to start Feb. 10 and continue until April 21. The elections will be conducted in three phases in order to choose half the members of the 178 municipal councils in the Kingdomâs 13 regions.
The General Committee for Municipal Elections stated last month that women would not be allowed to run in the elections. Responding to intentions of some women to run for office, an official source said they had misunderstood the law which had clearly stated that only
<b>âmuwatinâ (male citizens) are allowed to participate.â The law did not use the word âmuwatinaâ (female citizen), thus excluding women from taking part in elections, Al-Jazirah newspaper reported, quoting the source</b>.
At his news conference, Prince Naif refuted the claim unemployment was the reason for terrorism in the Kingdom. He said many of the terror suspects arrested by security officers were either employees receiving high salaries or traders.
Referring to the closure of Al-Haramain Charitable Foundation, the minister said the measure was due to organizational reasons. âThe foundation was not organized... and this resulted in things happening that harmed the country,â he said. However, he emphasized that it would not affect charitable activities in the Kingdom.
He described the two-day meeting of GCC interior ministers in Kuwait as successful.
The ministers reiterated their rejection of terrorism and pledged full support for Saudi Arabiaâs battle against Al-Qaeda militants. âThe ministers reiterated their countriesâ rejections of all forms of terrorism, regardless of its source and justification,â said the final communiqué read by GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah. âThey expressed satisfaction at measures and mechanisms adopted by member states at the domestic, regional and international levels in confronting the scourge of terror,â the communiqué added.
The GCC consists of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The GCC states âdeclare their total support for all measures adopted by Saudi Arabia in confronting terror attacks by misguided terrorist elements,â said the communiqué.
During Saturdayâs opening session, Prince Naif said the GCC states needed to do more to defeat terrorism. âYou are aware that our confrontation of terrorism was, and continues to be, fierce and very strong,â he said.
The Kingdom has suffered a string of terror attacks in the past 18 months that has left some 100 people dead and hundreds wounded.
The attacks have led to strong government crackdown on Al-Qaeda sympathizers blamed for the violence.
The ministers commended the Kingdomâs plan to host an international conference on terrorism in February. âThis shows Riyadhâs desire to make effective contributions to regional and international efforts to fight terrorism,â the communiqué said