Premier Jamali left for Saudi Arabia

Premier Jamali left for Saudi Arabia ISLAMABAD, Dec 30 (KUNA) -- Pakistans Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, after securing a mandatory vote of confidence by obtaining 188 votes in the 342-seat in the special session of the parliament Monday left for Saudi Arabia for a five-day visit.
A foreign office official talking to KUNA here said, "During his meetings with the royal Saudi leadership, the Prime Minister will review bilateral matters and apprise the Saudi leadership of the latest position in Pakistan-India relations, and developments in and around the Middle East and Afghanistan." This is Jamalis first visit to Saudi Arabia as prime minister. He was accompanied by the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Noraiz Shakoor Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Mansoor Hamid, Adviser to the Premier on Finance Shaukat Aziz and other senior officials.
During the visit, the prime minister will meet with King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud and other Saudi ministers. He is also to perform Umrah and visit Madinah Munawwara for Ziarat.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have traditionally close and brotherly relations with regular high-level consultations are a distinguishing feature of this friendship. The government and the people of Pakistan attach the highest importance to their fraternal and friendly ties with Saudi Arabia, said the official The Kingdom has always shared with Pakistan identical views and takes common positions on regional and international issues, he said.
Continuation of the Saudi Oil Facility (SOF) and project financing for various strategic development plans is likely to top the agenda of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on his first 5-day visit to the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia offered this special facility after nuclear tests of May 1998, as a very friendly gesture, at a time when the whole world, led by the United States, imposed all sorts of sanctions. The initial scope of this oil facility was for two years, which was later on extended on the request of President General Pervez Musharraf.
The Ministry of Finance expects that this oil grant would remain available till 2004, to help cover the financing gap under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility of the International Monetary Fund.
Import of fuel oil constitutes almost one-fourth of the total import bill of the country. However, provision of the SOF, and oil import arrangement with Kuwait, helped Pakistan in recent years to meet its growing domestic needs of 18 million tons, without putting extra strains on the external sector.
As part of a long-term strategy to explore new oil and gas resources, the government desperately needs gas supplies from the major producers in the Central Asia, Iran and may be in the Gulf region as well.
The signing of trilateral framework agreement for construction of 1500-km Trans-Afghan gas pipeline would also be discussed with the Saudi authorities. Saudi Arabia, being one of the largest oil producers, had keen interest in any such developments around the world, which could hamper its own future earning capacity.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had shown close cooperation over the Gulf crisis in the past. Since the appalling situation of the region could erupt into an outright war any moment, two sides might also be tempted to workout some arrangements on bilateral basis. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have some cooperation in strategic matters, including cooperation in the defense production areas. (end) myk.bz KUNA 302040 Dec 02NNNN