Pakistan's PM Discusses Vital Issues with King Fahd
By Mujjahid bin Sayyed - Pakistan Times Foreign Correspondent

JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz held talks with Saudi leadership here on Tuesday on regional, international and bilateral issues.

He called on King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques and appreciated his great services for Islam and the Ummah.

The Prime Minister conveyed best regards of President General Pervez Musharraf for the health and long life of King Fahd.

The Prime Minister praised King Fahd for rendering "a great service to Islam." He described him as "a living legend" of the Muslim world.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also praised the King's services for the upkeep of the Holy Khana Kaba and Masjid-e-Nabvi.

Of Bilateral Ties

The King emphasized on the excellent brotherly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and prayed for the progress and prosperity of the people of Pakistan.

One-on-One Meeting

The Prime Minister also held one on one meeting with Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of National Guard.

Both the leaders discussed various matters of bilateral interest and exchanged views to further promote brotherly relations between the two countries.

Shaukat Aziz appreciating the cooperation and assistance of Saudi Arabia hoped the close relations between the two countries and among the people would be strengthened in future.

Later, the Crown Prince hosted lunch in honour of the Prime Minister and his delegation.

The Delegation

Prime Minister's delegation included Sindh Chief Minister Dr. Arbab Rahim, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, Minister for Housing and Works Syed Safwan Ullah and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Chaudhry Shahbaz.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz met the Deputy Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.

Exclusive Meeting

The Prime Minister also had an exclusive meeting with the Deputy Crown Prince who is also the minister for defence and aviation.

The two leaders exchanged views on matters of bilateral interest and the challenges confronting the Ummah.

The Prime Minister underlined the importance of brotherly bilateral relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and offered cooperation in all important fields.

Prince Sultan acknowledged the excellent relations between the two countries since the independence of Pakistan and added that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia together can constitute a force for peace and stability in the Islamic world.

The OIC

The two leaders expressed the resolve that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia can play an important role in the Organization of Islamic Conference and Muslim Ummah for the welfare of the Muslim world.

They said that there was "solid" cooperation between the two countries and called for taking necessary measures to further consolidate these.

Saudi Finance Minister Meets Shaukat Aziz

Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide financial assistance to Pakistan for developing Coastal highway and construction of small dams besides investing in other areas.

It was agreed during a meeting of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz with the Saudi Finance Minister Dr. Ibrahim, Bin Aabdul Aziz in Jeddah on Tuesday evening.

The Saudi Finance Minister agreed in principle to a proposal to set up a Pakistani Bank in the Kingdom to facilitate overseas Pakistani for transfer of their remittances to their homeland.

Dr. Ibrahim also agreed to assist Pakistan in the packing and preservation of dry fruits in the Northern Areas.

Excellent Opportunities

The Prime Minister informed the Saudi Finance Minister that Pakistan offers excellent opportunities and invited Saudi businessmen to invest in the industrial sector.

Shaukat Aziz appreciated the performance of Pak-Saudi Investment Company and expressed the desire for more such Saudi ventures in Pakistan.

The Prime Minister hoped that taking the advantage of liberal economic policies of the present government, there would be investment from Saudi Arabia in Pakistan.

He said the investment should be more industrial specific to improve jobs opportunities.

Meeting with Saudi Businessmen

The Prime Minister said that Pakistan offered a number of incentives for the investors and urged the Saudi business community to benefit from the liberal trade policies of Pakistan.

Talking to Khaid Xenel Ali Reza and other leading Saudi businessmen, Prime Minister said Pakistan is one of thecountries where foreign investors could find business friendly atmosphere to get maximum profit.

Highlighting role of Saudi investors in Pakistan, the Prime Minister asked them to play on "front foot" in the pro-business climate and take full advantage of the incentives.

Vast Resources

Prime Minister said keeping in view vast resources of coal; Saudi firms should start a mixture of gas and oil fuel to utilize this abundant natural resource in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have very close and friendly relations; therefore, the business cooperation could be further promoted without any difficulty.

Avenues for Investment

Shaukat Aziz also discussed various avenues of promoting foreign investment in Pakistan and assured that his government would provide maximum incentives and opportunities to foreign investors with the assurance of continuation in economic
policies.

Talking to a delegation of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said there should more interaction between the representatives of business community of the countries.

The Prime Minister explained the future economic policies and said that there was plenty of scope for foreign investment in production, construction and energy sector.

He said under the liberal economic policies, the foreign investor could take 100 per cent profit abroad.●