Opening this year’s sessions of the consultative Shoura Council, King Abdullah also said that Saudi Arabia would continue its efforts to promote dialogue and tolerance in order to remove the differences, hatred and enmity between followers of different faiths and cultures. "Our interfaith dialogue initiative has got international acceptance and we’ll go ahead with this endeavor," the king said.
In his keynote address, King Abdullah highlighted the government’s efforts to promote education. The SR540 billion current budget, the largest in the Kingdom’s history, allocates SR137 billion for education, SR61 billion for health services and SR46 billion for water, industry and agriculture, he said.
King Abdullah called on Saudis to work together for the progress and prosperity of the country. Addressing members of the council, the king said: "The unity of this nation and the right to defend the country lie in the hands of its citizens." Defending one’s own country is a principle laid down in Islam, he added. In the audience were members of the royal family, foreign diplomats, ministers and senior government officials.
The king highlighted the government’s efforts to combat terrorism. He also commended soldiers deployed on the Kingdom’s southern border. "The Kingdom is thankful to the valiant soldiers who fought this battle and it also remembers gratefully the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the cause of their country," he said referring to the war against Yemeni infiltrators.
He said 10,000 housing units will be given to people displaced by the war.
He stressed that the Kingdom would maintain its moderate policies, which have helped limit the damage from the global financial crisis. "The Kingdom has continued to be moderate in its approach to the global oil situation … Saudi Arabia sought in the wake of the global financial and economic crisis to minimize the impact of the crisis on the stability of oil markets and on the interests of producing and consuming countries alike," he said.
"We will continue to follow the approach of moderation and maintain the wealth God has endowed us with … We are part of the Arab and Islamic world and we will work to promote peace and friendship in the region as well as in the entire world," he said.
Touching on the importance of the Shoura Council, the king explained that Islam is a religion of dialogue, moderation and coexistence, and that dialogue has emerged from the principle of consultation. He underscored the Shoura’s achievements. "It has become an important partner in the development process."
