NAJRAN: Najran Gov. Prince Jalawi bin Abdul Aziz bin Musaed praised on Tuesday people’s commitment to helping the government in its efforts to check the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
He said all the measures have been taken for the health and safety of citizens and residents.
The officials — the regional pubic prosecutor, Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Asmari, and the regional police chief, Maj. Gen Saeed bin Mohammed Abu Dhiba —briefed the governor on the procedures of shutting down parks, intensifying cleaning and environmental sanitation efforts, and increasing field monitoring and control.
The governor lauded the efforts of all government agencies.
In Najran, 2,013 sites have been sanitized since the launch of the preventive plan. Over 582 environmental monitoring and sanitation workers and 1,217 cleaning workers are taking part in the drive.
The Kingdom has imposed a partial curfew from Monday evening to check the spread of the virus. A royal court statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency said the curfew will start at 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. every day for 21 days.
The order requires all people to stay in their homes during the curfew hours for their own safety.
The statement said the Ministry of Interior will undertake the necessary measures to implement the curfew, and all civil and military authorities are ordered to cooperate fully.
Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Najran region reviews steps taken to curb coronavirus
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Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Najran region reviews steps taken to curb coronavirus
- Saudi Arabia has imposed a partial curfew from Monday evening to check the spread of the virus
Germany pledges $51.3 million to the Syrian cause
RIYADH: Germany will donate 50 million euros ($51.3 million) to the Syrian cause, foreign minister Annalena Baerbock announced on the sidelines of the Riyadh Meeting on Syria hosted by Saudi on Sunday.
“Syrians now need a quick dividend from the transition of power and we continue to help those in Syria who have nothing as we have done in all of the years of civil war,” Baerbock said.
During a press briefing, the minister stated: “We will provide another 50 million euros for food, emergency shelter, and medical care because we know that over the last year not only millions have suffered, didn’t have enough food, didn’t have enough treatment for the children but we also know that the new displacement attacks, especially the women and children.”
“We will stand with the people of Syria to contribute to a peaceful transition for everyone,” Baerbock stated.
The foreign minister stressed that the aid is not only necessary to help those in Syria but also serves as an investment in the security in Germany and Europe.
The foreign minister also expressed her gratitude to Saudi Arabia for gathering countries both within the region and from Europe, “to discuss the countless unresolved issues facing Syria together.”
Arab, EU diplomats arrive in Riyadh for meeting on Syria
- Riyadh is negotiating how to support the war-struck country’s transition
RIYADH: Top diplomats from the Middle East and Europe were arriving in the Saudi capital on Sunday to discuss Syria, as world powers push for stability after the fall of Bashar Assad.
The talks on Sunday will unfold in two sessions: the first will bring together Arab officials, while the second will feature wider participation, including from Turkiye, France, the European Union and the United Nations, a Saudi official told AFP on Saturday.
Syria’s new leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who led the main group in the alliance that overthrew Assad, is pushing for sanctions relief.
Western powers, including the United States and the European Union, imposed sanctions on Assad’s government over his brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011, which triggered the civil war.
More than 13 years of conflict have killed over half a million Syrians, left infrastructure destroyed and the people impoverished, while millions have fled their homes, including to Europe.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on Friday that the 27-nation bloc could begin lifting sanctions if Syria’s new rulers took steps to form an inclusive government that protected minorities.
Saudi Arabia cut ties with Assad’s government in 2012 and had long openly championed his ouster. But in 2023 it hosted an Arab League meeting at which Assad was welcomed back into the regional fold.
This month the Gulf kingdom has sent food, shelter and medical supplies to Syria over land and by plane.
Riyadh is now negotiating how to support the war-struck country’s transition beyond that.
“This summit sends the message that Saudi Arabia wants to take the lead on coordinating the regional effort to support Syria’s recovery,” said Anna Jacobs, non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
“But the big question is how much time and how many resources will Saudi Arabia devote to this effort? And what is possible with many of the sanctions remaining in place?”
The meetings on Sunday represent a continuation of talks on post-Assad Syria held last month in Jordan, the Saudi official said.
After those talks in Aqaba, diplomats called in a joint statement for a Syrian-led transition to “produce an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government formed through a transparent process.”
The statement also stressed “respect for human rights” and the importance of combating “terrorism and extremism,” demanding all parties cease hostilities in Syria.
Turkiye’s foreign minister had confirmed he would attend Sunday’s meeting. Iraq’s top diplomat was also in Riyadh for the gathering, and AFP saw Germany’s foreign minister at the conference venue.
US Undersecretary of State John Bass is also set to attend, coming from talks in Turkiye that partly covered “the importance of regional stability, preventing Syria from being used as a base for terrorism, and ensuring the enduring defeat” of the Daesh group, the State Department said.
Riyadh is “positively approaching” the new leaders in Syria, looking to see if they can bring stability and “control the more extreme elements in (their) ranks,” Karim said.
The group that Sharaa leads, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, but years ago broke that link and has sought to moderate its image.
KSrelief continues humanitarian outreach in Syria, Yemen
RYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) continues with its humanitarian activities in Syria and Yemen with the distribution of food supplies, health kits and prosthetic services.
In the town of Beit Yashout, Jabla District of Syria’s Latakia Governorate, 499 families each received boxes containing a bag of flour as well as personal care kits on Saturday, state news agency SPA reported.
In Jindires of Aleppo Governorate, KSrelief distributed 1,476 food boxes and 1,476 health kits while in Talbiseh of Homs Governorate the aid agency on Thursday handed out to 86 families food parcels, each containing a 10-kilogram bag of flour, along with winter kits and personal care kits on Thursday.
This initiative is part of the Kingdom’s continuous humanitarian efforts, through KSrelief, to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people during various crises and hardships, SPA reported.
Meanwhile in Yemen, the Project for Operating Artificial Limbs and Rehabilitation Center in Taiz provided medical services to 434 beneficiaries who lost their limbs in December last year.
The center, being supported by KSrelief, delivered 1,613 services including the delivery, measurement and maintenance of prosthetic limbs, as well as physical therapy and specialized consultations.
UAE, Syria foreign ministers arrive in Riyadh
- Welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Deputy FM Waleed Al-Khuraiji
RIYADH: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE deputy prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Riyadh on Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He was welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji.
Sheikh Abdullah is in the Kingdom to attend an expanded ministerial meeting on Syria to be hosted by Saudi Arabia on Sunday, SPA added.
New Syrian foreign minister Asaad Al-Shaibani also arrived in Riyadh on Saturday evening to participate in the ministerial meeting.
He was also welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Al-Khuraiji.
Saudi Arabia condemns attack on Chad’s presidential palace
- The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, involved gunmen attempting to storm the palace
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday strongly condemned the recent attack on the presidential palace in N’Djamena, Chad, which left 19 people dead, including a soldier guarding the complex, and injured others.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s steadfast support for Chad’s security and stability, while rejecting any actions that threaten the country’s peace, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In its statement, the Ministry extended heartfelt condolences to the family of the fallen soldier and to the government and people of Chad. The Kingdom also wished a swift recovery for those injured in the assault.
The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, involved gunmen reportedly linked to Boko Haram attempting to storm the presidential palace, prompting a fierce battle.
The Chadian government confirmed that 18 attackers from a 24-member commando unit were killed in the fighting, alongside one security personnel. Tanks were deployed to secure the area.
