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Saudi Arabian News Updates |
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27 March 2009 JEDDAH: Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah
bin Abdul Aziz has been appointed governor of the
southern Najran province with the rank of a minister,
a Royal Court announcement said yesterday.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah made
the appointment issuing a Royal Decree on the
recommendation of Interior Minister Prince Naif, the
Saudi Press Agency said.
Prince Mishaal, who was minister plenipotentiary at
the Foreign Ministry, replaces Prince Mishaal bin Saud,
who was relieved from his post in November last year
upon his request.
The appointment of Prince Mishaal is expected to boost
the development of Najran, which has witnessed
remarkable progress in recent years especially after
King Abdullah ascended the Saudi throne in August
2005.
In November 2006, Prince Mishaal led the Kingdom's
delegation to a meeting of UN General Assembly
dedicated to discuss partnership for achieving
millennium development goals.
While addressing the UN conference, Prince Mishaal
highlighted the Kingdom's efforts to fight poverty in
the country. He said Saudi Arabia had contributed $84
billion in foreign aid in the past 30 years.
Mishaal's appointment comes a month after King
Abdullah reshuffled his Cabinet, changing four
ministers and appointing, for the first time, a woman
deputy minister. He also named a new chairman of the
150-member Shoura Council.
Najran is one of the Kingdom's least developed
provinces. King Abdullah visited the region in
November 2006 and launched a number of welfare
projects as part of his plan to achieve balanced
development in all parts of the country.
The king laid the foundation for a SR600 million
complex of four university colleges in Najran and
instructed higher education officials to convert the
complex into an independent university.
The project, spread over 18 million square meters east
of Najran city, will accommodate 12,000 students. It
includes a medical city, a research center and a
sports and recreation city. The king also launched a
SR90 million project to expand Najran Airport. During
the visit, King Abdullah ordered the release of a
number of people held in connection with the Najran
riots. |
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