SPA

Saudi Arabia’s advice: not to travel to Lebanon

Published on 10 Novembre 2017 in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by pressrelease

Saudi Arabia has advised its citizens not to travel to Lebanon and asked those who are in the country to leave as soon as possible. The official news agency SPA quoted an official source in the foreign ministry on Thursday as saying: “Due to the situations in the Republic of Lebanon, the official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Saudi nationals visiting or residing in Lebanon are asked to leave the country as soon as possible. Lebanon has been edge after the sudden resignation of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who announced his departure while on a visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. His whereabouts have since been unknown. However, officials told on Thursday that Hariri may be under house arrest or temporarily detained in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

Saudi accuses Iran of potential ‘act of war’

Published on 7 Novembre 2017 in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by pressrelease

Saudi Arabia has lashed out at Iran over the firing of a ballistic missile towards Riyadh by Houthi rebels in Yemen, citing evidence that Tehran was behind the attack and labelling it a potential “act of war”. A statement issued on Monday via the state news agency SPA denounced the “flagrant military aggression by the Iranian-controlled Houthi militias” and said that an examination of the debris “confirmed the role of Iran’s regime in manufacturing [this and a previous missile] and smuggling them to the Houthi militias in Yemen for the purpose of attacking the Kingdom, its people, and vital interests”. The statement accused Iran of violating the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216, which prohibits states from supplying weapons to Yemeni armed groups. The statement also noted that Saudi Arabia would temporarily close all Yemeni ground, air and sea ports while investigating how the missiles were smuggled in. Yemen’s national airline, Yemenia, subsequently cancelled all flights to the country. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and political leaders have rejected allegations of the country’s involvement in the strike.

Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive

Published on 28 Settembre 2017 in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by pressrelease

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said it would allow women to drive in the Kingdom, in the latest move in a string of social and economic reforms underway in the country. King Salman issued the decree, according to a royal court statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licenses for men and women. The decree orders the formation of a ministerial body to give advice on the practicalities of the edict within 30 days and to ensure the full implementation of the order by June 2018. The move was announced on television and also by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The decree referred to the “negative effects of not allowing women to drive vehicles, and the positive effects envisaged from allowing them to do so” within the context of Islamic laws. The prohibition is considered a social issue in the Kingdom, as there is no actual law or religious edict that prohibits it. For years, the topic has been the center of extensive debate in government, media and social circles.

Saudi Foreign Ministry: Qatar News Agency continues to distort facts

Published on 10 Settembre 2017 in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by pressrelease

Saudi Arabia said it was suspending any dialogue with Qatar because Qatar News Agency continues to distort facts. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) made the announcement an hour after reporting a phone call between leaders of the two countries in an effort to resolve the dispute between Qatar and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The four countries severed diplomatic relations with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting extremist groups and of being too close to Iran. They also shut down air, maritime and land links and imposed economic sanctions on Qatar. In an earlier report Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a call on Friday from Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who it said had expressed his desire to start a dialogue. The call came a day after US President Donald Trump said he would be willing to step in and mediate the worst dispute in decades among the US-allied Arab states and Qatar, and said he thinks a deal could come quickly. After reporting the phone call between Crown Prince Mohammed and Sheikh Tamim, another Saudi Press Agency report said that Saudi Arabia was suspending the dialogue, quoting a Saudi official at the Foreign Ministry as saying Qatar’s state news agency Qatar National Agency published a report that “did not have any relevance to truth”.

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