Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector-General, yesterday morning met with President of the United States of America William Jefferson Clinton, to review bilateral relations and issues of common interest.   The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Bandar Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz.   Also present were Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers Dr. Musaid Al-Eiban, Director of Saudi Arabian Airlines Dr. Khalid Bin Bakr, U.S. Vice-President Al Gore and U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown.

Prince Sultan reported that he had conveyed to President Clinton the greetings and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, and announced in a press conference that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had signed an agreement with U.S. aviation giants Boeing and McDonnell Douglas whereby the national carrier will purchase 61 aircraft, the first of which will be delivered in sixteen months’ time.

This multi-billion dollar deal, Prince Sultan stressed, will enhance the performance of Saudia, pointing out that the Saudi government is ready to pave the way for the privatization of the national carrier and other state-owned companies in order to boost their competitiveness.

Prince Sultan stated that he had also discussed with President Clinton the issue of Jerusalem, and that of Bosnia-Herzogovina, and found that the American leader has a full understanding of the Arab and Islamic issues, describing President Clinton’s stands on Bosnia and on Jerusalem as “noble”.   Prince Sultan confirmed Saudi Arabia’s willingness to participate in international efforts to reconstruct Bosnia after peace and stability have been established there.

Later in the day, Prince Sultan paid a visit to the Royal Saudi Embassy in Washington DC and graced a dinner hosted there in his honor by Prince Bandar.

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