Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz at a press conference yesterday following the opening of the second conference of GCC public sectors of higher education and Chambers of Commerce and Industry, stated that a working team of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers had completed a specialized study on the definition of the phenomenon of terrorism, adding that this study would be on the agenda of the Council's meeting scheduled for early 1997, at which a strategy for combating terrorism would be worked out. Highlighting the concern of all Arab interior affairs organizations on the issue of terrorism, Prince Nayef noted that all necessary measures and steps would be taken, and added: "This issue has special importance. It will be discussed in-depth and tackled in a comprehensive manner and in a true, logical and right perspective". Praising the role of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, Prince Nayef described it as the most successful affiliated body of the League of Arab States.

Responding to a question on the Kingdom's safety, Prince Nayef stated that Saudi Arabia is safe from everything that could disturb its security and stability as well as affect the health of its citizens, and especially from drug smugglers and dealers. Praising the actions of Saudi security personnel in arresting criminals and drug traffickers, he assured all citizens that the concerned bodies are dedicated to defending the country and protecting its values and principles, together with the noble goals of human dignity, moral health, and the strengthening of the pillars of production, development and growth. He called on the Islamic Scholars (ulema) to increase awareness campaigns to warn people of the dangers of drugs and their harmful impact on the health of all people and all nations.

In conclusion, Prince Nayef noted that the goals of the conference reflect the policy adopted by the Kingdom to encourage participation, negotiation, and cooperation between the education sector and the business and economic sectors, and expressed the hope that ministries of education and higher education as well as the Manpower Council would work more and more to forge coordination in order to bring about the fulfillment of the set goals of educational and economic growth, and called for productive, speedy and fruitful actions matching word-class standards to ensure that the benefits of progress and development reach all levels of Saudi society.

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