Saudi Arabia: 11 policemen wounded in helicopter landing; a 'director general' to fight poverty
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 7/1/2003

Saudi ArabiaÕs Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has appointed "a director general" for the work team assigned to draw a national strategy to fight poverty in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi official news agency said that Abdullah agreed to appoint Abdullah Bin Muhammad al-Mu'yed on head of the work team in charge of drawing a strategy for fighting poverty, according to a proposal by the minister of labor and social affairs Ali al-Nimleh.

Saudi Arabia which occupy the first rank among oil exporting countries in the world, announced in February a time plan to fight poverty and established a fund to help Saudis in need.

This decision came following an unprecedented visit carried out by the crown prince in November 2002 to poor quarters in Riyadh where the people live in bad conditions.

On the other hand the Saudi daily "al-Iqtisadeyah" said that 11 Saudi police men were wounded on Sunday when a helicopter carrying them was forced to land to the south of the kingdom on the border with Yemen where it was chasing one suspect, who on Saturday shot a police man.

Al-Iqtisadeyah quoted Saudi security sources as saying that the helicopter was partially damaged in the landing operation in a mountainous area in Aseer, near the border with Yemen. They explained that the pilot was obliged to land because of technical problems.

On Sunday, the Saudi news agency quoted a source at the Saudi civil defense that the incident was due to a technical defect, noting that the incident caused "slight wounds for the crew of the plane and their companions."

Among the wounded passengers of the plane was the commander of the preventive security commander in Aseer Maj. Gen. Muhammad Bareiq, according to al-Iqtesadeyah.

Meantime, several western intellectuals were invited to take part in a conference to be held in October in Riyadh to discuss Islam's attitude towards non Muslims and terrorism and world peace. The conference which lasts for four days is organized by the Islamic world League and is to be held under the patronage of Crown Prince Abdullah.

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