Crown prince Abdullah calls for a national dialogue

A group of Saudi Arabia's intellectuals and men of religion called yesterday for deep reforms in Saudi Arabia. This was expressed in conclusion of a conference which lasted for four days in the capital Riyadh.

One of the participants in the national dialogue conference which was held at the initiative of the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah said that the conferees also called for vaster participation in the political life, and for more independence at the level of the judicial system, and for fair sharing of resources.

The conferences was attended by more than 50 figures representing in particular the Sunni majority in the Kingdom as well as the Shiite and the liberals. The participants in the conference talked about religious extremism and the rights and duties of women and their role in the society, freedom of expression, the religious Fatwa and the impact of all these issues on the national unity.

In a message to the conference, Crown Prince Abdullah explained that the protection of the country and the citizens from "damaging ideas" is no longer possible because of the technology. He said "I think everyone believes that the most effective means to achieve all these objectives state to open a dialogue that respect the views of others, and pave the way for the freedom of exchanging view points."

The participants explained they will submit their recommendations on the debated issues to Crown Prince Abdullah during the coming days. Other meetings of this sort are expected to be convened in the near future.