Italy's president in Saudi Arabia

Italy's president Oscar Luigi Scalfaro arrived in Saudi Arabia on July 19 for a two-day visit to boost ties with his country's top Gulf trade partner.

Scalfaro, who is accompanied by foreign minister Lamberto Dini, was welcomed at Jiddah by King Fahd.

During his visit, the first by an Italian president in more than 20 years, Scalfaro will hold talks with Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah.

It said two-way trade between Saudi Arabia and Italy currently stands at about 4 billion US dollars per year. A joint Saudi-Italian economic commission is due to meet in Rome in October to try to boost trade.

Direct exports from Italy began to decline after the 1991 Gulf war struck a major blow against the Saudi economy. But they picked up again about three years ago, after a hike in oil prices revived Saudi Arabia's oil-fueled economy.