Gulf | Saudi Arabia
Saudi King, Bush to discuss case of arrested student
The case of a Saudi student jailed in the US since 2004 will be among the issues to be discussed between the Saudi King, the Crown Prince and US President George W. Bush during his visit to Saudi Arabia next week.
- By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent
- Published: 00:55 January 10, 2008
Riyadh: The case of a Saudi student jailed in the US since 2004 will be among the issues to be discussed between the Saudi King, the Crown Prince and US President George W. Bush during his visit to Saudi Arabia next week.
"The custodian of the two Holy Mosques [King Abdullah] and Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz will discuss a number of issues that concern Saudi Arabia, including the Middle East peace process, bilateral relations and the case of Saudi student Homaidan Al Turki, who is under arrest in the US," Prince Bander Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, the secretary general of the Saudi National Security Council, said.
Hopeful
Prince Bander, the former Saudi ambassador to the United States, said in a statement yesterday that the case of Al Turki would not affect the Saudi overseas scholarship programme.
He expressed hope that the issue would be solved.
Al Turki was sent to Denver State University in Colorado on a scholarship to obtain Ph.D in phonetics by Imam Mohammad Islamic University in Riyadh. He got a master's degree with honours and was about to complete his doctorate programme when he was arrested in 2004.
"We are following the case as he [Al Turki] is a Saudi citizen and we have responsibility to protect and defend him and we will continue to do so," Prince Bander pointed out. He indicated that the security situation in America is difficult to deal with, pointing to the security measures before and after September 11. He urged Saudi students studying abroad to respect the rules of hosting countries and to take care from the enemies of Islam.
"Respect rules and laws in the countries where you study and be careful of the enemies of Islam, particularly some Muslims who become playthings in the hands of non-Muslims," he pointed out.
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