Excerpts:Saudi aid. Jordan/Iraq relations.Drug-bust in Saudi 28 May 2008

+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 28 May '08:"Editorial: Humanitarian Aid
QUOTE:"boosted oil revenues may have decided the size of the donation"
The Kingdom's emergency donation of $500 million to the UN's World Food
Program (WFP) to help combat the global food crisis should scotch the myth
that Middle Eastern oil producers do nothing to help the world's poor.. .
.
While boosted oil revenues may have decided the size of the donation. ..
Saudi Arabia has long been a major and generous provider of foreign aid. ...
Saudi Arabia has done its part; it is up to others to do theirs. . . .

+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 28 May '08:"Abdallah Assures Iraq of Stepped Up
Cooperation Abdul Jalil Mustafa
QUOTE:"Jordanian King Abdallah stopped short of ...sending a diplomatic
mission to Baghdad at this juncture"
EXCERPTS:
AMMAN: Jordanian King Abdallah yesterday assured Iraqi Vice President Tareq
Hashemi of Jordan's determination to "boost political and economic" ties
with Iraq, but stopped short of committing his country to sending a
diplomatic mission to Baghdad at this juncture.
. . .Abdallah expressed support for the Iraqi government's efforts aimed
at "restoring security and stability in Iraq and ending all forms of
violence and terrorism," the statement said.
The Iraqi vice president briefed the monarch on "latest political
developments in Iraq and efforts aimed at brining about national
reconciliation.". . .

+++SAUDI GAZETTE 28 May '08:Bid to smuggle 2.4m narcotic pills foiled"By
Ibrahim Alawi
Drug Combat Department spokesman ... said on a tip off his department seized
2,141,000 narcotic pills ..., the Drug Combat Department(also) seized
261,000 Captagon tablets.. . .
Psychiatrists have repeatedly warned against use of ephedrine and
amphetamine. The latter is the main constituent of Captagon tablets and it
is the most widespread in the society.
A recent report has said that 48 percent of Captagon abusers might suffer a
permanent mental disability. It also said that mixing the two substances
leads to the abuser's insanity - Okaz
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Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA