JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal will launch on Monday Al-Duwaihi Gold Mine and Factory, and other mining infrastructure projects in the Makkah region.
Al-Duwaihi, the biggest gold mine in the Kingdom, is the newest to be owned and run by the Saudi Arabian Mining Co. (Maaden).
Other infrastructure projects in the area include construction of a 450-km pipeline to transport processed sewage water from Taif to Al-Duwaihi, and construction of a 117-km road linking Al-Duwaihi with the Riyadh-Taif highway.
Maaden’s investments in the mine and associated infrastructure projects exceed SR1.5 billion ($400 million).
There will be 150 direct job opportunities for Saudi youths, 70 percent of them from nearby villages, and 200 jobs indirectly via contractors that are meeting the mine’s operational needs.
More than 30 trainees from neighboring areas have completed training at the Saudi Institute of Mining in Arar, which was established by Maaden in cooperation with the Technical and Vocational Training Corp., and have joined work at Al-Duwaihi.
Another 57 young Saudis have joined the Saudi Institute of Mining in Arar for a three-year training course to undertake the operation of future mines in the region.
Makkah governor to launch biggest gold mine
Makkah governor to launch biggest gold mine
Saudi Arabia welcomes ceasefire agreement between Syrian Democratic Forces and Syria state
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has welcomed an agreement between the Syrian state and Syrian Democratic Forces.
In a foreign ministry statement early on Monday, the Kingdom said it had welcomed an deal between Damascus and Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces that was announced by the Syrian government on Sunday.
The agreement entails merging all SDF forces into the defense and interior ministries and means that Kurdish forces will redeploy to east of the Euphrates river.
The 14-point deal would also see the immediate administrative and military handover of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa governorates.
The Syrian state would regain control of all border crossings, oil fields, and gas fields in the region, with protection secured by regular forces to ensure the return of resources to the Syrian government, while considering the special case of Kurdish areas, the state news agency SANA reported.
The ceasefire comes after intense fighting between the SDF and government troops in Aleppo. But SDF troops have now pulled back from there and the Syrian army now controls most areas east of Aleppo.
The Saudi foreign ministry statement also thanked the US for the agreement. Washington is believed to have supported brokering the ceasefire between allies SDF and the Syrian government, who they have also backed diplomatically since the fall of long-time dictator Bashar Assad.
The Syrian state announced on Friday a raft of new directives to recognize Syrian Kurds, including making their language official and bolstering other rights for the minority group.
