October 18, 2003	Saturday	Sha'aban 21, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 17: Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz will arrive here on Saturday with his key cabinet members and senior officials in a bid to consolidate bilateral relations and to boost economic cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

During his visit here the Saudi Crown Prince will hold talks with President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali on a wide-range of issues, officials here said.

The Crown Prince comes here as a result of an invitation delivered to him recently by President Musharraf’s special envoy.

Crown Prince Abdullah last visited Pakistan in October 1998 when he met the then Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif.

This will be his first visit here after the 9/11 happening which led to special cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in the fight against terrorism.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share several commonalities in the aftermath of 9/11. Both countries have seen their citizens become targets of the United States’ anti-terror campaign and both the governments have been accused by their closest ally, the US, of directly or indirectly supporting terrorist groups.

For Saudi government Pakistan is now a key partner in its efforts to deal with the growing problem of insecurity in Saudi Arabia.

“The Crown Prince is coming here to show the love and respect that the Saudi leadership has for the people and leadership of Pakistan,” Saudi ambassador Ali Awadh Asseri said on the eve of his visit.

Describing it as a “goodwill visit” the Saudi ambassador said its primary focus would be to strengthen bilateral relations through promotion of trade and investment.