RIYADH, Nov 29: Saudi Arabia is under no threat of an economic meltdown, King Abdullah assured the world and the nation in a wide-ranging interview with a Kuwaiti daily, Al-Siyassah, on Saturday.

The king emphasised that the Saudi economy is strong and its five-year development plan will be executed as planned.

The king said: “International media have created a fear, as if what is happening in America can happen in Riyadh, Jeddah or any of the cities of the kingdom. People getting such information do not know whom they should believe. We assure the people that we know nothing of that sort would happen.”

Underlining that there seemed some disagreement on the issue of dialogue between different religions, he said his call for greater understanding among religions was based on the fact that religions “bring people together as everyone wants peace, stability, security and safety”.

The king stressed: “The issue of dialogue among followers of different religions had occupied my mind for long, I do see disagreement and conflict (on dialogue) in countries that we have common interests with. I told them; let us practice relations through shared points of views. All of us want peace, stability, security and safety of our peoples and nations. Moreover, We have much more in common to unite us and less to divide us and I had told them let us leave what we disagree on to Allah and to the day of reckoning, Let us be civilised in hearing each other point of views.”

The king denied a suggestion like some other oil-rich Gulf countries, at the recently concluded G20 summit; Saudi Arabia was also asked to cough up $120 billion so as to help the world overcome the financial crisis.

“I have heard what was said, but I would like to make it clear that it is absolutely untrue. These countries have economic exchanges which are not in billions, but in trillions, and their economies are gigantic and they are not in need of the countries of the region.,” the king emphasised.

King Abdullah also said economists and leaders of countries deeply affected by the crisis expect that the crisis will end within one-and-half year. “What they are in need, as they say, is the restoration of confidence.”

Discussing the impact of the crisis on the region, King Abdullah agreed that it has definitely affected the Gulf. “I would like to say ‘yes’, it has affected.” The king underlined that as a state, “the money of the state has not been harmed. Oil surplus is safe and they were not faced by any complications at the world markets”.