Khoja, the new Minister of Information and Culture, on Sunday spoke of the Kingdom's policy towards books and literature as he inspected preparations for the Riyadh International Book Fair, scheduled to be opened here Tuesday by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. “The Kingdom's policy is clear,” Al-Khoja said. “It is a policy of flexibility. There is a constant and progressive thought, and developments in many areas, and at the same time the gates are open to new thoughts given the developments the world has witnessed in the explosion of information, whether via Internet or other forms of communication.” “The limits of freedom are there,” the minister continued, “in that there be no going against our religion, our values or our morals. Anything else is welcome.” “All the world's publishing houses are here at the book fair, and the world will see that our scope for freedom is very wide and embraces all types of thought,” he said. The minister said the Riyadh fair and its variety of symposiums and lectures would serve as a meeting point for the intellectual community from all over the world. Al-Khoja said Brazil will be the guest of honor at the book fair this year through a special pavilion that will highlight the varied aspects of Brazilian culture. There will be a number of lectures and seminars at this special pavilion in this context. The minister said the book fair this year will honor surviving pioneers of Saudi history for their life-time achievements. It will also include a cultural program relating to book writing experiences, biographies and some other cultural issues.
