THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA HAS UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE OF ENHANCING UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATION AMONG DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND NATIONS. SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA BEFORE THE UN'S GENERAL ASSEMBLY HERE YESTERDAY, PRINCE MISHAL BIN ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ, THE PLENIPOTENTIARY AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY, SAID THE KINGDOM HAS BEEN EXTENDING GENEROUS ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS OF NATURAL DISASTERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. HE NOTED THAT THE KINGDOM EXTENDED FROM 1975 TO 2004 MORE THAN $4986 MILLION AS A RELIEF ASSISTANCE. 'IN ADDITION TO THAT THE KINGDOM HAS PLEDGED TO EXTEND $I BILLION AS A CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROGRAM OF RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ' HE SAID NOTING THAT THE KINGDOM HAS ALSO EXTENDED $430 MILLION IN ADDITION TO $90 MILLION POPULAR ASSISTANCE AS A RELIEF ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS OF TSUNAMI IN ASIA AS WELL AS $2500 MILLION TO LEBANON. 'THE KINGDOM HAS NOT ONLY CONTRIBUTED TO HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE THROUGH BILATERAL CHANNELS AND DIRECT MEANS, BUT IT HAS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS THROUGH SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS, AND MOREOVER IT HAS EXTENDED TO THE REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTIONS MORE THAN $24 BILLION, HE ELABORATED. PRINCE MISHAL POINTED OUT THAT THE KINGDOM HAS PLEDGED TO EXTEND $I MILLION TO THE UN'S CENTRAL FUND, AND AT THE SAME TIME THE SAUDI DEVELOPMENT FUND HAS CONTRIBUTED WITH $4 MILLION TO THE EMERGENCY PROGRAM FOR THE HELP OF VICTIMS OF NATURAL DISASTERS, AN AFFILIATE OF THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF). --MORE
