ANQARI, THE MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION, AND HIS COLLEAGUES AT THE MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND THEIR COOPERATION WITH THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION TO ORGANIZE THIS BOOK SHOW. ON HIS PART, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ARAB LEAGUE AT THE UNESCO DR NASSEF UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF THE BOOK IN ENHANCING DIALOGUE OF CULTURES . HE NOTED THAT THE ARAB LEAGUE SIGNED LAST YEAR A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) WITH UNESCO FOR ENHANCING COOPERATION IN THE CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC SPHERES. ABOUT 600 NATIONAL, ARAB AND FOREIGN PUBLISHING HOUSES ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE SHOW WHICH DISPLAYS MORE THAN 100,000 TITLES. THE SHOW IS ORGANIZED ON AN AREA OF 10,500 SQUARE METER. DR ABDULAZIZ AL-SUBEYEL, THE UNDERSECRETARY OF THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION FOR CULTURAL AFFAIRS, SAID A NUMBER OF LITERARY MEN WHO HAVE POSITIVELY CONTRIBUTED TO ENRICHING THE CULTURAL LIFE WILL BE HONORED. IYAD MADANI SPEAKING AFTER OPENING THE BOOK FAIR, HOPED THAT BOOK FAIR, WHICH CONSTITUTES AN IMPORTANT CULTURAL EVENT, WILL YIELD POSITIVE RESULTS. HE URGED THE MEDIA TO GIVE UTMOST ATTENTION TO THE BOOK FAIR, AND SAID IT IS HOPED THAT THE BOOK FAIR WILL ATTRACT THOSE WHO ARE CONCERNED WITH THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND KNOWLEDGE. HE NOTED THAT THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA HAS MADE BIG STRIDES IN THE FIELDS OF EDUCATION AS WELL AS INFORMATION AND CULTURAL PUBLICATIONS. THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY WAS ATTENDED BY A NUMBER OF PRINCES, MUSLIM SCHOLARS, OIC'S SECRETARY GENERAL PROFESSOR EKMELEDDIN IHSAN OGLU, MEMBERS OF THE ACCREDITED DIPLOMATIC CORPS, SENIOR OFFICIALS IN ADDITION TO LITERARY MEN AND INTELLECTUALS.
