Raid Qusti • Riyadh Bureau Chief

RIYADH, 9 June 2003 — Interior Minister Prince Naif yesterday disclosed plans to take wide-ranging measures in cooperation with Yemen to prevent terrorist attacks and the smuggling of weapons and explosives across the border.

Addressing a joint press conference with his Yemeni counterpart, Rashad Al-Olaimi, Prince Naif said that reports of weapons being smuggled into the Kingdom from neighboring Iraq were still unsubstantiated.

Referring to the seizure of 128 kg of explosives in Al-Kharj, the site of a military base 80 km south of the capital, he said they had been produced outside the Kingdom.

Earlier, Prince Naif and Al-Olaimi signed an agreement to regulate their border authorities. Prince Naif said the agreement was related to the border accord signed by the two countries three years ago.

Al-Olaimi pledged his country would do its best to prevent smuggling of weapons and explosives into the Kingdom.

Al-Olaimi’s assurance came after reports that 12 bombers who carried the May 12 attacks in Riyadh used weapons and explosives smuggled into the Kingdom from Yemeni territories.

The Yemeni minister said the instability in Iraq was a major security problem for its neighboring countries.

“Weapons available in Iraq pose a threat as it could be smuggled to many countries. I will discuss this matter with Prince Naif to solve such problems,” he said.

Al-Olaimi admitted that a large number of weapons had been accumulated with Yemeni citizens over the past years.

The Yemeni official said his talks with Prince Naif would cover terrorism, exchange of security information and extradition of wanted persons.