BBC Monitoring

Text of report in English by Saudi state-owned official news agency SPA website

Mina, 17 December: Prince Turki Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, the assistant minister of culture and information, said the media plan for this year's hajj season is going perfectly as it is planned.

He pointed out to the plan of the Ministry of Culture and Information for enabling the Arab audio-visual media to cover the hajj season in addition to extending facilities to the television and radio coverage and to the news agencies and newspapers during the hajj season.

In a statement to SPA, he lauded the Arab, Muslim and international media for their distinguished coverage for the Hajj season. Moreover, he hailed the intensive efforts exerted by the Ministry of Culture and Information for ensuring the success of the media plan.

Prince Turki praised the great efforts exerted by Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz, the interior minister and head of the Hajj Higher Committee, and Prince Khalid al-Faisal, the governor of Makkah region and the head of the Hajj Central! Committee, to enable the pilgrims perform their rituals in comfort and ease.

Meanwhile, he highlighted the great attention given by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, the deputy premier, defence and aviation minister and inspector general to the pilgrims.

Source: SPA news agency website, Riyadh, in English 0000 gmt 17 Dec 07