U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert (Republican-Illinois) has invited members of the Saudi Shoura Council to visit the U.S. and attend Congressional sessions, the first such initiative for cooperation in the history of Saudi-U.S. relations, according to the Saudi Gazette.
Hastert’s invitation was delivered to head of the Shoura Council, Dr Saleh Bin Humaid, by a group of Congressional members who arrived in the Kingdom with a group of American businessmen.
The Saudi-U.S. cooperation covers political and commercial spheres, said Abdulrahmaan Al-Segayer, head of the Shoura Council public affairs department. Saudi businessmen had sent a previous invitation to their American counterparts to encourage them to invest in the Saudi market. The specifics of the proposed visit have not yet been determined, he said. But it will certainly cover means of boosting Saudi-U.S. anti-terrorism cooperation and relations between the two countries in all spheres.
He said that the Speaker of the House in Congress has praised Saudi Arabia’s efforts to combat terrorism and highlighted the importance of partnership in international efforts to combat terrorism since 11 September 2001.
Hastert, 62, is currently serving his third term as Speaker and his ninth term as Republican Congressman for Illinois 14th Congressional District. The 14th Congressional District re-elected Hastert in 2002, with 74% of the overall vote.
Source: SPA
