Defense minister honors top brass for best services

Defense Minister Prince Salman presented Commander of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces Lt. Gen. Dakhil-Ullah Al-Waqdani and Lt. Gen. Prince Khaled bin Bandar with the King Abdul Aziz Medal of the Excellent Order in recognition of their distinguished services in the armed forces on Sunday in Riyadh.Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah — supreme commander of the armed forces — had ordered their decoration. Prince Salman also received Sunday newly appointed Saudi ambassadors to various countries. They were Ambassador to Niger Saud Al-Dayel, Ambassador to Indonesia Mustafa Al-Mubarak, Ambassador to Malaysia Fahd Al-Rasheed, Ambassador to India Saud Al-Sati, Ambassador to Ghana Hisham Al-Sowailim, Ambassador to Singapore Mansour Al-Mazmoumi, Ambassador to Tanzania Hani Muminah and Ambassador to Burkina Faso Zahir Al-Anazi.The prince urged the ambassadors to represent the Kingdom in the best manner and strengthen the Kingdom's relations with countries where they would be working.The prince also received on Sunday president of the General Court in Riyadh Sheikh Suleiman Al-Mahanna and Vice-President of the Appeal Court Abdul Ilah Al-Feryan. Both the court presidents congratulated the prince on his appointment as the new defense minister. In another development, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance Saleh Al-Asheikh approved the executive plan for the Prince Salman Qur'an Memorization Prize 2012. The contests will be conducted in Riyadh from Feb. 27 to Mar. 4, the Saudi Press Agency reported.