Title:King to pay fees of first entry visa for Haj, Umrah pilgrims

By Khaled Al-Humaidi and Abdullah Al-Dahhas Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH — Minister of Haj and Umrah Mohammed Bin Saleh Bentin has denied that the Haj and Umrah pilgrims will bear the cost of their first visa and said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman will do this on their behalf. The minister made the statement during a coordination meeting on Sunday with the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques. "Our partnership is aimed at removing all the obstacles that may face the Haj and Umrah pilgrims and facilitate their arrival to the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah," he said. The meeting watched an audio-visual presentation which reviewed the services being extended to the pilgrims including the warm welcome on arrival, the promotion of the guidance services, the advancement of the voluntary work and the modern technological services to keep pace with the Kingdom's 2030 Vision aimed at consolidating the values of Islam including moderation and tolerance. Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Suidais, chairman of the presidency, praised the consummate services being provided to the Haj and Umrah pilgrims by the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and said both the presidency and the ministry would double efforts for the welfare of the pilgrims and visitors. "The presidency and the ministry are keen to consolidate the noble Islamic values through the guidance and enlightenment services and the offices to direct the astray pilgrims," he said. The ministry set Shawwal 20 (July 4) as an initial date for the Haj and Umrah local companies to receive their tents in Mina and said these companies will receive their seasonal licenses on Ramadan 12 (May 27). It said Ramadan 23 (June 7) will be the last date to receive the bank guarantees for the programs of the general, the facilitated and the low-cost Haj. The ministry said the transport companies should enter their data in the computer and document their contracts latest by Shawwal 15 (June 29) . It also said the last date for the accommodation providers to submit their necessary documents is Dhul Qada 25 (Aug. 7). The ministry asked the local Haj companies not to make any changes in the tents without its approval and that of the Public Investment Fund of the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Water and Electricity and the Civil Defense.

哈莱德·胡迈迪和阿卜杜拉·达哈斯·奥卡兹/沙特公报部长在周日与两圣寺主席团的协调会议上发了言。他说：“我们的伙伴关系旨在消除朝圣者和乌玛拉朝圣者可能面临的所有障碍，并帮助他们抵达麦加和马迪纳的两座圣寺。会议观看了视听介绍，审查了向朝圣者提供的服务，包括抵达时的热烈欢迎和宣传指导服务，推进志愿工作和现代技术服务，以跟上沙特王国2030年愿景的步伐，旨在巩固伊斯兰教价值观，包括温和和宽容。主席谢赫·阿卜杜勒·拉赫曼·苏伊戴斯，赞扬两圣寺护法政府为朝圣者和乌玛拉朝圣者提供的完善服务，并表示总统府和部将为朝圣者和来访者的福利加倍努力。他说：“总统和司法部渴望通过指导和启蒙服务以及领导走入歧途朝圣者的办公室，巩固崇高的伊斯兰价值观。外交部设定肖瓦尔20号（7月4日）为哈吉和乌玛拉地方公司在米纳接收帐篷的初始日期，并表示这些公司将在斋月12号（5月27日）获得季节性许可。该公司表示，拉马丹23日(6月7日)将是获得普通计划银行担保、便利贷款和低成本Haj的最后一天。该部表示，运输公司应该将其数据输入计算机，并最晚在Shawal15（6月29日）上记录他们的合同。它还说，提供住宿的人提交必要文件的最后日期是Dhul Qada 25(8月7日)。内政部要求当地Haj公司未经批准不得改变帐篷，财政部、水电部和民防部公共投资基金也不得改变这些帐篷。