Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa at the dinner banquet Prince Salman hosted in honor of King Hamad in Jeddah. (SPA)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah approved the building of a second bridge between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, according to the Bahraini news agency.

The approval came during a meeting between King Abdullah and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa in Jeddah on Friday night.

King Abdullah said the bridge will be called the King Hamad Causeway and will link north Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, which will further develop relations between GCC countries in the economic, social and cultural fields.

King Abdullah also launched the first phase of a comprehensive border security project during the meeting. Attendees were briefed on the progress made thus far on the initiative, dubbed the “King Abdullah project for Saudi border security.”

In a statement made upon his arrival, King Hamad said Bahrain supported Saudi efforts to combat terrorism in all shapes and forms.

Interior Minister Mohammed bin Naif also gave a presentation about the border security project.

Almost 3,400 people have been trained for the project by 60 trainers to ensure sustainability of operations. The project includes the establishment of eight command and control centers, as well as 32 response centers along the border. Three teams have been formed for rapid intervention.

In addition, 38 front and rear gates have been fitted with surveillance cameras, as well as 78 towers, of which 38 are communication towers equipped with 50 day- and night-view cameras and 40 are towers equipped with 85 observation platforms, 10 surveillance vehicles and 1.4 million meters of fiber optic network.

A total of 50 radars and five security fences have been installed spanning a total length of 900 km.

This comprehensive equipment has helped in reducing the number of infiltrators, drug smugglers and arms and cattle traffickers to virtually zero.

King Abdullah and King Hamad discussed international developments and events in the Islamic and Arab world, in addition to the stances taken by the two Kingdom vis-a-vis these developments.

The two leaders also discussed achievements made by the GCC and ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries in all fields, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, also hosted a banquet at his palace in honor of the Bahraini king on Friday evening. King Hamad left Jeddah on Saturday.

 
[wpResize]