London, Dec 23, SPA -- British Secretary of State for Defense John Reid hailed the memorandum of understanding (MoU), which was signed betweenthe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom yesterday in Riyadh to modernize the Saudi Armed Forces and to provide Saudi Arabia with modern (Typhoon) aircraft. In a press release issued in London by the British Ministry of Defense, Reid said that he welcomed the MoU which is a practical example of thestrong ties between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Britain, adding that the MoU will strengthen cooperation between the armed forces and the military industries of the two countries. He added that The British BAE Systems company and its sub-contractors will benefit from the work envisaged under this MoU which will help sustain several thousands jobs in the UK over the next ten years. In addition to that, MoU will result in the associated technology transfer, trainingand investment inside Saudi Arabia which will generate thousands of skilled jobs in it. The release mentioned that the MoU is intended to establish a greater partnership in modernizing the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and developingclose service-to-service contacts especially through joint training and maneuvers. The release affirmed that the MoU shows the joint pursuit to achieve the main goals of the two countries especially the regional stability andwar on terrorism. It also shows the British appreciation of the role played by the wise leadership of Saudi Arabian government to strengthen stabilityand security in the region. Reid said "Moreover, Britain stresses through this MoU, the need to support the Saudi government efforts to develop its defense ability regionally, adding that the British BAE Systems company will invest in Saudi companies to transfer advanced industrial technology to Saudi Arabia, to train thousands of Saudi nationals skillfully and to support that on a constant basis.--SPA 15 19 Local Time 12 19 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/313977