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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Slideshow Full Focus Editor's choice A selection of our top photos from the past 24 hours. Full Article Follow Reuters Saudi king orders more handouts, security boost Tweet Share this By Jason Benham RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi King Abdullah offered $93 billion in handouts on Friday and boosted his security and religious police forces, opting for a mixture of carrot and stick to stave off unrest rocking the Arab world. The rare... Email Print Related News Oil seesaws, volatile on Libya truce uncertainty 11:24am EDT Bahrain arrests opposition leaders Thu, Mar 17 2011 Bahrain declares martial law, violence flares Tue, Mar 15 2011 U.S. says no military solution to Bahrain unrest Tue, Mar 15 2011 US urges restraint by Gulf nations in Bahrain Mon, Mar 14 2011 Analysis & Opinion Bahrain crisis could worsen Sunni-Shi’ite sectarian tensions in the region Washington Extra – Fear factor Related Topics World » United Nations » 1 / 3 Saudi King Abdullah address the nation from his office at the Royal Palace in Riyadh March 18, 2011. Saudi King Abdullah announced on Friday billions of dollars in handouts for his people and boosted his security apparatus in a renewed effort to shield the world's top oil exporter from unrest rocking the Arab world. Credit: Reuters/Saudi Press Agency/Handout By Jason Benham RIYADH | Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:43am EDT RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi King Abdullah offered $93 billion in handouts on Friday and boosted his security and religious police forces, opting for a mixture of carrot and stick to stave off unrest rocking the Arab world. The rare televised address to the nation was devoid of any concessions on political rights in a country where the public square is dominated by the Saudi royal family, political parties are banned and there is no elected parliament. There was no word either on a much-anticipated reshuffle of a cabinet where the main posts are held by senior Saudi princes, some of whom have been in the job for over four decades. "I was seriously disappointed to be honest. The least we expect is to establish a constitutional monarchy and freeing (political) prisoners," said Mohammed al-Qahtani, a prominent reformist. "Is this going to be enough for the people? I don't think so." Reformers had been hoping for a move toward democracy such as new elections to municipal councils, or even elections to the Shura Council -- an advisory body of appointees. But the aging king appeared to thank Saudis for not having taken to the streets in large numbers as pro-democracy protests sweep the Middle East and the conservative Gulf Arab region. "I am so proud of you. Words are not enough to describe you," he said, addressing Saudis. "You are the safety valve of this nation and you struck at that which is wrong with the truth and at treachery with loyalty ..." Almost no Saudis in major cities answered a Facebook call for protests on March 11, in the face of a massive security presence around the country, but minority Shi'ites have staged a number of street marches in the Eastern Province, where most of Saudi Arabia's oil fields are located. Some Saudis reacted by taking to the strets of central Riyadh in cars, waving flags and beeping horns. "We are happy because the king has spent money on us, that's enough for us," said Mohammed al-Mutairi, a navy official in his car on a main Riyadh thoroughfare. NOT ALL SPENT NOW John Sfakianakis, Chief economist at Banque Saudi Fransi, put the total value of Friday's handouts at 350 billion riyals ($93 billion) but only a small amount would be spent soon. After a brief speech, state television announced a series of decrees outlining a boost in welfare benefits, a minimum wage of 3,000 riyals ($800) for state employees, bonuses for public sector workers and students, and a drive to build new housing. The numbers announced were large: 250 billion riyals ($66.7) bln would be spent on 500,000 housing units and 16 billion riyals ($4.3) on more medical facilities. This follows a $37 billion package announced last month in an initial move to ease social tensions. "Only about a quarter will be spent this year as housing projects take time, so Saudi Arabia can still post a budget surplus of around 20 billion riyals in 2011," Sfakianakis said. 1 2 Next World United Nations Tweet this Share this Link this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. 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Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

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