Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, chaired the Cabinet’s weekly meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the meeting, the Minister of Culture and Information, Dr Fouad bin Abdulsalam Al-Farsy, said that the Cabinet was briefed by princes and ministers on preparations by various bodies to implement plans to provide ease, safety and comfort for Hajj pilgrims. The Crown Prince welcomed pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom from their countries to perform Hajj, and issued directives to mobilize efforts to provide all human and material assistance to pilgrims during the performance of their rituals.
The Crown Prince stressed the importance of work of the Second National Forum of Intellectual Dialogue, which was recently organized by King Abdul Aziz Centre for National Dialogue in Makkah.
The Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on recent talks held by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz and the Crown Prince with Palestinian Premier Ahmed Qureia, which covered the latest developments in Arab, Islamic and international arenas, topped by the Palestinian issue. The Cabinet stressed the necessity that the international community work to halt Israel’s continual aggressions and pursue implementation of a just peace settlement based on resolutions of international legitimacy.
The Crown Prince also informed the Cabinet of meetings and consultations recently held with leaders of friendly countries and their envoys, which covered events in the Arab world and the international arena.
The Minister of Culture and Information said that the Cabinet then discussed items on its agenda, and issued the following decisions:
The Civil Defence Council was re-formed as follows: HRH the Interior Minister as Chairman; HRH the Deputy Interior Minister as member and Deputy Chairman; HRH the Chairman of Meteorology and Environment Protection as member; HRH the Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs as member; HRH the Assistant Interior Minister for Security Affairs as member; the Minister of Water and Electricity as member; the Minister of Commerce and Industry as member; the Minister of Finance as member; the Minister of Economy and Planning as member; the Minister of Agriculture as member; the Minister of Transport as member; the Minister of Health as member; the President of King Abdul Aziz City for Sciences and Technology as member; the Chief of General Staff as member; the Director of Public Security as member; Undersecretary of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs as member; and the Director General of Civil Defence as member.
The Cabinet approved accession of the Kingdom to the agreement for prevention of crimes against people who enjoy international immunity, including diplomats, and the punishment of violators. The Kingdom announced its reservation on the first paragraph of Article 13 of the above-mentioned agreement.
The Council of Ministers approved the appointment of Osama bin Abdul Aziz bin Saad Al-Rabeea as Assistant Undersecretary for Financial and Accounts Affairs at the Ministry of Finance; Hilal bin Hamad Al-Hilal as Assistant Undersecretary for Planning Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Information, and Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed bin Salih Al-Sooli as Director General of Financial and Administrative Affairs at the Court of Grievances.
Source: SPA
