Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, chaired the weekly Saudi Cabinet meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday.
In the name of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz and in his own name, the Crown Prince congratulated the Saudi people and Arab and Islamic nations on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, noting that Ramadan embodies the unity, solidarity and cooperation of Muslims worldwide.
The Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on recent talks and consultations between the Kingdom and other countries on the latest regional developments, particularly the deterioration of security in occupied Palestinian territories and Iraq.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the meeting, Minister of Culture and Information Dr Fouad bin Abdulsalam Al-Farsy said that the Cabinet expressed its grave concern about Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip, which will result in further humanitarian catastrophe. The Cabinet urged the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution to curb Israeli aggression and end Israel’s systematic policy of annihilation of the Palestinian people.
The Cabinet also urged greater involvement of the United Nations in Iraq to end the bloodshed and instability in that country.
Reiterating the Kingdom’s condemnation of the terrorist attack in Taba city, Egypt, the Cabinet affirmed the Kingdom’s stance of solidarity with Egypt to combat terrorism.
The Cabinet praised the Saudi leadership’s support of health sector development, noting the Crown Prince’s patronage of inauguration of the Riyadh-based King Fahd Medical City, comprising 1095 hospital beds in various departments, and the launch of the national medical network. He also noted progress towards establishment of two thousand health centres in various regions of the Kingdom.
Dr Al-Farsy said the Cabinet then reviewed items on its domestic agenda and issued the following decisions:
The Cabinet extended the period of temporary reassignment of drivers to the general logistics departments of land army brigades from a maximum of 60 to a maximum of ninety days, exempting them from the provisions of a previous Cabinet decision.
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Culture and Information or his deputy to discuss a memorandum on cooperation in the field of information exchange between the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) and the independent Media Service Management of the Republic of Venezuela (Venpress).
The Council of Ministers authorized the Minister of Transport or his deputy to sign a draft agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of South Africa in the field of maritime transportation. The final version of the agreement will be forwarded for further approval.
The Cabinet approved the appointment of Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Obaid Al-Namlah as Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sidairi as Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Mansour bin Abdullah Al-Ghifaili as Director General at the Civil Service Ministry.
Source: SPA
