Riyadh, 6th October 2003
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz chaired the Cabinet’s weekly meeting held at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh today.
At the outset of the meeting, the King condemned the Israeli attack against Syria on Sunday. He said that the attack was an act of provocation, which violates Syrian sovereignty and the principles of international laws and resolutions. The Cabinet stressed that the Israeli aggression further endangers the situation in the Middle East, and obstructs endeavours to achieve peace in the region.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information, Dr Fouad bin Abdulsalam Al-Farsy, said that King Fahd briefed the Cabinet on recent discussions, consultation, and meetings held by the King and the Crown Prince, with a number of leaders and their envoys, notably Egyptian President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, Sudan's First Vice-President, Ali Othman Taha, and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of the Federal Republic of Germany. The discussions covered developments in the region, particularly the Palestinian issue, and the necessity for international action to curb repeated Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people to implement an effective peace settlement for the region. The talks also focused on the situation in Iraq and the importance of Iraqi sovereignty, and means of enhancing Saudi cooperation with these countries to promote mutual interests.
The Cabinet reaffirmed the importance of promoting the role of the United Nations in the current critical situations in the region, to implement the principles of its Charter, which is not being upheld or duly respected by some member countries.
The King stressed that the Kingdom promotes a peaceful resolution of conflict, to protect human dignity and justice. The Kingdom also supports the elimination of weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East region, and noted Israel’s continued rejection of the nuclear weapons non-proliferation treaty, and the absence of any monitoring of Israel’s nuclear weapons programs by the international community, which pose a dangerous threat to the security and stability of the region.
The King called for the establishment of controls, which sanction no double standards, and require all countries that have not yet joined the treaty to begin taking the required steps to join and to put their nuclear facilities under international monitoring.
The Cabinet then discussed the domestic agenda, and took the following decisions:
The Cabinet approved the announcement that Mountain “Higher Shada” in Al-Baha Region has been approved as a natural protectorate area, in accordance with the decision of the Board of Directors of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development.
The Cabinet authorized the Foreign Minister or his deputy to discuss with the Peoples Republic of China preparations for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on political consultation.
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Justice or his deputy to discuss with the Syrian Arab Republic preparations for the signing of a draft agreement on cooperation between the two countries in the judiciary field.
The cabinet approved the regulation of commercial mortgage.
The Cabinet decided to amend Article 5 on foreign schools to read: Saudi students are not to be allowed into foreign schools, with the exception of those coming from abroad or those whose academic conditions do not enable them to join Saudi schools, which should be approved on an annual basis by the Minister of Education according to the merits of each case.
The Cabinet approved the appointment, at grade 15, of Abdullah bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Rashid as Administrative Advisor at the Ministry of Higher Education and Zamil bin Abdulrahman Al-Drees as Director General of King Fahd Medical City.
Source: SPA
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