Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, chaired the weekly Cabinet session at Al-Yamamah palace here today.
At the outset of the session, the Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on the contents of the meetings and consultations held by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz and the Crown Prince with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain; President Omar Hassan Al-Basheer of the Sudan; King Abdullah II of Jordan; and Lieutenant General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayid Al Nahayan, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates. The talks focused on the situation in Iraq, the developments on the Palestinian issue, and cooperation and its enhancement in all fields.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, the Minister of Information Dr Fouad bin Abdulsalam Al-Farsy said that the Crown Prince informed the Cabinet of the contents of messages and diplomatic and other contacts between the Kingdom and a number of countries on developments in the situation in Iraq. The Crown Prince stressed that the Kingdom's call for holding the regional conference of Iraq's neighbouring countries was in response to the current circumstances in Iraq, consequences that affected the Iraqi people in particular and the other countries of the region.
The Cabinet praised the final declaration issued by the regional meeting and the affirmation of the participating countries that:
- they do not accept any interference in the internal affairs of Iraq
- they are eager to see the establishment of a legitimate Iraqi government according to the will of its own people so that Iraq can pursue its historic role and live in peace and harmony with its neighbours.
The Cabinet was satisfied over the delivery of the Kingdom's assistance to the Iraqi territories through official channels and in coordination with the concerned bodies to stand by the Iraqi people in their plight.
The Minister of Information said the Council then continued discussions of the agenda and took the following decisions: The Cabinet decided to authorize the Foreign Minister or his deputy to hold discussions with Guinea to prepare a draft general agreement for cooperation between the Kingdom and Guinea.
The Cabinet decided to approve the Animal Resources Regulation which aims at protecting, caring for and feeding the animals in the kingdom.
The Cabinet decided that concerned authorities take the necessary measures to implement the economic decisions taken by the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the 23rd session held in Qatar including the reduction of the list of economic activities and jobs temporarily devoted to citizens of a member country.
The Cabinet decided to authorize the Minister of Communications or his deputy to hold discussions with Turkey to prepare a draft agreement on coordination and organization of land transport between the Kingdom and Turkey.
Source: SPA
