Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, today chaired the Cabinet’s weekly meeting at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah.
At the outset of the meeting, the King briefed ministers on the outcome of talks recently held with leaders and officials on regional and international developments.
In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Minister of Culture and Information, Dr Fouad bin Abdulsalam Al-Farsy, said that the Cabinet expressed the Kingdom’s concern about the deterioration of security in Palestinian territories due to aggressive Israeli practices, aimed at undermining regional and international efforts to contain the situation and provide the appropriate environment to resume political dialogue to implement the road map to peaceful settlement.
The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom’s appeal to the international community effectively to pressurise Israel to abort its policies that undermine international endeavours to establish peace in the region.
The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom’s condemnation of the last Friday’s bombing in Najaf, Iraq, which claimed so many lives, including that of the President of the Higher Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Mohammad Baqir Al-Hakim. The Kingdom also condemned the two bombings in Bombay, India, which claimed many lives. The Cabinet stressed that these bombings are criminal acts that target and terrorise innocent people, and destabilize security.
The Cabinet stressed its condemnation of all forms of terrorism, and emphasised the importance of eliminating its root causes, noting that these acts require that the international community bolster efforts to establish peace and stability in the countries of the world, particularly in regions that witness continuous tensions such as Palestine and Iraq. Such tensions make it necessary that the international community work hard to resolve these crises. The Cabinet highlighted the importance of boosting the role of the United Nations to establish international stability.
The Cabinet welcomed the bilateral agreement that was signed in Jeddah yesterday between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the European Union, which aims to facilitate access to markets in commodities and service sectors as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to attain member ship of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Cabinet then discussed items on its agenda, and issued the following decisions:
The Cabinet approved the memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of preservation of biological diversification between the National Commission for the Protection and Development of Wildlife of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the General Commission for the Protection of Environment of the Republic of Yemen.
The Cabinet approved the accession of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Paris Agreement for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Bern Agreement for the Protection of Literary and Technical Works, products of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The Council of Ministers approved the general agreement on cooperation between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Sudan.
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance (IACG) or his deputy to discuss with the Kuwaiti side a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Ministry of IECG and the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs of the State of Kuwait in the field of Islamic affairs and endowments.
The Cabinet approved a memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Higher Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Sciences, Research and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The meeting approved a draft agreement on cooperation in the field of maritime transportation between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, which was signed in Damascus on 4/8/1423H.
The Cabinet approved the appointment of Dr Sulaiman bin Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al-Ruwaished as Undersecretary for Construction and Projects of Riyadh Governorate at the Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs; Eng. Abdul Aziz bin Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Toob as Chief of the Municipality of Jizan Region, and Jassir bin Abdulrahman bin Jassir Al-Jassir as Director General for Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs.
Source: SPA
