Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz today chaired the Cabinet’s meeting held at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah.
At the outset of the meeting, following directives of the King, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, briefed the Cabinet on his visit to Russia and his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Russian officials, which covered recent international events, notably the Palestinian cause and the situation in Iraq. He also discussed means of boosting cooperation between the two countries.
King Fahd expressed his appreciation to the Crown Prince for his efforts to promote firm relations between the two countries, based on cooperation to serve the interests of both sides.
The Cabinet denounced Israel’s neglect of its obligations under the ‘road map’ to peace, and its pursuit of constructing the so-called ‘security wall’, which violates more Palestinian land. The Cabinet called for intervention by international forces to curb the Israeli aggressive practices.
The Cabinet expressed its hope that wisdom will prevail in current deliberations concerning the new Palestinian government.
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 welcomed United Nations Security Council resolution 1500, issued on 14 August 2003, concerning Iraq’s transitional Governing Council. It expressed hope that the Governing Council will lead imminently to the establishment of a legitimate government that will maintain Iraq’s independence, sovereignty, and unity.
Having reviewed preparations made for the new academic year 1424-1425H., the King wished all male and female pupils and students a successful academic year, scheduled to commence next week.
The Cabinet then reviewed items on its agenda, and took the following decisions:
The Cabinet endorsed an agreement, passed by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, on the preservation of wildlife and natural resources.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs or his deputy was authorized to discuss with the Algerian side the drafting of a memorandum of understanding on the means of establishing a mechanism for political
consultation between the Foreign Ministry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and that of the Ministry of the Peoples Democratic Republic of Algeria.
The Foreign Minister or his deputy was also authorized to discuss with the government of the Republic of Turkmenistan a general agreement on cooperation in economic, commercial, investment, educational, scientific, technical, cultural, information, tourism, youth, and sports fields.
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance, or his deputy to discuss with the Azeri side finalizing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation
between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Azerbaijan in the field of Islamic affairs and endowments.
The Council of Ministers decided to amend Article 15 of the commercial and economic agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Syrian Arab Republic. The new version of the article reads as follows: This arrangement will remain in force for two years. It is renewable for similar periods, unless one of the two contracting parties notifies the other in writing of its wish to terminate the contract at least three years before its termination.
The Cabinet approved the agreement on educational cooperation between the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of National Education of the Peoples Democratic Republic of Algeria.
The Council of Ministers approved the appointment of Dr Hasan bin Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Al-Sheikh as Director General of the General Directorate for Financial and Budgetary Affairs of the Naval Forces at the Ministry of Defence and Aviation; Dr Salih bin Musa bin Mohammed Al-Dhibayyan as Assistant Undersecretary for Parallel Education at the Ministry of Education, and Ibrahim bin Ali bin Hashim Sultan as Director General of Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.
Source: SPA
