Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, today chaired the Cabinet’s weekly session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
At the outset of the session, the Crown Prince congratulated the Muslim world on the start of the new Hijra year. He then briefed the Cabinet on talks and consultation held with leaders and envoys of other countries, which focused on recent regional and international developments.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, Minister of Culture and Information Dr Fouad bin Abdulsalam Al-Farsy said that the Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on the meeting of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz and the Crown Prince with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih, which discussed aspects of cooperation between the two countries and the means of enhancing it in all fields, and the situation in Palestine and Iraq.
The Cabinet discussed the latest developments in occupied Palestinian territories, including continual Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people and their property, which violates international agreements and the international will to achieve a peaceful settlement. The Cabinet urged the international community to take a firm stand against Israel’s destructive acts that abort attempts to achieve peace in the region.
The Cabinet said that the Kingdom is following with great concern the construction of a racial segregation wall by Israel in the West Bank. The International Court of Justice began discussions of the case today, in accordance with the resolution issued by the United Nations General Assembly at its extraordinary session on 8 September 2003 requesting the Court to give its legal opinion on the consequences of the wall. The Kingdom officially submitted its legal memorandum to the Court on 27 January and today presented a statement to the Court and participated in its proceedings.
Dr Al-Farsy said that the Cabinet praised the agreement between India and Pakistan on a Peace Road Map to settle all outstanding issues between the two countries, including the vital issue of Jammu and Kashmir, and to achieve a lasting peace.
The Minister of Culture and Information said that the Council reviewed a number of domestic issues on its agenda and took the following decisions:
The Cabinet approved the agreement on tourism cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen, initially signed in Sanaa during the 15th session of the Saudi-Yemeni Coordination Council on 6 July 2003.
The Board of Directors of the Food and Drugs Authority was re-formed as follows: the Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General as Chairman; the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs as Vice Chairman; Interior, Health, Commerce and Industry, Agriculture, Water and Electricity, Finance, and Economy and Planning Ministers as members; Chairman of the Food and Drugs Authority as member; Director General of the Saudi Standards Organization as member; Chairman of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry as member; an expert in food and drugs affairs as member.
The Cabinet approved a recommendation submitted by the Shoura Council to transfer the Pensions General Authority to a private organization of a legal character. The current Board of Directors will proceed with its duties, pending the formation of a new board. Current regulations will remain in force until new regulations are established, which will take place within less than three months.
The Council of Ministers approved the final account of the Saudi Railways Establishment for the fiscal year 1422-1423H.
The Cabinet approved the appointment of Ahmed bin Salih bin Zamil Al-Sagheer as Director General of Administrative and Financial Affairs of Riyadh Governorate; Dr Abdulwahab bin Abdullah bin Abdulwahab Baghdadi as Assistant Undersecretary for External Information at the Ministry of Culture and Information; and Ibrahim bin Abdulkareem bin Ali Al-Muhaimeed as Director
General of the Finance Minister’s office.
Source: SPA
