Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz on Monday chaired the Cabinet’s weekly meeting at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah.
At the outset of the meeting, the Crown Prince expressed his appreciation for the efforts of Arab leaders at the recent Arab Summit in Tunis, which led to a number of successful results.
The Cabinet praised the important decisions taken by participants at the Summit, particularly regarding adoption of the “Pledge, Accord and Solidarity,” which will enhance Arab cooperation and development.
The Cabinet noted amendments to the Arab League Charter, unanimously approved by Arab Foreign Ministers, which paves the way for reform of the League. Arab leaders will discuss the reform measures at the forthcoming Summit in Algeria.
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 Cabinet reviewed recent consultations and talks, particularly regarding the tragic events in Palestine and Iraq, held by the Kingdom with senior foreign officials.
The Crown Prince stressed the Kingdom’s view that international security and stability would be significantly enhanced if international efforts produced a just, comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East. He said that the peace process is continually obstructed by Israeli aggressive practices and violations of international resolutions, including the “Road Map” and the widely supported vision for two states to coexist peacefully side-by-side.
The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom’s deep regret over the escalating violence and instability in Iraq, which is perpetuates the suffering of the Iraqi people who are deprived of basic foodstuffs and services due to the deterioration of security.
The Minister of Culture and Information said that the meeting then reviewed a number of items on its domestic agenda, and issued the following decisions:
The Cabinet decided to sell the state’s stock share in the National Company for Cooperative Insurance (NCCI). The General Investment Fund, which runs the state’s 50% share in NCCI, was authorized to discuss the sale of 10 –15% of the quotas in NCCI of the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) and General Establishment for Retirement. The Cabinet issued a number of measures to regulate the sale.
The Council of Ministers approved the Saudi Mining Company (Ma'aden) implementing measures to privatise the company within the terms of the Saudi privatisation strategy.
Upon recommendations of the 3rd Saudi Conference on Electronic Commerce, the Cabinet approved regulations governing the public-private partnership in developing the sector.
The Cabinet stipulated that companies planning to sell lubricant oil to government bodies be subject to fair competition and must have met the Ministry of Labour’s stipulations regarding the Saudization of jobs.
The Council of Ministers endorsed the state’s final accounts for the fiscal year 1420-1421H.
The meeting authorized the Minister of Agriculture or his deputy to sign a draft agreement on cooperation between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Yemen. The final version of the agreement will be forwarded for further endorsement.
The Cabinet approved the appointment of Dr Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Isa Aseeri as Assistant Undersecretary of Asir Governorate for Security Affairs; Dr Sameer bin Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Omran as Director General of the Girls Education Department in the Eastern Region; and Eng. Ismat bin Mohammed Zia Isa as Director General of the Ministry of Health Projects and Maintenance Department.
Source: SPA
