Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard on Monday chaired the Cabinet’s weekly meeting at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah.
At the outset of the session, the Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on talks held by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz and the Crown Prince with Iraqi Premier Dr Iyad Allawi. The talks focused on developments in Iraq and the Kingdom’s keenness to ensure the unity, sovereignty, stability and security of Iraq.
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 noted the potential devastating consequences of an attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli extremists. The Minister said that the Kingdom is following events in the occupied Palestinian territories with great concern, including Israel’s plan to establish a Jewish settlement east of the occupied Al-Quds to accommodate 55,000 people and to annex a number of Palestinian villages by encircling them by the Israeli wall of segregation. The Kingdom condemned Israeli violent practices and urged the international community, particularly the International Quartet Committee, to intervene to cease the escalation of violence and conflict in the region by curtailing Israel’s aggressive policies.
The Cabinet was informed of recent talks and consultations with leaders and representatives of other countries, which covered recent developments in regional and international arenas. Crown Prince received a telephone call from U.S. President George W. Bush and views exchanged dealt with the developments in the region, bilateral relations and cooperation to combat terrorism.
The Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on talks held with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, which covered bilateral relations and the importance of international cooperation.
The Crown Prince stressed the urgent need for assistance in the Darfur region of Sudan to alleviate suffering there.
The Cabinet then reviewed domestic items on its agenda and approved general agreements for cooperation with both Nigeria and Sri Lanka.
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Finance or his deputy to sign a Saudi-Greek draft agreement on anti-duplicate taxation of income generated by operating aircraft in international transportation.
Source: SPA
