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.
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 recent developments in Arab, Islamic and international arenas.
On the situation in occupied Palestinian territories, the Crown Prince stressed the importance of the international community adopting a united front to challenge Israel’s blatant violations of international resolutions and policies of aggression against the Palestinian people.
The Cabinet urged the Iraqi people to work in solidarity with their government to achieve stability and security in Iraq.
The Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on consultations and talks held by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz and the Crown Prince with leaders and officials of other countries.
The Cabinet expressed its appreciation of the great efforts exerted by Saudi security forces in the fight to combat terrorism, and commended their success in arresting a number of militants. The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom’s determination to win the fight against terrorists.
The Cabinet welcomed the statement by Arab Foreign Ministers on developments in Sudan’s Darfur region and welcomed the steps taken by the Sudanese government to fulfil its obligations in accordance with an agreement signed with the United Nations Secretary General for settlement of the crisis. The Cabinet rejected the threat of military intervention in the region or imposition of sanctions on the Sudan, urging the international community to give the Sudanese government sufficient time to implement its obligations according to its agreement with the UN.
The Cabinet welcomed the announcement of the resumption of negotiations between the Sudanese government and the two rebel movements in Abuja, Nigeria.
On domestic affairs, the Cabinet reviewed the results of the inspection tour carried out by the Crown Prince in Taif Governorate, his meetings with citizens and inauguration of a number of projects.
The Cabinet approved authorisation of Ittisalat Consortium to establish and operate the second- generation GSM mobile phone network and to provide all related services at local, national and international levels through its own network, according to its bid. To gain this license, a SR12,210,000,000 fee will be paid to the public treasury in advance. The Telecommunications and Information Technology Commission shall complete all conditions and measures stipulated by the regulations.
The Cabinet approved authorisation of Ittisalat Consortium to establish and operate the third generation G3 mobile phone network and to provide all related services at local, national and international levels through its own network, according to its bid. To gain this license, a SR753,750,000 fee will be paid to the public treasury in advance. The Telecommunications and Information Technology Commission shall complete all conditions and measures stipulated by the regulations. The Cabinet stated that fees for providing the services commercially and for the license, use of frequencies, appropriation and use of numbers and other fees charged to Ittisalat Consortium shall be governed by the relevant regulations and laws.
The Cabinet approved granting the Saudi Telecommunication Company, if it submits an application to the Telecommunications and Information Technology Commission within a year of the date of issuance of this decision, a license to provide third generation G3 mobile phone services provided that the technical, operational and commercial commitments be the same at minimum and against the fee paid in advance to the public treasury for the same service according to the bid of Ittisalat Consortium mentioned above. The Telecommunications and Information Technology Commission shall complete the necessary measures in this regard.
The Cabinet approved authorisation of the establishment of a Saudi joint stock company named Ittisalat Consortium, 20% of whose stocks will be introduced for public subscription within thirty days of the publication of the royal decree authorising establishment of the company. A minimum of 20% of stocks devoted to the founders will be offered in the Saudi stock market during the third year of the company’s establishment.
The Cabinet approved two 14th and 15th grade government appointments.
Source: SPA
