Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, today chaired the Cabinet’s weekly meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
At the outset of the meeting, the Crown Prince expressed his hope for the success of the 25th Summit of Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which is currently in progress in Bahrain.
The Crown Prince then briefed the Cabinet on talks, meetings and consultations held by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz and the Crown Prince over recent days with a number of leaders and officials other countries, which covered developments in Arab and international arenas.
The Crown Prince informed the Cabinet of the outcome of meetings held by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques with Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa; President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayid Al-Nahayan; Chairman of the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization Dr Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Premier Ahmed Qurie. The talks focused on developments in the region, particularly in Iraq and the Palestinian occupied territories.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the meeting, Minister of Culture and Information Dr Fouad bin Abdulsalam Al-Farsy said that the Cabinet reviewed the state’s general budget for fiscal year 1425/1426H and its implications for citizens and enhancement of the national economy and comprehensive development.
The Cabinet noted King Fahd’s address to the Cabinet which stressed the budget as an instrument to achieve comprehensive development, to provide the required expenditure for ministries, to complete execution of projects, to provide new development and service projects for citizens, and for enhancement of development and the role of the private sector. In his address, the King said that this budget has approved double the number of projects of the previous budget.
Dr Al-Farsy said that the Crown Prince renewed his directives to officials of all sectors to meet the needs of citizens and provide the best possible services for them.
On the situation in the Palestinian occupied territories, the Cabinet strongly condemned Israel’s continuous aggression against the Palestinian people, such as the bombardment of cities, demolition of houses, closure of roads, isolation of Palestinian cities from one another, terrifying innocent people and rendering them homeless. The Cabinet urged the international community to take firm stand against this aggression and to halt Israel’s aggressive practices which lead to greater violence and instability in the region.
On the situation in Iraq, the Cabinet emphasized the importance of halting acts of violence against innocent people, their property and infrastructure. The Cabinet urged all Iraqis to unite and confront any obstacle threatening Iraq’s stability, security and sovereignty.
Dr Al-Farsy said that the Council then reviewed the items on its domestic agenda and issued the following decisions:
The Cabinet approved the general framework of the Saudi building code, presented by the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization. The code includes a number of regulations addressing legal, architectural, electricity and health issues relevant to application of the code.
The ministers approved the final version of the Kyoto Protocol annexed to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Cabinet approved the appointment of Abdulmajeed bin Jameel bin Hasan Makki as Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Hamad bin Sulaiman bin Abdulrahman Al-Gassoumi as Director General of the Information Centre at the Department of Customs; and Salih bin Abdul Aziz bin Salih Al-Mirshed as Legal Consultant at the Presidency of the Department of Religious Research and Ifta; and approved the transfer of Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Al-Majalli from the position of Legal Consultant to become Director General for Follow-up and Research at the same department.
Source: SPA
