Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques holds cabinet session, says more projects to be set up in Makkah, Madinah, holy shrines

Second Deputy Premier Prince Naif says drawing up system to combat human trafficking embodies Islamic sharia

Prince Abdulrahman patronizes graduation of three Command & Staff College batches

Justice ministry spokesman holds briefing on procedures to try 330 persons on terrorist charges

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received this evening at Tiba Palace in Al-Madinah Ulema (scholars), sheikhs, senior civil and military officials, and a number of citizens who came to greet him.

At the outset of the reception, a recitation of the Holy Quran was performed.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah chaired on Monday the Cabinet meeting at the Royal Court at Taibah Palace in Madinah. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques extended his thanks to Almighty Allah for enabling the Kingdom to provide all needed services to pilgrims as well as visitors of Holy places in Makkah and Madinah.

He also stressed that the Kingdom is spending generously to improve crucial facilities to keep up with pilgrims' needs and aspirations. He also said that the Kingdom is going forward with its development strategies to set up new development construction projects in the holy sites in Makkah and Madinah.

Dr. Khoja added that the cabinet listened to a report on the latest developments regionally and internationally. The cabinet also praised the recommendations by the Ministerial Turkish-GCC Meeting. This meeting reflects the keenness of both side in seeking bilateral cooperation, organization and consultation when dealing with regional and international issues.

The cabinet condemned the attacks of Somalia that sought to overthrow the government, and called on the international community to support the Somali government to achieve national reconciliation and to help it get rid of violence against civilians, overcome the catastrophic situation of the Somali people, and maintain security and stability in Somalia.

Domestically, the Minister of Culture and Information said the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques directed relevant ministries and sectors to prepare the various capabilities in all regions of the kingdom, especially those attracting tourists, and work to carry out all their responsibilities and duties toward encouraging domestic tourism through investing in tourist sites in the kingdom in appropriate environment according to traditions, values and norms based on Islam.

The Minister of Culture and Information also added that the cabinet, having fully reviewed its agenda, took the following decisions:

First: the cabinet authorized Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister, to discuss with the Indian side a draft agreement on transfer of people sentenced to freedom-depriving punishments between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India and sign it.

Second: the cabinet approved the regulation on fighting the crimes of human trafficking.

The cabinet formed a committee to fight crimes of human trafficking at the Human Rights Commission. Its members include representatives from the Ministry of Interior, Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Labor, and Ministry of Culture and Information in addition to the Human Rights Commission.

The committee shall follow up the situation of victims of human trafficking to ensure that they are not harmed again.

The committee shall coordinate with concerned authorities to repatriate foreign victims whenever they request it.

The committee shall recommend keeping the victim in the kingdom and correct the victim's legal status for work if necessary.

The most prominent features of the regulation are:

1- All forms of Human Trafficking in are banned. These forms include any person's coercion, threat, deception, deceit or abduction; misuse of position, influence or authority against him; taking advantage of his weakness or giving or receiving money or advantages to gain approval of a person having control over another for sexual acts, work, coercive service, begging, slavery, practices similar to slavery, organs' removal or performing medical tests on him/her.

2- Any one committing the crime of trafficking in persons shall be punished with either imprisonment for a period not exceeding 15 years or a fine not exceeding one million Saudi Riyals or with both of them. The punishments in this regulation shall be increased in a number of cases including:

A- If it is committed against a woman or any one with special needs,

B- If it is committed against a child even if the perpetrator did not know that the victim was a child,

C- If the perpetrator victimized a spouse or one of the victim's close relatives, or if the perpetrator was a guardian or having authority over the victim,

D- If the perpetrator was an official of the regulations' enforcement,

Third: the cabinet approved the Human Resources Development Fund to benefit from investment opportunities available in buying shares of joint stock companies established by licenses issued by royal decrees. Upon approving the licensing of the establishment of such companies, the cabinet shall set the percentage of the fund's ownership of them and the percentage of ownership of both the General Authority for Retirement and the General Authority for Social Insurance.

Fourth: the cabinet approved the amendments introduced by the conference of authorized representatives of the International Telecommunications Union held in Antalya 2006 to the constitution and agreement of the International Telecommunications Union.

Fifth: the cabinet approved a number of appointments at the 15th and 14th ranks as follows:

1- Abdulrahman bin Abdullah bin Abdulrazzaq Alabdulrazzaq is appointed to the position of undersecretary of the ministry for consumer affairs at the 15th rank at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry,

2- Mohammad bin Zaid bin Mohammad Ala'raij is appointed to the position of director general of information at the 14th rank at the Presidency of the National Guard,

3- Ahmad bin Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim Alhomaidi is appointed to the position of director of the legal department at the 14th rank at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs,

4- Hamad bin Saad bin Omar Alomar is appointed to the position of advisor for land affairs at the 14th rank at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs,

5- Khalid bin Ibrahim bin Abdulrahman Alkhyal is appointed to the position of director general of administrative and financial affairs at the 14th rank at the Foreign Ministry.

On the other hand, Prince Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation, will patronize in Riyadh the graduation ceremony of the 35th batch of Command and Staff College.

Commander of the College Major Mohammed bin Suheim said a number of officers from fraternal and friendly countries in addition to officers from the various branches of the armed forces have participated in the one-year course.

Last week, Prince Abdulrahman had patronized the graduation ceremony of the 76th batch of King Faisal Air Academy (KFAA).

On arrival at the venue, he was received by Vice Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Hussein Abdullah Al Qubail; Lieutenant General Prince Abdulrahman Fahd Alfaisal, Commander of the Air Forces and Major General Mohammed Suleiman Al Sudais, Commander of the KFAA.

In an address on the occasion, Major General Al Sudais lauded the efforts of the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in developing air forces and providing them with the latest technologies and advanced systems as well as enriching them with scientific knowledge, skills and training, which are essential traits to become an effective force in the defense of their dear and beloved homeland.

He disclosed that the 76th batch of KFAA included five graduates from Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan who have successfully completed all the requirements of military and academic training.

In the Austrian capital Vienna, the Follow-up Committee on World Conference on Dialogue held a meeting.

The Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL) delivered a speech in which he stressed that the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud calling for dialogue among followers of religions and civilizations aims at achieving positive coexistence and constructive cooperation in the common humanitarian issues.

The meeting was attended by Prince Mansour bin Khalid Al Saud, Saudi Ambassador to Austria; Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Turki, the Secretary General of the Muslim World League; Johannes Kyrle, the Secretary General of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria; and representatives of the followers of religions.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Prince Mansour bin Khalid Al Saud, the Saudi Ambassador to Austria, said that the meeting of the Committee will draft the future course of the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz for dialogue among the followers of religions and cultures.

He also said that the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was widely echoed in different parts of the world since its launch in Madrid, because it calls for greater rapprochement among the followers of religions and civilizations.

Representatives of the followers of religions and cultures who participated in the international dialogue conference, held last year in Madrid, attended the two-day meeting.

In a statement to The Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Dr. Al-Turki said the MWL and centers cooperating with it are keen on carrying out the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz for dialogue among the nations and international organizations.

He noted that the follow up committee will review the decisions and recommendations adopted by the first international dialogue conference.

Dr. Al-Turki said the Madrid declaration has drawn attention of those who are concerned with cooperation with the religions and cultural leaderships.

He rejected the theory of civilization conflict and warned against the campaigns that deepen differences and undermine the pillars of global security and peace.

Dr. Abdulaziz Salih Bin Salama, the Supervisor for foreign information at the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information, has said the deliberations of the meeting of the follow-up committee for dialogue of religions would provide an opportunity for the religious and intellectual leaderships to set up a suitable mechanism for dialogue so as to get assured that it will be fruitful and will contribute to enhancing confidence and cooperation among the representatives of the international religions and cultures.

In a statement to The Saudi Press Agency, he said the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has been exerting tireless efforts to make the dialogue among the followers of religions and cultures a useful channel for ending conflicts and crises and enabling the nations to avoid the woes of wars and political, economic and socials problems which harm the mankind.

He noted that dialogue will tackle several international problems if the leaders of religions and thinkers agree on common targets and factors which advocate discarding violence and aggression and enhancing the pillars of justice and tolerance.

"A large number of international problems are not based on genuine justifications, and these have nothing to do with the religions and cultures," he said.

Dr. Bin Salama pointed out that the ministry of culture and information has been contributing to the coverage of the meeting of the follow-up committee.

In Al-Madinah Al-Munwarah, Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, said that the new Anti-Human Trafficking Regulation passed by the Cabinet is a reflection of the principles set forth by the Islamic Sharia Law to prevent aggression against fellow human beings.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), he added that adhering to the Sharia Law has enabled the Kingdom to protect the rights of its citizens and expatriates as well.

Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz also said that the Kingdom spares no effort to prevent any kind of aggression or mistreatment against humans and enforces the appropriate punitive laws on violators according to the new system. The Saudi Human Rights Commission hailed the Cabinet's passing of an Anti Human Trafficking Regulation during its weekly session chaired by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

In a statement, the commission expressed gratitude and thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, and Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister, for their continuous initiatives to protect human rights and further enrich the judiciary system in the Kingdom.

In the Saudi capital Riyadh on Monday, an official of the ministry of justice said that among the 330 recently appeared before justice for terror-related crimes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 41 were non-Saudis.

In a press briefing at the Ministry's building, Dr. Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Saadan, spokesman of the Ministry of Justice, said trials are still underway. Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Information for Internal Information Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Hazzaa also attended the briefing.

Al-Saadan said three out of those who received different elementary sentences for terror-related crimes before the Specialized Penal Court pleaded not guilty and seven were acquitted of having committed a crime. However, 323 received jail sentences varying from a few months to 30 years, with 13 of them sentenced to more than 20 years.

Going into details, the spokesman said 42 of those convicted to receive prison sentences will not be released unless each announces repent before a judge following the end of the term of imprisonment.

He said 15 of the convicted will pay financial fines in addition to their terms of imprisonment and 15 will serve a specific period in a city of each prisoner's choice following his term of imprisonment.

The spokesman gave an account on the legal procedure implemented to assure justice in the Kingdom, citing the proceedings of the General Prosecutor, the defense of the indicted or their lawyers and testimony of witnesses.

He said 179 of the indicted were content of the rulings issued against them.

He also gave an account on the development of the Judicial system in the Kingdom since the inception of a dual system consisting of the general judiciary and the court of grievances to the latest system which consists of a number of specialized courts.

Regarding the publicity of court proceedings, he said that priority is given to the first of kin of the indicted and the victims and then to the media as well as those interested, given the space capacity of the court room. However, the judge has the right of the confidentiality of all or part of the proceedings.

In response to a question, Al-Saadan denied that any of the convicted has caused chaos after publicly rejecting the ruling.

He reassured that some of the accused have sought and were given legal assistance while others opted to defend by themselves.

In reply to a question, he said all rulings were elementary and subject to appeal.

He said courts will continue work during summer vacation as there is no judicial vacation.

He hinted to the principle of compensation in the Saudi litigation system, citing one confirmed case for compensation, i.e. when a final ruling was appealed and won by the appellant.

He denied knowledge of some women being among the convicted.

Asked whether terror spiritual leaders and intellectuals were among the 330 convicted, Dr. Al-Saadan said he could not go into details of all cases due to time constraint.

He said holding the trials in cities other than the city of Riyadh is subject to the Specialized Penal Court's decision.