Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques says Saudi territories purged of infiltrators

Second Deputy Premier instructs full care to be offered to refugees from southern areas

Prince Khalid bin Sultan: Air strikes to continue until infiltrators keep their distance from our borders

Yemen rejects Iran’s interference in its internal affairs

Rebels’ assault on Saudi territories condemned regionally, internationally

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz chaired today the weekly cabinet meeting at Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.

At the outset of the session, King Abdullah, in his own name and on behalf of the People and Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, welcomed the pilgrims who have arrived in the Kingdom to perform Hajj. The King thanked Allah Almighty for honoring the Kingdom with serving the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors.

He has also directed all concerned bodies to provide all services to the pilgrims.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja said that the King briefed the cabinet on the talks, contacts, consultations he made over the past few days with world leaders or their envoys who expressed their condemnation of the sinful attacks which targeted Saudi territories. King Abdullah in turn expressed appreciation for their support.

Dr. Khoja added that the King also reassured that "the aggression has been contained and Saudi territories have been cleared". The King also stressed that all means of care and services had been provided to evacuated citizens to insure their safety.

The minister said the cabinet then reviewed a host of reports on the developments in the region and the world and valued in this regard Gulf Cooperation Council countries" solidarity stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, their support for its right in maintaining the safety of its lands and the security of its citizens, especially their statement that any infringement on the security and stability of the kingdom is an infringement on the security and safety of all GCC countries.

The GCC countries" support was expressed during the second meeting of the ministerial council of the GCC foreign ministers concluded in Doha last week. The cabinet also valued the Ministerial Committee of the Arab Peace Initiative’s solidarity stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its right to maintaining the sovereignty and safety of its lands and its legitimate right in defending its soil and protecting the safety of its citizens. The Arab committee’s support was expressed during its meeting on Thursday at the Arab League.

The cabinet welcomed the formation of the new Lebanese government led by Premier Saad Hariri; expressed hope that this step will boost the national unity and achieve security, stability and prosperity for Lebanon and its citizens; hailed the efforts exerted by the Lebanese parties to agree on the formation of the government; and reiterated Saudi support for Lebanon and its people and for all that helps boost its stability.

The Minister of Culture and Information said the cabinet then continued discussion of its agenda and took the following decisions:

First, the cabinet authorized the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance-or his deputy-to discuss with the Qatari side a Saudi-Qatari draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of Islamic affairs and endowments and sign it in light of the text attached to the decision within the framework of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council.

Second, the cabinet authorized the Minister of Agriculture-or his deputy-to discuss with the Qatari side a Saudi-Qatari draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of agriculture and animal and fish resources and sign it in light of the text attached to the decision within the framework of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council.

Third, the cabinet authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs-or his deputy-to discuss with Muslim World League the preparation of a protocol attached to the headquarters" agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Muslim World League and sign it in light of the text attached to the decision.

Fourth, the cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a strategic dialogue between the GCC countries and Turkey signed in the city of Jeddah on 2/9/1429 H. corresponding to 2/9/2008 G. according to the text attached to the decision.

Fifth, the cabinet approved the enforcement of the decision of the Supreme Council of the GCC in its 29th session held in Muscat, Oman, on 1-2/1/1430 H. concerning the approval of the document of Common GCC Market according to the text attached to the decision provided that the application of article (Sixth) of this document concerning ownership of real estate be implemented after the completion of the necessary legal procedures.

Sixth, the cabinet approved the enforcement of the decision of the Supreme Council of the GCC in its 29th session held in Muscat, Oman, on 1-2/1/1430 H. concerning the member states" issuance of the necessary national legal tools for the application of decisions issued by the Supreme Council starting from its 29th session in a period not exceeding one year from the date of their issuance by the Supreme Council.

Seventh, the cabinet approved appointments at the 15th and 14th ranks as follows:

1- Miteb bin Abdullah bin Ghassab Almandeel is appointed to the position of director general of operations" department at the 15th rank at the Ministry of Interior,

2- Mohammad bin Abdullah bin Mohammad Alsheihah is appointed to the position of undersecretary of the ministry for agricultural affairs at the 15th rank at the Ministry of Agriculture,

3- Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Almotawa' is appointed to the position of assistant undersecretary of the ministry for judicial affairs at the 14th rank at the Ministry of Justice,

4- Abdulaziz bin Hosain bin Saad Alhosain is appointed to the position of financial advisor at the 14th rank at the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology,

5- Jabir bin Mohammad bin Jabir Alshihri is appointed to the position of assistant undersecretary for animal resources at the 14th rank at the Ministry of Agriculture,

6- Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Abdullatif Alabdulatif is appointed to the position of director general of administrative and financial affairs at the 14th rank at King Abdulaziz City of Sciences and Technology.

Meanwhile, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz has directed that all necessary supplies be provided for citizens and refugees from evacuated borderline villages.

Director General of Civil Defense General Saad Al Tuwaijri said that Prince Naif praised the heroism of Saudi Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces in protecting the country. He added that Prince Naif stressed that the country "will be safe".

Al Tuwaijri also added that the evacuated citizens had been provided with all crucial necessities including temporary housing, food, clothes, medications as well as cash handouts.

Prince Naif also directed that all necessary coordination with the Ministry of Education be taken to provide education for evacuated students.

Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs, here to attend the Joint Saudi-U.S. Strategic Meeting, has paid a visit to the Military Attaché Office at the Saudi embassy in Washington.

At the venue, he was received by the Military Attaché Brig. Ameen Mohammed Shaker and a number of senior officers. A number of students on scholarships to the U.S. were also present at the meeting.

Addressing the event which took place yesterday, Prince Khalid bin Sultan briefed the attendees on the border skirmishes and how the Saudi forces closed this file.

"We have given them a lesson," he said, adding that if they dared to do it again in future, they have to think twice or tens of times". He said the infiltrators, who took the border guard by surprise, killed one officer and injured five. Finally we rooted them out, he said.

He confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s policy is never to interfere in another country’s internal affairs.

Meanwhile, Yemen rejected Iranian “interference” in its affairs, after Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki criticized regional intervention in Yemen’s fight against Shiite rebels.

“Yemen affirms that it definitely rejects the interference in its internal affairs by any party,” the official Saba news agency quoted a source in Yemen’s Foreign Ministry as saying, in response to Mottaki’s comments.

The source said Sana’a welcomed Tehran’s position about Yemen’s unity and stability, but that the government’s fight against the Shiite rebels in the north was an internal affair that can be solved “without any interference from others.”

In a veiled reference to Saudi Arabia, Mottaki on Tuesday called on regional states not to interfere in Yemen.

Saudi forces have been fighting the Shiite rebels on the border for more than a week, after the rebels staged a cross-border raid.

On Wednesday, Mottaki reiterated Iran’s offer to help Yemen restore security.

“Iran is prepared to cooperate with the government of Yemen and other nations in order to restore security” in Yemen, he told a news conference, according to the state-funded Press TV network.

Yemen has accused Iran of supporting the rebels, but Tehran has denied the allegations, and has called for a political solution to the fighting.

Political leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels welcomed Monday the stance of Iranian parliament on what he called "Saudi aggression" on Yemeni territories.

"We welcome the honorable Islamic and humanitarian stance of the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with which it condemned the Saudi aggression on Yemeni people and territories," Yahia Badreddin al-Houthi, brother of the Shiite rebels' leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi, said in a statement posted on pro-Houthi al-Menpar website.

Such "respectful stance" was not taken by the Arab countries, al-Houthi, who now lives in exile in Germany, said.

"We affirm to the Iranian parliament, leadership and people that the Saudi aggression is aimed to help and maintain the regime in Sana’a and stop it from ending the war (in northern Yemen)," the statement said.

According to the statement, the "unjustified Saudi aggression" only aims at interfering in Yemeni affairs and maintaining Saudi control over Yemen.

"Since the first day of Saudi aggression, we called for its ending and declared our wish not to escalate the situation in the region, and that we are ready for understanding and dialogue and to dispel fears they are trying to use as excuses for interference... but they only responded with sarcasm," he added.

On Sunday, Speaker of Iran's Parliament Ali Larijani condemned "Saudi interference" in the conflict in northern Yemen, saying the country's lawmakers urged Islamic countries to take action against "the killings of innocent Muslims in Yemen."