March 3, 2006

AT THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS' WEEKLY SESSION. THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES PRAISES MEMBERS OF THE SECURITY AND ARMED FORCES FOR THEIR EFFORTS AGAINST TERRORISM. THE CABINET STRONGLY DENOUNCES THE LATEST EVENTS IN IRAQ AND EXPRESSES ITS SUPPORT FOR THE EFFORTS AIMING TO CONCILIATE VIEWPOINTS BETWEEN PALESTINIANS. A SAUDI-EGYPTIAN SUMMIT REVIEWS THE DEVELOPMENTS ON THE PALESTINIAN AND IRAQI ARENAS AND ISSUES IN THE REGION. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud chaired the cabinet's weekly session at Al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed his unwavering confidence in security men and the armed forces of various sectors. The Monarch commended their alertness and dedication to the service of their religion, homeland and people, and also praised their success in wiping out the remnants of fugitive terrorists and in foiling the terrorist attempt in Abqaiq which targeted a great national economic facility benefiting all people. The attempt led to the killing of innocent and sanctified Muslims and endangered the lives of hundreds of citizens. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques stressed the state's strong stand and unity of all people in confronting these terrorist acts that heed no religion, homeland or human sanctity. The Monarch prayed to Almighty Allah to bless the souls of the martyrs of the religion, homeland and duty. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information Iyad Ibn Amin Madani said that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the cabinet on the contents of contacts, messages and talks held over the previous days with a number of leaders and countries' envoys in which the Kingdom emphasized its firm stand as regards the national, Arab and international causes. The cabinet was informed of overall situations at the domestic and international arenas. In this regard, the cabinet strongly denounced the late events of Iraq and called on all national forces and classes to unite in confronting the attempts of division and dissension whatever their sources might be, the Minister said. On the Palestinian developments, the cabinet expressed its support for the efforts aiming to conciliate viewpoints at the Palestinian national arena so that political differences will not storm the basic interests of the Palestinian people and their commitment to stability in the region; this necessitates the support of the world community for the Palestinian national institutions and the respect for the international legitimacy resolutions. On the domestic domain, the cabinet lauded the cultural activities at universities and public arenas as they are present at Janadriya Festival, its symposiums and the book fair. These activities demonstrate the homeland's vitality and its openness to all aspects of culture and knowledge. The Minister of Culture and Information said the Cabinet then reviewed the local items on its agenda and issued the following decisions: The Minister of Interior or his deputy was authorized to discuss with the Turkish side a draft agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Turkey in the field of mutual extradition of the accused and convicted, and the exchange of carrying out the freedom-deprivation punishments, sign it and forward the final version for further authentication. The Cabinet approved a framework agreement for economic cooperation between the Gulf Cooperation Council's member states on one hand and the Republic of Turkey on the other which was signed in Manama on 30 May 2005. This agreement encourages economic cooperation in different fields between the two parties, exchange of knowledge and technical expertise in those fields and also exchange of economic, commercial and technical delegations, holding of temporary exhibitions and provision of necessary facilities and assistance for the enhancement of economic cooperation between the two countries. The Cabinet approved a general agreement for cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Singapore which was signed in Riyadh on 22 February 2005. This agreement encourages economic, commercial, investment, scientific, technical, educational, cultural, youths, and sports cooperation between the two parties in addition to technical cooperation in the field of scientific research, water and sewage discharge. The agreement lasts for five years, automatically renewed for one or more periods. The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between member parties of the Financial Action Group for the Middle East and North Africa in the field of money laundering and terrorism finance which was signed 30 November 2004. According to this agreement, the member countries agree to implement the UN treaties and agreements and the UN Security Council's resolutions relevant to money laundering and terrorism financing, exchange expertise and take necessary arrangements in the region to contain their spread. The Cabinet approved the appointment of Mohammed Fidau'ddin Ibn Mahmoud Ibn Fayyadh Al Idris as Director General of the Social Services Department at the Ministry of Economy and Planning; Dr. Abdul Rahman Ibn Ibrahim Abdul Aziz Al Midaires as Director General of the Education Department in the Eastern Region at the Ministry of Education; Mohammed Ibn Ali Ibn Hamad Al Abadani as Assistant Undersecretary for Budget and Organization at the Ministry of Finance, and Abdullah Ibn Mohammed Ibn Rasheed Al Rasheed as Director General of the Central Administration for Organization and Management at the Ministry of Finance. On the other hand the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak of Egypt held a meeting at the VIP lounge of Riyadh air base. During the meeting, they discussed the overall developments at the Arab arena, led by the developments of the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iraq. They also discussed the developments at the Islamic and International arenas in addition to aspects of cooperation between the two countries and ways of enhancing them, in the benefit of the interests of the two countries in all fields. On the Saudi side, the audience was attended by Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; and Prince Mirqren Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence. On the Egyptian side, the meeting was attended by Ahmed Abu-Al-Ghait, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Anas Alfaqih, Minister of Information; Eng. Rasheed Mohammed Rasheed, Minister of Commerce and Industry; Amro Suleiman, Minister at the Republic's Presidency; Dr. Zakariya Azmi, Chief of the Court of the Republic's Presidency; Mohammed Abdul Hamid Qasem, Egypt's Ambassador to the Kingdom; and Suleiman Awwad, Secretary to the Egyptian president. Then King Abdullah held a dinner party in honor of President Mubarak. The two official delegations attended the dinner party. On his part, the Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Suleiman Awwad said talks with King Abdullah provided an opportunity for close consultations regarding Arab issues, mainly the Israeli-Palestinian, and Syrian-Lebanese crises, the Iranian nuclear file and topics to be tackled in Khartoum's Arab summit. The two leaders stressed the importance of consultations between Arab leaders for reactivating common Arab action and dealing with risks facing the Arab nation. In Kuwait, President Mubarak held talks with Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah on Arab issues of common interests and the situation in the Arab region. The situation in Darfur, in light of the ongoing controversy on a possible future role of the UN, was also discussed. Talks also addressed ways of promoting Egyptian-Kuwaiti relations in the various fields, especially trade and investment. President Mubarak's visit to Kuwait was of special significance as it concurs with the festivals on the national day of Kuwait and the fifth anniversary of the liberation of the country. On his part, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Ahmed al-Sabah described President Mubarak's visit as a "good gesture" on Mubarak's part adding that President Mubarak has always been close and supportive to Kuwait. Awwad referred to the fact that Mubarak is greatly concerned about security in the Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. On the other hand, commenting on Egypt's stance on Iran, Awwad said that the Non-Proliferation Nuclear Treaty (NPT) and protocol allow all signatories to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. On the Palestinian issue, the presidential spokesman said the Egyptian stance on Hamas was clear and that the will of Palestinian voters should be respected. The Egyptian presidential spokesman denied reports on attempts to arrange a meeting between Mubarak and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad who visited Kuwait on Monday February 27 describing them as "baseless". On Iraq, the spokesman reaffirmed Egypt's rejection of sending Arab forces to the war-torn country, noting that the Iraqi people would not accept non-Iraqi troops on their land. Awwad said that the talks in Doha between President Mubarak and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Than brought to light their common views on the need for maintaining financial support for the Palestinian people. In press statements following the Doha meeting, the two leaders stressed the need for commitment by all parties of the peace process. President Mubarak Monday February 27 said that he informed all international parties of the importance to maintain support of the Palestinian people. Meanwhile, President Mubarak and Sheikh Hamad expressed hope that the agreement in principle between Tehran and Moscow would provide an avenue for solving the crisis of the Iranian nuclear file. President Mubarak held important talks in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain on the latest developments in the Middle East, the Palestinian cause and the position in Iraq. The three Arab leaders exchanged views on a wide array of issues of interest to Egypt, UAE and Bahrain in the light of the latest developments on the regional and international arenas. In Kuwait Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who paid a visit to Kuwait, praised its current political rapprochement with his country, specifically at the level of GCC and Middle East security. Speaking during a press conference, following talks here with the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, he said that both his country and Kuwait respected Iraq's sovereignty and independence and supported the rights of the Palestinian people. He called for reviving the role played by the Iranian-Kuwaiti Joint Committee, which was headed by foreign ministers of the two countries. Ahmadinejad stressed that one of the reasons for his visit was to congratulate Sheikh Sabah on his access to power. The Iranian President also paid his condolences to the Kuwaiti ruling family over the demise of the Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Ahmadinejad described relations between his country and Kuwait as "distinguished and deeply-rooted." He called for coordinating with Kuwait in such issues as gas, water and oil resources and for cooperation at security level. "We (the Iranians) are anxious to achieve justice-based world peace and stability," the Iranian head of state said. "We want to be in constant touch with our brothers in the area without meeting any obstacles," he said. He expressed concern about the current deterioration in security in Iraq, which "affects the entire area." He expressed "support for all initiatives aimed at consolidating security in Iraq." He re-iterated his country's call for "making the Middle East a zone free of weapons of mass destruction." "Iran has already put forward a plan at the UN in this sense. We shall continue to pursue it," he said.