July 21, 2006

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES BRIEFS THE CABINET ON THE EFFORTS OF THE KINGDOM TO PUT AN END TO ISRAEL'S AGGRESSION ON LEBANON AND ITS SIEGE OF THE PALESTINIANS. THE CABINET STRESSES THAT THE WAR LAUNCHED BY ISRAEL ON LEBANON IS AN EXTENSION TO ISRAEL'S OCCUPATION POLICIES IN THE REGION. THE CABINET AFFIRMS THAT THE INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS TO THE ALL OUT WAR LAUNCHED BY ISRAEL DEMONSTRATE THE EXTENT OF THE WORLD COMMUNITY'S LAXITY AND DISREGARD FOR THE ISRAELI CRIMES. THE CABINET APPROVES AN AMENDMENT OF BASEL AGREEMENT AND PROTOCOL ON RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGES INCURRED BY MOVING DANGEROUS WASTE AND ITS DISPOSAL ACROSS BORDERS. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz chaired the Cabinet's weekly session at AL-Salam Palace in Jeddah. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information Iyad Ibn Amin Madani said that at the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on contents of contacts, meetings and consultations being held by the Kingdom to contain the dangerous crisis in the region and to put an end to Israel's aggression on brotherly Lebanon and its siege of the Palestinian brethren. The war being launched by Israel on Lebanon, its people, economy and infrastructure; Israel's premeditated and repeated destructive practices, its violations which disregard human rights, and its targeting and punishing of the civilian and innocent people without consideration for international pacts, conventions and norms; these are only extensions to Israel's occupation policies and hegemony in the region, the Cabinet stressed. The Cabinet affirmed that the international reactions to the all out war launched by Israel with all its military machine and technology demonstrate the extent of the world community's laxity and disregard for the Israeli crimes. The absolute support of some countries for the Israeli policies has led to the inability of the United Nations Security Council to take a decision in this regard. These incompetent policies of these countries led to the siege of the Palestinian Authority politically, economically and financially, the Cabinet said and added that these policies aimed at disturbing historical and stable balances in some countries of the region, collapse of social security, fragmentation of the national decision in the one country, leading thus to the deviation of some elements and trends which slipped in unilateral decisions that terribly exploited by Israel to the utmost, to launch a raging war on Lebanon and to complete its captivity of the whole Palestinian people. The Cabinet said that the world community, particularly the great powers linked to the region by economic interests, should shoulder the responsibility of protecting the Lebanese people; should rapidly move to halt the Israeli destructive war on Lebanon; should end the siege imposed on the Palestinian people and its legitimate institutions; and should provide support for the Lebanese government in its efforts to preserve Lebanon, maintain its sovereignty and spread its authority over all its land. The Cabinet affirmed that the Kingdom stands by the legitimate, national and reasonable powers in Lebanon and occupied Palestine to fend off the dangers threatening the entity of Arab and Muslim nations. Then the Cabinet reviewed its domestic agenda and took the following decisions: The Cabinet approved an amendment of Basel Agreement and Protocol on responsibility and compensation for damages incurred by moving dangerous waste and its disposal across borders. It also endorsed the formation of a national committee to implement the agreement, to set and execute a strategy to administer dangerous waste in the Kingdom, to set a plan to monitor and combat trade and illegal disposal of dangerous waste and to coordinate stances at the international arenas. The Cabinet authorized the Interior Minister or his deputy to discuss a security cooperation draft protocol between Iraq's neighboring countries and Iraq in the field of combating terrorism, infiltration and organized crime. The Cabinet authorized the Foreign Minister or his deputy to discuss with the Georgian side a general cooperation draft agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Georgia's government. The Cabinet approved a draft agreement and a draft protocol between the governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the People's Republic of China on avoidance of a dual taxation on taxes of income and capital and on prevention of tax evasion. The Cabinet endorsed a draft agreement on agricultural cooperation between the two governments of the Kingdom and China. The Cabinet approved two appointments at 14th and 15th ranks.