January 26, 2007

AT THE WEEKLY CABINET SESSION: THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES CALLS ON LEADERS, GOVERNMENTS AND PEOPLE FOR SELF-ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEARNING LESSONS FROM PAST EVENTS. THE MONARCH EMPHASIZES THE NECESSITY FOR A UNIFIED INTERNATIONAL ACTION TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO REVIVE THE PEACE PROCESS. THE CABINET APPROVES THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING SIGNED WITH INDIA ON COMBATING CRIME. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz chaired the Cabinet's session at Al Yamamah palace in Riyadh. On the occasion of the new Hijra year, the king wished the Muslim nation prosperity, security and peace. He also wished the nation persistence of the efforts in reform, development and constructive dialogue to achieve growth and welfare and to protect citizens from transgressing and drifting away from the teachings of Islam which calls for fraternity, mercy and tolerance, and propagates the values of justice and love all over the world. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed deep regrets over the tragedies, disasters, wars, disputes and disagreements suffered by the citizens of some Muslim countries last year. The Monarch called on leaders, governments and peoples for self-accountability and learning lessons from past events which only serve the enemies of the nation and Islam. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the minister of transport and acting minister of culture and information Dr. Jubarah Bin Eid Al-Suraiseri said that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the talks he held over the previous days with some leaders and officials of some countries which dealt with the kingdom's relations with these countries and the developments of events in the region and the world, particularly the situations in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon. In this regard, King Abdullah commended his meeting with Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, stressing the deep relations binding the two countries and their brotherly peoples and their desire for the enhancement of these relations for the interest of the two countries and the Muslim nation. On the latest developments in Iraq, the Cabinet renewed the kingdom's keenness on Iraq's unity, independence, sovereignty over its territories, equality among its citizens in rights, duties, and benefits from Iraq's resources. On the Palestinian issue, the monarch emphasized the necessity for a unified international action to support efforts to revive the peace process; to benefit from the previous experience which necessitates concentration on major conflicts and on finding radical solutions for them since partial solutions have proved ineffective; to achieve just and comprehensive peace; and to set up the Palestinian state according to international legitimacy, agreements between the Palestinian and Israeli parties, the road-map plan and the Arab Peace Initiative. The acting minister of culture and information said the Cabinet then reviewed the local items on its agenda and issued the following decisions: The Cabinet approved the memorandum of understanding on combating crime which was signed in New Delhi on January 25, 2006 by the government of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the republic of India. The memo calls for combating illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic and chemical substances and illegal usage of them, the counterfeiting of currencies and bank notes, the forging of travel documents and visas and the trafficking of historical and cultural valued items and precious stones and minerals. The Cabinet also approved the memorandum of understanding in the field of sports which was signed in Vienna on November 29, 2005 by the general presidency of youth welfare of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the state ministry for sports affairs in the federal republic of Austria. The memo calls for coordinating the positions of the two sides on international platforms in the field of sports and for promoting cooperation between them through exchanging information and training in this field in addition to encouraging participation in sports forums, symposiums and conferences to be held in either country. It also calls on sports clubs and national teams in the both countries to enhance cooperation in the fields of training through the exchange of sports visits and delegations and encourage bilateral cooperation in the fields of sports sciences and medicines and combating doping. regarding a recommendation submitted by the minister of higher education on health insurance for students on scholarships abroad, the Cabinet decided firstly to apply the health insurance program for treating students on scholarships abroad provided that they receive comprehensive international insurance in a way that guarantees good organization and strict control and reduces expenses and copes with high costs; secondly to terminate the imbursement of medicine and treatment allowance for students on scholarships and their families after putting this program into effect. The minister of finance or his deputy was authorized to sign a protocol draft amending an agreement on avoidance of dual taxation and exchange of mutual tax exemption on air transport between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India and forward the final version for further authentication. The Cabinet approved the appointment of Fareed Bin Yousef Bin Ibrahim Khashogji as consultant for international organizations affairs at the ministry of communications and information technology; Mohammed Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Aqla as undersecretary of the ministry of social affairs for social insurance and popular housing; Eng. Fareed Bin Ibrahim Bin Mohammed Shira as assistant undersecretary for cities planning affairs at the ministry of municipal and rural affairs; and Nasser Ibn Abdul Aziz Bin Mirshed Al-Abdullah as special secretary at the ministry of interior. The Cabinet also approved the transfer of Dr. Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Abdullah Al-Sadhan from the post of assistant undersecretary for social development to the post of assistant undersecretary for social insurance affairs at the ministry of social affairs