February 2, 2007

WELCOMES ON THE ARAB, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS FOR THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES' CALL TO PALESTINIAN LEADERS TO HOLD A DIALOGUE IN THE VICINITY OF THE HOLY MOSQUE. THE SAUDI CABINET PRAISES THE CALL AND FIND IT A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY TO STOP FIGHTING BETWEEN BROTHERS. PALESTINIAN LEADERS WELCOME THE SAUDI INITIATIVE AND CONSIDERS IT A CONTINUATION OF THE KINGDOM'S STANDS WHICH STARTED WITH THE ERA OF ITS FOUNDER. THE EU PRESIDENCY WELCOME THE SAUDI CALL. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz chaired the Cabinet's session at Al Yamamah palace in Riyadh. At the outset of the session, the Cabinet expressed its appreciation for the king's appeal to the Palestinian leaders to hold a meeting at the grand mosque in Makkah in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and considered the appeal as a valuable opportunity to halt fighting among Palestinian brethren, to stem bloodshed and desecration of Palestinian lives, and to avoid disintegration of the Palestinian issue. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information Iyad Bin Amin Madani said the Cabinet commended the international efforts of a number of countries at Paris III conference for supporting Lebanon and assisting it to overcome its crisis. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques called on all Lebanese parties to earnestly work for containment of internal disagreements, self-restraint, dominance of national interest, protection of national harmony, and resorting to dialogue to solve differences and to maintain Lebanon's national unity, stability and its sovereign independent decision. Then the Cabinet was briefed on contacts, consultations and meetings held over the previous days with some leaders and officials of countries which dealt with the escalating tensions and their consequences in the region and the world. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques praised his meeting with Kuwait's Crown Prince and Premier which embodied the special and firm relations binding the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Minister of Culture and Information said the Cabinet then reviewed the local items on its agenda and issued the following decisions: The Cabinet endorsed the final accounts of the supreme commission for tourism for the fiscal year 1425 - 1426 H. The Cabinet approved the establishment of a central unit at the ministry of municipal and rural affairs for Saudi building code which will be responsible for following-up the implementation of the approved building code, and later insert whatever amendments deemed necessary. The move came after the recently-noted phenomenon of the collapse of some new buildings. The minister of higher education or his deputy was authorized to discuss with the Dutch side a draft educational and scientific memorandum of understanding between the ministry of higher education of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the ministry of education, culture and science of the Netherlands, sign it and forward the final version for further authentication. Upon recommendations of the minister of communications and information technology, the Cabinet decided that the share of stocks to be floated for public subscription from the capital of companies which will be licensed to establish fixed and mobile communications networks and provide their services will be divided as follows: 1- 40% for public subscription of the capital of any company licensed to set up and provide mobile communication networks services. 2- 10% of the company's capital to be allocated for both the general corporation for retirement and general corporation for social insurance, while five percent goes to each of them, whereas the licensed company will have the right to mark additional stocks for public subscription after two years of the date of its establishment. 3- 25% of the capital of any company licensed to set up fixed communication network to be allocated for public subscription. 4- 10% of the capital of the company for the retirement and social insurance corporations on equal footing whereas the licensed company will have the option to offer additional shares after four years of the date of its establishment. The Cabinet decided to reduce the financial revenue of the 15% levied by the government for providing communication commercial services for fixed telephone so that it would be carried out as follows: a- the share of the state will be reduced to ten percent of the revenues of any new fixed telephone service provider. as an exception, the rate will become five percent in the first year , effective the date of the license issuance, and eight percent in the second year. b- the share of the state will be reduced to ten percent of the revenues of the Saudi telecom, effective January 1, 2008. The financial income to be levied by the state will be eight percent of the revenues of companies providing the commercial data services. Upon the request of the minister of petroleum and mineral resources, the Cabinet decided that when the concerned authorities allocate a piece of land within the boundaries of the eastern region for any purpose, they have to check with the ministry of petroleum and mineral resources to make sure the land in question is not part of a concession or reserved by the oil or gas companies or within the concession zones or reserved areas or licensed for mining. Accordingly, the ministry is ordered to verify the land's status within 90 days of the date of application. Meanwhile, the ministry of petroleum and mineral resources is required to provide the ministry of municipal and rural affairs, the ministry of justice and the ministry of agriculture with updated maps of oil and gas concession zones or areas reserved for mining in all parts of the kingdom. courts and notaries public are also required not to issue ownership deeds for any land that lies within the boundaries of oil or gas concessions or mining licenses. The Cabinet approved a technical cooperation agreement between the Saudi geological survey commission and the Arab Organization for Industrial Development and Mining. The Cabinet approved the appointment of Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Kareem Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Fadda as Director General of the office of the Deputy Commander of the national guard; Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Al-Shidookhi as Administrative Consultant at the national guard; Salih Bin Rashed Bin Saud Al-Khudair as administrative consultant at the eastern region governorate; and Mohammed Bin Suleiman Bin Mohammed Al-Mansour as Assistant Under Secretary of the ministry of education for school affairs. On the other hand Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has appointed Adel bin Ahmed Al Jubeir as ambassador of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America at the rank of minister at the foreign ministry, a royal order issued said. The order said the king's decision was based on a desire by Prince Turki Al-Faisal to be relieved of his duties as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the USA and on a recommendation by the foreign minister. Major General Faisal Ibn Abdul Aziz Ibn Qonaifith has been promoted to lieutenant general according to a royal order issued. The promotion was based on a recommendation by the Commander of National Guard, the order said. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received at his office at the Royal Court at Al Salam Palace in Riyadh the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalil Zada who was accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador to the kingdom James Oberwetter. The two ambassadors conveyed to the king the greetings of President George W. Bush of the United States of America. In turn, the monarch sent his greetings to president bush. The audience was attended by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, minister of foreign affairs; Prince Miqren Ibn Abdul Aziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, advisor to the King; Abdul Mohsen Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Tuwaijri, Advisor to the King; and Adel Ibn Ahmed Al Jubeir, the Saudi Ambassador-Designate to the United States of America. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs received the US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad. During the reception, they discussed the latest developments in the situation in Iraq. The reception was attended by Prince Turki Bin Mohammad Bin Saud Al-Kabir, the Foreign Ministry's Under Secretary for Political Affairs and the United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, James Oberwetter. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif Bin Abdul-Aziz, who is also the Honorary President of the Council of the Arab Interior ministers, affirmed that the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz for the Palestinian brothers to meet in the Kingdom at the Holy Mosque in Makkah, has received broad welcome in the Palestinian arena. "This invitation translates the policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with regard to the Palestinian issue ever since the era of the late King Abdul Aziz," Prince Naif said. "The address of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has worked to translate the policy of the Kingdom with regard to the Palestinian issue. This is the right approach as the Kingdom seeks reconciliation among Palestinians. The Kingdom has no other interest in this regard except for Palestine and the Palestinian people." In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency after his arrival in Tunis to head the Saudi delegation at the Fourth session of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, Prince Naif expressed hope that the brothers in Palestine, appreciate this noble invitation and reach an agreement for the best of the people of Palestine and the Arab nation. The Grand Mufti of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Al Al Sheikh hailed and expressed support for the call by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to the Palestinians to meet in Makkah to calmly discuss their issues and seriously work to come out of the crisis and unify their ranks. In a statement on the current events in the occupied Palestinian territories, he described King Abdullah's initiative as good and blessed urging the Palestinians to represent Muslims well in defending the lands and holy sites of Islam. The Mufti also called on the Palestinians to stay steadfast on the right path and amend their disagreements. Presided over by its Chairman Sheikh Dr. Salih Bin Abdullah Bin Homaid, the Shoura Council held an ordinary session. In a statement, the council hailed and expressed support for the invitation by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to the Palestinians to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss their differences in total impartiality. The council underlined Saudi support for the Palestinian cause and called for the release from Israeli prisons of Palestinian leaders topped by speaker of the Palestinian parliament Aziz Al Duwaik and other Palestinian parliamentarians. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency, Assistant Secretary General of the council Ahmad Al Yahya said that during the session, the council approved a report on the performance of the Saudi Arabian general investment authority and recommendations to improve its performance. The council also discussed a report on performance of the commission of virtue promotion and vice prevention and decided to continue its discussion in a future session. Furthermore, the council approved a Saudi Portuguese draft cooperation general agreement. The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has expressed profound pleasure and appreciation at the initiative by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to invite the Palestinian parties to dialogue in Makkah al Mukarammah. The Secretary General urges the Palestinian parties to urgently enter into a national dialogue in the precincts of the Sacred House of God with a view to proscribing infighting, fostering unity and reaching an agreement on programmes of a national harmony government that will concentrate on ending the plight of the Palestinian people from siege and occupation, make progress in restoring their inalienable national rights, and establish an independent Palestinian state, with Al Quds Al Shareef as capital. Professor Ihsanoglu emphasized the readiness of the OIC to participate in any endeavour to continue its earlier efforts aimed at ensuring the success of the national dialogue. The Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI Chairman of the Jerusalem Committee praised the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and urged Fatah and Hamas to hold talks and promote reconciliation to the credibility of the Palestinian political action and put an end to acts of violence and to give priority to dialogue. President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the invitation of King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, for Palestinian-Palestinian urgent talks in holy city of Makkah. Presidency Secretary General Tayb Abdul Raheem told WAFA that President Abbas welcomes the Saudi good offices which are always exerted for the good of the Palestinian people. He affirmed that President Abbas has exerted efforts fore one year to prevent Palestinian internal fight through his meetings with Arab leaders. Palestinian Fatah movement has welcomed the initiative launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, calling on Palestinian leaders to meet in Makkah to discuss ways of ending Palestinian fighting each other. In a press statement, Ahmed Abdul Rahman, a senior official of Fatah, expressed hope that the appeal by King Abdullah would lead to overcoming internal Palestinian differences and emerging with a united national position on all issues on the table. He said that Fatah warmly welcomes the genuine initiative issued by a sincere Arab leader: King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz. Abdul Rahman lauded the Saudi initiative as reflecting the keenness of the kingdom on the Palestinian cause and unity of Palestinian factions aiming at forging what could achieve the aspirations and hopes of the Palestinian people and Arab nation. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniyah welcomed the call extended by the custodian of the two holy mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz for Palestinian leaders to hold a meeting at the grand mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss their differences. In an exclusive statement to the Saudi press agency, Haniyah lauded the monarch's keenness to heal fractures in the Palestinian arena, overcome differences and end internal fighting. In a prompt positive response to the king's appeal, Haniyah confirmed that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has shown continuous great concern over the Palestinian issue since the establishment of the kingdom by its founder late King Abdulaziz Bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud who has shown serious positions in support of the Palestinian rights until the current era of King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz. on his part, Haniyah confirmed his firm keenness to contain the crisis and restore tranquillity and stability in the Palestinian street to pave the way for enhancing the internal front and confront Israeli threats engulfing the Palestinian cause. He said the king's call for Palestinians to stop fighting each other emanates from the kingdom's concern over the Palestinian situation which ranks top of the kingdom's priorities. Haniyah also praised the historical Saudi positions in support of the Palestinian issue and people and enhancing the Palestinians steadfastness on their land, considering the kingdom Palestine's great fortress. Palestinian premier Ismaeel Haneyah has welcomed the call by custodian of the two holy mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to the Palestinian leaders to meet in Makkah to come out of the violence crisis in Palestine. In an interview with radio Riyadh transmitted, he hailed Saudi support for the Palestinian cause and people. He stated that he had sent a message to the king officially informing him of the Palestinian government's acceptance of this noble call. Speaker of the Palestinian National Council Saleem Alza'noon has welcomed the initiative by custodian of the two holy mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to call on Palestinian parties to stop fighting and meet in Makkah. Alza'noon stressed the need for adherence to the outcome of this meeting under the patronage of the king, predicting success for this initiative due to Palestinians' respect for the kingdom. Palestinian leaders of different political trends have welcomed the call of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to hold a meeting that attended by leaders of the Palestinian movements of Hamas and Fatah in Makkah. The alliance of the Palestinian forces, welcoming the call, said it has provided a clear evidence for the great attention given by the Saudi officials to the Palestinian problem. On his part, Ali Faisal, the member of the political bureau of the democratic front for the liberation of Palestine, said the call of King Abdullah reflects the keenness of the kingdom on closing the ranks of the Palestinians and ending bloodshed. Representative of the Islamic Jihad Movement In Lebanon Abu Emad, underling the importance of the initiative, hoped that the initiative would yield positive results and lead to start of serious and fruitful dialogue between the two parties. The head of Political Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization Farooq Al Qaddoomi (Abullotf), who is also Secretary of the central committee of Fatah movement, has welcomed the initiative by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to conduct a serious dialogue to stop the turmoil in the Palestinian territories. In a statement in Damascus, he said this noble invitation by the king underlined Saudi Arabia's keenness on unification of the Palestinian people away from external pressures. Al Qaddoomi hoped the king would succeed in stopping bloodshed among Palestinians. Palestinian Ambassador to the kingdom Jamal Abdul-Latif Al Shobki expressed overwhelming pleasure of the invitation extended by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz for Palestinian leaders to convoke in Makkah to discuss ways of ending fighting in the territories and reconcile. In remarks to the Saudi Press Agency, the Ambassador said this sincere and blessed invitation reflects the pulse of the Saudi people and feelings of the Arab and Islamic nation. He expressed confidence that the king would spare no effort to provide support and patronage for the Palestinian issue, both politically and financially. This is the position of the kingdom since the days of its founder late King Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the ambassador said, adding that the Palestinian people and their leadership would thank the Saudi leadership and people for this historic initiative. The Secretary-General of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdul-Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah urged all Palestinian national forces to resort to the language of dialogue and reason and preserve the gains achieved by the Palestinian people throughout their years of just and sincere struggle. He called upon the Palestinians to sit at the negotiating table in order to promote national reconciliation, urging the Palestinian to speed up the formation of a government of the national unity whose priority should be to establish peace and unity in a bid to enable the Palestinians to achieve security and stability. The Kingdom of Bahrain supports the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, who invited Palestinian parties to stop bloodshed and come to Makkah Al-Mukarramah to hold an urgent meeting without interference of any other party. In a statement, Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said that the Saudi initiative came in the context of wise policy pursued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which has always been keen to avoid bloodshed of Arabs, especially the blood of the Palestinian brothers. He expressed hope that this initiative will lead to the strengthening of Palestinian ranks and forging cohesion as a first step towards comprehensive negotiations in order to reach a just and lasting peace in the region The Bahraini minister commended the Palestinian parties' positive response to the Saudi initiative, which he said came at the right time. The Republic of Yemen welcomed the invitation extended by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to host and patronize a reconciliation dialogue between Fatah and Hamas Movements in Makkah AL-Mukarramah, said an official source in the Yemeni government in a statement to the Yemen News Agency "SABA." The official source considered the invitation as an expression of the Kingdom's keenness to bring about unity among the Palestinian parties and their struggle. He called on Fatah and Hamas to respond positively to the invitation for the sake of national interests of the Palestinian people. The official source also urged Palestinian parties to work hard in order to promote national cohesion and the formation of a government of national unity to gather energies of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state. Jordan has welcomed the call of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to leaders of Hamas and Fatah to meet in Makkah in order to discuss means for ending bloodshed. Spokesman for the Jordanian government Nasser Judah said Jordan welcomes any initiative or effort that aims at ending bloodshed in Palestine. The Sultanate of Oman has welcomed the call issued by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud to Palestinian leaders for convoking a meeting in Makkah to discuss their differences and reach a solution to the current no-confidence crisis. This came in a statement issued by the ministry of foreign affairs of Oman carried by the Omani news agency. The statement said Oman is looking forward to the agreement of Palestinian leaders to solve their problems, form a national unity government and lead efforts to establish the Palestinian independent state. The Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa welcomed the call of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul to the Palestinians and the Arab League condemned "irrational" Palestinian infighting. "The Arab League expresses its regret and discontent at the assassinations and kidnappings on the Palestinian front which could lead to dire consequences," spokesman Hesham Youssef told reporters. The Speaker of the Arab Interim Parliament Jassem Mohammad Al Saqr hailed the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to invite both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniya to meet in Makkah to stop the inter-Palestinian fighting and to maintain the language of reason and dialogue and wisdom to the language of arms. The Minister of State at the German Foreign Ministry Juntas Gloucer, who in charge of the European policy, middle east and north africa, has underlined the importance of the call of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to the Palestinian warring groups to meet in Makkah in order to discuss means for reconciliation . 'It is high time for the governments of the Arab countries which view with a great concern the deteriorating Palestinian situation to work for ending the fighting', he said. 'the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is viewed as the pioneering country of the Muslim world, and the most important country as regards extending assistance to the Palestinian people, is capable of helping the Palestinians to end bloodshed', he said and added 'if the Palestinians positively respond to the call and meet in Makkah, then efforts of reconciliation will culminate in success. In a telephone call conducted by spa, the German official said power struggle will lead to collapse of the Palestinian authority and subsequently will force the Europeans to stop extending financial assistance to the Palestinian people. He reiterated that Germany and the countries of the European Union have been following up the developments of the situation in that region. On her part, the German minister of development and international cooperation urged the Palestinian factions to end their dispute and go to Makkah in response to the Saudi invitation. She confirmed the support of the German government to any initiative that aims at the settlement of the dispute. She also urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to exert efforts for ending the fighting, and to work as the president of all Palestinians in the west bank. In Cairo President Mubarak held a session of important talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen dealing with developments on the Palestinian arena and international contacts for pushing forward the peace process. Emerging from the meeting, the Palestinian President said positions in Palestinian territories were now calm and stable adding infighting among Palestinians came to stop since last Monday midnight, thanks to efforts exerted by the Egyptian security delegation. He said the Egyptian side is a key partner to the Palestinians and played an essential role in appeasement process. He said the Egyptian security delegation exerted much effort for bringing infighting to a virtual halt. Abu Mazen told a press conference that his talks with President Mubarak also tackled the formation of Palestinian national unity government and cessation of fire among the Palestinians. He said the issue of forming a national unity government is the main goal at the present time adding if efforts geared to form such a government were not successful, he would call for holing early legislative and presidential elections. President Bashar al-Assad made a telephone call with President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. The conversation during the call dealt with the ongoing fighting in the Palestinian territories and the suitable mechanisms to stop this fighting. In Moscow Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused unnamed outsiders of provoking factional tension in the Palestinian territories, threatening to cause civil war, and hampering the peace process with Israel. Lavrov's comments, during a Russian government meeting, came after fighting between the Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas and militants of the governing Hamas movement claimed 30 lives in recent days. Russia is a member of the Quartet of international mediators for the Middle East, along with the European Union, the United States, and the United Nations. Lavrov said the Quartet's task was to "help overcome the confrontation among the Palestinians, and first of all, between Fatah and Hamas, and stop attempts that unfortunately are being carried out from outside to provoke disagreements between these groups."