The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet session held at Al-Yamamah Palace here today. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques thanked Allah Almighty for the blessings He bestowed on this country, including the blessing of security; stability; close relationship between the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its leadership; and established relationships with various countries of the world based on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs. Emanating from these grounds, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques emphasized the Kingdom's rejection of any interference in its internal affairs that would affect the interests of the homeland, its citizens and its systems which stem from the Holy Quran and Sunnah and aim to maintain the security, stability and integrity of the Saudi society and to keep it away from sedition. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques said 'Since the unification of this State by the late King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have shown in various circumstances and events their wisdom and loyalty, and that they are at the top of cohesion with their leadership. Therefore, it is not a surprise that they are not fooled by the attempts of hate-mongers, since the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia realize the objectives behind such false calls that violate the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah.' The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques thanked the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their adherence to the Holy Quran and Sunnah and for their keenness on their Islamic values as well as the unity of their homeland. Then, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the contacts and consultations that took place during the past seven days on the developments at Arab, regional and international arenas, including the two telephone calls he received from King Juan Carlos of Spain and President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja said that the Cabinet reviewed a number of reports on regional and international developments, renewing the Kingdom's firm stances towards them. The Cabinet emphasized the statement issued by the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States during its 118th session which stressed that the GCC member states and their peoples are categorically rejecting any foreign interference in their affairs and that they will be facing with determination whoever attempts to flare sectarian strife between the GCC member states and their peoples, or to threaten their security and interests. Harming the security of any state of the GCC member states is a harm of the security of all GCC member states. In this context, the Cabinet confirmed its response to Bahrain's request for support in this regard. The Minister of Culture and Information said the Cabinet expressed the Kingdom's condolences and sympathies to the Emperor and people of Japan on the victims of the earthquake that struck their country causing deaths, casualties and missing people. Dr. Khoja pointed out that the Cabinet addressed a number of scientific, cultural and economic activities held in the Kingdom during the past few days, including the opening of the Sixth GCC Municipal Work Conference by the Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior who also patronized the awarding ceremony of 33th King Faisal International Prize for the year 2011. The Cabinet also addressed the activities of First Saudi Forum on Downstream Petrochemical and Mineral Industrial as well as the Symposium on The Role of Arab Universities in Promoting Islamic Moderation among Arab Youth. The Cabinet stressed that such functions reflect that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has become a desired destination for scientific, economic and cultural activities. Dr. Khoja said the Cabinet then reviewed a number of issues on its agenda and issued the following decisions: The Cabinet approved the organizational arrangements for water plants. The Cabinet approved amending Article (13) of the Regulation of Members and Staff of the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution to fall in tandem with Article (44) of the Judicial Law. The Cabinet approved the Kingdom's accession to the amendment (Protocol) to the International Convention on the simplification and harmonization of Customs Procedures (Kyoto Convention), the text of the Convention (Attachment 1), the General Annex (Attachment 2) and the Special Annex (A). The Cabinet authorized the Governor of Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC)-or his deputy-to discuss with the Finnish side and sign a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of technical and vocational training between the TVTC of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Finland. The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding in the field of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space between King Abdulaziz City for Sciences and Technology of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Indian Space Research Organization of the Republic of India which was signed in Riyadh on 28/02/2010. The Cabinet approved a number of appointments as follows: 1- Rashid bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri appointed to the post of Director General of Legal Affairs and International Cooperation (Rank 15) at the Ministry of Interior. 2- Mustafa bin Mohammed Habib bin Hassan Kauther appointed to the post of Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 3- Saad bin Ali bin Abdulrahman Al-Udan appointed to the post of Director General of Administrative Affairs (Rank 14) at the Armed Forces' General Staff. 4- Mohammed bin Ibrahim bin Abdulrahman Al-Hassan appointed to the post of Tax Counselor (Rank 14) at the Department of Zakat and Income Tax. 5- Fahd bin Mohammed bin Ali Al-Jarallah appointed to the post of Director General of the Office of the President of Control and Investigation Board (Rank 14) at the Control and Investigation Board.
