The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet session held at Al-Salam Palace here today. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques prayed Allah Almighty that the health tests of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General in the United States, be successful, praying to Allah to preserve him and to return him safely to the homeland. Then, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the talks and contacts that took place during the past days with a number of leaders of brotherly and friendly countries on bilateral relations and latest developments at regional and international arenas, including the audience he held for President Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and President of the Palestinian National Authority, and the telephone calls he received from President Barack Obama of the United States and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja said the Cabinet discussed the latest developments at the Arab, regional and international arenas. The Cabinet confirmed the firm stances included in the final statement issued at the end of the 119th session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States, in regard to those events. The Cabinet hailed the recommendations issued by the Conference of the Muslim Ummah Scholars held in Dakar on the initiative of President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal. The Cabinet expressed thanks and appreciation of the Saudi Government and People for the participants in the conference for the good feelings they expressed towards the efforts of serving Islam and Muslims exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. On the local affairs, the Minister of Culture and Information pointed out that the Cabinet reviewed a number of activities, and highly esteemed the order made by the Monarch to allocate annually a sum of SR 476,000,000 to support Takaful Charitable Foundation which aims at assisting needy male and female students throughout schools of public education. The Cabinet reaffirmed the importance of the 11th Scientific Forum for Hajj related researches and Hajj & Umrah exhibition, recently inaugurated by Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior under the motto: 'Towards Achieving the Vision' which was attended by 1000 experts, interested in and researchers in the domain of Hajj & Umrah, from within and without the Kingdom. The Cabinet also discussed a number of projects relating to the undergoing revamping, namely the project of Rite Sites Train which will, God willing, start during this Hajj season with full capacity to shuttle pilgrims through the holy sites, a move the Cabinet considers a response to the Kingdomâ€TMs interest in and permanent keenness to providing all material and human accommodations, in accordance with scientifically-based plans, in order to promote services and facilities and avail them to the guests of Allah who come to the Two Holy Mosques and holy sites. The Cabinet appreciated the performance, concerning the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Project to Improve the Judiciary, embodied in signing several contracts and Public Notary offices across the Kingdom's regions and computerizing the transactions and procedures in the judicial sectors. The Cabinet lauded the holding of a forum for social service houses at Sharia courts and the Forum for reaching (reasoning) judicial verdicts, both of which were recently held by the Ministry of Justice in collaboration with international parties, in the context of scholarly domains and international reach out of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Project to Improve the Judiciary. Dr. Khoja said the Cabinet then reviewed a number of items on its agenda and issued the following decisions: The Cabinet authorized the Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior -or his deputy- to discuss and sign with the Azerbaijani side a draft agreement in the field of the transfer of convicted persons with deprivation of freedom sentences between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of Azerbaijan. The Cabinet authorized Minister of Foreign Affair -or his deputy- to discuss and sign with the Cameroon side a draft agreement on general cooperation between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Cameroon. The Cabinet approved the establishment of Saudi Company for Development and Technical Investment (Teqniah). The Cabinet approved the final accounts of the General Organization of Grain Silos and Flour Mills for the fiscal year 1430/1431H. The Cabinet approved two appointments of Ambassador and Plenipotentiary Minister as follows: 1- Dr. Adel bin Siraj bin Salah Mirdad appointed to the position of Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; 2- Dr. Salem bin Khalid bin Ali Al-Nuwaissir appointed to the position of Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
