Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, chaired the Cabinet's session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday afternoon. At the outset of the session, the Cabinet offered its condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince, the Second Deputy Premier, the Royal Family, and the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on the demise of Prince Badr bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, praying to Allah Almighty to bestow mercy upon his soul. The Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) after the session that the Cabinet discussed a number of topics related to the development of events at Arab, regional and international arenas. The Cabinet appreciated the efforts of the leaders of Arab countries at the 24th Arab Summit, the valuable contents of the addresses of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Arab leaders before the Summit, and Doha Declaration which has dealt with various affairs of Arab countries and their interests and which embodies the will to achieve the aspirations of the Arab peoples. The Cabinet reaffirmed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's rejection and condemnation of Israeli unilateral actions aimed at changing the demographic reality of the occupied Palestinian territory, including Al-Quds, and imposing a new reality reflecting Israel's intentions for announcement of a Jewish state. The Cabinet appealed to the international community to address the practices of the Israeli illegal practices which violate the international law and United Nations resolutions, emphasizing the importance of working to stop all actions of Israeli Judaization in Al-Quds and to end the economic and military blockade against the Palestinian people. The Cabinet welcomed Dushanbe declaration in the 11th session of the Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on Asian Cooperation Dialogue in the capital of Tajikistan, reaffirming the Kingdom's support for Asian Cooperation Dialogue as it represents a suitable framework to promote understanding and cooperation for the development of the Asian continent and the achievement of peace and security in the world. The Cabinet expressed its appreciation of the General Council of the World Trade Organization for its selection unanimously of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as president of the Trade Council for Services of World Trade Organization in Geneva. The Minister said that the Cabinet stressed that the patronage of the Crown Prince, on behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, of the awarding ceremony of King Faisal International Prize in its 35th session embodies the high prestigious status of the Prize and the Kingdom's great appreciation of science and scientists and its encouragement for specialists, researchers and their achievements.
