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 Crown Prince, princes and ministers congratulated Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the occasion of the issuance of the decree of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud selecting him as Deputy Crown Prince with the continuation of his post as Second Deputy Premier, praying to Allah Almighty to crown his efforts in success. Then, the Cabinet was briefed on the results of the visit of President Barack Obama of the United States of America to the Kingdom and his talks with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, commending deep bilateral relations between the two countries and their keenness on enhancing them in the interest of both countries and their friendly peoples in all fields. The Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohiuddin Khoja said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session that the Cabinet reviewed the latest developments in the region and the world. The Cabinet commended Kuwait Declaration and the decisions of the Arab Summit in its 25th ordinary session, stressing the contents of the declaration and its comprehensive vision for strengthening Arab solidarity and the importance of its activation. The Cabinet also praised the wisdom of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, the Emir of the State of Kuwait for administering the Summit's deliberations, praying Allah Almighty to crown the efforts of all in success to achieve the aspirations of the Arab peoples of progress and prosperity. The Cabinet welcomed the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of the Philippines and Islamic Moro Front, expressing the Kingdom's hope that this agreement will be in continuation of the efforts to achieve peace and stability in the southern Philippines. The council of ministers expressed the kingdom's hope that the 3rd Nuclear Security Summit in the Hague and its recommendations will be a constructive step towards further progress to protect the security and global stability, noting that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the first countries that have adopted the international resolutions related to nuclear security. In addition to its support for the initiative on combating nuclear terrorism, it is effectively and positively present in more than twenty international activities linked to nuclear security since Seoul Summit. The cabinet once again called for the Middle East to be a zone free of nuclear weapons. On domestic affairs, the Council of Ministers confirmed that the award ceremony for King Faisal International Prize patronized on behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques by the Crown Prince embodies the kingdom's appreciation and honoring of science and scientists, commending the achievements of the award since its inception in the service of Islam and Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, medicine and science. The cabinet also commended the Award and Grant of Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz for the Studies and Research of the History of the Arabian Peninsula and considered it as support and encouragement for the movement of research and studies on the history of the Arabian Peninsula in general and the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular. Dr. Khoja said that, based on royal directives, the cabinet was briefed during its session held on 30.5.1435 H. on a number of topics and took the following decisions: First: After reviewing the report submitted by the Secretariat of the Council of military service, and after consideration of the two resolutions of Majlis Al-Shura No. (98/67) dated 19/01/1429 AH and No. (121/57) and on 15/01/1435 AH, the Cabinet approved the amendment of Article (15) of military colleges regulation, issued by Royal Decree No. (M / 50) dated 13/07/1397 AH to be read as follows: 1 - Conditions for admission to military colleges for the graduated and holders of General Secondary Certificate shall be according to the following: A - The applicant shall be of a Saudi origin, except for the applicant who grew up with his father during his serving the country abroad. B - The applicant shall be of a good behavior and reputation, not be sentenced by a religious court, nor charged with a crime involving moral turpitude or dishonesty. C - The applicant shall have General Secondary Certificate, and be graduated in the same academic year in which he submitted his application (based on daily regular study). Graduates of previous years shall be not accepted and the internal regulation specify the required disciplines. D - The applicant shall obtain his University degree based on full regular study, and shall not have been graduating more than one academic year for the military colleges, which require a university degree. E - The applicant shall conduct tests to be held by the National Center for Assessment in Higher Education according to the requirements of military colleges. F - Age of the graduated applicant - at the start of the school year - shall not exceed (27 years) accredited by his national Identity Card for all disciplines, except for doctors whose ages shall not exceed (30 years). G - Age of the applicant holding General Secondary Certificate - at the start of the school year - shall not be less than (17 years) no more than (22 years) accredited by his national ID. H - Height of the applicant shall be suitable along with his weight, with a minimum (165 cm - 52 kg) and a maximum (188 cm - 95 kg) for university students and high school students. I - The applicant shall be unmarried to non-Saudi wife. J - The applicant shall successfully pass the medical examination, personal interview and a comprehensive acceptance test (written exam) in addition to the physical fitness test. 2 - The internal regulation specifies the details of that. A royal decree has been prepared for this purpose. Second: the cabinet approved the Headquarters Agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Monetary Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Arab States signed in Riyadh on 18/06/1434 H. Third: The cabinet approved the authorization of the Minister of Interior - or his deputy - to discuss with the Tunisian side a draft agreement on cooperation in the field of mutual recognition of driving licenses between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Tunisia and sign it. Fourth: The cabinet approved the following: 1- Agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Ethiopia on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion with respect to taxes on income , and the protocol accompanying it, signed in the city of Addis Ababa on 18/04/1434 H. 2- Agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital and the protocol accompanying it signed in the city of Riyadh on 27/6/1434 H. Fifth: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Transport - or his deputy - to discuss with the Algerian side a draft agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Algerian People's Democratic Republic in the field of maritime transport and sign it. Sixth: The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Portugal on cooperation in the fields of health signed in Riyadh on 25/05/1434 AH . Seventh: The Cabinet approved appointments and transfer as follows: 1 - Appointment of Dr. Naif bin Obaid bin Naif Al-Otaibi as Undersecretary for Petroleum Affairs (rank 15th) at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. 2 - Transfer of Engineer Faisal bin Ali bin Saleh Al-Zaban from the post of Adviser for Transport Affairs (rank 15th) to the post of Undersecretary for Planning and Follow-up(same rank) at the Ministry of Transport . 3 - Appointment of Abdullah bin Abdulrahman bin Nasser Al-Saleh as Director-General of Investment Development (rank 14th) at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. 4 - Appointment of Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Qadhi as Director General of Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Interior. 1 - Appointment of Abdul-Ilah bin Saad bin Abdullah bin Dalak as Director General of Administrative and Financial Affairs (rank 14th) at General Presidency for Youth Welfare. 2 - Appointment of Yahya bin Siddiq bin Mohammed Khaulani as Director General of Legal Affairs (rank 14th) at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. 3 - Appointment of Engineer Zuhair bin Abdullah bin Hassan Kateb as Director General of Department of Roads and Transport in the Eastern Region at the Ministry of Transport. The Cabinet was briefed on the annual reports of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport for the previous fiscal years. The Cabinet's General Secretariat will submit the decisions of the Cabinet to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for his directives in this regard.
