RIYADH: King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, welcomed GCC leaders to the Kingdom ahead of their 13th annual consultation meeting in Riyadh Tuesday and wished them “every success in their joint Gulf work to achieve the nations' ambitions and aspirations”. Chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting Monday, King Abdullah stressed the importance of halting bloodshed and maintaining unity in the Arab countries, which are witnessing political upheavals. The Cabinet also condemned the arson attacks on churches and sectarian violence in Imbaba in Egypt, and offered the Kingdom's condolences to the Egyptian people, government and families of victims. Ministers also stressed the importance of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo last Wednesday, describing it as “a crucial step for the unification of the efforts of our Palestinian brothers to achieve and preserve the rights of the Palestinian people”. They reiterated the Kingdom's resolute position in support of the legitimate Palestinian right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. In a statement following the meeting Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, said the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the message he received from Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. Khoja said the Cabinet lauded the two statements issued by the GCC Interior Ministers in their 12th consultative meeting and the second joint meeting for strategic dialogue between the GCC and China in Abu Dhabi last week. In domestic business, the Cabinet authorized the President of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology to discuss with the Korean government a draft agreement on the use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
