JEDDAH: The Cabinet approved Monday the establishment of a joint stock company in the name of “Anaya Cooperative Insurance Company” and gave the Saudi Society for Quality the go-ahead for its new organizational structure. The Saudi Society for Quality, a private independent legal and financial body operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, seeks to improve the quality of services, products and information and “promote the culture and concept of quality” in public society and in government and non-government sectors. Chairing the weekly meeting in Jeddah, King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, reviewed recent regional and international developments, notably the political upheaval and violence occurring in some Arab countries, and reiterated the Kingdom's “consistent position of support for international peace and security”. The Kingdom, he said, wishes to see an end to the bloodshed and for events to be handled “in a manner that maintains the security and stability of Arab countries”. Cabinet ministers condemned the aggression and hostility of the occupying Israeli authorities against the palaces of the Umayyad Caliphs and diggings in Jerusalem which, they said, constitute a “flagrant violation of international law” that seeks to “destroy and eliminate Islamic features”. The Cabinet urged UNESCO and other relevant United Nations bodies to work to stop the acts. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency following the meeting, Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, said ministers also looked at the various political and cultural activities of the week in the Kingdom and lauded the orders from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to link the Kingdom's seaports via rail as a “boost for the national economy”. The Cabinet further expressed its appreciation to King Abdullah for his personal patronization of youth events and encouragement for youth sports facilities, as evidenced in the new sports city in Jeddah, which, it said, would promote the “constructive use of youth's leisure time”. Ministers also lauded the holding of the Crown Prince's annual Holy Qur'an Memorization and Prophet's Sunnah Competition in Jakarta and reserved special mention for the “significant advancement” made by the Ministry of Education in information technology which, they said, had “contributed to the improvement in the examination process in public intermediate and secondary schools”. The Cabinet also urged the relevant government bodies and the private sector to increase efforts to improve tourism and “cater for the growing number of Saudis spending their holidays in the country”. “That will enable the younger generation to learn about their country's heritage and tourist attractions,” the Cabinet said. In other domestic issues, ministers issued approvals for the new organizational structure of the Ministry of Social Affairs, an agreement recommended by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, for cooperation between the Kingdom and Eritrea, and the restructuring of the Insurance Violations Settlement Committee in Riyadh.
