RIYADH – The Council of Ministers on Monday reiterated the Kingdom's strong condemnation of a series of recent terrorist attacks that struck Burkina Faso, Cameron, Indonesia, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia and Turkey, and that resulted in killing and injuring scores of innocent people. The weekly session of the Cabinet, chaired by King Salman, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, at Al-Yamama Palace here, affirmed the Kingdom's firm position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, whatever may be their sources. "These criminal acts are contradictory to all values, ethics and humanitarian principles and divine religions," the Cabinet said while noting that most victims of extremism all over the world are Muslims. Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Adel Al-Turaifi, minister of culture and information, said the Council reemphasized the Kingdom's position, while addressing the annual meeting of the United Nations in New York, that it was and is still a pioneer in the fight against terrorism and extremism through relentless efforts in security, social and intellectual fields. The Kingdom also urged other member States to benefit from the Anti-Terrorism Center at the UN to execute the UN Secretary General's plan to combat extremism. Al-Turaifi said the Cabinet lauded the efforts of the Coalition Forces for the Support of Legitimacy in Yemen, as well as King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Works, in dispatching medical and relief materials to the besieged Yemeni city of Taiz, particularly the besieged neighborhoods and rugged terrain through air-dropping of medical supplies, foodstuffs as well as other relief materials. The Cabinet was briefed on the outcome of the recent visits of Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. The Cabinet approved the basic agreement on exchange and cooperation in the fields of geospatial intelligence between the Ministry of Defense and its US counterpart, which was signed in the city of Springfield in Virginia, last year. The Council authorized the president of Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage or his deputy to discuss and sign with the Chinese side a draft memorandum of understanding between SCTNH and China's Cultural Heritage Department on cooperation and knowledge exchange in the field of cultural heritage.
