JEDDAH — The Council of Ministers on Monday commended resolutions adopted by an extraordinary meeting of the Arab League Ministerial Council on the situation in Syria. The meeting, held in the Qatari capital Doha Sunday night, underscored the importance of providing the necessary support to the Syrian people and intensifying efforts to end the continuing bloodshed in the Arab Muslim country. King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, chaired the Cabinet session at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah Monday evening. At the outset of the meeting, the King congratulated the people of Saudi Arabia and Muslims around the world on the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan and appealed to Allah to help Muslims successfully complete the month in accordance with Islamic teachings. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the weekly Cabinet session, Abdulaziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, said King Abdullah briefed the Cabinet on his meetings and contacts during the week with a number of world leaders or their representatives on the latest regional developments. The monarch reiterated Saudi Arabia's firm position toward these developments and his goal to maintain security and stability in the region. The Cabinet also underscored King Abdullah's initiative for a five-day fundraising campaign for the Syrian people. “This reflects the King's humanitarian feelings toward his brethren in Syria," Khoja said, quoting a Cabinet statement. The Cabinet also commended King Abdullah's call for an emergency Islamic summit in Makkah on Aug. 14-15 and said it would strengthen Islamic unity. “The call for an emergency summit reflects the King's desire to unify Muslim ranks at this delicate period," the statement said. Khoja said the meeting reviewed a number of issues on the Cabinet's agenda and took decisions on them. It authorized the minister of finance, or his deputy, to sign a draft agreement between the Kingdom and Tajikistan to avoid double taxation and to prevent tax evasion. The meeting approved amendments in the agreement for the Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company. On recommendations by the minister of communications and information technology, the Cabinet decided to intensify efforts by all government departments to apply e-government systems, Khoja said. The Cabinet approved the bylaw of non-governmental rehabilitation centers for the disabled, Khoja said, adding that the new law would regulate their operations and encourage the private sector to open such centers for the benefit of people with special needs. The meeting approved a number of new appointments. They included Fahd Bin Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Jarallah as undersecretary for investigations at the Control and Investigation Bureau; Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Bin Abdulrahman Al-Moqhim as director general of advisors department at the Control and Investigation Bureau; Saad Bin Abdulrahman Bin Abdullah Al-Zaid as director general of the Makkah Region branch of the General Presidency of Religious Research and Ifta; Abdulhakim Bin Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Shoaibi as director general of administration and finance at the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution; and Abdullah Bin Yusuf Bin Mohammed Al-Hamed as assistant undersecretary for expatriates affairs at the Ministry of Labor. — SPA
