Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH – The Council of Ministers Monday condemned the blatant intervention of Lebanon's Hezbollah militia in the Syrian conflict. The Cabinet, chaired by Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, appealed the international community to shoulder its responsibility to rush food and medical aid to all the affected Syrian people. Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja said the Cabinet discussed the serious situation in Syria with an escalation of violence and the use of military machine in bombing cities, as well as in killing innocent civilians and displacing them. The Council also voiced concern over the conflict leading to destruction of infrastructure and depletion of the capabilities of the Syrian people. Dr. Khoja said the Cabinet appreciated the Arab and international efforts to end the crisis, especially the recent statement issued by the extraordinary meeting of the Arab foreign ministers condemning the continued acts of violence, killings and crimes against the Syrian people, besides the foreign intervention that has turned Syria into a battlefield. The statement also stressed the need to preserve the territorial integrity and social fabric of Syria, as well as the structure of the State and the national institutions, and formation of a transitional government to make way for a peaceful transition of power. The Council called for responding to the international appeal to provide humanitarian aid to those stranded inside Syrian territories as well as refugees. The Cabinet also voiced concern over the bloody events in the Lebanese city of Tripoli and appealed to all parties concerned to act wisely. In line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to investigate reasons for stalling some government projects and their possible solutions, the Council approved special procedures to tackle delayed or stalled government projects. It also directed the government bodies to quickly work out the necessary mechanism to complete the projects within the stipulated time. “They must submit periodic reports (every six months) to the Standing Committee of the Royal Court to review the implementation of development and service projects. All the concerned authorities should draw up a specific timetable for the implementation of their projects,” Dr. Khoja said.
