The Council of Ministers Monday stressed the importance of the upcoming 11th Islamic Summit, which will start Thursday in the Senegalese capital Dakar. It appreciated the efforts of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade to make the summit a success, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. More than 5,000 delegates, including heads of state and ministers, are expected from over 50 nations. Senegal is hoping the summit will boost its profile in the Islamic world, not least among Gulf Arab nations who have stepped up their investment in West Africa in recent years. The theme of the March 13-14 summit will be the role of Islam in the 21st century. Delegates are expected to discuss issues ranging from relations with other religions to terrorism. The Cabinet also reviewed the results of the Arab foreign ministers' 129th meeting held in Cairo last week which rejected all attempts to disintegrate the Palestinian territorial integrity. Iyad Amin Madani, Minister of Culture and Information, stated that the Cabinet reviewed the social and cultural activities including the Janadriyah Culture and Heritage Festival, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques International Prize for Translation, King Faisal International Prize, Riyadh International Book Fair and the first Saudi Innovation Exhibition. The Cabinet hailed these activities which would make the Kingdom a place for Arab and Islamic enlightenment. The Cabinet approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the General Presidency for Youth Welfare and the Polish Ministry of Sports signed in Warsaw last year. The salient features of the MoU include training of sports cadres by inviting them to attend the national, regional and international conferences and symposia organized in the two countries, cooperation between the sports institutions in both countries for professional training of coaches, cooperation in the filed of sports for all, sports medicine and combating stimulants. The Cabinet also approved an MoU for cooperation in the field of healthcare between the ministries of health in the Kingdom and Poland signed in Warsaw last year. The salient features of the MoU include boosting cooperation and agreement to establish a joint working committee for cooperation in the health. The Cabinet decided to authorize the Minister of Finance or his deputy to sign a draft agreement between the Kingdom and Sweden on encouraging and protecting mutual investments and the protocol attached with it. __
