The Kingdom has decided to create a new National Committee for Combating Drugs to coordinate the fight against drug trafficking and abuse, a growing scourge in the Kingdom. At its weekly meeting presided over by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Cabinet named Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister to head the new body, which will harmonize agencies in fighting drugs. The committee will also publicize the dangers of drug abuse and support rehabilitation of abusers, it said. Abuse of drugs like hashish and amphetamines – often labelled “Captagon” – has been on the rise in the Kingdom. The Interior Ministry said last month that the authorities had seized more than 1.76 tons of hashish and 3.4 million capsules of Captagon and arrested 35 smugglers in recent months. The Cabinet on Monday also decided to set up a fund titled “The support and rehabilitation fund” to support the families of drug addicts during their period of treatment and rehabilitation as well as training those who have been cured and rehabilitated to enable them to enter the labor market, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information said. The King, Dr. Khoja said, reaffirmed the Kingdom's determination to continue on the course of development in different fields. In this regard, Dr. Khoja cited the signing of three North-South railway contracts worth SR2.390 billion, the contract for the supervision of the Makkah-Jeddah-Madina Express Railway at a cost of SR360 million in addition to the signing of the execution project at a cost of SR6.7 billion. He also cited the commissioning of the two ferries Jazan and Farasan at a cost of SR250 million and SR135 million for operation and maintenance for a period of five years. Dr. Khoja said Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, briefed the Cabinet on the results of the recent Arab consultative ministerial meeting in Amman which agreed on a unified Arab stand toward the Mideast peace process. Prince Saud said it was important to give a push to the peace process in the region based on the principle of establishing an independent, unified and safe and secure livable environment. The Council condemned negative statements by the new Israeli government claiming that they do not bode well for the revival of the peace process. The Council condemned the recent blasts in Iraq and looked forward to a collective effort by the Iraqi government to successfully achieve security and stability. The Council stressed the importance of security, stability and safety of Lebanon and called on all Lebanese factions to hold the upcoming deputies' elections peacefully according to the constitution and Taif Agreement and warding off any undue pressure. Dr. Khoja pointed out that the Council valued US President Barack Obama's emphasis on the importance of partnership with the Muslim World on the basis of mutual interests and respect. Obama's comments came during his recent visit to Turkey.
