THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES CHAIRED THE CABINET'S WEEKLY SESSION THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AT ALSALAM PALACE IN JEDDAH. AT THE OUTSET, KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ BRIEFED THE COUNCIL ON THE CONTENTS OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MEETINGS HE HAD WITH COUNTRIES' LEADERS AND THEIR ENVOYS ABOUT BILATERAL RELATIONS, ISSUES OF THE ARAB AND ISLAMIC WORLD AND CURRENT INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS. THE KING HIGHLIGHTED HIS TALKS WITH UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN AND LEBANON'S PREMIER FOAD ALSANYOORAH DURING WHICH HE STRESSED SAUDI ARABIA'S SUPPORT FOR LEBANON AND ITS LEGITIMATE INSTITUTIONS, RECONSTRUCTION AND THE COMMITMENT TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION NUMBER 1701 BY ALL PARTIES. IN HIS STATEMENT TO THE SAUDI PRESS AGENCY (SPA) FOLLOWING THE SESSION, THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION, IYAD BIN AMEEN MADANI SAID THAT THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS EMPHASIZED IN THIS REGARD SAUDI SUPPORT FOR IRAQ'S UNITY, SECURITY AND STABILITY AND THE NEED FOR CONFRONTING ATTEMPTS TO DIVIDE IT ALONG SECTARIAN OR ETHNIC LINES. THE COUNCIL ALSO URGED THE BROTHERLY PALESTINIANS TO INTENSIFY THEIR CURRENT EFFORTS TO REACH A NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT CAPABLE OF SERVING THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THEIR RIGHTS THAT ARE APPROVED BY THE INTERNATIONAL LEGITIMACY. THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION ADDED THAT THE COUNCIL HOPED THAT THE ISSUES OF THE MIDDLE EAST, ESPECIALLY THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE, WILL BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE DELIBERATIONS OF THE NEXT ANNUAL MEETING OF THE UNITED NATIONS. --MORE
