THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ CHAIRED THE CABINET'S WEEKLY SESSION AT AL-YAMAMAH PALACE IN RIYADH ON MONDAY. AT THE OUTSET OF THE SESSION, THE MONARCH COMMENDED HIS TALKS WITH PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY AND SINGAPOREAN PREMIER LEE HSIEN LOONG DURING THEIR VISITS TO THE KINGDOM OVER THE PREVIOUS DAYS. THE MONARCH POINTED OUT THAT THESE TALKS COME WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE KINGDOM'S KEENNESS ON STRENGTHENING ITS RELATIONS WITH VARIOUS COUNTRIES TO ENHANCE THE NATIONAL INTERESTS AND TO SERVE PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE REGION AND THE WORLD. IN A STATEMENT TO THE SAUDI PRESS AGENCY (SPA) FOLLOWING THE SESSION, THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION IYAD BIN AMIN MADANI SAID THAT THE CABINET REVIEWED IN THIS CONTEXT THE DIRECT INFLUENCE OF THE POSITION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON THE ISSUES OF THE REGION, AND POINTING TO HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR THIS INFLUENCE TO BE IN ACCORD WITH THE REGION'S ACTUAL CONDITION AND ITS HISTORICAL EQUILIBRIUM, TO SUPPORT ITS STABILITY, AND TO PURSUE EQUITABLE MEANS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO ENDING ITS CONFLICTS. Expressing the Kingdom's painful sorrow over the violence befalling Iraq, driven as it is by sectarianism and extremism, the Cabinet condemned all acts of violence, regardless of who commits them. It further called on the United Nations to take the leading role, and on the Permanent Members of the Security Council to shoulder their responsibilities and to execute the roles demanded by assuming this permanent membership in the Security Council. AS FOR THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE, the Cabinet emphasized that it is high time to take seriously the arrangement for an International Conference on the Palestinian issue so that peace initiatives and resolutions of the International legitimacy are brought into an immediate practical process, and that the Palestinian people become protected from the terrorism Israel heedlessly commits against them. THE CABINET CONDEMNED THE CRIMINAL ASSASSINATION ACT OF LEBANESE INDUSTRY MINISTER PIERRE ALGEMAYEL, EXPRESSING HOPE THAT THIS TERRORIST ACT WILL NOT AFFECT LEBANON'S STABILITY AND SECURITY. IT CALLED ON ALL LEBANESE POLITICAL POWERS TO PRESERVE LEBANON'S UNITY, SOVEREIGNTY AND STABILITY AND TO MAINTAIN THE LANGUAGE OF DIALOGUE, RENEWING THE KINGDOM'S PERMANENT SUPPORT FOR LEBANON AND ITS PEOPLE. ON THE DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, THE CABINET REVIEWED THE KINGDOM'S CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC MOVEMENT, CONTACTS WITH SISTERLY AND FRIENDLY COUNTRIES IN CULTURAL AND HERITAGE FIELDS AND IN HOLDING CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIUMS. THE CABINET EXPRESSED ITS APPRECIATION OF THEIR POSITIVE RESULTS AND THE EXPANSION OF THE CIRCLE OF FRUITFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE AMONG ALL COUNTRIES, PEOPLES AND ORGANIZATIONS --MORE
