Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the cabinet's session held here today. At the outset of the session, the king briefed the cabinet on the meetings, messages and contacts held during the week with some leaders of brotherly and friendly countries and their envoys including the message he received from Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and his meetings in Aljnadryah with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khlaifah of Bahrain, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahayyan, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior of the United Arab Emirates, French Minister of Culture Frederic Mitterrand, Director General of United Nations Education, Sciences and Culture Organization Irina Bokova, and guests of the National Guard, scholars, intellectuals and media personalities from the kingdom and abroad. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz Khojah said the cabinet highly valued the great care and unlimited support by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for cultural activities in the kingdom. He stressed this week's cultural activities in the kingdom which included the king's patronage of the National Heritage and Culture Festival in Aljnadreyah; Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques International Prize for Translation with its five branches, which include the translation prize for efforts by institutions and commissions, the translation prize for human sciences from other languages to Arabic, the translation prize for human sciences from Arabic to other languages, the translation prize for natural sciences from other languages to Arabic and the translation prize for natural sciences from Arabic to other languages, and King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Prizes for Culture and Heritage which were announced recently and which will be handed every year starting the next National Heritage and Culture Festival. These reflect the kingdom's cultural and scientific status and, owing to the King's support, testify to the kingdom's becoming a forum and a destination for constant Arab, Islamic and international scientific and cultural activities. --More
