Awwal 14, 1432 / April 18, 2011, SPA -- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet session held at Al-Yamamah Palace here today. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the consultations, messages and contacts that took place during the past days with a number of leaders of brotherly and friendly countries and their envoys on bilateral relations and the developments in some brotherly countries. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja said the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the meeting he held with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain; the audience he held for Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani of Qatar; the message and telephone call he received from President Barack Obama of the United States of America; and the audience he held for the Deputy Foreign Minister Hisashi Tokunaga of Japan who is also the private envoy of the Japanese Prime Minister. Dr. Khoja said the Cabinet listened to a number of reports on the overall developments at regional and international arenas. The Cabinet followed with interest the ongoing developments in Yemen and was briefed on the outcomes of the 33rd Extraordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States' Foreign Ministers held in Riyadh yesterday in the presence of Yemeni opposition delegation to discuss the GCC initiative on the Yemeni crisis. The cabinet lauded the constructive and fraternal dialogue during the meeting which reflected the desire of both sides for bridging the views, continuing work and exerting more efforts to ensure the security, stability and unity of the Republic of Yemen. The Cabinet welcomed the international stances supporting the GCC initiative on the Yemeni crisis, particularly what was voiced in this regard by the Arab League, Council of the European Union and the governments of the U.S. and France. --More
