Cabinet lauds king’s handling of Egypt crisis
Riyadh: Arab News The Council of Ministers yesterday commended Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his handling of the recent crisis between Saudi Arabia and Egypt and foiling the efforts of those who try to undermine Saudi-egyptian ties.
The Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by King Abdullah, praised the noble stand expressed by the Egyptian parliamentary and Shoura delegation toward the Kingdom, its government and people, reflecting the depth and strength of their relations.
Earlier, King Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of his meeting with the Egyptian delegation, which included prominent politicians as well as representatives of various sections of the Egyptian society.
“I gave the instruction for the Saudi ambassador to return to Cairo and open the Kingdom’s embassy and consulates in Egypt considering the noble and sincere feelings expressed by the delegation toward the Kingdom and the historic relations between the two countries,” the king said.
Health Minister and Acting Information Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-rabeeah said the Cabinet reviewed major regional and international developments. The Cabinet congratulated newly elected French President Francois Hollande and Vladimir Putin for his inauguration as president of Russia for a third term. Saudi Arabia is looking forward to strengthening its ties with France and Russia, he said quoting a Cabinet statement. The Cabinet noted the resolutions taken by the GCC interior ministers meeting in Riyadh, which backed King Abdullah’s call for transforming the Gulf Cooperation Council into a Gulf union. The ministers have given preliminary approval to the updated version of the GCC security agreement.
The meeting also referred to the distribution of Prince Salman Prize to outstanding research works on the history of Arabian Peninsula and the announcement of the King Abdul Aziz Prize for Writers.
Al-rabeeah said the Cabinet endorsed the Arab Agreement to Transport Inmates of Prisons and Reformatories. The Cabinet also decided that the fee payment for children of delegates, workers and scholarship students abroad would cover those at the preparatory level.
The Cabinet authorized Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja to hold talks with his counterpart in the United Comoro Islands to sign an agreement for retransmitting the programs of Radio Nida Al-islam and Radio Qur’an on Comoro Television.
The Cabinet renewed the membership of Fahd Dakhil, Safar Dhafeer, Abdullah Al-habeeb and Khaled Bayari on the board of directors of the Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority and appointed Ibrahim Al-muetaz as a new member for three years. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center has banned smoking throughout the hospital, including the roof, basement, stairwells and hospital vehicles.
The goal of this ban is to encourage