JEDDAH, 31 July — The Council of Ministers yesterday decided to award special “Haj Medals” to Saudi and foreign officers who extend outstanding services during the annual pilgrimage operation. Information Minister Dr. Fuad Al-Farsi said Interior Minister Prince Naif, who is chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, had proposed setting up of the awards to encourage those who extend selfless services to pilgrims.
Saudi Arabia mobilizes its entire resources to ensure the comfort of the guests of God as well as safety and security during the pilgrimage. More than two million people from around the world, including about 800,000 from the Kingdom, gather in Makkah for the annual Haj.
“The Haj Medals will be given to civilian and military officers in the Kingdom and from the friendly countries who take part in the Haj operation and extend exemplary services to the guests of God,” Farsi told the Saudi Press Agency after a Cabinet session chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd.
The minister said the medals would go to those who render excellent services reflecting positively on the success of the general Haj plan.
“A person will be eligible for the award for a second time only after five years of winning his first medal,” he said, adding Article 13 of the military medals law explains the features and specifications of the new medal.
Farsi said the Cabinet meeting expressed Saudi Arabia’s satisfaction over the peaceful transition of power in Indonesia. Megawati Sukarnoputri took over as Indonesia’s fourth president last Monday after the national parliament sacked incumbent President Abdurrahman Wahid.
In a bid to attract more foreign capital to the Kingdom, the Cabinet also decided to annul a law that regulates the relationship between a foreign contractor and his Saudi agent. A Royal Decree has been issued canceling the law, Farsi said, and added that the decision was taken in the light of a proposal made by Finance and National Economy Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf.
The meeting authorized Minister of Communications Nasser Al-Salloum to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart to sign a cooperation agreement on marine transportation between the two countries. It assigned Minister of Education Dr. Muhamamd Al-Rasheed to sign an agreement with Algeria for educational cooperation.
The Cabinet appointed Khaled ibn Fadl Oqail as deputy secretary-general for building and projects at the Madinah Municipality.
Meanwhile, King Fahd ordered financial assistance worth more than SR5.64 million to a number of Islamic organizations around the world, according to Dr. Saleh Al-Ayed, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.
He said the king also directed that adequate number of Qur’an copies be supplied to some of these organizations free of charge. Ayed said the king was approving the proposals made by the council, which is chaired by Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation.
Other proposals approved by the king were holding of training courses for imams and preachers in a number of countries, holding of book exhibitions in East Asia, formation of a committee to promote Islamic education among Muslim minority communities, scholarships to Muslim students and dispatching of imams and preachers to work among Muslim minorities.
