RIYADH, 24 December 2002 — Saudi Arabia yesterday appealed to the international community to take immediate steps to put an end to the mounting Israeli atrocities against Palestinians as the continued aggression would only confound the situation in the region.
Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, who chaired the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers at the Yamama Palace here, said: “The continuance of aggression against the Palestinian people in their land will only further aggravate the situation.”
Prince Abdullah called upon the world community to play an effective role to end the aggression through the speedy implementation of the related UN resolutions and other agreements that guarantee peaceful coexistence for the countries in the region.
The crown prince renewed calls for Arab solidarity to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East with the founding of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, Saudi Press Agency quoted Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy as saying. Dr. Al-Farsy also said the Cabinet was pleased with the deliberations of the 23rd GCC summit held in Doha, which ended on Sunday.
The crown prince commended the GCC leaders for making the summit a success by taking constructive decisions to tackle major regional issues. He also reaffirmed the Kingdom’s keenness to support GCC’s activities, as the organization is the supporting pillar for concerted efforts by the countries of the region.
In other actions, the Cabinet authorized the foreign minister to take necessary steps for the endorsement of the agreement for diplomatic and consular cooperation between the kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, which was signed in Riyadh on March 10 this year.
The Council of Ministers also approved the terms of transfer of the employees of the Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones whose services are required by the Saudi Telecom Authority. Their services will be governed by the statutes for work and workers. The transferred employees would be covered by the social insurance. The Cabinet also authorized the education minister to discuss cooperation in the educational sector with Sudan. It authorized the minister of finance and national economy to sign an agreement for encouragement and mutual protection of investment with India, the information minister said.
