RIYADH, 31 December 2002 — Saudi Arabia yesterday condemned Israel for stepping up murders and arrests of Palestinians and urged the United Nations to pressure Tel Aviv to respect international laws.
Addressing the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers he chaired at the Yamama Palace here yesterday, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd asserted that “this dangerous escalation by Israel and the return to the policy of assassinations and demolitions, aims at torpedoing all Arab and international efforts to calm the situation. It confirms the Israeli authorities’ challenge to the legitimate international resolutions and all other efforts being exerted to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region,” Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy said in a press statement following the meeting.
“The council made a renewed appeal to the United Nations to activate its resolutions relevant to the Palestinian affairs and pressure Israel to comply with and respect international resolutions and stop the daily killings, torture, arrest and demolition of houses and infrastructure in an unprecedented, shameful and brutal manner which contravenes basic human rights against the Palestinians,” Saudi Press Agency quoted Dr. Al-Farsy as saying.
In his speech, King Fahd also urged the provincial governors and Cabinet ministers to redouble their efforts to ensure the welfare of all the people — both Saudis and expatriates, Dr. Al-Farsy added.
The Cabinet also approved the regulations and executive bylaws for the implementation of the GCC Customs Union adopted at the recent GCC summit in Doha.
The Cabinet also endorsed the Kingdoms’ draft agreement with the Czech Republic signed in Riyadh on March 3 this year, the draft agreement with South Korea for bilateral trade protection and encouragement of investments.
The council authorized the minister of finance and national economy or his deputy to discuss with Yemen to draw up a draft agreement for customs cooperation in order to end smuggling operations and customs violations and to exchange of information.
It approved the new regulations for private health establishments and decided to hold a population census in 2010 in compliance with a relevant GCC decision.
It also authorized the president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology or his deputy to sign the draft memorandum of understanding with the Malaysian government on scientific and technological cooperation.
