JEDDAH, 8 April 2003 — Saudi Arabia yesterday urged the US-led forces fighting in Iraq to protect the lives of innocent Iraqi civilians as well as the historical and cultural monuments in Baghdad.

Addressing a weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers in Riyadh, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd also called for an immediate end to the war, which has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.

“The government of Saudi Arabia draws attention to the need to protect innocent civilians and avoid the loss of lives,” Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy quoted a Cabinet statement.

“Baghdad, the city of peace, has a special place in Arab and Islamic history, and this should be taken into consideration. The city’s historical and cultural monuments must be preserved,” it added.

Al-Farsy said the Cabinet meeting also urged the United Nations to make “effective and positive” efforts to ensure the territorial integrity of Iraq and the safety of its people.

The Cabinet said Saudi Arabia was committed to all possible efforts to end the suffering of the Iraqi people. Interior Minister Prince Naif had earlier stated that the Kingdom would not hesitate to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqis.

Al-Farsy said the Cabinet also urged the United Nations to put an end to the continuing Israeli aggression on unarmed Palestinian civilians.

“The events in Iraq should not prevent the international community from following what is happening in occupied Palestinian territory,” the Cabinet said.

The Cabinet meeting authorized the interior minister to hold talks with Mexican officials to reach an agreement on security cooperation.

Al-Farsy said the Kingdom was to sign a general cooperation agreement with Cuba as the foreign minister has been authorized to hold talks with his Cuban counterpart to conclude the accord.

It also endorsed a new law on appropriation of private property for public purposes. “The law will also be applied to real estate required by private companies which manage public facilities,” Al-Farsy said.

The law states that the minister supervising the facility must issue the appropriation order and the company managing the facility must pay the compensation.

“The new law allows ministries and government departments to appropriate a private property for public use in the absence of government land or real estate,” he said.

The new law will come into effect 180 days after publication in the official gazette.