JEDDAH, 29 October 2003 — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, has called upon Arab and Islamic countries to use the holy month of Ramadan for settling their differences.
“Ramadan is a golden opportunity for Islamic countries and peoples to work at resolving their disputes, ending disunity and making serious efforts to better the Islamic nation,” the crown prince said.
Addressing the weekly Cabinet meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday night, Prince Abdullah said such endeavors to strengthen Muslim unity were necessary to confront the growing challenges facing the Ummah.
“The blessed month of Ramadan has witnessed marvelous scenes of Muslim unity, solidarity and cooperation throughout history,” he said.
Prince Abdullah also congratulated Saudis as well as Muslims all over the world on the arrival of the blessed month of Ramadan and urged them to compete with one another in doing good deeds and seeking the pleasure of God.
Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency, Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy, the minister of culture and information, said the Cabinet allowed expatriate workers recruited for Haj and Umrah services to stay in the Kingdom for five months from Shaaban 15.
The meeting approved a proposal made by the interior minister to delegate the power of imposing fines to the Civil Defense Department. The minister, however, must approve the punishment of imprisonment.
The meeting approved the memorandum of understanding signed with Malta for political consultations between the two foreign ministries. It also endorsed the annual report of the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden).
The Cabinet appointed Fahd ibn Muhammad Al-Dugaither director general of administrative and financial affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture, and Ibrahim Al-Abdullatif director general of the administrative and financial affairs at King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology.
Also yesterday, Prince Abdullah talked by phone with Syrian President Bashar Assad, UAE President Sheikh Zayed, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Jordan’s King Abdallah and Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. They discussed major Arab and Islamic issues and exchanged Ramadan greetings, the SPA news agency said.
Abdullah’s message to Blair: In another development, Prince Abdullah yesterday sent a message to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. According to SPA, the message, which dealt with bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern, was handed over to Blair by Saudi Ambassador to Britain Prince Turki Al-Faisal during a meeting in London.
