JEDDAH, 22 March 2005 — Saudi Arabia yesterday highlighted its human rights record and said its efforts to protect rights emanated from its own principles and not because of any external pressure.
The Council of Ministers, chaired by Crown Prince Abdullah, also said that Israel’s occupation of Arab territories has destabilized the region. It approved the Arab Charter for Unity and Solidarity as well as the organizational setup of the Civil Aviation Corporation.
“The Kingdom’s efforts to protect human rights have emanated from its faith in the importance of developing individuals and society in accordance with their special nature and requirements,” said a statement issued after the weekly Cabinet meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
The Cabinet emphasized that protection of human rights was the duty of governments and that the Kingdom’s efforts in this respect were “not based on ideologies and thoughts imposed on it from the outside.” The Cabinet made the comments while emphasizing the content of a speech delivered by the Kingdom’s representative at the UN Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva recently.
Crown Prince Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh last week and stressed Saudi Arabia’s support for the Palestinian people to win their legitimate rights including establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The Cabinet said security and stability were required for Arabs to go ahead with their development and modernization programs. “But the Middle East has become the most unstable and insecure place because of the Israeli occupation of Arab territories,” Acting Information Minister Dr. Musaed Al-Aiban told the Saudi Press Agency.
The Cabinet endorsed the memorandums of understanding signed with Tunisia and Sudan in order to set up follow up committees for promoting political consultation and coordination with the two Arab countries.
The meeting approved alterations to the Arab Charter for Joint Defense and Economic Cooperation which calls for the setting up of an economic and social council comprising Arab economic and finance ministers.
Referring to the Civil Aviation Corporation, Al-Aiban said it would be an independent organization and would carry out its affairs on a commercial basis.
Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, is chairman of the corporation while Prince Fahd ibn Abdullah, assistant defense and aviation minister for civil aviation affairs, is the deputy chairman. Its members include Prince Sultan ibn Salman, Abdullah Rahaimy, president of the corporation, and representatives of the ministries of transport, finance, and economy and planning.
