JEDDAH, 26 April 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd yesterday applauded Saudi security forces for their efforts to foil terrorist attacks in the holy city of Makkah and said the government would continue its efforts to stamp out terrorism.
King Fahd, who chaired the Cabinet meeting, expressed happiness over “the continuous successes achieved by security forces in tracking down members of the deviant group,” Transport Minister and Acting Information Minister Dr. Jabara Al-Seraisry told the Saudi Press Agency.
King Fahd was referring to the gunbattle between security forces and suspected terrorists in Makkah last Thursday in which four people, including two terrorists, were killed. Two wanted militants were arrested after the gunbattle that took place in Umm Al-Joud, southeast of the holy city.
Seraisry said King Fahd expressed his happiness over the successful conclusion of municipal elections in the Kingdom. The last phase of polls were held in the regions of Makkah, Madinah, Qasim, Tabuk, Al-Jouf and the Northern Border Province on Thursday.
Referring to international developments, the Cabinet hoped that the new Lebanese government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati would realize the hopes and aspirations of all Lebanese people “in this delicate situation the country is passing through.”
King Fahd emphasized Saudi Arabia’s desire to strengthen friendly relations with other countries. In this connection, he mentioned the importance of the Afro-Asian summit in Jakarta to promote political and economic cooperation between the two continents. Saudi Arabia would continue to provide financial aid to developing countries to help them alleviate their economic problems. During the summit, Saudi Arabia announced that it would provide $400 million to tsunami-hit countries in soft loans to carry out development projects.
The Cabinet meeting authorized the foreign minister to sign an agreement with AGFUND (Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Developmental Organizations) to determine the legal status of the organization’s headquarters in Riyadh as well as the privileges and immunities to be granted to the organization and its staff in the city.
The Cabinet formed a three-member panel to adjudge disputes between insurance companies and their clients or other parties, and to issue decisions regarding violations of insurance company regulations. The term of the panel, comprising Dr. Bandar ibn Raja Al-Shammari as chairman and Dr. Khaled ibn Hassan Banasr and Dr. Waleed ibn Muhammed Al-Shibani as members, will be three renewable years.
The Cabinet approved the draft memorandum of cultural and scientific cooperation between the ministries of higher education of Saudi Arabia and Jordan to exchange scientific materials and expertise in the field of technical education and cultural programs.
The Cabinet amended Article 18 of the law governing the collection of state’s arrears from defaulters. According to the amended article, the committee for collecting government dues will comprise a representative of the Ministry of Finance as chairman, a legal consultant from the Ministry of Finance and a representative of the claimant.
The Cabinet approved the appointment of Dr. Isa ibn Muhammed Rawas as deputy Haj minister for Umrah affairs and Ahmed ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Abdul Ali as economic expert at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
