JEDDAH, 19 July 2005 — The Council of Ministers, chaired by Crown Prince Abdullah, yesterday passed a new law for combating drugs and narcotics and assigned the ministries of interior and health to draft its executive regulations.
Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani said the law insisted that drug addicts must be given treatment in complete secrecy and without disclosing his/her identity or information, adding that violators would be punished.
“The law specifies that no legal action would be taken against a drug user or addicts if he surrenders or his family members or relatives come forward requesting treatment for him,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The meeting denounced Israel’s continued destruction of Palestinian infrastructure facilities and its violation of human rights and international resolutions and urged the international community to stop the Jewish state’s oppressive practices in occupied Arab territories.
While reviewing the situation in Iraq, the Cabinet called upon all Iraqi people to stand united with their government to isolate extremists and bring about security and stability to the war-torn country. It also hoped that all Lebanese groups would work for their country’s unity and prosperity.
Addressing the Cabinet, Prince Abdullah said the government had approved contracts worth more than SR13.28 billion to carry out a number of welfare projects during the first six months of this year. The amount was 47 percent more than the spending during the same period last year.
The crown prince said the sum was spent on service, health, educational, telecommunication, roads and municipal projects. He also referred to the allocation of SR15 billion to underwrite credit facilities for non-oil exports.
The meeting authorized the governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) to sign an agreement with Spain for the protection and promotion of investment. The agreement that allows repatriation of the capital, revenues and other dues from the other country, is valid for a renewable period of 10 years.
The Cabinet appointed Ibrahim Mohamed Al-Eissa, Mohamed Amran Al-Amran and Khaled Mohamed Al-Bawaredy to the board of the Civil Aviation Corporation for three years, representing the private sector.
It also reshuffled the board members of the General Organization for Social Insurance. The new board members are Dr. Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid, Osama Al-Rabeea, Dr. Abdullah Al-Sharief (Labor Ministry representatives, Saud Al-Saleh, Dr. Ibrahim Shaqdar, Hamid Al-Saadoun (representatives of subscribers), Suleiman Al-Saleh, Ibrahim Kurdi and Khaled Al-Bawaredy (representing employers).
Ali ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Subaiheen, director general of the National Company for Cooperative Insurance (NCCI), has been named representative of insurance firms at the Cooperative Health Insurance Council.
