JEDDAH, 13 September 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday called upon the UN General Assembly to take effective measures to fight terrorism and poverty and ensure satisfactory representation of the Islamic world in the world body. Addressing the weekly Cabinet meeting at Al-Salam Palace here, King Abdullah expressed the hope that the forthcoming General Assembly meeting would adopt resolutions to promote development and stability.

Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani said the Cabinet had agreed to set up a government human rights commission, an independent body for rights protection under the supervision of the prime minister (the king).

The government body is mandated to “protect human rights and create awareness about them ... in keeping with the provisions of Islamic law,” the Saudi Press Agency said.

Madani said the human rights commission would have a chairman with ministerial rank and a deputy, both appointed by King Abdullah. Its board would include at least 18 full-time members and six part-time members, he added. The king will name the board members for a four-year renewable term.

The Kingdom established its first private human rights watchdog in March 2004 with 41 members including 10 women as part of political reforms introduced by King Fahd.

In his keynote address, King Abdullah also referred to the Kingdom’s efforts in hosting an international counterterrorism conference in Riyadh last February. The conference called for an international center to fight terrorism. “We hope the United Nations will revive the vitality of its organizational structure, ensuring adequate and just representation for all countries with the Islamic world having good representation in keeping with its importance and size,” the king said.

King Abdullah also urged the United Nations and its organizations to take suitable steps to combat poverty and backwardness and help developing countries achieve continuous progress. He reiterated Saudi Arabia’s support for development projects in various parts of the world. “We’ll continue to play a leading role in stabilizing the oil market in order to protect the interests of both producers and consumers and realize world economic stability,” he added. The king was also happy with the recommendations presented by a group of intellectuals and scholars from the Islamic world after a three-day forum in Makkah. “These recommendations will be presented to the emergency Islamic summit in Makkah,” he said. The Cabinet meeting also expressed its satisfaction over the Saudi-US accord and hoped that it would pave the way for the Kingdom’s accession to the World Trade Organization this year.

Madani said the Cabinet meeting commended Saudi security forces for their continued efforts to track down Al-Qaeda militants and root out terrorism from the country. He was referring to last week’s three-day gunbattle between militants and security forces in the eastern city of Dammam, which resulted in the killing of five most wanted terrorists.

The Interior Ministry clarified yesterday that one of the five killed in the Dammam battle was Ahmed ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailemi, not his brother Muhammad as reported earlier. Ahmed’s father had informed authorities that he had been missing for the past three months. It means Muhammad Al-Suwailemi, 23, who figured on the list of 36 most-wanted terrorists, is still on the run.

Guidelines for Expats Issued

Expatriates coming to work in the Kingdom will receive from now on copies of guidelines, including labor regulations, prepared by the Labor Ministry in both English and Arabic, an official statement said. It will be distributed through the Kingdom’s missions abroad and the immigration offices at entry points.

The Labor Ministry has already supplied copies of the guidelines to the Passports Department and the Foreign Ministry. The document comprises basic information about the Kingdom and the regulations governing the relations between workers and their employers, the ministry said.

“This is part of efforts to create a suitable working atmosphere for expatriates, protect their rights and to ensure good relations between them and their employers,” it added. The ministry has already set up a department to look after expatriates’ affairs and take action in response to their complaints.