JEDDAH, 29 August 2006 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah announced yesterday that Saudi Arabia was seeking drastic solutions to problems threatening the region’s security and stability, including Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon.

Addressing the weekly Cabinet meeting, Abdullah said the solutions to be proposed by the Kingdom would be based on its values and take care of the higher interests of the Arab nation.

“Our efforts are aimed at achieving peace for everybody, beyond narrow personal interests and without promoting a particular thought or imposing a single course of action on anybody,” the king said.

Abdullah emphasized Saudi Arabia’s significant role in the Arab and Islamic world. “The Kingdom is the house of the Ummah and the center of Arabism and the window that can communicate with the world with confidence and in an openhanded manner,” he said.

In this respect, the Saudi leader referred to his talks with Jordan’s King Abdallah here last week. “Both of us were convinced that joint efforts are required to protect the region from dangers and ambitious parties,” the king told the ministers.

Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani said the Cabinet meeting emphasized Riyadh’s efforts to find peaceful solutions to regional and international issues. The meeting also reiterated the Kingdom’s moderate oil policy and its drive to attract foreign investment.

The Cabinet approved the recommendations of the ministerial committee for administrative reforms on dealing with official documents and circulating them among government departments.

It endorsed alterations to Article 76 of the Civil Status Law. In accordance with the new changes, a Saudi, who loses his national ID card or family card should inform the Civil Affairs Department within 15 days after losing or damaging them.

If he loses the ID for the first time, he will be given replacements without fine. But in the event of its loss or damage for the second time, a fine of SR100 will be charged. For the third time, the fine will go up to SR300 and for the fourth to SR1,000.

If a person fails to inform the authorities about the loss or damage of his ID within one year, he would be fined SR100. After one year, the case will be transferred to a special panel to decide.

No fines will be charged if the IDs were lost or damaged as a result of fire, accidents or thefts or natural calamity.