JEDDAH, 6 June 2006 — The Council of Ministers yesterday emphasized the partnership between Saudi Arabia and its southern neighbor Yemen and noted the efforts of both Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to strengthen bilateral ties.
The Cabinet meeting, chaired by King Abdullah, made this point while reviewing the outcome of the recently concluded Saudi-Yemeni Coordination Council that met in the Yemeni city of Mukalla under the chairmanship of Crown Prince Sultan and Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul Qader Bajammal. The two-day meeting saw the signing of the final border maps by Interior Minister Prince Naif and his Yemeni counterpart Rashad Al-Olaimi after the demarcation of the 1,845-km joint international border. The two sides also signed eight bilateral agreements to promote relations.
Speaking about his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm El-Sheikh last week, King Abdullah said it was within the framework of Riyadh’s efforts to reinforce peace and stability at regional and international levels.
“We discussed important issues at Arab, Islamic and global levels, most importantly the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iraq as well as ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the king as saying.
Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani said the Cabinet had endorsed the revised calendar for the new academic year (2006-2007), which begins on Sept. 9, 2006. After Eid Al-Fitr holidays, which begin on Oct. 18, classes will resume on Oct. 28. Educational institutions will close for Eid Al-Adha holidays on Dec. 25 and resume classes on Jan. 6, SPA said quoting the Cabinet decision. First semester examinations begin on Jan. 27 before closing for mid-term vacation on Feb. 7.
Second semester classes start on Feb. 17 while second semester exams begin on June 9, 2007 before closing for the end of the year vacation on June 20, 2007. Teachers must return on Aug. 18, 2007 before the beginning of second round exams on Aug. 20. The new academic year of 2007-2008 will start on Sept. 8, 2007.
The Cabinet also approved an agreement with Hong Kong on air transportation, which was signed in Jeddah on Nov. 20, 2005. The agreement exempts planes of both sides from customs tariffs and taxes charged on fuel and technical and other supplies.
The Cabinet meeting also endorsed a new law for public warehouses. The law explains the nature of products to be stored in such warehouses, rights and duties and storage fees. Municipalities will issue preliminary licenses for such warehouses.
The Cabinet appointed Dr. Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh deputy governor of Saline Water Conversion Corporation for planning and development, Nasser ibn Muhammad Al-Rasheed minister plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry, and Awad ibn Owaid Al-Khatabi director general of administrative and financial affairs at the Health Ministry.
