JEDDAH, 19 September 2006 — The Council of Ministers yesterday endorsed the Kingdom’s admission to the OIC Charter of Children’s Rights in Islam and authorized the foreign minister to sign the document.
The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, also urged influential countries to support the efforts of Palestinian groups to establish a national unity government.
The OIC Charter, issued by the 32nd conference of Islamic foreign ministers in Sanaa, aims at providing proper care to families and bringing young Muslim children up in the right manner, believing in God and adhering to their faith.
While emphasizing the need for Palestinian unity, the Cabinet reminded Palestinian political forces that remaining united would be in their interest.
Earlier, King Abdullah spoke about the significance of National Day that falls on Sept. 23, which has been declared a holiday for government departments as well as private companies and institutions.
“The celebration of National Day embodies the Kingdom’s national unity, its strong adherence to Islam as a way of life and Shariah law and its commitment to the values of justice and equality,” the king told the ministers.
King Abdullah reaffirmed the government’s resolve to go ahead with development programs. “We’ll continue our efforts to strengthen Arab and Islamic unity and work for achieving world stability and prosperity,” he added.
Referring to the meeting of interior ministers from countries neighboring Iraq, the Cabinet hoped that the Jeddah meeting would lead to making greater coordination in order to help the war-torn country overcome its security problems and stopping sectarian violence and killings.
The Cabinet meeting congratulated the Saudi special needs football team that won the Learning Disability World Cup 2006 recently beating Holland. “The victory reflects the Kingdom’s efforts and care for the people of special needs,” the Cabinet said and urged all organizations to provide people having disabilities with all help.
According to Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani, the meeting authorized the interior minister to hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart for signing an agreement on implementing punitive detention.
The finance minister has been assigned to sign another agreement with Bangladesh to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion. The Kingdom also agreed to join the pact for establishing a regional commission for animal health in the Far East and North Africa.
The Cabinet said the government would continue to waive tariffs on Palestinian imports to the Kingdom for another year. It also endorsed the agreement for scientific and technical cooperation between King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology and the Arab Organization for Industrial and Mining Development.
In a separate development, Crown Prince Sultan arrived in Abu Dhabi later yesterday on a visit to the United Arab Emirates. In an arrival statement, Sultan said his visit was aimed at strengthening Saudi-UAE relations and promoting cooperation in all areas.
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan and top UAE officials greeted the crown prince at the airport.
