JEDDAH, 3 June 2008 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday hailed the recent international decision taken in Dublin to ban the use of cluster bombs and called on the countries that have not signed the declaration to do so soon.
While addressing the weekly Cabinet meeting at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, King Abdullah briefed the ministers about his meetings with Spain’s King Juan Carlos on Tuesday and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia and Spain have strong ties of friendly relations and a common stand toward several international issues, Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency.
The Cabinet was also briefed on several regional and international issues. The meeting reviewed results of a conference in Sweden last week of international donors to help Iraq’s reconstruction and the 18th GCC-EU ministerial conference in Belgium last Monday.
“The Council of Ministers expressed hope that the ongoing talks would lead to the formation of a national unity government in Lebanon maintaining its freedom to make its own decisions and the national safety,” Madani said.
The council stressed the need for the Palestinian unity, bringing together all factions and leaderships in order to come up with a firm stand against the external forces that are bent on destroying their national identity and cutting up their territories.
The council reiterated Saudi Arabia’s unflinching commitment to any move for the preservation of Iraq’s integrity and Arab character guaranteeing its citizens their basic rights with equitable participation in a government of national unity.
The meeting authorized Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, or his deputy to negotiate with the Spanish government to draw up a memorandum of understanding between the defense ministries of the two countries.
