- JEDDAH: The Council of Ministers has, at its weekly meeting chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, expressed its satisfaction that the Kingdom has been appointed to head the consultative committee for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees starting from July.
Saudi Arabia is the first Arab country to occupy the position.
Ministers at the meeting, held at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Monday, also welcomed the agreement to hold a regional conference in 2012 to advance the goal of a nuclear-free Middle East that was made at the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference.
King Abdullah further commended the deliberations of the UN’s Alliance of Civilizations third conference that was held in Rio and that stressed the importance of concerted efforts to root out terror and conflicts in the world.
The king also expressed appreciation at discussions with Sultan Qaboos of Oman and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Khoja said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency.
The king also briefed the council on communications with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani on matters related to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The king expressed his happiness at the agreement of the heads of state of Bahrain and Qatar on any move that would guarantee the solidarity and success of the GCC, Khoja said.
The king also briefed ministers on telephone calls received from King Muhammad VI of Morocco and President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal.
The king also briefed ministers on the message he received from Spain’s King Juan Carlos I and discussions with US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, the minister said.
The council also endorsed the Kingdom’s accession to three UN Agreements on the Rescue of Astronauts and Return of Astronauts, the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space and the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.
The council also approved the replacement of Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Prince Mansour bin Miteb by the ministry’s undersecretary. The prince will now serve as member of the Council of Civil Defense.
The council also endorsed a memorandum of understanding for technical and vocational training between the Saudi Technical and Vocational Training Corporation and New Zealand’s international institute of technology.
The council also decided to approve the restructuring of the Saudi Commission for Specifications, Standards and Quality.
The minister added that the council agreed to amend a clause in the air traffic agreement between the Kingdom and the Republic of Libya. “The contracting party shall appoint an air carrier or air carriers to operate the agreed lines on the specified routes and to notify the other party of that in writing,” the amendment said.