Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif, who is also chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, chaired the Cabinet meeting. He welcomed the guests of God who have come from different corners of the world for Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam.

“Saudi Arabia is honored to serve the two holy mosques and those who come to the Kingdom to perform Haj and Umrah,” Prince Naif told the meeting. The Cabinet heard reports from different ministries and departments about the preparations made for the largest gathering of Muslims in the world.

The Saudi government has implemented a number of new projects to help pilgrims perform their religious duties easily and comfortably.

Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet expressed its satisfaction over the success of international efforts to foil a number of terrorist attacks. It emphasized the need for greater global cooperation and exchange of information to fight terrorism.

The Cabinet also decided to stop distribution of agricultural land for 10 years. The Ministry of Agriculture has been instructed to give a report on the outcome of the measures six months before ending this period and advise whether its extension was required.

However, agricultural land can be rented for activities such as fodder factories (that depend on imported raw materials), apiaries and veterinary clinics and hospitals.

The Cabinet endorsed the memorandum of understanding signed in Ireland for cooperation in technical and vocational training. It reshuffled the board of directors of the Saudi Credit Bank, which will be chaired by Deputy Finance Minister Hamad Al-Bazie.

The Cabinet urged government departments to preserve state-owned lands under their custody and use them for the purpose they were granted. A government agency will have the right to obtain parts of these lands if they have convincing reasons. Government departments are allowed to invest part of their public land under certain conditions. They can sell part of the land to the private sector to carry out activities that are supplementary to the department’s mission.

The Cabinet approved the Kingdom’s admission to the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage. The meeting took the decision on the basis of a proposal made by the foreign minister to protect the rights of GCC countries in case of radioactive leakage from nuclear plants.