“The council renewed the Kingdom’s position that it would stand by the brotherly Tunisian people to overcome the present difficult phase,” the Saudi Press Agency said quoting a Cabinet statement.

Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, who presided over the Cabinet, said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s recent meetings and contacts with world leaders reflected the Kingdom’s important role in realizing global peace and stability.

King Abdullah, who is now convalescing in New York following a back surgery, received telephone calls from US President Barack Obama, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Najib, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders, who wished him good health.

Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet endorsed two security agreements with India: one for extraditing wanted criminals and another for the transfer of sentenced persons. The two accords were signed in Riyadh in February 2010.

It approved another agreement with Qatar for industrial cooperation.

Referring to the situation in Lebanon, the Cabinet urged the Lebanese to work for safeguarding their country’s unity, security and stability. “We are confident that Lebanon will be able to get out of the present political crisis thanks to your wisdom,” the Cabinet told the Lebanese people.

Speaking about the referendum in Sudan, the Cabinet said it was hopeful the final result of the vote would realize the hopes and aspirations of the country’s people, bringing about security, stability and prosperity for them.

Saudi Arabia urged speedy action by the international community to stop Israeli excesses in occupied Palestinian territories, including the killing of innocent people and destruction of houses and a historic hotel in Jerusalem to construct more Jewish settlements in the area. It also urged UN support for the growing international recognition of Palestine.

The Cabinet commended Crown Prince Sultan for laying the foundation stone for new infrastructure for King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, which will increase its capacity from 17 to 30 million.

It reviewed a World Bank report in which Saudi Arabia won top position in quick registration of real estate ownership. Saudi Arabia has won the 10th position in fulfilling financial commitments and paying sovereign debts in the fourth quarter of 2010.

The Cabinet decided to appoint two representatives from Public Investment Fund to the board of SABIC and said the present government representatives in the board would continue in their posts until new appointments are made. According to another Cabinet decision, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and the Ministry of Higher Education would be members of the National Committee to Combat Tobacco.

The Cabinet appointed Ahmed Nasser Al-Johani as ambassador, Majed bin Abdul Aziz Al-Dayel as minister plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry, and Abdullatif bin Abdul Rahman Bosbit as director general of administrative affairs at the Court of Grievances.