JEDDAH, 12 June — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd yesterday highlighted Saudi Arabia’s tourist potentials and said the Kingdom was receiving a large number of tourists, especially during summer holidays.
“The Kingdom abounds with the basic requirements of tourism, especially safety and security, moderate prices and varied natural scenes,” the king said while addressing the weekly Council of Ministers meeting.
King Fahd made this comment on the advent of summer holidays when a large number of Saudis visit tourist destinations within and outside the Kingdom to spend their holidays with their families.
Saudi Arabia has taken effective steps to promote domestic tourism and grab part of a staggering $25 billion which its nationals spent annually on international tourism.
The Higher Tourism Authority, set up last year under the chairmanship of Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, is working to expand the Kingdom’s share in international tourism market.
Yesterday’s Cabinet meeting denounced Israel’s continuous aggression on unarmed Palestinians.
“They (the Palestinians) also face provocative and aggressive acts from Jewish settlers who create havoc in the occupied territories under the cover and support of Israeli Army.”
Information Minister Dr. Fuad Al-Farsi said the Cabinet meeting reiterated Saudi Arabia’s support for the Palestinians and urged the international community to move quickly to stop the Israeli aggression and restore the Palestinians’ legitimate rights.
The Cabinet authorized the communications minister to hold talks with his Yemeni counterpart on reaching marine and land transport agreements. It also authorized the agriculture and water minister to sign two agreements with China for cooperation in agriculture and water.
The meeting authorized the foreign minister or his deputy to hold talks with Vietnamese officials on concluding an agreement for cooperation in economic, commercial, investment and technical areas. It approved the international agreement on preventing industrial hazards.
The Cabinet meeting decided that a mechanism must be worked out by a special panel to implement the executive laws related to the UN Agreement on fighting illegal trade in drugs and narcotics.
The panel will include representatives from the Health Ministry and the Commission for Investigation and Public Prosecution.
The Cabinet appointed Dr. Abdullah ibn Abdul Mohsen Al-Sultan as adviser for border affairs at the Interior Ministry, and Hamid ibn Abdul Hameed Bedaiwi as director of the Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry’s office in the Eastern Province.
