RIYADH, 16 October — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd stressed the importance of Islam as a religion of mercy, love and respect for human rights while addressing a weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers in Al-Yamamah Palace here yesterday.
"Islam calls for reconciliation and peace among nations. It preserves people’s rights, determines their duties, promotes justice, prevents ill-doing and aggression against others, and calls for prudence in all matters including the status of an individual in a way that benefits him and Muslim communities," King Fahd said.
Information Minister Dr. Fuad Al-Farsi said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the Cabinet meeting that King Fahd also briefed the council on the results of his discussions with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Eritrean President Asias Afeworki, Austrian President Thomas Klestil and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
The king also briefed the ministers on the calls and messages exchanged between the Kingdom and a number of Arab and friendly countries in the past week, Al-Farsi said.
The king added that all the talks and correspondence were aimed at serving the interests of the Arab and Muslim nations.
The king has been continuously consulting with other leaders on the latest developments in the regional and international arenas, Al-Farsi said.
The council decided to authorize the head of the Presidency of Civil Aviation to sign an agreement for air transport service between Kingdom and Ethiopia. The Cabinet also approved the request of the Interior Ministry for extra pay to the field staff in the Passport Department, similar to that received by the staff of security patrols, Al-Farsi added.
The levying of labor visa fees, currently undertaken with some difficulty by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be replaced by a new mechanism suggested by the Cabinet. In the new system of fee collection the ministries of interior, foreign affairs, finance and national economy and labor and social affairs will coordinate, the minister said.
The council also approved an annual allocation of SR600 million for the next five years to allow government employees to acquire bachelor degrees in the medical and health fields and computer science from foreign institutions to meet the needs of the concerned governmental bodies, Al-Farsi said.
The Cabinet also authorized the communications minister or his deputy to sign an agreement on road transport between the Kingdom and Syria.
It finally approved the appointment of Abdul Rahman ibn Abdullah Al-Aqla as the assistant undersecretary at the Makkah governorate.
Chavez to visit Riyadh: King Fahd received a telephone call from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez yesterday.
Chavez will visit Riyadh on Saturday to discuss with Saudi leaders ways to shore up waning oil prices, Venezuela’s ambassador here said yesterday.
"The president will arrive in Riyadh next Saturday for a few hours to discuss with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah the situation in the oil market," Carlos Mendoza said.
The visit was decided yesterday following a telephone call between King Fahd and Chavez, currently on a visit to Belgium, Mendoza added.
