King Fahd leaves for Switzerland

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By a Staff Writer
Publication Date: 
Tue, 2002-05-21 03:00

JEDDAH, 21 May — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd left here yesterday for Switzerland to “spend some time for rest and relaxation,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported. Before departing, King Fahd delegated his responsibilities to Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, to run the affairs of the country until he returns from abroad.

King Fahd was seen off at Jeddah airport by Prince Abdullah, Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, other princes and high-ranking officials.

Meanwhile, Prince Abdullah chaired a weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al-Salam Palace here and urged the international community to press Israel to evacuate West Bank territory it has reoccupied. “The international community should take a firm stand toward the repeated Israeli incursions into the territory of the Palestinian Authority and force it to withdraw,” said a statement issued after the Cabinet meeting.

A pullout would enable the Palestinian Authority to “perform its task of establishing security and stability and rebuilding what the Israeli forces destroyed in an all-out aggression against the Palestinian people” since late March, it said.

A peace plan proposed by Prince Abdullah and approved by Arab leaders at a Beirut summit in March calls for normal ties with Israel if it withdraws fully from occupied Arab lands and allows Palestinian refugees to return.

Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency, Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy said the crown prince also called for the prudent use of electricity and water by the public to make optimum use of the resources available in the country.

He said Prince Abdullah commended the efforts of the ministries of electricity and water to ensure adequate supplies to various parts of the Kingdom.

“Everybody should use these vital resources carefully to ensure their continued availability in the interest of all,” Al-Farsy quoted the crown prince as saying.

The Cabinet emphasized the private sector’s role in promoting domestic tourism by establishing tourist projects in different parts of the country. Al-Farsy said the government would do the needful to create a suitable atmosphere for tourism and extend tourist services in tune with the country’s culture and traditions.

Prince Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of the talks between King Fahd and King Hamad of Bahrain.

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