JEDDAH, 9 September 2003 — Saudi Arabia yesterday called for an international peacekeeping force to maintain security in the occupied Palestinian territories. It also urged the Palestinians to strengthen their unity.
The Council of Ministers, which met here under the chairmanship of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, denounced Israeli policies that ignored its obligations under the Middle East peace road map.
“By continuing the construction of the security wall, Israel intends to grab more Palestinian territories,” Culture and Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy told the Saudi Press Agency after the Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet welcomed UN Security Council Resolution No. 1500 concerning the Iraqi Governing Council, and hoped that it would lead to the formation of a legitimate government that would protect Iraq’s independence and sovereignty.
Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, briefed the ministers on his recent visit to Russia. The visit saw the signing of a landmark energy accord with Moscow for promoting cooperation in the oil and gas sectors.
“King Fahd commended the efforts made by the crown prince to strengthen Saudi-Russian ties and hoped the royal visit’s outcome would serve as a solid basis for fruitful cooperation between the two countries,” Al-Farsy said.
The Cabinet meeting reviewed the arrangements made by the educational departments in various regions to welcome students for the new academic year (2003-4). King Fahd congratulated the students on the new academic year and urged education officials to make the year a success.
The Cabinet authorized the foreign minister to hold talks with Algeria and sign a memorandum of understanding for political consultation between their foreign ministries. The meeting also approved an agreement for cooperation with the Algerian Education Ministry.
The Cabinet gave approval to an agreement with Turkmenistan for cooperation in the economic, commercial, investment, educational, scientific, technical, cultural, information, tourism, youth welfare and sports sectors. Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has been assigned to hold talks with Turkmen officials.
Another MoU will be signed with Azerbaijan for cooperation in Islamic affairs and endowments. Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh will hold talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart. The Cabinet also endorsed the GCC agreement for wildlife protection.
The meeting approved a change in Article 15 of the commercial and economic accord with Syria. According to the change, the accord will last for two years and will be renewed automatically for another two years if neither party informs the other of its intention to end it three months before the end of the agreement.
In related developments, King Fahd received the new Saudi Ambassador to France Dr. Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Asheikh and urged him to work to strengthen Saudi-French relations. The king also asked Al-Asheikh to convey his greetings to President Jacques Chirac.
Also yesterday, Crown Prince Abdullah held talks with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh by telephone on major Arab and international issues.
