JEDDAH, 27 December 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday called for rapid implementation of resolutions agreed upon by the extraordinary summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Makkah.
Speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting, King Abdullah expressed his optimism that the new phase of joint Islamic action set in motion by the OIC summit would help the Muslim world address modern challenges and changes.
The summit, which was held Dec. 7-8, approved a 10-year action plan for the overall development of OIC member countries. It also demanded a complete face-lift of the 57- member organization in order for it to play an effective role on the world stage. The 10-year action plan focuses on reforms and human rights and urges the member states to adopt a united stand on all issues at international forums. It has given the OIC secretary-general more powers and additional financial resources to carry out his mission.
OIC Secretary-General professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said the organization had already begun implementing the summit’s resolutions, working on the development of the Islamic Fiqh Academy and the OIC Charter.
He called for strong cooperation between the member states. King Abdullah also spoke about last week’s GCC summit in Abu Dhabi and said its discussions were remarkable for their “frankness, seriousness and credibility.” The unity of the GCC states would strengthen the position of the Gulf Cooperation Council on the world stage, he said.
“King Abdullah praised GCC leaders for their deep understanding of the strategic importance of joint GCC action,” Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani quoted the king as saying. King Abdullah commended the Abu Dhabi summit’s resolutions, especially those related to modernization and development within the member states and approval of the joint trade policy document.
The Cabinet meeting endorsed a GCC summit decision taken last year to provide insurance coverage for GCC citizens working in other member countries. The new decision, which comes into effect on Jan. 1, 2006, allows a GCC citizen to enjoy the benefits of social insurance and pension schemes in other member states.
Madani said the Cabinet also reviewed the preparations made by various departments for the Haj, which begins on Jan. 8. More than 800,000 pilgrims have already arrived from abroad for the annual religious event, the largest gathering of Muslims in the world.
The Cabinet meeting decided to change the name of the general statistics department to General Statistics and Information Department, which has been given powers to collect information related to both public and private sectors. “It is the official authority for collecting information and data,” Madani told the Saudi Press Agency.
The meeting authorized the interior minister or his deputy to hold talks with Italian officials to reach an agreement on fighting crime, the illicit trade of drugs and narcotics and organized crimes. It also agreed to hold talks between the Saudi Press Agency and its Italian counterpart to sign a cooperation agreement between them.
The Cabinet also authorized the finance minister to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart to sign an agreement on avoiding double taxation of revenues and capital funds and preventing tax evasion.
