JEDDAH, 12 September 2006 — Saudi Arabia yesterday called for greater international cooperation to fight terrorism but warned that discriminatory practices under the guise of combating terror would have negative consequences.
The Council of Ministers, which met under the chairmanship of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, also expressed its sympathy toward the American victims of 9/11 terror attacks five years ago.
“Terrorism is hitting innocent people of different nationalities and religions in many countries,” the Cabinet said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
“Islamic countries have been the main targets of terrorist operations,” the Cabinet statement said and emphasized the importance of an international counterterrorism center.
The Cabinet condemned the move to link terrorism with a particular religion or nationality. “It also cautioned against the harmful effects of practicing discrimination and racism in the name of combating terror,” SPA quoted the Cabinet as saying.
Earlier, King Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.
“The king reiterated the Kingdom’s support for Lebanon and its legitimate institutions as well for rebuilding the country and implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani said after the Cabinet meeting.
Saudi Arabia has placed $1 billion in Lebanon’s central bank in an effort to prop up the Lebanese pound and made a separate donation of $500 million to rebuild the war-torn country. It has announced plans to send 560 truckloads of relief supplies including food and medicine to alleviate the suffering of Lebanese victims of the 34-day Israeli military offensive.
Madani said the Cabinet called for the preservation of Iraq’s unity and security. “Efforts to divide the country on ethnic and madhabi (schools of religious thought) basis must be confronted,” the statement said.
The meeting urged Palestinians to intensify their efforts to establish a national unity government capable of realizing their hopes and aspirations. The Cabinet, which met at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, expressed its hope that Middle East issues, especially the Palestinian one, would figure high at the next annual meeting of the United Nations.
The meeting authorized Interior Minister Prince Naif or his deputy to hold talks with his Bosnian counterpart in order to reach an agreement on combating terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking.
It also endorsed a new law on timeshare in tourism-related real estate units. The law, drafted by the Supreme Commission for Tourism, will come into effect 90 days after its publication in the official gazette.
The Cabinet approved the agreement signed with India on Jan. 25, 2006 on avoiding double taxation and preventing tax evasion. According to the agreement, the revenue received by a resident of one country from immovable properties in the second country will be subject to taxation in the second country, SPA said.
The Cabinet named the chairman and members of a special committee under the Electricity Regulatory Authority to settle disputes for three years. They are: Muhammad ibn Abdullah Al-Marzouki, chairman, Sameer ibn Alwan Al-Bayat, Yousuf ibn Muhammad Al-Mubarak, Anwar ibn Hassan Mufti, Fahd ibn Muhammad Al-Eissa, and Ayub ibn Mansour Al-Jarboue (all members).
Meanwhile, the Saudi Popular Committee for the Relief of Lebanon is getting ready to operate the largest relief convoy in its history with 560 trucks carrying 12,375 tons of relief supplies, Saaed Al-Harithy, the committee’s president, said yesterday. “This is the largest relief program ever organized by the Kingdom,” he said.
