The king also congratulated graduates of all levels of education in the country in the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Monday.
In the meeting, the king called on the Arab countries that are currently passing through political disturbances to give priority to national security and stability and avoid bloodshed.
The king also welcomed the efforts of France to revive Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on the basis of the withdrawal of Israel to 1967 borders. The negotiations should begin with talks on borders of Israel with Palestine and security as a preliminary step to settle the core issues such as Jerusalem and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state under a time schedule that does not exceed one year, the Council of Ministers said.
The council also congratulated UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his re-election, Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency after the Cabinet meeting.
The king also briefed the Council of Ministers on his discussions with Jordan’s King Abdallah, who visited him Sunday, and on the message he received from Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari. The king affirmed the strong relationship between Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
The council approved a new pay scale for the medical staff in the armed forces with allowances in parity with medical professionals in civilian hospitals.
The council also approved the inclusion of the director general of the Anti-Narcotic Directorate to the membership of the National Anti-Narcotic Commission.
The council authorized the minister of justice to conduct discussions with his French counterpart on a draft agreement of cooperation in the field of justice.
The council approved an amendment to a clause in the National Plan for Response in Radiation and Nuclear Emergencies for increased periodic review by the Permanent National Committee for Response in Radiation and Nuclear Emergencies at the rate of once annually in the first three years and after that once in two years.
The cabinet also approved appointments of Yusuf Al-Khozaim and Adnan Bustagi as ministers plenipotentiary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Marwan Ismail as a legal adviser at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers. The council also appointed Abdullah Al-Dahmesh as the secretary-general of courts in the Ministry of Justice.
Meanwhile, King Abdullah met with visiting Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and discussed bilateral relations.
