“The failure of the deliberations of the Security Council to take a decision in support of the Arab initiative should not prevent (all parties concerned) from taking decisive steps to protect innocent lives, stop the bloodshed and the violence in Syria which also poses threats such as instability in the region,” the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers said.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah chaired the meeting held at Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
King Abdullah briefed the council of the message he received from Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and about his discussions with Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde, who visited him on Friday.
The council also reviewed ongoing preparations for the 27th Janadriyah National Heritage and Cultural Festival being organized under the auspices of the king, Minister of Social Affairs Yousuf Al-Othaimin, who is also acting minister of culture and information, said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency after the council meeting.
The council also lauded the king for canceling a musical operetta and the Ardah dance at the national festival in solidarity with the anguish and suffering of the people of Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Tunisia.
The council commended the opening of the seminar on the humanitarian and social aspects of the King Abdul Aziz’s reign and the launching of the Prince Salman Chair for Historical and Civilization Studies of the Arabian Peninsula at King Saud University.
The council endorsed three memorandums of understanding on cooperation in areas of investigations in money laundering and terror financing. The Kingdom signed separate MoUs with Lebanon, Andorra and Estonia in June 2010.
The council authorized the minister of commerce and industry, who is chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Standards Organization (SSO), to negotiate with Qatar for technical cooperation between SSO and the Qatari Ministry of Environment.
The council approved a memorandum of cooperation in science and education between the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland, signed in Helsinki on Feb. 15, 2011.
The council also endorsed the final accounts of the King Fahd Causeway Authority for 2010.
The meeting also approved the establishment of the Saudi Aquaculture Society for promotion of fish and marine organisms under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The council appointed Abdul Aziz bin Naif commander of the First Regiment at the Presidency of the National Guard, and Abdul Rahman Al-Sehaibani and Huza Al-Motairi ministers plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
