RIYADH: The Foreign Affairs Committee at the Shoura Council has given a fresh call for priority to Saudi nationals at foreign diplomatic missions in the Kingdom and Saudi embassies abroad.

Most of the staff at the foreign embassies here and the Kingdom’s diplomatic missions abroad are non-Saudis, the committee said in a report.

“Many of them are administrative and security jobs and cannot serve the interest of the mission because of inadequate understanding of the nature of Saudi society. Hence, Saudis should be appointed to these posts,” it said.

The committee said that in order to achieve social, political, security, economic and diplomatic goals, Shoura had eight years ago called for replacing non-Saudis with qualified young Saudi citizens,” the report said.

It also urged giving preference to Saudi graduates of language departments in the Kingdom’s universities and appoint them in these missions, especially those who can speak in their own language.

The committee recommended expansion of courses organized by the Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute of Diplomatic Studies, so that the graduates of these courses could work in the Kingdom’s embassies abroad, and foreign embassies in Saudi Arabia.

The report came on the heels of the MOFA recommendation discussed by the council on Monday.

The committee reaffirmed its decision to support the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in its efforts to establish headquarters of embassies, consulates and accommodation for ambassadors and consuls that reflect the high standing of the Kingdom among nations.

It also favored reconsidering the rules and regulations governing the opening of these missions, with focus on the countries where strategic, political, military and economic interest of the Kingdom are given priority.