King Abdullah chairs Cabinet session (4/2/12)
April 2, 2012
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz began the weekly Cabinet meeting at his residence in Rawdhat Khuraim today with a briefing on his latest meetings with foreign officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
After reviewing the latest regional and international developments, the Cabinet welcomed the decisions issued by the 23rd Arab Summit held in Baghdad last week, which dealt with a number of issues concerning the Arab world. It also hailed the convening of the 1st GCC-U.S. Strategic Cooperation Forum, which aimed at creating an official framework for mutual strategic cooperation in the political, military, security and economic fields. The ministers lauded the statement on Syria issued by the Forum, which denounced the continued violence of the Syrian regime and expressed support for the efforts of U.N.-Arab League Joint Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan to resolve the crisis.
Furthermore, the Cabinet expressed appreciation for the international efforts being exerted to assist the Syrian people, including the organizing of the Friends of the Syrian People Conference in Istanbul. During the Conference, it noted, the delegates recognized the Syrian National Council as the legitimate representative of all Syrians and demanded that the regime in Damascus fully implement U.N. and Arab League resolutions, as well as Annan’s Six Point Plan.
Finally, the Cabinet praised the decisions issued by the recently concluded Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea. The ministers reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to making the Middle East a nuclear weapons-free region and taking all possible precautions to prevent nuclear accidents, noting that it is a signatory to the key international agreements relating to the peaceful and safe use of atomic energy.
Addressing the remaining items on its agenda, the Cabinet approved a security cooperation agreement with Malaysia, signed in Riyadh on April 18, 2011; approved an anti-money laundering system involving terror financing and other crimes; and approved the licensing of the Wadi (Valley) Makkah Company for Technology, a Saudi joint stock company.