Jeddah, SPA:
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet session held at Al-Salam Palace yesterday in Jeddah.
At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques congratulated the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as the Muslim and Arab peoples throughout the world on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, praying to Allah Almighty to bless the Muslims and help them fast and pray during the holy month of Ramadan in a manner that pleases Allah Almighty. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques urged all people to sense the greatness of this month; follow the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him); embody the spirit of love, brotherhood, cooperation, solidarity and self-accountability; and take initiative to the good of Islam and Muslims. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques directed the ministers and officials in charge of the implementation of Ramadan Season Plan 1431 H. to exert more efforts and provide best services for the convenience of Umrah performers and visitors of the holy places.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja said that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the talks and consultations he held with President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and President of the Palestinian National Authority, in addition to the message he received from Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Dr. Khoja said that the Cabinet listened to a report on the developments at regional and international arenas. The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom's condemnation of Israeli aggression against the Lebanese territory last Tuesday, stressing that this aggression is a violation of Resolution 1701 and targets the efforts being exerted to stabilize security and safety of Lebanon. The Cabinet called on the international community to play its role in preventing the recurrence of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon as well as the Israeli violation of Lebanon's sovereignty.
He pointed out that the cabinet deliberated a combination of topics in the local arena. It commended the resolution taken by UNESCO’s committee for world heritage which registered Al-Tarief district in Historic Diry’ia within the world list of heritage. The cabinet then approved the 9th development plan of the Kingdom which covers the years 1431/1432 – 1435/1436 (2010 - 2014).
The Minister stated that the Monarch ordered all Government Agencies to exert their utmost efforts to implement their programs and projects within the schedules previously specified. In addition, the King stressed the necessity of granting a keen priority to any program that has a direct effect on the people’s living to be most improved especially that a huge amount of SR 1444 Billion was allocated to spend on sustainable and promising development projects. The cabinet then discussed its agenda and issued its resolutions in this respect.