Jeddah, SPA:

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet s session at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Monday afternoon.

 At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques welcomed pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom to perform Hajj rituals, the fifth pillar of Islam.

 The King directed various government and private bodies related to services of pilgrims to redouble their efforts, facilitate all matters for pilgrims to perform their Hajj rituals, compete in the service of pilgrims in the holy sites, perform more noble works for this great message with which the Kingdom s leadership and people are honored and spent billions on projects and expansion of works of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites, and overcome all difficulties from the start of granting visas to pilgrims by its embassies abroad to land, air and sea ports until they return to their countries after performing Hajj rituals.

 The King recommended pilgrims to dedicate themselves to worship and perform Hajj rituals away from actions contrary to the teachings of the Islamic religion.

 The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the message received from President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow of the Republic of Turkmenistan.

The Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Adel bin Zaid Altoraifi pointed out in a statement to Saudi Press Agency following the session that the Cabinet expressed its great appreciation and thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for the issuance of his order to pay a one month salary for active participants in the front lines of the two operations "Determination Storm and Renewal of Hope'' from the personnel of Ministries of Interior, Defense, and National Guard in recognition of the sincere people of this homeland who have made sacrifices for the religion and the homeland.

 The Cabinet reviewed a number of events at various levels, re-newing the Kingdom's strong condemnation and denunciation of the bombing, which occurred in a hospital in Quetta in southwestern Pakistan and the bombings that took place in the Kingdom of Thailand resulted in killing and wounding dozens of people, offering the Kingdom's condolences to the Republic of Pakistan, the Kingdom of Thailand and the families of the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

 The Minister noted that the Cabinet appealed to the international community and the United Nations Security Council to provide immediate and urgent protection for civilians and children in Aleppo and other Syrian cities, stop the cascade of blood shedding, and play an active role in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid immediately instead of the forced displacement of children and their families, stressing the Kingdom's condemnation in the strongest terms of the continuation of the Syrian regime's violations and its allies on a daily basis against civilians and exposing women and children to killing, destroying cities by indiscriminate aerial bombardment, deliberate targeting of schools, hospitals and medical personnel and using the blockade as a tactic of war, where the citizens of the Syrian people are starving to death or from the lack of medicine due to what is being carried out by foreign Revolutionary Guard forces and terrorist Hezbollah militias of the criminal role and contribution to killing and distortion to enhance what is being carried out by the Syrian regime's forces.

 - The Cabinet reviewed the activities of the tenth session of Souq Okaz which was inaugurated under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Governor of Makkah Region and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of Souq Okaz, commending the success being achieved by Souq Okaz year after year and what is embodied by its events through programs and visions that preserve heritage.

Dr. Adel bin Zaid Altoraifi said that the Council of Ministers was briefed on the topics of its agenda, including some which were reviewed by the Shura Council whereas the Cabinet took the following decisions:

 First:

 The Council of Ministers approved an amendment to paragraph (1) of Article sixth of the Organization of Job Creation and Unemployment Combat Authority, adding the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage as member to the Board of Directors of the authority.

 Second:

 Upon a recommendation of the Standing Committee of the Council of Economic Affairs and Development, the Cabinet approved the arrangements of how to deal with the economic and technical liaison offices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, authorizing the General Authority for Investment to issue licenses, renewals and terminations for economic and technical liaison offices in the Kingdom.

 Third:

 The Cabinet authorized the Madinah-based Islamic University to sign a draft memorandum of understanding between the Islamic University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Maldives Islamic University in the Republic of the Maldives, and forward the document to complete legal procedures.

 Fourth :

 The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, or his deputy, to discuss with the Egyptian side a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation between the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in the Arab Republic of Egypt regarding the exploitation of natural resources in the seabed and subsoil extending on either side of the maritime border line between the two countries, sign it, and forward the final version for legal procedures.

The Cabinet approved the final accounts of King Fahd Causeway Authority for the fiscal year 1435 - 1436 H.

 The Cabinet approved the following transfers and appointments:

 1- Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al-Sad-han to be transferred from the position of undersecretary of the ministry for social development at the 15th rank to the position of social consultant at the ministry of labor and social development at the same rank.

 2- Eng. Abdullah bin Abdurahman bin Rashed Al-Owaifer to be appointed as ambassador at the foreign ministry

 3- Eng. Ibrahim bin Saleh bin Abdullah Al-Mirshed to be appointed as electric consultant engineer at the 14th rank at the interior ministry

 4- Saleh bin Sulaiman bin Saleh Manhi to be appointed as Director General for Health affairs in Makkah Region at the 14th rank at the ministry of interior

 5- Ibrahim bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Haydari to be appointed as Director General for Social Services Administration at the 14th rank at the ministry of economy and planning.

 6- Bilaihed bin Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al-Bilaihed to be appointed as minister plenipotentiary at the ministry of foreign affairs.

 The Cabinet was briefed on a number of issues on its agenda, including annual reports of the General Auditing Bureau, the General Establishment for Water Desalination; and the General Authority for Technical and vocational technology. The Cabinet issued the relevant instructions