Riyadh- SPA

Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense,
chaired the Cabinet's session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday afternoon.

At the outset of the session, the Crown Prince expressed on behalf of the Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud his sincere thanks and deep
appreciation to the leaders, presidents, and senior officials of the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan, the Empire of Japan, the republics of India and Maldives, and the People's
Republic of China for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to him and the
accompanying delegation during his official visits to these countries. He commended  
their appreciation to the Government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,  their
Keenness and desire to promote close relations and in all fields.

The Cabinet again expressed the Kingdom's rejection and surprise
of the aggressive and irresponsible statements of the Iraqi Prime Minister in which he
accused Saudi Arabia of supporting terrorism in Iraq in an attempt to turn the facts
upside down and blame others to cover the failures of the Iraqi government at home .

The cabinet welcomed the firm stance  and fight against terrorism expressed by  Arab ministers of interior at their meeting in Morocco.

The Cabinet expressed appreciation for the continued support of the Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques and his special interest in industrial development in the Kingdom and his
vision that it is the optimal strategic option to achieve economic and social
development in the Kingdom.

The Cabinet also commended the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' patronage of the
proceedings of the Third Saudi Downstream Industries Forum in Yanbu Industrial City,
through which the Kingdom was keen to activate efforts and their integration between
government agencies and major companies in the Kingdom to create industrial
opportunities focusing on localization of desalination industry and other major
industries.

The Cabinet commended recommendations of the 14th Conference of Ministers of Higher
Education and Scientific Research in the Arab world, hosted by Saudi Arabia. It stressed
that the Arab strategy for scientific and technical research as well as innovation is
considered a pillar in the progress of Arab countries to meet the latest developments
and contemporary global challenges.