Jeddha, June 30: Saudi Arabia yesterday welcomed the election of Nabih Berri as speaker of the Lebanese Parliament and Saad Hariri as prime minister and said the moves would strengthen the country’s security and stability.
The Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, said Saudi Arabia would stand by Lebanon in order to bolster its stability and sovereignty.
King Abdullah earlier briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Jeddah on Sunday. The talks focused on efforts to revive the Middle East peace process on the basis of the Arab peace initiative.
The Saudi-Egyptian summit talks also referred to Cairo’s ongoing efforts to reconcile the Palestinian factions in order to restore their legitimate rights and enable them to work together for the welfare and progress of the Palestinian people.
“Achieving a permanent and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue and ending the conflicts on all tracks are the way to achieve security and stability in the region. That would also contribute to achieving progress on other regional issues,” the Cabinet said after hearing a report on an extraordinary meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo last week.
Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet authorized Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif to sign an extradition treaty with India. The agreement will allow the extradition of suspects and convicts in Saudi Arabia and India to the other country.
The Cabinet decided to acquire 59,000 square meters of land to establish a public park in Al-Ahsa. The land belonged to Ain Najm Recreation Center. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities will supervise historical places in the area, the Saudi Press Agency said. The Cabinet endorsed an agreement with the Netherlands for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion. The agreement was signed in Riyadh last October. The meeting authorized Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry to hold talks with officials on reaching an Arab transport agreement.
The Cabinet approved the establishment of a joint stock company to be known as the Saudi Electronic Information Exchange Company (Tabadul). The new company will invest in information technology and the telecom and banking industries.
The president of the King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology has been assigned to sign an agreement with Uzbekistan for cooperation in science and technology.
The Cabinet appointed Saher Tahlawi director general of Jeddah Islamic Port, Jasser bin Abdul Rahman Al-Jasser undersecretary at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Prince Fahd bin Thunayan bin Muhammad adviser for technical affairs at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Fahd bin Muhammad Al-Rasheed director of the office of the president at the National Guard, and Abdul Rahman bin Saleh Al-Rowaitie deputy director general of the General Organization for Grain Silos and Flourmills for operation and maintenance.
—Agencies