Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, today presided over the regular weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers and expressed gratitude to Almighty God that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz had recovered from his successful gallbladder operation last week at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh.  Crown Prince Abdullah also extended thanks and appreciation to all Saudi citizens, as well as the heads of state and dignitaries of sisterly and friendly countries, who expressed their feelings for the King.

Information Minister Dr. Fouad Ibn Abdulsalaam Al-Farsi reported that Crown Prince Abdullah went on to reiterate the Kingdom's denunciation of Israel's obstinacy which has resulted in the suspension of the Middle East peace process, and that the cabinet called on the world community, and in particular the United States, to urge Israel to resume peace negotiations on all tracks in accordance with UN security council resolutions and agreements concluded by the parties concerned.  The cabinet also deplored the illegal violations by the Israeli government in the city of Al-Quds, and underscored the importance of maintaining the city's legal and demographic situation at its status prior to June 1997.
Crown Prince Abdullah also reiterated the Kingdom's appeal to the world community to translate words into deeds and put an end to the flagrant Serb hostilities against Kosovo, which is suffering from the same oppression, tyranny and arson that Bosnia did.
The cabinet then passed several resolutions on domestic matters, including approval for the renewal of a cooperation agreement between the Saudi Ministry of Defense and that of the Republic of Italy, and endorsement of an amendment to the constitution of the International Labor Organization (ILO) approved at its 85th session in Geneva on June 19, 1997, concerning the addition to paragraph 8 of Article 18 of the following words: "Upon a proposal of the Board of Directors, the conference may cancel with two thirds of the votes of those present any accredited agreement according to the Articles of this Act if it is proved that the agreement is irrelevant or no longer provides any useful contribution to the realization of the objectives of the organization." 
The cabinet also approved the re-formation of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Industrial Development Fund for a period of three years effective from the date of validity of this decision, as follows:
1. Deputy Minister of Finance and National Economy, Chairman
2. A representative of the Ministry of Industry and Electricity, member
3. A representative of the Ministry of Commerce, member
4. A representative of the Ministry of Planning, member
5. A representative of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), member.

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