Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz today chaired the regular weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, and briefed the Cabinet on contacts with world leaders on international issues of concern, notably the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iraq. These contacts included his meeting with visiting King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. They also included messages he received from King Hassan of Morocco, delivered by the Moroccan minister of foreign affairs and cooperation; from the Prime Minister of Kuwait, delivered by the Kuwaiti foreign minister; from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, delivered by the British Secretary of Defense, and from the President of Guinea, delivered by the Guinean Prime Minister. The Crown Prince also briefed the Cabinet on the talks between the Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Spain and Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector-General Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz.

The Cabinet then expressed strong condemnation of the bombings in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, that resulted in the deaths of scores of innocent people and injuries to many others; and extended condolences to the government and people of the Republic of Egypt, and to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to those wounded. The Cabinet was briefed on the condition of the six Saudis who were injured in the attack, and on the efforts of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Cairo that included contacting all Saudi nationals in local hotels to ascertain their situation and provide any services needed, while maintaining contact with the concerned Egyptian authorities. All the injured Saudis have been transported to the Kingdom.

The Cabinet also condemned the recent bombings in London, U.K. and in Beirut, Lebanon. Crown Prince Abdullah commented that these criminal acts will increase the world's insistence on combating terrorism and enhance international cooperation in confronting and eradicating terrorists and their supporters.
The Cabinet was then briefed by Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz on the second meeting of interior ministers of countries that are neighbors to the Republic of Iraq, held last week in Istanbul, Turkey. The Cabinet commended the ministers' recommendations, which stressed Iraq's sovereignty, stability, territorial integrity and national unity, and which also condemned all terrorist acts, expressing commitment to confronting them through regional and international efforts.

Turning to its agenda, the Cabinet passed a number of resolutions, including authorization for the Minister of Interior or his deputy to discuss a draft security cooperation agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran on the extradition of both suspects and those convicted; and approval of support for cooperative associations working in agriculture and fisheries, including allocation of land for a nominal rent, designation of places to market produce, facilitation of financing, and ease of importing farmers' needs for fertilizers, pesticides, spare parts and equipment.

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