Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz today chaired the regular weekly session of the Council of Ministers, and reassured the Cabinet of the health of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, whose condition is stable and satisfactory following the medical checkups he has recently undergone. Wished the King continued good health and praying that God Almighty preserve him for his people and his country, Crown Prince Abdullah expressed appreciation and thanks to the leaders of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other Arab, Islamic and friendly countries, as well as citizens at home and abroad, for the outpouring of their noble feelings towards King Fahd.

Crown Prince Abdullah then briefed the Cabinet on the decisions taken by the GCC leaders at their seventh consultative meeting in Riyadh, stressing that the ability of the GCC to confront challenges reflects its unity. The Cabinet discussed international developments particularly the Palestinian cause, the Middle East peace process, and the war on terrorism; and noted with satisfaction the positive results of the meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.

Turning to its agenda, the Cabinet passed a number of resolutions, including endorsement, in accordance with a resolution of the 2004 Bahrain GCC Summit, to exempt from customs tariffs raw and partially-processed diamonds; ratification, with some reservations, of the final documents issued by the conference of the International Telecom Union held in Morocco September 22 to October 18, 2002 [16 Rajab to 12 Shaaban 1423 H.]; and approval, upon recommendations submitted by the Minister of Agriculture, of actions considered contradictory to the GCC veterinary quarantine system and the penalties that would be imposed on violators.

Return