Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, presiding today over the regular weekly session of the Council of Ministers, expressed satisfaction at the outcome of talks held in Cairo last week between Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minsiter and Commander of the National Guard, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. King Fahd stated that the purpose of this visit, coming within the framework of Arab cooperation and Islamic solidarity, was to close ranks and reinforce bilateral relations in the best interests of the two countries and their brotherly peoples, in addition to coordinating their stance towards a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region to be realized on the basis of the UN resolutions, the principles of the Madrid conference, and the formula of land-for-peace.

Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsi reported that King Fahd called for greater cooperation to face the obstacles put up by the Israeli side to hinder the peace process, citing the serious consequences of the Israeli policy on regional peace and stability, and reaffirming the absolute support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Palestine including the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland and establish their own independent state with Al-Quds [Jerusalem] as its capital; in addition, he called for continuation of peace talks on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks.
On the domestic level, King Fahd referred to the essential role being undertaken by the municipal and rural sector to realize the development objectives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which were designed to improve the living standards of the citizens and to provide them with their basic needs. This sector, he said, has performed well in urban planning, in setting up rural complexes, and in establishing, operating and maintaining public utilities networks and municipal services, as well as taking care of public parks and recreational centers, and protecting the environment. King Fahd expressed the hope that the scope of these services would be expanded to cover all parts of the Kingdom according to the real needs of the population.
The cabinet then passed a number of resolutions on various domestic issues, including approval of a recommendation, made by the Minister of the Interior and passed by the Shura Council, concerning the Arab strategy for combating terrorism which was endorsed by the Arab ministers of the interior earlier this year. A royal decree has been issued to this effect. The cabinet also approved the system of expatriate schools which was endorsed by the Shura Council last year.

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