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, which focused on rural development in the Kingdom, reviewing the services that are currently being rendered to citizens throughout the country. Crown Prince Abdullah declared that ever since the Kingdom was established by King Abdulaziz, the Saudi Government has been fully committed to putting as its first priority the interests of its people; this is reflected in the constant instructions of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz to attend to the needs of the citizens. Crown Prince Abdullah stressed that development should cover all parts of the Kingdom, with rural areas given their full share on equal footing with urban centers. In this regard, he urged all concerned officials in all ministries and government departments to undertake field inspection tours and instigate continual follow-up procedures to upgrade the level of services rendered to citizens, aiming at overcoming any difficulties they might face.

The cabinet was also briefed on the Kingdom's humanitarian efforts to help those in need and those stricken by disaster in different parts of the world. What it does in this field comes within the noble message of Islam that urges cooperation, solidarity, love and mercy.
Turning to domestic matters, the cabinet passed a number of resolutions, including authorization for the Minister of Interior or his deputy to sign a draft agreement on border authority procedures with the Republic of Yemen; endorsement of the guidelines for draft agreements on general cooperation in the areas of economics, commerce, investment, education, science, technology, culture, information, tourism, youth and sports; and approval of the new Trademark Bill, which goes into effect 90 days after its publication it the official gazette, nullifying the previous Act.

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