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 stressed that the terrorist bombings in Riyadh were crimes that wreaked havoc in the land, attacking the sanctity of the country as well as innocent people whose lives were under protection. These bombings, he said, terrorized the public, destroyed property, and resulted in a gross crime that violates the principles of Islam, which protects the five necessities: religion, life, honor, mind and property. The cabinet issued a strong denunciation of these criminal acts, stressing the State's concern, under the leadership of King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, to maintain safety in the country for citizens and expatriates alike, and its determination to confront such evil acts and the criminals who abandoned all Islamic and human values. The council went on to underline that the Kingdom's security and stability cannot be affected by such criminal and terrorist acts, or by those standing behind them; and pointed out that the citizens' awareness of the consequences of these shameful acts can only boost their role in cooperating with security agencies to expose all those who attempt to undermine the security and stability of the homeland, or anyone who instigates such attempt.

Crown Prince Abdullah expressed thanks to all Arab, Islamic and friendly countries, and all those who condemned these bombings and extended condolences to the Kingdom on the victims. He reiterated the Kingdom's ability, with God's help, to confront and eradicate terrorism, in cooperation with all friendly countries. He gave reassurances that the State will continue to fight this dangerous phenomenon, noting that Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to suffer from terrorism.
The Crown Prince went on to praise the achievements and activities carried out by the Consultative Council (Majlis Al-Shura) since its formation, such as: providing advice and studies on various regulations, laws and agreements; discussing domestic and foreign affairs of the State; and dealing efficiently with all that falls within its jurisdiction. Such active engagement has, he said, resulted in decisions that have yielded great benefits for the homeland and its citizens. On the occasion of the opening session of the third year of the Shura Council's third term, Crown Prince Abdullah expressed thanks and appreciation for the sincere efforts exerted by the chairman and all its members, to whose concern and dedication in discharging their duties sincerely and honestly is due the Council's success. Referring to the important themes of the address to the Shura Council by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz at the inaugural session, he urged the cabinet to translate these into a program of work in the various areas covered, in order to achieve the goals set by the King.
The cabinet also expressed strong denunciation and condemnation of the criminal terrorist acts that took place in Casablanca, Morocco, last Friday, killing a number of innocent people. In this regard, the cabinet stressed the need for a concerted international effort to confront terrorism and clamp down on the perpetrators and their supporters.
The cabinet was then briefed on the situation in Iraq and in Palestine, with reference to contacts made over the last few days with a number of officials in different countries. The Kingdom stressed in these contacts the importance of law and order being restored in the cities of Iraq and day-to-day affairs being carried out by Iraqi citizens in order to pave the way for the establishment of a constitutional government. The Kingdom also stressed in these contacts its concern that steps be expedited to implement the road map for Palestine, including the basics of the Arab peace initiative that deals on the one hand with all aspects and all tracks of the dispute, and on the other, determines the final destination of the path to peace.
Turning to domestic issues, the cabinet passed a number of resolutions, including authorization for the Minister of Higher Education or his deputy to negotiate a draft memorandum of understanding on educational and scientific cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development of the Republic of Korea.

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