Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, in his capacity as head of the Supreme Pilgrimage Committee, yesterday carried out an inspection tour of Makkah and the holy sites, accompanied by a number of high officials, including Minister of Health Dr. Osama Shobokshi, Minister of Information Dr. Fuad Al-Farsi, Minister of Pilgrimage Iyad Madani, Minister of Commerce Osama Faqih, Minister of Communications Dr. Nasser Al-Saloum, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Dr. Mohammed Al-Jarallah, and Minister of Finance and National Economy Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf.

At a press conference later, Prince Nayef affirmed that Saudi Arabia remains dedicated to enabling all Muslims, irrespective of their nationality, to perform their Hajj rituals, and never involves political matters in pilgrimage affairs.

Prince Nayef went on to declare that Saudi Arabia would continue to work unwaveringly for the Palestinian cause, noting the Saudi initiative presented at the Beirut Arab Summit last year. He urged the international community to work for implementation of the UN resolutions pertaining to the Middle East, and denounced the repressive measures taken against the Palestinians by the Israeli government.

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