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 expressed appreciation of the continued spontaneous patriotic feelings displayed by citizens in open meetings nationwide that reflect the strong solidarity between the people and the leadership against the deviant group and threats against the Kingdom’s security and stability. The Crown Prince, praising the citizens' loyalty to their country and commending the courage of the security officers, reiterated Saudi Arabia’s determination to confront terrorism.

On the Palestinian issue, the Cabinet deplored the continued silence of international organizations, especially those dealing with human rights, concerning Israel's inhuman treatment of Palestinian detainees, whose tragic situation he urged the international community to look into, and to hold Israel, as the occupying power, responsible for all its crimes against them, and bring those who perpetrated these crimes to justice, to be tried as war criminals. On Iraq, the Cabinet welcomed the peaceful solution reached in Najaf, and expressed the hope that this will be the beginning of stability and peace in that country.

Turning to domestic affairs, the Cabinet passed a number of resolutions, including authorization for the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance or his deputy to discuss with the Moroccan side a draft memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco; approval of the draft agreement signed on July 22, 2003 with the European Commission concerning privileges and immunities for its officials in Riyadh; and approval of a memorandum of scientific and educational cooperation between the Kingdom’s Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Republic of the Sudan which was signed in Khartoum on April 17, 2004.

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