The Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Mohammad bin Naif chaired the Cabinet's weekly session at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah this afternoon. The Cabinet began it session by welcoming the pilgrims who began to arrive in the Kingdom for the Hajj. The Vice Custodian conveyed the King's keenness on providing the best possible services and facilities to perform their rituals easily, comfortably and securely.

The Cabinet also welcomed the joint statement issued by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United States working group to combat terrorism.

The Cabinet reviewed the final resolution of the Council of the Arab League, which discussed the serious developments in Libya. The final resolution stressed the need to respect the unity and sovereignty of Libya, maintain its territory and political independence, renounce violence, and help Libya counter terrorism and violations committed by the terrorist organization Daesh (ISIS) against innocent people in Sirte.

Turning to domestic issues, the Cabinet was brief on the new cases of coronavirus detected in Riyadh. The Cabinet stressed the importance that all bodies continue and intensify their efforts to control the virus through various precautionary measures to prevent the transmission of the virus and to treat people infected by it.

The Cabinet reviewed a number of issues on its agenda and issued the following decisions: authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or his deputy, to negotiate and sign a draft memorandum of understanding on the political consultations with Ethiopian; amendments to Article 16 of the Health System issued by Royal Decree No. M/11 dated 23/03/1423H.; approved the appointment of Major General Dr. Suleiman bin Mohammed Al-Malik as member of the Cooperative Health Insurance Council representing government health sectors; approved the appointment of Mohamed bin Abdullatif Jameel as member representing the private sector in the Board of Directors of the Saudi General Authority for Investment (SAGIA); and increase the amount of locally produced wheat the General Organization for Grain Silos and Flour Mills is authorized to purchase from this year’s crop.