Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz began the Cabinet session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh this afternoon by congratulating Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz on his new appointment as Deputy Crown Prince and praying for his success.

Then, the Cabinet was briefed on the results of the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Saudi Arabia and his talks with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. The ministers commended the deep bilateral relations between the U.S. and the Kingdom and called for enhancing ties in a mutually beneficial way.

After reviewing the latest regional and international developments, the Cabinet commended the Kuwait Declaration and the decisions of the 25th Arab Summit. It stressed the importance of strengthening Arab solidarity in order to achieve progress and prosperity for the Arab peoples. The Cabinet also welcomed the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of the Philippines and the Islamic Moro Liberation Front (MILF), which will hopefully lead to peace and stability in the southern Philippines. Finally, the ministers expressed hope that the recommendations made at the 3rd Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague will lead to further progress in global efforts to enhance nuclear safety. They noted the initiatives put forth by the Kingdom to prevent nuclear terrorism and reiterated their call for a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Turning to domestic affairs, the Cabinet said that the awarding of the 36th King Faisal International Prize exemplifies the Kingdom’s appreciation of culture and science. It also commended the Award and Grant of Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz for the Study and Research of the History of the Arabian Peninsula, which promotes knowledge of Saudi history.

Addressing its weekly agenda items, the Cabinet approved the amendment of Article (15) of the Military Colleges Regulation, issued by Royal Decree No. (M/50); approved the Headquarters Agreement between the Saudi government and the Monetary Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); authorized the Minister of Interior to sign a draft agreement on cooperation regarding the mutual recognition of driver’s licenses with Tunisia; approved two agreements on the prevention of double taxation and tax evasion with Ethiopia and Luxembourg; authorized the Minister of Transport sign a draft agreement on cooperation with Algeria in the field of maritime transport; and approved a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Ministry of Health and the Portuguese Ministry of Health on cooperation in the health fields.

The Cabinet approved the appointments of Dr. Naif Al-Otaibi as Undersecretary for Petroleum Affairs at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (15th rank); Faisal Al-Zaban as Undersecretary for Planning and Follow-up at the Ministry of Transport (14th rank); Abdullah Al-Saleh as Director-General of Investment Development at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (14th rank); Ahmad Al-Qadhi as Director General of Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Interior; Abdul-Ilah Dalak as Director General of Administrative and Financial Affairs at the General Presidency for Youth Welfare (14th rank); Yahya Khaulani as Director General of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (14th rank); and Zuhair Kateb as Director General of the Department of Roads and Transport in Eastern Province at the Ministry of Transport.