Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the Cabinet session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh this afternoon. The Council began by reviewing a number of reports on developments in the regional and international arenas.

Noting that the Kingdom has carefully reviewed the agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 on November 24, the Cabinet characterized the deal as a primary step towards a comprehensive solution to the Iranian nuclear program. It viewed the development as potentially positive, as long as good intentions are proved and further steps lead to a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, but with a right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Next, the Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on the audiences held by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz last week with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Qatari Emir Tammim bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, as well as the Crown Prince’s own meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Then, the Cabinet reviewed a number of international and domestic events, conferences and meetings in which the Kingdom participated, including the 3rd Africa-Arab Summit; the 19th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; the “Image of The Other” Conference held by the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue; the 35th King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Holy Quran Memorization, Intonation and Interpretation; the 21st International Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence) Academy Conference; and the 2nd Saudi International Conference for Information Technology.

The Cabinet welcomed the approval by the United Nations General Assembly of a draft resolution submitted by Saudi Arabia on behalf of 66 member states calling for the protection of human rights in Syria. It also condemned the recent terrorist bombings in Beirut, rejecting terrorism in all its manifestations.

Domestically, the Cabinet thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for issuing a number of royal decrees approving a set of legal regulations as part of the King Abdullah Project for the Improvement of the Judicial System. The decrees pertained to systems of religious litigation procedures, criminal procedures and pleading procedures before the court of grievances.

Finally, the Cabinet listened to a report from Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz regarding the results of the field implementation of residence (Iqama) regulations and wished all success to the security bodies.

Addressing its remaining agenda items, the Cabinet authorized the Crown Prince to sign a draft agreement with Poland for cooperation in the field of defense; approved establishment of diplomatic relations with Trinidad and Tobago at the level of non-resident ambassador; authorized the Minister of Finance to sign draft agreements with Algeria and Kyrgyzstan regarding the avoidance of double taxation and tax evasion; and approved the appointment of Dr. Rashid Al-Zahrani as a member of the Trustees Council of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Prize for Honoring Inventors and the Talented, as a representative of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation.

The Cabinet approved the appointments of Fahd Al-Jarallah as Undersecretary for Documentation Affairs at the Ministry of Justice (15th rank); Abdulaziz Al-Ameer as Undersecretary for Central Services at the Ministry of Finance (15th rank); Dr. Abed Al-Saoudon as Undersecretary for Companies Affairs at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (15th rank); Seraj Al-Ghamdi as head of the Khamis Mushait Principality at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (14th rank); Abdulaziz Al-Thunyan as Civil Engineer Consultant at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (14th rank); Abdullah Al-Sharif as head of the Notary Office at the Ministry of Justice (14th rank); and Saleh Al-Aboudi as Assistant Undersecretary for Financial and Accounts Affairs at the Ministry of Finance (14th rank).