Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz began the Cabinet session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh this afternoon with a review of the latest events and developments in the regional and international arenas. The Cabinet hailed the speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz at the 30th session of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, which was held in Riyadh last week. It welcomed the recommendations of the Council to strengthen Arab cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism and expressed appreciation for the decision to establish an award named after the late Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz.

The Cabinet noted the beginning of the cultural and scholarly activities accompanying the naming of Madinah as the Capital of Islamic Culture in 2013. It praised the Maazir Aliyman gallery launched by Crown Prince Salman in Madinah last week, showcasing the great spirit of the city and its contribution to Islamic science and culture.

Also on the domestic front, the Cabinet commended the Kingdom’s 12th ranking – out of 144 countries – in road quality by the Global Competitiveness Report, published by the World Economic Forum in Switzerland for 2012-2013.

Turning to its remaining weekly agenda items, the Cabinet approved the appointments of several members of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Commission for Wildlife; approved a cooperation agreement with China in the field of sports; approved the Kingdom’s accession to the convention on standard insurance cards for cars across the Arab world; amended a series of rules regarding the employment of foreign workers by those who did not originally sponsor them; approved a number of measures regarding the proposal to hold awareness courses for those who want to get married under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs; and approved a number of measures related to the planning process of the Ministry of Transport.

The Cabinet approved the appointments of Abdulrahman Al-Mansour as Undersecretary for Rural Affairs at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (15th rank); Mahmoud Al-Rasheed as Undersecretary for Planning and Development at the Ministry of Interior (15th rank); Prince Bandar bin Abdullah bin Nasser bin Farhan Al-Saud as Assistant Undersecretary for Municipal Affairs at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (14th rank); and Mansour Al-Tayyar as Advisor for Issues at the Ministry of Interior (14th rank).