At the outset of the weekly Cabinet session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh today, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz expressed his appreciation for the numerous good wishes sent from leaders around the world on the occasion of Saudi Arabia’s 81st National Day. He asked Allah Almighty to perpetuate the security and stability of the Kingdom, allowing it to continue serving the Arab and Islamic worlds. Then, the King gave a briefing on the recent meeting he held with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, during which he stressed the Kingdom’s support for its neighbor.

For its part, the Cabinet hailed the speech delivered on Sunday by King Abdullah to the opening session of the third year of the Majlis Al-Shoura’s fifth term. In particular, they welcomed the King’s decision to allow women to serve in the Majlis Al-Shoura and to permit them to participate in future municipal elections. The ministers also praised the Shoura Council’s domestic and foreign policies and endeavors.

Next, the Cabinet listened to reports on events that took place inside the Kingdom last week, including the International Conference on the Takfeer Phenomenon, Its Causes, Effects and Treatment in Madinah and the Okaz cultural market in Taif.

On the international front, the ministers reviewed regional and global developments, including the events surrounding the opening of the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. They welcomed the launching of the Center for Combating Terrorism, which was proposed by King Abdullah in 2005, and supported the application submitted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asking for full U.N. membership for a new Palestinian state.

Addressing its remaining agenda items, the Cabinet authorized the President of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority to sign a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Red Crescent Authority and the Turkish Red Crescent Society; authorized the Minister of Higher Education to sign a draft memorandum of scientific and educational cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education and the Hungarian Ministry of National Resources; and approved the final accounts of the Saudi Ports Authority for fiscal year 1430/1431AH.

Finally, the Cabinet approved the appointments of Dr. Abdullah Ansari as Director General of Legal Affairs and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Interior (15th rank); Ahmad Al-Zahrani as Director General of the Makkah branch of the Ministry of Justice (15th rank); Abdulaziz Mefleh as Administrative Consultant at the Ministry of Justice (15th rank); Dr. Riyadh Najm as Undersecretary for Media Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Information (15th rank); and Hamad Al-Sadoun as Scientific Research Expert at King Abdulaziz City for Sciences and Technology (KACST) (14th rank).