The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh this afternoon.

King Salman commenced the meeting by briefing the Cabinet on the outcomes of his talks with South African President Jacob Zuma during which they reviewed the fields of cooperation and ways of enhancing them, particularly in the military field.  The King also briefed the Cabinet on the outcomes of his meeting with the Speaker of Georgian Parliament Davit Usupashvili.

The Cabinet welcomed the convening of the first meeting of the Chiefs of Staff of the Islamic Military Allian, stressing the Riyadh Declaration issued by the meeting that includes a comprehensive strategic perspective for countering terrorism and extremism.

The Cabinet renewed the Kingdom’s calls on the UN Security Council to establish an international protection system for the Palestinian state, expressing condemnation of Israeli authorities for continuing construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied Arab territories. It also expressed its regret on the resignation of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories due to the lack of cooperation by the Israeli occupation authorities.

The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom's condemnation of the terrorist bombing south of Baghdad, Iraq, Lahore, Pakistan, and Brussels, Belgium. The Cabinet stressed the need for concerted international efforts to fight terrorism, which is disapproved by all religions, international norms and charters and the importance of saving communities from evils of this dangerous scourge.

The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom's condemnation of the Israeli’s continued construction of illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied Arab territories, as well as its regret over the resignation of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories due to lack of Israeli  cooperation.  The Cabinet stressed Israel's indifference to international legitimacy and its determination to go forward in committing violations of human rights and international humanitarian laws.

The Cabinet also hailed the recommendations issued by the Fourth Saudi-United States Business Opportunities Forum organized by the Ministry of Commerce, and of the importance of strengthening commercial ties between the two countries.

The Cabinet concluded by discussing a number of domestic affairs, including allocating SR10 million ($27 million) annually for three years to the Ministry of Social Affairs’ budget for on awareness programs for couples planning to marry.