Jeddah – Saudi Arabia welcomed on Monday the concluding statement of the meeting of foreign ministers of the anti-terror quartet that was held in Bahrain to tackle the Qatari crisis. It also backed its denouncement of the Qatari authorities’ deliberate obstruction of pilgrims seeking to perform the Hajj, lauding of the Kingdom’s continuous efforts to receive pilgrims.

The Saudi cabinet condemned in its session – chaired by Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Mohammed bin Salman – the Houthi militia missile attack directed at Makkah and aimed at disrupting the annual Hajj season.

It reaffirmed the Coalition Command’s role in upholding legitimacy in Yemen. It noted that the ongoing smuggling of missiles into Yemeni territories is due to the absence of supervision over Hodeidah Port and misuse of permits granted by the Coalition for relief and goods consignments.

Prince Mohammed lauded the efforts of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz in resolving the standoff at the al-Aqsa Mosque in the Jerusalem. He said that the King’s contacts with several international leaders led to the removal of Israeli restrictions on Palestinians banned from worshiping at the mosque.

The cabinet reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s constant support of the Palestinian people. It reiterated that the only way to achieve peace is by returning to the 2002 Arab peace initiative and laying down an effective international mechanism that guarantees all the rights of the Palestinians, ends the Israeli occupation and establishes a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as a capital.

The Vice Custodian briefed the cabinet on the discussions he had with Joseph Votel, Commander of the US Central Command. Their meeting tackled bilateral cooperation, especially in the defense field, joint efforts to combat terror and extremism and the latest developments in the region.

In addition, the cabinet strongly condemned Monday’s terror blast in Kabul and offered condolences to the victims, government and people of Afghanistan.