Riyadh – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the session held by the Cabinet at al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh.

At the outset of the meeting, the Custodian briefed the ministers on the contents of two messages he received from the President of Algeria Abdulaziz Bouteflika and the outcome of his meetings and talks with each of Algerian Premier Abdulmalik al-Sallal; Prime Minister of Ethiopia Hailemariam Desalegn; Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Abulghait; GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani and Italian interior minister Engelo Alfano.

The Cabinet reiterated its support for the outcome of the extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers of the member countries of the OIC recently held in Makkah that the Kingdom would never be lenient to protect the two holy mosques, citing the meeting’s underscoring the importance of stopping the practices of Houthi militia and their supporters such as launching a ballistic missile towards Makkah in a flagrant provocation of Muslims feelings and demonstrating an uncalculated threat on the Islamic sanctities.

The Cabinet denounced the brutal shelling and criminal work, on the Syrian people in Aleppo province and its surroundings, particularly the hospitals and schools, resulting in their demolition and depriving the civilians from relief assistance. The Cabinet noted that abrupt attacks are considered contrary to the principles, values and essence of the human international law and the principles of humanity in general.

The Custodian was briefed on the 52nd annual report of Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) for the fiscal year 2015. The king lauded the Kingdom’s financial situation to the security and stability it is enjoying and expressed his appreciation of SAMA for the efforts it was exerting in the service of the country’s national economy as per the objectives of Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020(NPT).

Following the session, Minister of Culture and Information Adel bin Zaid al-Toraifi explained in a statement to SPA that the Cabinet highlighted the statement made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, on the importance of protecting children from the phenomenon that threatens the fundamentals of human societies, violates children’s innocence and breaches their dignity and honor in any way.

He added that the Kingdom’s hosting of the national forum for prevention from children sexual abuse on the internet, reflects its interest and care for human rights in general and children rights in particular based on the instructions of the Islamic religion.

The Cabinet was also briefed on the points raised by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, during chairing the 15th meeting of the GCC defense ministers, citing that everybody is gearing forward to see the GCC march proceeding onward, particularly in the defense field, amid the current challenges engulfing the region’s countries necessitating more coordination and work to develop action promptly.

The Cabinet was also briefed on the Kingdom’s resolve shown before the UN framework convention 22nd conference on climate change held in Marrakech that it would remain committed to its firm role on facing the problem of climate change, meet the world’s oil energy needs in the long run and provide support for gradual transformation towards a more sustainable environmental future.

The Cabinet also lauded the outcome of the 33rd GCC ministers of labor and social affairs held in Riyadh, citing the initiatives and programs envisaged to effectively contribute to a number of issues pertaining to the labor and social development fields, including the GCC joint common market.

The Cabinet praised the results of the “Arab Gulf Security” exercise held in Bahrain in which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia UAE, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait participated in.

Toraifi said that the Cabinet was briefed on the agenda and concluded several articles, of which we mention the following:

The Cabinet authorized Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, or his deputy, to discuss and sign with the Zambian side a draft memorandum of cooperation in combating terrorism, organized crime and illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substances between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Zambia.

The Cabinet approved a number of arrangements pertaining to the privatization of sports clubs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Cabinet approved a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Islamic Affairs and Endowments between the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs of the Republic of Maldives, which was signed in Male on 07/02/1437H.

The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or his deputy, to discuss and sign with the Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation a draft headquarters agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Independent Permanent Commission for Human Rights of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The Cabinet approved the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Central Africa at the level of non-resident ambassador; and authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or his deputy, to sign a relevant protocol.

The Cabinet approved an agreement in the field of employment of domestic workers between the Ministry of Labour and Social Development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Public Service of the Republic of Chad, which was signed in Riyadh on 19/01/1437H.

The Cabinet approved the renewal of the membership of Eng. Mohamed bin Abdullah bin Ibrahim al-Khurayef to the Board of Directors of Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization and appointed Rami bin Khalid bin Ali al-Turki and Yasser bin Mohammed bin Saleh Bahareth as members at the Organization’s Board of Directors, for a period of three years starting from the date of entry into force of the decision.