Saudi Arabia Warns Parties Blocking Syria Solution

Saudi Arabia yesterday emphasized the need to find an immediate and effective solution to the worsening political crisis in Syria and warned parties obstructing international peace efforts that they should take moral responsibility for the carnage in the country.

The Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, was reviewing the outcome of the international conference of the Friends of Syria held in Tunis.

“Saudi Arabia will be at the forefront of any international effort aimed at finding an immediate, comprehensive and effective solution to protect the Syrian people,” Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said quoting a Cabinet statement.

The Cabinet added: “The Kingdom will hold international parties that obstruct the global (peace) move for the worsening situation in Syria morally responsible, especially if they continue their stand that ignores the interests of the Syrian people.”

The Cabinet congratulated Yemen’s Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on taking the oath of office as the country’s new president, wishing greater progress and prosperity for the people of the country.

During the Cabinet meeting, King Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali and his telephone conversations with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Sudan’s President Omar Bashir.

The Cabinet commended the resolutions taken by the London conference to establish peace and stability in Somalia and hoped its implementation would put an end to the protracted crisis in the East African country.

Referring to the first meeting of a GCC committee to study King Abdullah’s proposal to upgrade the council from a cooperation to a union, the Cabinet thanked leaders of the member states for setting up the committee, saying it reflected their unity of vision and desire to realize the hopes and aspirations of the GCC people.

The Cabinet noted the valuable content of a speech made by King Abdullah recently while receiving participants of a national dialogue forum on Saudi media. It also underscored the importance of the Third G20 Speakers’ Consultation Meeting in Riyadh to find solutions to global economic and financial problems.

The meeting praised the Justice Ministry for attaining first position worldwide in expediting procedures related to the transfer of real estate ownership. “This is one of the achievements of King Abdullah project to develop judicial facilities,” it added.

Khoja said the Cabinet approved a law for executing the agreement for a ban on the development, production and accumulation of bacteriological (biological) weapons.

The Cabinet authorized the president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation to hold talks with Kuwait to reach an agreement on air transport services. It endorsed an accord with France on the avoidance of double taxation, which was signed in Paris on Feb. 18, 2011. The meeting approved a GCC law on seeds and seedlings as well as the punishments for those who violate the law.

The Cabinet appointed Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Drees ambassador, Abdul Kareem bin Mahmoud Hilal minister plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry, Zuhair bin Hassan Zahid assistant undersecretary for town planning at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Ahmed bin Muhammad Al-Abdul Qader financial adviser at the General Auditing Bureau.