Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet session held at Al-Yamamah Palace here today. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed thanks to and appreciation of the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on their sincere feelings during his treatment and warm reception celebrating his return. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also thanked the leaders and presidents of brotherly and friendly countries and all well-wishers for their kind feelings. Then, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the message he sent to Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of the State of Kuwait, the telephone calls that made between him and the leaders of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States as well as United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja said that the Cabinet thanked with appreciation the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for the issuance of the royal orders that benefit citizens and promote better development and prosperity. The Cabinet, then, listened to the concerned ministers on what mechanisms adopted for the immediate implementation of the royal orders. Dr. Khoja added that the Cabinet listened to briefs on the latest developments at the regional and international arenas and renewed the steady stance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia towards them. The Cabinet congratulated the Kuwaiti government and people on the occasion of its 50th anniversary of independence, 20th anniversary of liberation, and 5th anniversary of the assumption of throne of Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait. The Cabinet also reviewed the current situation in the world oil market and the implication of events in Libya on the production of oil. The Cabinet wished Libya and its people all prosperity and stability, and hoped that Libya may resume shortly its oil production as before. On this issue, the Cabinet reasserted the steady policy of the Kingdom and its keenness on the promotion of a stable market through secure supplies and consultations with other producers, within and without OPEC, in addition to consumers, in pursuit of a balanced oil market that, in harnessing harmful swings, serves the best interests of all parties. The Minister of Culture and Information pointed out that the Cabinet noted what the Kingdom has witnessed of various conferences and other scientific, cultural and economic functions. Particular among these is the opening of the extraordinary ministerial meeting of the International Energy Forum on signing the Charter of its Secretariat General, which had been hosted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, under the auspices of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, commemorating the 20th anniversary of initiating the dialogue between producing and consuming countries. The Cabinet hailed the rectification of the Forumâ€TMs Charter by 87 participating countries. This move will help foster a solid basis for a constructive dialogue that will lead to mutual understanding among the parties on issues of basic energy and to bridging the gap of differences in points of views. The Cabinet lauded, too, the opening of the second international conference on electronic education and distance learning, and the exhibition that took place on its sidelines. Organized by the Ministry of Education, it emphasized the importance of taking advantage of world experience, because electronics is a basic supporting tributary to the educational process and an essential factor driving ahead the wheel of development towards a knowledge-based society. The Cabinet also hailed the Forum on Justice and Media organized by the Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Information and the National Committee of Lawyers, stressing the importance of cooperation between the two ministries to spotlight the facts through raising the awareness of juristic culture and its dissemination among various strata of the society. Dr. Khoja said the Cabinet then addressed its agenda and issued a number of decisions as follows: The Cabinet approved the amendment to the regulations of the system of individuals service. The Cabinet approved a number of decisions pertaining to dairy products as follows: 1- Commit exporting companies of fresh dairy to reduce (20%) annually of domestic production of green fodder which is irrigated with non-renewable water and used to produce milk for export until reduction reaches the ultimate (100%) over five years. 2- The dairy companies import cumulative share of green fodder annually (20%) of the total requirements of green fodder used for the production of fresh dairy to be exported to other countries. 3- The Customs Authority in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture during the first quarter of each year compare what was imported by the company with the committed amount of green fodder during the concerned year; if the imported amount equalized the marked amount for import, the company will be allowed to export their fresh milk products; if not, the company will not be allowed to export.
