Saudi Arabia and Qatar agreed to demarcate their border and set up a joint council to develop relations, the Saudi Press Agency reported here Sunday. The draft minutes were signed by Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister, and Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabr Al-Thani, Qatari Premier and Foreign Minister here Saturday. The Joint Coordination Council will be co-chaired by Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, and Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Qatari Crown Prince. The council will formulate the general policy for cooperation and coordination between the two countries to enhance diplomatic and consular cooperation in the relations of the two countries with other countries, to enhance security cooperation and exchange of information, to achieve the highest level of cooperation in the financial, economic, trade, industrial, telecommunications, transport, civil aviation as well as implementing joint projects and encouraging investment. The council will also work to enhance and support joint cooperation in the fields of energy, industry and exchange of technical and training expertise, enhance cooperation in the fields of municipal affairs, agriculture, environment, animal resources and fisheries. The cooperation council will also strive to develop military cooperation between the two countries including exchange of expertise in the military affairs and conducting joint maneuvers. It will support and activate the role of the private sector. The council will hold annual meetings alternately in the two countries. The meetings will be preceded by preparatory meetings. Extraordinary meetings can also be called if required. The council can establish ministerial committees specialized in the fields of joint cooperation. The first meeting of the council will be held in the Kingdom at a date to be fixed by the two countries. Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister, and Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabr Al-Thani, Qatari Premier and Foreign Minister, will be the council's vice presidents. Members from the Saudi side will be Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister; Dr Musaed Bin Mohammed Al-Eiban, Minister of State and member of the Cabinet as well as ministers of Finance, Culture and Information, Trade and Industry. From the Qatari side members will be minister of state for foreign affairs, the minister of economy and finance, the minister of state for internal affairs, the minister of municipality and urban planning and the minister of works and trade. The joint meeting draft minutes follow the directives of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Qatari Emir, to work for cementing bilateral relations and to complete what was discussed by Crown Prince Sultan in Qatar on March 10
