MAKKAH — The Council of Ministers were optimistic that the three Makkah summits, scheduled to begin on Thursday, would be successful in overcoming major challenges facing the Arab and Muslim countries, as well as to close their ranks and strengthen their stances towards the issues facing them. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman chaired the weekly session of the Cabinet at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah on Tuesday night. At the outset of the session, the King praised and thanked God for bestowing His Grace to Muslims all over the world for taking advantage of the last ten days and nights of the blessed month of Ramadan. The Monarch also welcomed the leaders and representatives of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) who are to take part in the three summits set to take place in Makkah on May 30 and 31, praying to God to make them a success for the goodness of the Arab and Muslim nations. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Turki Al-Shabanah said the Cabinet wished the leaders taking part in the two emergency summits of the GCC and Arab countries, convened by King Salman, every success. The Council also wished that the 14th ordinary summit of OIC be blessed by God to overcome all challenges facing the Arab and Muslim countries. The Cabinet reiterated the call made by the Kingdom, during the UN Security Council session on the "Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict," to the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to take firm stance against the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militia for targeting populated areas in the Kingdom with ballistic missiles and drones in flagrant violation of the international laws and UN Security Council resolutions. Al-Shabanah said the Cabinet highlighted the Kingdom's remarkable progress in its ranking among the world's most competitive economies as showed in the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings 2019, and urged ministers and officials to exert more efforts to record further achievements. The Cabinet approved the creation of a permanent committee at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to implement a program for prevention and control of red palm weevil. It also endorsed the formation of a committee in the emirates of various provinces to be the supervising authority to carry out the program. The Council also decided to reconstitute the Committee for the Settlement of Disputes of the Electricity Industry.
