Newly appointed Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, who is also Minister of Interior, chaired the weekly cabinet meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace here Monday and expressed his thanks and appreciation to King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for bestowing on him the honor of his new responsibility. Prince Naif prayed to Allah that he measures up to the expectations of King Abdullah and the Crown Prince and that he carries out the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques under the banner of the Faith and in service of the country and citizens. Price Naif briefed the Council on the talks and contacts made by King Abdullah over the past few days, including the telephone call the King received from Egyptian President Hosni Mubark, the message sent to the King by the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the visit to Riyadh last week by former US president Bill Clinton. Yousif Ahmad Al-Ethaimeen, Minister of Social Welfare and Acting Minister of Culture and Information, said the Council discussed King Abdullah's speech to the Shoura Council last Tuesday in which he had “precisely diagnosed the challenges facing the Arab and Islamic world which require every individual in the Ummah to be alert and strong,” SPA reported. The Council also discussed the King's call for continuing the march of progress in the country, the decisions taken to accelerate the wheel of development and the need for dealing with all changes so as to ensure prosperity for Saudi citizens. Al–Othaimeen said Prince Naif hoped that the 21st regular Arab Summit that was under way in Doha would lead to more reconciliation and clearing the atmosphere so as to crown the efforts led by King Abdullah. Prince Naif also hoped that the second Arab and Latin America summit would boost cooperation and coordinate stands between them. Speaking about the G20 summit which will be held in London on Thursday, Prince Naif hoped that its outcome would help revitalizing the global economy. On domestic issues, the Cabinet directed the Ministry of Finance to study the requirements of the relevant government agencies and reactivate the program to combat Rift Valley fever so as to prevent the re-emergence of this deadly disease. The Cabinet also urged the Ministry of Water and Electricity to submit their requirements to the Finance Minister. As per a recommendation of the Minister of Health, the Cabinet ordered the formation of a national committee, chaired by the Minister of Health, to take care of people with mental disabilities, and their families. The committee will ensure that they get medical and rehabilitative services and help correct the prevailing misconceptions about them.
