The Speaker of the Shoura Council, Dr. Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Aal Al-Sheikh, has praised King Abdullah for his support of the work of the body. The King opened the second year of the fifth Term of the council here Sunday. In his speech, Aal Al-Sheikh said that since the council was launched by the late Founder King Abdul Aziz 85 years ago, and thanks to King Abdullah, it has achieved a number of milestones. Aal Al-Sheikh said the council held 77 sessions last year and issued many decisions about regulations, performance reports and agreements. The Speaker said the council was keen to assume its role to reach out to serve the public. It has also extended its efforts to take part in regional and international forums outside the Kingdom. On the economic front, the Kingdom achieved a great deal in terms of construction of projects, he said. He praised the King for extending the international scholarship program for five years, and the King's approval for the state to pay 50 percent of fees for those students studying at private colleges and universities for five years. Addressing the King, the Speaker said: “You have ordered payment of SR1.166 billion for the families covered by the social security system, to grant SR1 million to each family who had a member die as a martyr in the flash floods of Jeddah, and your order to build 10,000 housing units for the displaced at the southern border.” He said the Kingdom has also maintained the same foreign policy of its Founder King Abdul Aziz, which is “based on values of mutual respect of sovereign nations, peaceful settlement of disputes, abiding by principles and international resolutions and cooperation with the world community”. “In accordance, you took part in the economic summit of London for G-20, where you explained wisely to the whole world the Kingdom's perspective on how to tackle the world crisis.” The ceremony Sunday lasted for 25 minutes. It was attended by Emirs, ministers, scholars, military commanders and members of the diplomatic corps in the Kingdom. The council had sent invitations to about 600 senior officials of the government and ambassadors. The Shoura Council gave Sunday off to about 500 employees who were not part of the preparations, to ensure less traffic. The ceremony was held in the council's Royal Dome that has more than 600 seats and is allocated for such occasions. The ceremony was widely attended by the media including news agencies and satellite channels. Several channels broadcasted the ceremony and officials statements.
