P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News Staff

JEDDAH, 2 September 2003 — Saudi Arabia yesterday renewed its condemnation of Friday’s car bomb attack in the Iraqi city of Najaf which killed more than 100 people, including senior Shiite leader Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer Al-Hakim.

“These bombings are criminal acts that target innocent lives, undermine security and stability, and terrorize peaceful people,” the Council of Ministers said in a statement following a weekly meeting.

The Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, also denounced last week’s terror attacks in the Indian business city of Bombay, which killed scores of people.

“The meeting strongly condemned all forms of terrorism and stressed the need to confront it and root out its causes,” Information Minister Fouad Al-Farsy told the Saudi Press Agency.

The Kingdom urged the United Nations to activate its efforts to reinforce peace and stability all over the world, especially in crisis-stricken areas such as Palestine and Iraq. “It is the duty of the UN to find solutions to settle these crises,” the Cabinet said.

On Sunday, the Kingdom denied allegations that Saudi citizens were involved in the Najaf bombing. “There is no proof of such a claim,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

The Cabinet meeting expressed Riyadh’s deep concern over the worsening security situation in Palestine and urged the international community to foil Israeli attempts to scupper international peace initiatives.

The Cabinet meeting welcomed the signing of a major trade agreement with the European Union on Sunday.