P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News Staff

JEDDAH, 7 October 2003 — Saudi Arabia yesterday called for an unequivocal commitment to remove weapons of mass destruction and urged all countries to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Addressing the weekly Cabinet meeting, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd said Israel’s refusal to join the NPT posed a big threat to world security.

King Fahd reiterated Riyadh’s support for international efforts to remove WMD from the Middle East region.

“Israel’s rejection to join the NPT and denial of access to its nuclear program by international inspectors constitute a dangerous threat to region’s security and stability,” Culture and Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy quoted the king as telling the Cabinet.

The Cabinet denounced Sunday’s Israeli attack on Syria and said it would hamper the peace process. “This is a dangerous provocation and a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and the principles of international law.”

King Fahd briefed the ministers on the outcome of his recent talks and contacts with world leaders including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Sudanese First Vice President Ali Othman Taha.

He said the talks were aimed at mobilizing world support to end the Israeli aggression on the Palestinians and implement the Middle East road map without delay. The talks also focused on the situation in Iraq and the need to restore the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Cabinet emphasized the need to strengthen the United Nations’ role in confronting what it called “dangerous challenges.” It voiced its opposition to the use of force to settle global disputes.

“International crises, despite their complexity and dangerous implications, must be tackled in a way that will reinforce the principles of the UN Charter and on the basis of justice and equality,” the Cabinet said.

Al-Farsy said the Cabinet authorized the foreign minister to hold talks with Chinese officials on a memorandum of understanding for political consultation. The meeting approved changes into the foreign schools law, allowing Saudi students coming from abroad to join foreign schools if it was inevitable. However, the education minister’s approval must be sought before providing admission to these students.

The Cabinet also declared Jabal Shada Al-Aala in the Baha region as a natural wildlife protectorate.

The Cabinet meeting endorsed the new mortgage law, which will come into effect 90 days after its publication in the official gazette.

Meanwhile, King Fahd reshuffled the Supreme Economic Council’s consultative body for economic affairs. The new members are: Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Jarboua, Isa ibn Muhammad Al-Isa, Dr. Khaleel Kurdi, Dr. Majed Al-Muneef, Dr. Faisal Basheer, Dr. Khaled Al-Fayez, Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi, Muhammad Odwan, Ahmad Al-Suwaidan, Dr. Basim Al-Ibrahim, Dr. Abdullah Basudan, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Mudaimigh, Muhammad Abdullatif Jameel, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Tarbaq, Muhammad Abu Nayyan, and Amr Al-Dabbagh.