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New concessions for the disabled

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia announced Monday new concessions for the country's disabled. The Council of Ministers exempted them from paying fees for recruiting drivers, maids and nurses and for their resident permits (iqamas) and exit and re-entry visas.

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, took the decision on the recommendation of Prince Sultan Charitable Foundation. The Social Affairs Ministry will form a committee to set out regulations for the purpose.

The Cabinet reshuffled the board of directors of Saudi Industrial Development Fund , which will be chaired by Abdul Rahman Al-Humaidi, deputy governor of Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency .

The new board members are Toufik Al-Rabeeah of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ahmed Salah of the Ministry of Economy and Planning, Sultan Al-Shawali of the Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals and Abdullah Al-Ayadi of the Public Investment Fund .

Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet authorized Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal to hold talks with his Lithuanian counterpart to reach a general cooperation agreement.

The Kingdom will sign another accord with the British Ministry of Trade, Investment and Small Business for technical cooperation. Commerce and Industry Minister Abdullah Zainal Alireza has been authorized to hold talks with his British counterpart for the purpose. Alireza will sign a similar agreement with Sweden.

He said the Cabinet endorsed a memorandum of understanding signed with Austria for cooperation in higher education and research.

The Cabinet also took some important decisions to improve the performance of homes for those recuperating from psychiatric diseases. Such homes will be brought under the supervision of the Health Ministry and will become part of mental hospitals.

The Health Ministry has been given the authority to establish similar homes in different regions of the Kingdom in accordance with requirements.

The Cabinet urged the international community to shoulder its responsibility and establish a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. It denounced the Israeli policy of violence and suppression including the control of Al-Aqsa Mosque, its continued illegal settlements on Arab lands and its developments in East Jerusalem.

The Cabinet expressed its appreciation of a statement made by the third Arab-Turkish Forum, which was held in Istanbul recently, welcoming Saudi Arabia's role in promoting interfaith dialogue.

The Cabinet commended the outcome of an international conference on Qur'an teaching that was held in Jeddah last week and hoped it would strengthen cooperation between Qur'an teaching organizations in different parts of the world. It emphasized the need to use modern technology to spread the message of the holy book.

The Cabinet appointed Abdul Kareem Al-Fowzan deputy minister for planning and development at the Ministry of Water and Electricity, Hamoud Al-Kanaan director general of law enforcement at the Ministry of Interior and Abdul Aziz Al-Hassan director general of administrative and financial affairs at the Justice Ministry.

Also on Monday, Faisal Mualla, Abdullah Al-Asheikh, Turki Al-Madi and Abdul Rahman Aba Nami, newly appointed Saudi ambassadors to Sudan, Czech Republic, Argentina and Venezuela respectively, took oath before the king during a ceremony at Al-Salam Palace here.

© Arab News 2010