RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has welcomed the adoption of the Goldstone Report by the United Nations Human Rights Council pertaining to last winter’s Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

“The adoption of the Goldstone Report with a 25-vote majority on Israel’s aggression in Gaza reflects the lack of legitimacy of Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories. It also shows the international refusal to accept actions against the Palestinian people and the violation of sacred Muslim locations,” said Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Khoja, quoting Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah after the weekly Cabinet meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday.

The meeting chaired by King Abdullah also decided that the Kingdom would sign the agreement on the safety of staff and UN workers, Khoja said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency soon after the meeting.

The Cabinet was also briefed on the recent communications and consultations made by the king with various world leaders on regional and international developments, including the message received by the king from Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the minister said in his statement.

“The council was also briefed on the outcome of the visit of Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif to Egypt including his talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif and Interior Minister Habib El-Adly and the security, commercial and scientific agreements signed by the prince with them,” the minister added.

The briefing also included the deliberations of the sixth meeting of the interior ministers of Iraq’s neighbors hosted by Egypt. “The meeting in Egypt corroborated the optimism expressed by the Kingdom that the interior ministers’ decisions would help achieve security and stability in Iraq and preserve its integrity,” the minister said.

The Council of Ministers also discussed the recommendations of the recent conference of culture ministers of Muslim countries held in Azerbaijan affirming the efforts of the Muslim world to seek enhanced dialogues between religions and cultures for the promotion of peace, tolerance and mutual respect of cultures as called for by King Abdullah.

Khoja said the Cabinet meeting authorized the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu to undertake the administration of Ras Al-Zur to provide it with utilities and other facilities for developing mining and other industries. The Cabinet also authorized the minister of finance to sign a draft agreement with Croatia to avoid double taxation and tax evasion.

The Cabinet also appointed Muhammad Khoshaim as the representative of the Ministry of Health on the board of directors of the General Organization for Social Insurance in place of Obaid Al-Obaid who has retired.

The other appointments approved by the Cabinet include Abdul Aziz Al-Muflih as director general of the justice minister’s office, Abdul Mohsen Iraqi as director general of external information in Jeddah, Sultan Al-Sultan as the director general for auditing of the civilian sector in the government and Ibrahim Al-Abdul Kareem as the director general of administrative and financial matters in the General Presidency of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.