RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Sunday officially severed ties with Iran over the storming of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, following the execution of Saudi Shiite radical Nimr Al-Nimr.
The kafala system, which requires all workers in most Gulf states to have a sponsor responsible for their visa and legal status, will top the agenda of the meeting of labor ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council in Kuwait on Tuesday, a GCC statement said. Adel Fakeih, labor minister, will lead the Saudi delegation to the GCC meeting.
Foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council will hold an important meeting on Tuesday to prepare for the GCC summit to be held in Doha on Dec. 9 and 10. “The ministerial meeting is, in fact, a preparatory meeting for the forthcoming 35th session of the GCC Supreme Council,” said a statement released by the GCC General Secretariat.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal met US Secretary of State John Kerry in Vienna on Sunday and discussed latest developments on America’s nuclear talks with Iran.
On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman, minister of defense, will attend the G-20 summit in the Australian city of Brisbane on Nov. 15-16.
A major forum on cyber terrorism and on how to bring the culprits to justice will be hosted by Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) on Nov. 18. “The forum is being organized within the framework of the initiative launched by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to curb terror in all its forms,” said Suleiman bin Abdullah Aba Al-Khail, IMSIU rector, on Saturday.
GCC member states are working to establish a joint human rights body at the bloc’s general secretariat to help curb domestic violence at the regional level.
Civil unrest in Syria topped the agenda of talks held between Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal held and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu Thursday. “Bilateral relations, as well as key regional and international issues including Iraq and Yemen were also discussed in the meeting,” said Turkish Ambassador to the Kingdom, Yunus Demirer.
A cross-section of people including Shoura members, human rights activists and diplomats expressed their profound shock and dismay on Wednesday at the terror attack in Al-Ahsa and Al-Shaqra resulting in the death of citizens and security officials. Hoda Abdulrahman Al-Helaissi, a member of the Shoura Council, condemned, in the strongest terms possible, the cowardly terrorist attacks.
A group of high-ranking Asian officials including 32 foreign ministers will attend a high-profile ministerial conference of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) here on Nov. 25.