SAUDI ARABIA - Apr 23 - 'Arab Plan Basic Peace Framework'.

Saudi Arabia emphasizes that the Arab peace initiative, which was relaunched by the Riyadh summit last month, will remain "the basic framework" for Arab overtures to establish peace in the Middle East. The Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, made this comment while reviewing the outcome of last week's Arab peace initiative committee meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo. The Cairo meeting selected Egypt and Jordan to take the lead in approaching Israel to promote the peace plan, which was originally proposed by King Abdullah when he was crown prince and endorsed by the 2002 Arab summit in Beirut. It envisages Arab recognition of Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 borders, the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and the return of Palestinian refugees. Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani said the Cabinet meeting expressed deep regret over the escalation of sectarian violence in Iraq pitting Shiites against Sunnis and urged Iraqis to unite to protect their larger interests. "There is no future for the Iraqis except through a united Iraq...Foreign presence on Iraqi land is temporary. Regional interference will only result in regression and degeneration...And only the Iraqis will remain in their country", the Saudi Press Agency quoted the Cabinet as saying. King Abdullah earlier briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with Italian PM Romano Prodi, saying the visit would strengthen bilateral relations. The Cabinet said Saudi Arabia was looking forward to an active European role in tackling Middle Eastern issues. Madani said the Cabinet meeting reviewed the progress of new educational, health, housing, water, road, electricity and municipal projects in different parts of the country. The projects included new universities. The king instructed the ministers to complete the projects as quickly as possible. The Cabinet also approved alterations to Article 28 of the Military Service Law. According to the amended law, a military officer will receive an amount equal to a month's salary at the time of his first appointment, and two months' salary when transferred from one place to another within and outside the Kingdom, or when sent abroad for more than six months, or when sent on an assignment for periods of more than three months in lieu of travel, family and transport expenses. The Cabinet took a number of other decisions. It approved an agreement signed with the state archives in Turkey for co-operation and exchange of expertise in the preservation of important documents. It appointed Adel ibn Obaid Balkhair assistant deputy minister for Umrah affairs at the Haj Ministry, Abdullah ibn Saleh Al-Rumaihi director general of administrative and financial affairs at the Transport Ministry, and Ahmed ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Zuhair assistant deputy minister for educational development at the Education Ministry.