JEDDAH, Feb 15 (Arab News): Saudi Arabia on Monday endorsed a code of conduct to fight piracy and armed robbery in the western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.

The Council of Ministers, chaired by Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, approved the code on the recommendation of Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry and the Shoura Council, the Saudi Press Agency said.

The code of conduct, which was passed during a meeting of the International Maritime Organization in Djibouti on Jan. 29, 2009, calls for arresting, investigating, and prosecuting people who have committed or are suspected of piracy.

The governments that are signatories to the code should seize pirate ships or aircraft and the property on board, as well as rescue ships and persons held by pirates. It also defines the acts of piracy and armed robbery.

The Cabinet meeting reiterated Saudi Arabia’s stand on the peaceful transition of power in Egypt, hoping that the Egyptian military would succeed in restoring peace and stability in the country to prepare the ground for establishing a national government.

Prince Sultan briefed the ministers on the talks between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and US President Barack Obama last week and the content of the message sent by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the king.

Speaking about his talks with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani in Riyadh, the crown prince highlighted the strong relations between the Kingdom and the two countries.

The Cabinet welcomed the resolutions taken by a Saudi-Moroccan Joint Commission meeting in Rabat and hoped they would boost mutual investments.

Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet approved changes to the resolutions adopted by the International Postal Union, including the 8th additional protocol to its constitution.

The Cabinet appointed Sami Baroom and Samir Al-Tobayeb as members of the board of directors of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation from the private sector and renewed the membership of Eissa Al-Eissa and Yousuf Al-Binayan.

It also appointed Abdul Rahman Al-Barrak undersecretary at the Ministry of Education, Muhammad Al-Muqhem administrative consultant at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Saleh Al-Babaeer head of translation at the Cabinet’s experts committee, Abdullah Al-Jarboue minister plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry and Musaed Al-Oshaiwi the Kingdom’s permanent representative in Geneva for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.