Saudi slams ‘false accusations’ over Syria refugees

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Monday chaired a cabinet session in which “false and misleading accusations” over the Kingdom’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis were addressed.

Almost 2.5 million Syrians have been received by Saudi Arabia since the start of the civil war, state news agency SPA reported.

Adel Altoraifi, the Minister of Culture and Information, said Saudi Arabia “will always remain at the forefront of countries supporting the brotherly Syrian people and will not accept any overbidding in this matter or questioning its positions”, according to SPA.

Acknowledging the “human sufferings” stemming from the situation in Syria, Altoraifi stressed the measures taken by Saudi Arabia, which have also included supporting millions of refugees in nearby countries.

Officials at the cabinet meeting also addressed last week’s tragic crane collapse at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

King Salman thanked the world leaders and others who had expressed condolences after Friday’s deadly incident, in which at least 107 people died and scores were injured.

During the meeting, which was held at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, King Salman directed service providers responsible for the pilgrims to take care of the injured and help them to perform hajj.

The cabinet reviewed plans for this month’s pilgrimage, in which millions of Muslims are expected to visit Saudi Arabia, along with efforts to ensure safety and care facilities.

The cabinet also condemned the terrorist attack on the Al-Khamis Police Center in Bahrain, as well as denouncing the Israeli forces’ storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem.