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Saudi Arabia Participates in 129th Session of IMO Council Meeting

The Council is the executive body of the IMO and is responsible for overseeing its work
The Council is the executive body of the IMO and is responsible for overseeing its work
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Saudi Arabia Participates in 129th Session of IMO Council Meeting

The Council is the executive body of the IMO and is responsible for overseeing its work
The Council is the executive body of the IMO and is responsible for overseeing its work

Saudi Arabia has participated in the 129th Session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council Meeting as one of the 40 council members.

It was represented by Deputy Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and the Acting President of the Transport General Authority, Dr. Rumaih Al-Rumaih. The Kingdom was also represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, and NEOM Company.

The Council is the executive body of the organization and is responsible for overseeing its work, with a focus on budget approval, report review, and coordination among all entities. Its aim is to contribute to decision-making within the organization concerning budgets, policies, maritime affairs, and strategies.

The meeting witnessed the election of Arsenio Dominguez as the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Additionally, the meeting discussed the outcomes of the Women in Maritime Biofouling Management workshop held in Jeddah and advanced the Strategic Plan for the period of 2024 to 2029.

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Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
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Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo

Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza have made some progress but an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war remains elusive.

"We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That's the key point of the entire negotiations," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, Reuters reported.

Mossad Director David Barnea traveled to Doha on Thursday to meet Sheikh Mohammed amid efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza, Axios reported last week.

Sheikh Mohammed didn't say which elements of the ceasefire talks had progressed in recent days, but said Hamas and Israel remained at odds over the ultimate goal of negotiations.

He said the militant group is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages if Israel ends the war in Gaza. But Israel wants Hamas to release the remaining hostages without offering a clear vision on ending the war, he said.

"When you don't have a common objective, a common goal between the parties, I believe the opportunities (to end the war) become very thin," Sheikh Mohammed said at a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Fidan said talks Turkish officials have held with Hamas had shown the group would be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a lasting solution to the crisis with Israel, including a two-state solution.

Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a January ceasefire collapsed, saying it would keep up pressure on Hamas until it frees the remaining hostages still held in the enclave. Up to 24 of them are believed to still be alive.

The Gaza war started after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave killed more than 51,400, according to local health officials.