Riyadh,  SPA :

 The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet s session held at Al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh yesterday.

At the outset of the meeting, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the outcomes of his talks and meetings with each of President Abdullah Yameen Abdulqayoom of the Republic of The Maldives; Italian Defense minister; Japanese minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; and Japanese minister of state for Foreign Affairs, whereas bilateral relations as well as the developments at the regional and international arenas were discussed during those meetings as well as the verbal message received by the monarch from President Issoufou Muhamadou of the Republic of Niger.

The Cabinet lauded the results of Al-Khaleej (Gulf) 1 shield maneuvers which were carried out by the Saudi royal naval forces- Eastern Fleet- in the Arab Gulf and Oman Sea waters across Hormz Straight as well as the joint aerial drill called Al-Jazeerah (peninsula) Eagle (2016 fighters) in the United Arab Emirates with the participation of air forces of the GCC member states. The report included the cooperation, congruence and fighting and operational preparedness upgrading of the GCC forces which was reached during the exercise.

Minister of Commerce and Investment Dr. Majed bin Abdullah Al-Gasbi, who is acting minister of Culture and Information, confirmed in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the meeting, that the Cabinet dealt with the Kingdom s participation in the annual joint meetings of the World Bank and the IMF and the meeting of the G20 which were held in Washington, highlighting the efforts of the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia exerted in implementing economic reforms as part of the national transformation program to achieve the Kingdom s vision 2030 and confirming that the application of those reforms would yield a strong, balanced and sustainable economic growth and activates the role of the private sector in enhancing job opportunities and economic growth.

The Cabinet reiterates the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia s confirmation on the legitimate right of the Middle Eastern countries in the peaceful usage of nuclear energy according to the International Agency for Atomic Energy standards, measures and control and the Kingdom s assertion voiced before the 71st general assembly of the United Nations on the importance of implementing the Agreement on Barring the Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria.

The minister explained that the Cabinet welcomed the outcome of the 28th meeting of the GCC justice ministers which was held in Riyadh, citing its underscoring the importance of completing a study on transferring the current guiding systems to unified systems and laws as per the GCC supreme 36th summit and based on the vision of the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in this regard.

The Cabinet also reviewed the results of the extraordinary meeting of the Arab League held at the permanent representatives level to discuss the aggravated situations in the Syrian city of Halab (Aleppo) and the Kingdom's assertion of the importance of Arab countries stance by the side of the Syrian people and exerting all possible efforts at the international level to provide safe havens to deliver relief for civilians and demanding the international community to break its silence towards the crimes committed by the Syrian regime.

On the domestic affairs, the Cabinet was briefed on a host of activities and events held last week, including the agreement concluded by the Ministry of Housing to construct more than 10,000 residential units in Tarout and Safwa centers in Al-Qateef province, the memorandum of understanding signed by the Kingdom with Bugaria in the fields of tourism and heritage, the tenth meeting of the general prosecutors and attorneys as well as heads of investigation and general prosecution commissions of the GCC countries in addition to the symposium organized by the Global Union for General Transportation for the Middle East and North Africa under the theme "Efficiency of Consuming Fuel and Alternative Energy".

Dr. Majed bin Abdullah Al-Gasbi said that the Cabinet was briefed on the issues on its agenda, including some which were reviewed by the Shura Council. The Cabinet issued the following decisions:

First:

The Cabinet approved the agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Bavarian Venezuela to evade dual taxation and prevent tax evasion on taxes on income which was signed in Riyadh on 29/1/1437 H.

Second:

The Cabinet authorized the minister of finance or his deputy to sign a draft agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Gambia to evade dual taxation on income and prevent tax evasion, and forward the final version for completion of legal procedure.

Third:

The Cabinet authorized the minister of finance or his deputy to discuss, as part of the GCC financial and economic committee, a draft unified agreement on added value tax for the GCC countries and the unified agreement bill for selective tax for the GCC countries, sign them and forward the final versions for completion of legal procedure.

Fourth:

The Cabinet approved to transfer Al-Bayan private colleges into a private university to be named Prince Mugrin bin Abdulaziz university.

Fifth:

The Cabinet authorized the President of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy or his deputy to discuss with the Indian side a draft agreement on cooperation in the field of renewable energy between KACARE of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Renewable and New Energy of the Republic of India, sign it and forward the final version for legal procedure.

Sixth:

The Cabinet approved the final account of the Saudi Commission for Wild Life for the fiscal year 1435/1436 H.

Seventh:

The Cabinet issued an additional table of fines and penalties to be annexed to the fines and penalties previously issued by the municipality against violations of misusing the products of bread and flour as per a Cabinet decision No. 218 dated 6/8/1422 H.

The Cabinet reviewed two annual reports for the (former) ministry of higher education and the Saudi Red Crescent Commission for two fiscal previous years. The Cabinet issued the relevant instructions accordingly.