HRH Premier chairs regular weekly cabinet meeting

Manama, Apr. 13 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, praised the Kingdom's hosting of the Formula One Grand Prix, and welcomed the guests who will attend the international sporting event. During his chairmanship of the Cabinet meeting today at Gudaiybia Palace, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, HRH the Premier directed all ministries and government bodies to provide all facilities and dedicate all efforts to ensure the success of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix. Following the meeting, the Secretary-General of the Cabinet Dr. Yaser bin Essa Al-Nasser stated that the cabinet had lauded the deep-rooted Bahraini-Saudi relations, and the keenness of the two brotherly countries' leaderships to bolster them on all levels. The Cabinet touched on HRH the Crown Prince’s recent visits to Saudi Arabia, which presented a good opportunity for the HRH the Crown Prince and HRH Prince Saud bin Nayef Al-Saud, Governor of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia to discuss significant regional developments. The Cabinet emphasised that the Crown Prince's visit highlights the long standing ties between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia which continue to flourish with the Support of HM King Hamad and HM the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. During the Cabinet meeting, HRH the Premier charged the Ministerial Committee for Urbanisation and Infrastructure to study the acquisition of lands that serve worshippers that attend the Al-Farooq Mosque in Manama, as well as those who use the facilities in the mosque's vicinity. The Committee was also directed to study the creation of more entry paths to the area and exits from it, in coordination with the ministries of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning. On health, HRH the Prime Minister directed to facilitate more health services in Riffa by building a health centre, in order to increase the services offered in the highly populated area. In this regard, HRH requested the Ministerial Committee for Urbanisation and Infrastructure to conduct a study on a suitable location for the new health facility in collaboration with the relevant authorities. HRH the Premier also directed the Ministry of Health to study maintaining a 24-hour system in the East Riffa Health Centre during maintenance works. On housing, HRH the Premier reviewed the status of current projects and their distribution in Al-Hamala, Zallaq, Budaiya, Jaw, Askar and Qalali. HRH instructed the Ministry of Housing to consider social harmony while distributing the housing unit projects in villages, which, he said, will preserve the existing social fabric in those villages without affecting waiting time to receive housing units. HRH the Prime Minister stressed that ministers should follow up closely on the implementation of government projects, and conduct field visits to oversee the efficiency and sufficiency of the services provided by their ministries, and address shortcomings, if any do arise. He also directed ministers to take the citizens' remarks and complaints into consideration and follow up on them, stressing that every remark or complaint, though simple it may be, is important, and therefore should not be ignored or overlooked. HRH Premier directed ministers to step up cooperation with Members of Parliament regarding service issues, in order to reinforce the on-going cooperation between the executive and legislative branches. The cabinet endorsed the detailed plan of the Hamad Town Integrated Complex, situated between Roundabouts 16 and 18, as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Social Services, Communication and Information, chaired by Deputy Premier His Highness Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, and the General Directorate of Urban Planning at the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning. The complex will include two schools, a health centre, a sports club, a large mosque, a training centre, a centre for business incubators and a car park. The cabinet also reviewed the progress of the Khalifa bin Salman Port, including transshipment, promotion and marketing, and the role of the operating company in this regard. In this context, the cabinet approved a recommendation by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs, presented in the memorandum of the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications regarding the request of the port's operating company to offer part of its shares for public offering. The cabinet also discussed and endorsed a draft agreement between the Government of Bahrain and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on OPCW's privileges and immunities, and referred the memorandum presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs for further study. The cabinet also approved to open a branch for the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), which was established in the USA in 1975, and requested the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) to take the necessary administrative, technical and legal procedures in this regard. The cabinet referred the Executive Bill of the Post Law 49/2014 attached to the memorandum of the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications to the Ministerial Committees for Legal Affairs and the Ministerial Committee for Social Services, Communication and Information.