HRH Premier chairs cabinet session

Manama, Feb. 1 (BNA): The Cabinet has praised His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s meeting with the Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, who has recently visited the Kingdom. The Cabinet welcomed the outcome of President Essebsi’s visit, and applauded the fraternal Bahraini-Tunisian relationship, which is progressing steadily in various fields. It stressed that the agreements signed between the two countries during the visit will further deepen bilateral ties and bolster joint cooperation. This came as His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa chaired today’s weekly cabinet session at Gudaibiya Palace. The session was attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier. According to a statement by the Cabinet Secretary, General Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser, the ministers condemned the terrorist attack that targeted a mosque in Al-Ahsa Governorate in Saudi Arabia, and denounced it as a heinous crime that contravenes all human and moral values and principles, as well as the precepts of divine religions. The Cabinet extended profound condolences and consolation to the Saudi Government and the families of the victims, and wished full and speedy recoveries to those wounded. The Cabinet also expressed the full support of Bahrain’s leadership and people for the measures to be taken by Saudi Arabia against everything aimed at undermining its security and stability. On health related matters in Bahrain, HRH the Prime Minister issued directives to the Health Minister to initiate measures to encourage specialty doctors in Bahraini to play an even larger role in the public health sector, particularly at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC). The Cabinet also followed up on the precautionary measures taken by the Kingdom in collaboration with the relevant international organisations to monitor the “Zika” virus, which is spreading rapidly across Latin America. It reviewed a report presented by the Health Minister on preparations and precautionary measures in this regard. HRH the Prime Minister issued instructions to intensify inspections to prevent the sale of birds and animals in the Kingdom that are prohibited. The Cabinet then discussed the fiscal and practical effects of the implementation of the draft Public Debt Law. Given the fact that the draft law stipulates that the public debt should by no means exceed 60% of the Kingdom’s GDP, it will impede the government’s ability to meet the requirements of the budget, issued per law 14/2015, as well as its ability to cover all expenses, especially for social initiatives directly related to the needs of citizens. Since the ceiling set by the draft law would not allow enough borrowing to cover such expenses, the Cabinet decided to submit a recommendation to His Majesty the King to issue a Royal Decree to refer the draft Public Debt Law to National Assembly in order to re-examine Article 13 regarding the public debt ceiling. The Cabinet also approved a plan to reorganise the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) by canceling the IT Directorate and renaming some directorates and posts. The Cabinet reviewed a memorandum presented by the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments related to ratifying the treaty on the transfer of prisoners between Bahrain and Russia. It referred the memorandum to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. The Cabinet discussed two proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives, and approved the government’s replies to them as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. The proposals included the two year suspension of the bonuses for chairpersons and members of the boards of institutions and companies in which the government’s ownership exceeds 50%. It also discussed measures to prevent the spread of tattooing in the Kingdom.