Cabinet welcomes selection of Prince Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince

King Salman chairs the Cabinet meeting at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Monday. (SPA)

RIYADH: King Salman and Cabinet members have welcomed the selection of Prince Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, deputy premier, and continuing as minister of defense and other missions assigned to him.
Chairing the Cabinet session on Monday at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, the king also expressed thanks to Prince Mohammed bin Naif for his efforts in the service of the religion and the Kingdom.
The Cabinet appreciated the king’s invitation to hold a Saudi-African summit in the Kingdom at the end of the current year or beginning of 2018, and praised the welcome expressed by leaders of the G-20 Summit for the Kingdom’s hosting of the G-20 Summit in 2020 which came on the directives of King Salman.
The Cabinet expressed thanks to participants of the G-20 Summit for their appreciation of the Kingdom’s efforts in combating terrorism. They stressed that fighting terrorism and promoting values of moderation are an international responsibility requiring effective cooperation among all states as terrorism has no religion and it targets the world.
They also praised the king’s approval on adopting public health as a policy and priority in all laws and regulations for disease control and prevention. This reflects the attention of the leadership to the health of citizens and for providing medical care for them.
On regional issues, the Cabinet expressed thanks to the king for directing the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSRelief) to urgently fight and contain cholera in Yemen, and to the crown prince for providing $66.7 million as a response to WHO and UNICEF’s appeals to fight cholera in Yemen.
On the security front, the Cabinet commended security authorities for thwarting an imminent terror act targeting the Grand Mosque during Ramadan and arresting five members of the terror group. The Cabinet also condemned the terror acts that targeted security patrols in Qatif province which resulted in the martyrdom of two security men and injuries to others. They stressed the capability of security authorities in confronting criminal plans and strictly dealing with those who try to tamper with the Kingdom’s safety and stability.
The Cabinet also explored the joint statement issued by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain after receiving the Qatari response from Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, emir of Kuwait. The Cabinet expressed thanks to the Kuwaiti emir for his efforts to resolve the crisis with the Qatari government within the framework of his keenness toward the unity of Gulf and Arab ranks. The Cabinet said measures taken by the four countries are directed at the Qatari government to correct its path, which seeks to break up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and destabilize the countries in the region by intervening in their affairs.
The Cabinet also expressed Kingdom’s strong condemnation of terror acts in Sinai, Egypt, and on a camp in Anbar, Iraq, reiterating the country’s solidarity with the Egyptian and Iraqi peoples and governments, and its firm positions against terrorism and extremism.
Later, the Cabinet approved a series of decisions:
• The Cabinet authorized the minister of environment, water and agriculture, or whomever he authorizes, to discuss with the Djibouti side a draft memo of understanding in the area of environment between the Saudi and Djibouti governments.
• The Cabinet approved a cooperation agreement between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Malta in the area of sea transport.
• The Cabinet approved an agreement between the Saudi and Jordanian governments to avoid double taxation and tax evasion on income tax.
• The Cabinet approved two labor and domestic worker agreements between the Saudi and Cambodian governments.
• The Cabinet approved a cooperation agreement in the area of labor between the Saudi and Lebanese governments.
• The Cabinet authorized the minister of culture and information and board chairman of Saudi Press Agency, or whomever he authorizes, to discuss with the Bangladeshi side a memo of understanding for cooperation and exchange of news between the two news agencies of the two countries.
• The Cabinet approved the establishment of an industrial city in the Eastern Province to be named “the city of industrial energy” with the allocation of a land covering an area of 50 square km, from lands reserved for Saudi Aramco in the eastern region. The Cabinet approved a proposal offered by Saudi Aramco for the establishment of a company to undertake the development of infrastructure of the industrial energy city, and another company to operate and maintain the city.