Manama, Jun. 22. (BNA) – His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has extended greetings to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Bahraini people on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan.

Speaking during the regular weekly cabinet, held today under his chairmanship at the Gudaibiya Palace, HRH Premier wished the Arab and Islamic nations a happy return of the occasion, Minister of State for Information Affairs and the Official Spokesperson of the Government Sameera Ebrahim bin Rajab stated.

In a press briefing following today’s regular cabinet meeting, she said that HRH Premier had directed the relevant sides to provide the necessary basic food supplies for the holy month.

HRH the Prime Minister gave directives to rebuild the Muharraq Central Souq in a manner that ensures that all services are provided according to modern standards, she also said.
She added that the cabinet had emphasised the importance of strengthening national unity, preserving national achievements and rejecting all forms of sectarianism.

The Cabinet stressed the importance of adhering to the values and traditions of coexistence and tolerance, and called upon all religious pulpits and the press to avoid sermons and articles which would incite sectarianism while discussing the internal affairs of other countries.

It also called for the need to spread the values cordiality and fraternity among all members of society, she said.

The Cabinet discussed and approved a memorandum presented by the Minister of Finance on the audited financial statements of the Future Generations Reserve Fund for the fiscal year that ended on December 31, 2013, after being reviewed by the National Audit Office, the Minister also stated.

A memorandum presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Legal affairs concerning the draft law on the protection of personal data was also discussed during the session, she said, explaining that the draft law aims to provide legal protection for the personal privacy of citizens’ information, being one of the fundamental constitutional rights.

It also regulates transactions that may be associated with the privacy of personal data, or related to digital data that has nowadays prevailed in many fields, she added.

The memo was referred to the concerned committee for further review.

A memorandum presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs, on the air transport agreement between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of Tunisia was also endorsed by the cabinet.
The agreement aims to be in line with the latest developments in the international aviation industry, as well as to develop regular air transport between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of Tunisia, she explained.

The Official Spokesperson also pointed out that the Cabinet had discussed a memorandum presented by the Minister of Culture on the scheme to preserve the old city of Muharraq.

The plan includes urban management of the city through the restoration and rehabilitation of old abandoned buildings, the restoration of residential historic homes to make them suitable for Bahraini families as well the construction of empty lands using architectural designs compatible with the surrounding urban and architectural heritage, she said, noting that the urban planning sides were requested to study the scheme.

The Cabinet discussed and approved a memorandum presented by the Minister of Transportation on the accession to the Protocol to amend the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed On Board Aircraft.

The protocol specifies strict rules to deal with undisciplined passengers. It explains the powers and duties of security men on board the aircraft, as well as the powers of the pilot in handing over criminals, and the jurisdiction of the State of landing with respect to the punishment of offenders handed over by the pilot.

Accession to this Protocol emphasises the Kingdom’s commitment to civil aviation security. It also increases the confidence of the airlines that operate in the Kingdom of Bahrain in Bahrain International Airport, she indicated.

On education, the cabinet discussed a memo presented by the Minister of Shura Council and Parliament Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Authority of Qualifications and Quality Assurance for Education and Training (QQA), on the Authority’s report.

The report includes 31 government school reviews, 5 private school reviews, 12 vocational reviews, 3 reviews of higher education’s academic programmes and the 2014 National Examinations’ reviews, she told the press.

The Cabinet discussed a memorandum presented by the Minister of Education on the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Shanghai Library in the People’s Republic of China.

The Memorandum of Cooperation comes within the framework of cooperation that promotes exchange of expertise, as well as the exchange of consultation and training between King Hamad Digital Library and Shanghai Library in matters related to libraries, she explained.

Another memo presented by the Minister of Education on the Draft Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry of Education and UNESCO concerning the preparation and implementation of a special project concerned with promoting patriotism and human rights, moderation and coexistence, and the rejection of hatred and violence was also discussed.

This is considered the third phase of the Agreement of Cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the UNESCO International Bureau of Education in Geneva.
The Cabinet decided to refer the matter to the concerned committee for further review, the Minister noted.

The Minister also said that the cabinet had discussed a memorandum presented by her on selecting a day to celebrate the National Press, in line with HM the King’s directives to allocated a day to celebrate Bahraini press.

The Cabinet decided to mark the 7th of May of every year as the Bahraini Press Day. This day will be regarded as an important occasion to honour those involved in the Bahraini press, and to continue to support openness and freedom of opinion and expression in the Kingdom of Bahrain, she added.

On issues related to the legislative branch, she said that the cabinet had taken note of the approval of both the Council of Representatives and the Shura Council of a number of draft laws.

They include draft laws on the Issuance of Traffic Law, the Criminalisation of Smuggling Subsidized Oil Derivatives, amending some provisions of the Penal Code, the Issuance of Real Estate Renting Law and the establishment of the National Institution for Human Rights.

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BNA 1542 GMT 2014/06/22