Manama, May. 4. (BNA) – His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s keynote address on the Wold Press Freedom Day, support for freedom of expression, being a pillar of the reform process, and directives to speed up the implementation of the media personnel’s housing project have been praised by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
HRH Premier also lauded the “Sword of Abdulla” drill, conducted by the Saudi Armed Forces, and said it reflected Saudi Arabia’s readiness to defend the regional security and integrity, Minister of State for Information Affairs and the Official Spokesperson of the Government Sameera Ebrahim bin Rajab sated during the post regular weekly cabinet meeting, chaired at the Gudaibiya Palace today by HRH the Prime Minister.
HRH Premier also welcomed the successful visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to Russia, and hailed important results and the joint agreements signed during it, she added.
The visits of the Spanish Monarch and Sri Lankan President to Bahrain and their role in enhancing the country’s relations with the rest of the world were also praised by the Prime Minister during the session.
On health, HRH Premier directed the Ministry of Health to follow up on the spread of the MERS Corona virus and step up efforts to keep the Kingdom free of it, the Minister said.
The Cabinet discussed and approved a memorandum presented by the Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowment on the signing of three Memorandums of Understanding with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the Director of the UN News Centre for the Gulf countries, and the Secretary-General of “the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue” (KAICIID).
The Memorandums of Understanding aim to ensure mutual respect and co-existence within the framework of dialogue between civilizations and human interaction, the Government’s Spokesperson explained.
The Cabinet also discussed a memo presented by the Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning on a draft law on amending some provisions of Land Acquisition Law for public purposes, she said, noting that the draft amendment aims to facilitate the procedures of land acquisition for public purposes in a manner that would speed up the implementation of the National Strategic Master Plan for the Kingdom of Bahrain, urban planning and the provision of necessary services to all areas like roads, facilities and connecting lands to public networks.
The Cabinet decided to refer the issue to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs for further review.
The Cabinet discussed another memorandum presented by the Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning on the accession of the Kingdom of Bahrain, represented by the Supreme Council for the Environment, to the Arab Union for Natural Reserves.
This Riyadh-based Union aims to preserve the biodiversity in the Arab world environments through the establishment of mutual natural reserves and the increase of joint scientific research and knowledge in the management of natural reserves, the Minister of State said, adding that the memo was referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs for further study.
The Government’s Spokesperson also said that the Cabinet had reviewed a memo presented by the Minister of Labour on the report concerning those entitled to subsidy and unemployment compensation, as well as employment data, training and job vacancies during the first quarter of 2014.
The report indicated a slight decrease in the unemployment rate compared to last year. The estimated unemployment rate was 4% in the first quarter of 2014, after it was almost 4.5% in the fourth quarter of last year, she said, adding that the report had revealed that 6125 citizens were employed in the first quarter of 2014, of which 34.5% were females.
Regarding issues related to the Legislative Branch, the Cabinet discussed a number of proposals submitted by the Council of Representative, including conducting a thorough study to find appropriate solutions for stalled construction projects in the private sector, establishing the headquarters for Bahrain Maritime Sports Association, activating the decisions concerning the cancellation of housing applications and deprivation of housing services from those who were proved to have submitted false, incorrect or fraudulent information at the time of application and determining the causes of injury arising from liposuction surgery and slimming operations (deaths or severe injuries) in public and private hospitals, the Minister said.
The cabinet was also notified of the approval of the Representatives and Shura Councils of the following draft laws.
They include a draft laws on amending Article (9) of Law No. (11) for the year 1975 on passports, approving safety regulations for small cargo ships not covered by international maritime treaties in the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States (GCC), the Issuance of Reform and Rehabilitation Institutions Law, and the proposed law on the regulation of penitentiary establishments and ratifying the protocol concerning the amendment of certain provisions of the Air Transport Agreement between the governments of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Kingdom of Morocco.
They also include draft laws on ratifying the protocol concerning the Rules of Origin for the Trade Preferential System of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Member States, ratifying the Air Services Agreement between the governments of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of Austria, and the decision of the and the Representatives and Shura Councils to adopt the final audit of the Future Generations’ Reserve Fund for the fiscal year ending on 31st of December 2012, conducted by the National Audit Office, the Government’s Official Spokesperson also said.
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BNA 1339 GMT 2014/05/04