Cabinet lauds King’s Egypt visit, Arab Summit

His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has lauded the results of the recent visit by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to Egypt, and his fruitful talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, stressing the role of the talks in strengthening Arab coordination and consultation.

Chairing the regular weekly Cabinet session, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, HRH Premier also welcomed the outcome of the 28th Arab Summit, to which HM King Hamad headed the kingdom’s delegation. HRH the Prime Minister lauded the resolutions of the Pan-Arab summit, hosted by Jordan, and their importance in achieving the goals and aspirations of Arab countries and peoples, and in boosting joint Arab action, Cabinet Secretary General Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser said in a statement following the session, held at the Gudaibiya Palace today. The Prime Minister praised the high-profile participation in the summit and the bilateral meetings held on its sidelines, citing HM King Hamad’s meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. HRH Premier stressed the importance of integrated Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) strategies that support water resources across GCC states, praising in this regard the role played by functions held to achieve these goals, including the WSTA 12th Gulf Water Conference, hosted recently by the kingdom under the Prime Minister’s patronage. HRH the Prime Minister stressed that legislation and laws should encourage investment in the real estate sector, motivate real estate developers and preserve the rights of investors and stakeholders at the same time, giving directives to amend the existing Real Estate Development Law through expediting the issuance of a new law after its approval by the Legislative Branch in order to provide more facilities for real estate developers and boost urban development in the kingdom. Tackling judicial issues, HRH Premier requested the competent authorities to adopt procedures that ensure the speedy implementation of court rulings and the development of the case management system to devise the necessary mechanisms and avoid delayed the implementation of verdicts. The Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments was tasked with coordinating with the Supreme Judicial Council in this regard. HRH Premier instructed the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning to put forward immediate solutions to any service problems in Halat Bu-Maher and Al-Malkiya village, and develop infrastructure in them, and requested the Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning to follow up on the needs of the two regions. On traffic, HRH the Prime Minister gave directives to reconsider the speed limits applied on the main roads and highways, and modify them to ensure they are commensurate with the traffic movement, and that they meet the requirements of safety to reduce traffic violations and, at the same time, ensure the application of the law on violators. The Prime Minister also gave directives to intensify awareness-raising traffic campaigns to ensure commitment to rules, noting that the ultimate goal is to avoid wrong traffic habits, and not to impose fines and contraventions. The Ministerial Committee for Urbanisation and Infrastructure was requested to cooperate with the Supreme Traffic Council in this regard. The Cabinet approved, following the constitutional amendments ratified and issued by HM the King after they were approved by the parliament on regulating the military judiciary and defining its jurisdictions, a draft law on amending some provisions of the of the Military Judiciary Law promulgated by Decree-Law 34/2002. The bill was referred to the Legislative Branch in accordance with the constitutional procedures in force. The session also agreed to license the Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones, and tasked it with testing pearls and gemstones, instead of the Industry, Commerce and Tourism Ministry’s Gem and Pearl Testing Laboratory. According to the memorandum presented by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, the equipment of the lab will be transferred to the new institute so that it can start operating by July. The ministry will continue its monitoring and oversight over the pearl, gem and precious stone testing sector, while the current laboratory will continue assaying gold, silver and platinum. The Cabinet was informed about the labour market’s indicators for the fourth quarter of 2016. Figures, included in the memorandum presented by the Labour and Social Development Minister, showed an increase in the overall number of workers by 8.5 per cent compared with the same quarter in 2015, which indicates that the national economy had generated a total of 62,000 new jobs, in addition to those created by the labour market. The report also revealed that 1,883 Bahraini job-seekers are employed every month, and that the average salary in the fourth quarter had increased by 3.6 percent in the private sector, reaching BD 400, and by 1.8 percent in the public sector, reaching BD 685. The session discussed three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to be signed between Bahrain and the Philippines. They are related to establishing a high joint committee, civil service and cooperation between Bahrain’s Institute of Diplomacy and the Foreign Service Institute in the Philippines. The MoUs, included in the memorandum presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, were referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. The Cabinet also endorsed the ratification of the air services agreement between Bahrain and Finland and referred it the same ministerial committee. The session also approved a proposal submitted by the Council of Representatives on commitment to regulations and requirements regarding public parking lots of the owners of car rental registrations. The Cabinet also approved the government’s replies to other proposals by the Council of Representatives, as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs.