Cabinet congratulates HM King on prestigious awards

Manama, Oct. 3 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has extended his warmest congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on being granted the "Lifetime Achievement" Award by US C3 Summit, and the "Samuel Zwemer" award by the Reformed Church in the United States. The honouring reflects the world's confidence in, and respect for, the milestone achievements and approach of HM the King, who has dedicated his efforts to developing his country, serving humanity and promoting the values of tolerance and respect for religions, which has earned him great regional and international appreciation reflected by the two prestigious awards, HRH Premier said while chairing the regular weekly Cabinet session at the Gudaibiya palace today. A post session statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yaser bin Essa Al-Nasser, said the Cabinet had stressed the importance of the events that pave the way for more cooperation in the oil and gas industry and contribute to upgrading the efficiency of such a vital sector and increasing its economic effectiveness. In this regard, the session lauded the outcomes of the 10th Middle East Refining and Petrochemicals Conference and Exhibition (Petrotech 2016), held under the auspices of HRH Premier, and opened on his behalf by Deputy Premier, Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, highlighted in the presentation given by the Oil Minister on the event. The Cabinet then strongly condemned the attack on an Emirati aid ship at Bab Al-Mandab Strait en route to Yemen, dabbing it as a terrorist act that contradicts all international norms and covenants, and is incompatible with the regional and international efforts being exerted to send relief aid to Yemen to reduce the sufferings of its people. It also constitutes a clear breach of the international law and the international maritime navigation laws, the session said. Reviewing the situation in Syria, the Cabinet strongly deplored and condemned the continuous strikes on the city of Aleppo, and the targeting of hospitals and gatherings of civilians, which have resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. The Cabinet urged the international community to assume its responsibilities by protecting innocent civilians and putting an end to the human tragedy and the brutal crimes against the brotherly Syrian people. The Cabinet then warned of some laws and legislation that harm relations among countries, and constitute a source of concern for them because they are inconsistent with the sovereign immunity of states, and violate the principles of international law. It called for taking into account the negative impact of those laws on the future of relations between countries and their potential harm on the process of international cooperation at a time the world is in dire need for strengthening cooperation, not weakening it. While reviewing the memoranda on its agenda, the session endorsed three draft decree-laws, submitted by the Executive Committee, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, and presented by Deputy Premier, HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa. The first is on amending the Civil and Commercial Procedures Act promulgated by Decree-Law 12/1971 allowing the competent court to look into the complaint without delays following the presentation of memoranda and evidences ahead. The new procedure is a significant addition in the legal system that meets the requirements of economic and investment activities. The second draft decree-law is on amending some provisions of Law 32/2010 regarding financial position statement. Under the amendment, the financial statement of the spouse will be separated in accordance with the provisions of the Islamic Sharia which gave women full ownership rights independently from their husbands, and made them equal before the law. The third draft decree-law aims to amend the provisions of law 26/2014 on the establishment of the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) to strengthen it through granting it more powers to be able to achieve its objectives. This amendment embodies the kingdom's commitment to protecting human rights and resolute interest in developing its laws in this regard, the session was told. The Cabinet also approved a draft decree on cancelling the Information Affairs Authority (IAA), and granting all its terms of reference to the Ministry of Information Affairs. It also endorsed a draft-decree on re-structuring the Information Affairs Ministry to include an Undersecretary, three Assistant Undersecretaries and nine directorates. The session also approved the kingdom's ratification of the by-law of the Arab Court for Human Rights, and commissioned the Foreign Affairs Minister to sign it on behalf of the kingdom. The session was notified by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism on the measures taken by his ministry regarding the garment and textile industry following the expiry of the preferential tariffs granted to the industry under the Bahrain-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The minister also highlighted the available options to avail of FTA for all sectors, including the textile and clothing sector, as well as their raw materials. The Cabinet discussed five 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 were related to security surveillance cameras, combating crimes, the hazard allowance in some professions, solutions to rain problems and the Naim Youth Centre.