Crown Prince Salman

Saudi Arabia will soon sign air transport agreements with 11 countries including Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Uruguay and Mauritius as the Council of Ministers on Monday given the go-ahead to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

The Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, authorized the GACA chief to sign the accords. Paraguay, Seychelles, Zambia, Rwanda, Togo and Swaziland are the other countries to have air link with the Kingdom.

Prince Salman briefed the ministers on the outcome of talks between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Jordan’s King Abdallah in Riyadh on Sunday. He also welcomed the new ministers and urged them to realize the hopes and aspirations of citizens and follow the king’s directives.

Prince Salman also expressed his thanks and appreciation to the ministers, who were relieved of their posts at their request, for their efforts in the service of Islam and the homeland. He also briefed the Cabinet on his talks with President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire.

Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Al-Khodairy said the Cabinet commended the final communiqué issued following the GCC summit in Doha, adding that it reflected the keenness of GCC leaders to take member countries to greater heights of progress.

He said the Cabinet denounced the assassination of Palestinian minister Ziad Abu Ein by the Israeli occupation forces, reiterating the Kingdom’s appeals to the international community to provide protection for Palestinians and stop Israeli state terrorism.

The Cabinet approved the rules governing the Consumer Protection Association.

It authorized the minister of commerce and industry to appoint its first executive council for a three-year term. A percentage of membership subscriptions charged by the chambers of commerce and industry will be allocated to these associations.

The Cabinet authorized the minister of finance to sign an agreement with Macedonia for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and to prevent tax evasion, and another accord with Egypt for customs cooperation.

The Cabinet authorized the foreign minister to discuss with the Togolese side to sign a draft agreement for cooperation. It approved a number of measures concerning prevention of sale of specification booklets to contractors of stalled projects.

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