JEDDAH, 13 April 2004 — Saudi Arabia yesterday decided to cut the tariff on reinforced steel from 20 to five percent in a bid to control the rising iron and steel prices that have driven up construction costs here.
The decision was taken by the weekly Cabinet meeting in Riyadh under the chairmanship of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd.
“The Cabinet decided to abrogate the 20 percent protective tariff on reinforced steel and impose instead a tariff of five percent,” the Saudi Press Agency said quoting Culture and Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy.
According to Muhammad Al-Anqari, chairman of the contractors committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, construction costs went up by 35 percent because of a rise in steel prices.
The Cabinet also decided to bring seaports under the protection of the Border Guard after making the necessary alterations in the law governing border security.
Al-Farsy said the meeting condemned the continuing Israeli policy of eliminating and assassinating Palestinian leaders, saying such policies would lead to escalation of the current situation and more violence.
“The Israeli aggression on Palestinian cities and people shows that it wants to abort all peace initiatives,” the Cabinet said urging the international community to force Israel to comply with Security Council resolutions.
The Cabinet authorized the minister of transport to hold talks with Jordan, Syria and Lebanon to join the protocol related unifying traffic regulations for public transport.
The meeting also appointed Dr. Ahmed ibn Muhammad Al-Sinani undersecretary at the Interior Ministry for regional affairs, Walid ibn Abdul Kareem Al-Khereiji ambassador at the Foreign Ministry, Mansour ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Khudairy, undersecretary at the Youth Welfare Presidency for youth affairs, Bandar ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Wayeli, planning expert at the Ministry of Economy and Planning.
The Cabinet also reshuffled the board of directors of the Irrigation and Sewage Authority in the Al-Ahsa region. Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Moaqel, Dr. Ali Al-Takhees, Abdul Aziz Al-Afalik, Abdullah Ababateen and the commission’s director general have been named members of the new board chaired by the minister of agriculture.
Shoura Council Appalled
The Shoura Council yesterday issued a statement saying it was “appalled at the killing, displacement and destruction” unfolding in Iraq and called for an immediate end to the bloodbath in the war-torn country.
The council voiced “sorrow and bitterness” at the magnitude of “the killing, displacement, bloodshed, demolition of homes and the terrorizing of children, women and elderly men,” SPA said.
The 120-member body called on the Iraqis to close ranks “and deny ill-intentioned people and infiltrators a chance to undermine their unity.”
The Shoura also reshuffled its specialized committees yesterday.
