JEDDAH, 15 May 2007 — In an important move aimed at preventing militants from obtaining explosives, Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, approved a new law yesterday that regulates the possession, export, import, sale, exchange, transport and storage of explosives (made for nonmilitary purposes) and firecrackers.
The explosives and firecrackers law bans unauthorized persons from carrying out explosions and operating firecracker devices. Tough punishment will be imposed on persons involved in smuggling, manufacturing and assembling explosives with the intention of undermining the Kingdom’s security.
The law specifies punishment for those individuals who possess explosives and train others in making and using them, the Saudi Press Agency said. The interior minister will issue an executive bylaw for the new law within 120 days after its publication in the official gazette.
The passing of the new law comes two weeks after the Cabinet took another decision curbing the sale of industrial and agricultural chemicals that could be used to make explosives. It banned the sale of various solid forms of nitrate compounds for three years. “The Cabinet banned the use of ammonium, calcium, potassium and magnesium nitrates as well as their byproducts in solid/granule/powder forms for three years for agricultural purposes,” SPA said.
The decision allows the import of the chemicals in their solid form for medical, industrial and scientific purposes only. “The Ministry of Agriculture will nominate four Saudi companies to be the sole importers of these materials, and they will sell them to licensed farmers,” the Cabinet said. Farmers are allowed to use only liquid chemicals as fertilizers, it added.
Yesterday’s Cabinet meeting emphasized Saudi Arabia’s support for the Palestinian unity government and urged the international community to lift the economic siege on the Palestinian people and deal with the Palestinian government directly without any conditions or restrictions. “Israel must comply with international law and the Arab peace plan...in order to establish peace in the region,” the Cabinet said.
King Abdullah, who returned to Riyadh on Sunday following a weeklong tour of the north, said he had witnessed expressions of patriotism and brotherhood from citizens and cooperation between regional officials and ministries in identifying new development projects required in each region.
“All of them stand in unison against those who tamper with the Kingdom’s security and stability,” the king said.
The Cabinet approved alterations to the Military Officers Service Law, allowing officers to receive compensation for accumulated leave that should not exceed 180 days. It endorsed the memorandum of understanding signed with Singapore on political consultations between the two foreign ministries. It also set up a national committee for international humanitarian law with representatives of various ministries, the Red Crescent Society and Human Rights Commission as its members.
The Cabinet said the Ministry of Transport would continue to bear expenditures for removing obstacles that stand in the way of constructing new roads on the basis of certain conditions. The meeting reviewed progress of 108 new drinking water and sewage projects as well as 780 education projects in different regions. King Abdullah urged ministers to complete the projects as quickly as possible.
The Cabinet appointed Zarib ibn Saeed Al-Qahtani undersecretary at the governorate of the Eastern Province, and Muhammad ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Faris, director general of the office of the minister of Islamic affairs.
