JEDDAH: The Council of Ministers yesterday adopted a number of measures to prevent a fresh outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in the Kingdom. It instructed the Ministry of Finance to urgently conduct a study on the requirements of government departments to fight the mosquito-borne viral infection.
The Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, also called for reactivating a program to combat RVF that was supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture in coordination with the ministries of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Health.
The Cabinet urged the Finance Ministry to study the matter immediately and present a report to higher authorities, said Social Affairs Minister Yousuf Al-Othaimeen, who is the acting minister of information. The Ministry of Water and Electricity has been instructed to present its requirements to the Finance Ministry.
The Cabinet meeting expressed its hope that the G-20 summit in London would help the world economy recover and boost global growth by adopting appropriate measures. It also wished every success to the Arab League summit in Doha. “The council hopes that the Doha summit would emphasize efforts to improve inter-Arab relations and achieve Arab reconciliation,” the Saudi Press Agency said quoting a Cabinet statement.
The Cabinet meeting commended Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s initiative to unify Arab ranks. King Abdullah, who is leading the Kingdom’s delegation to the Doha summit, will also attend the G-20 summit.
The Cabinet members congratulated Prince Naif on his appointment as the country’s second deputy premier. In an extempore speech at the beginning of the meeting, Prince Naif thanked King Abdullah for the appointment and for giving him this honor to preside over the Cabinet meeting. “We’ll work for the nation and its citizens, in accordance with the directives of King Abdullah and in the light of our faith.”
The Cabinet praised King Abdullah’s speech outlining the Kingdom’s national and global vision at the opening of the Shoura Council’s new session last week.
In his keynote address to the Shoura, King Abdullah urged Arabs to stand united to confront the challenges. He said Saudi Arabia would go ahead with its development programs in order to enhance the welfare and prosperity of its citizens.
The Cabinet also praised King Abdullah for officiating a ceremony that was held in Riyadh on Saturday to distribute King Faisal International Prize to its winners and for his continuous support to cultural, economic and scientific activities in the country.
Al-Othaimeen said the Cabinet took a number of important decisions. It authorized the interior minister or his deputy to hold talks with Algeria to sign an extradition treaty. It also decided to hold talks with Russian officials on reaching an agreement on transfer of prisoners.
The Cabinet decided to set up a committee to support the mentally ill and their families. The committee, to be chaired by the health minister, will assist the patients to receive treatment.
It will also set out national policies regarding the care of psychiatric patients, conduct research, set up special centers to take care of the mentally ill and provide financial support to the patients and their families.
