JEDDAH: The Council of Ministers decided Monday to sign a series of memorandums of understanding with other countries to monitor financial transactions related to money laundering and the funding of terrorism.
The Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, authorized Prince Naif, second deputy premier and minister of interior, and his deputy to sign the accords.
Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet also approved a draft agreement with other countries for investing in agriculture, livestock and fisheries.
The Cabinet also instructed the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs to link the granting of free land to the government’s housing program. “The ministry shall allocate lands required by the Public Housing Authority on the basis of royal decrees,” the Cabinet said.
The authority will construct suitable houses in different parts of the Kingdom to distribute them among citizens on the basis of certain rules and regulations, which include that the land should be within the areas approved by the government for residential development, public services should be provided from budget allocations and land should be distributed in different parts of any city.
The Cabinet reviewed economic activities in the Kingdom following the announcement of the national budget for 2010. The Cabinet said the new budget was aimed at achieving sustained development and meeting the needs of the national economy.
“It will channel spending to areas that would contribute to spurring economic growth, attracting foreign investment and creating more job opportunities by focusing on human resource development through education and training,” the Cabinet statement said.
The budget has allocated more than SR260 billion for new development projects, Khoja said, addingw that King Abdullah urged ministers to implement the projects mentioned in the budget quickly and judiciously.
King Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Sudan’s President Omar Bashir when they visited Riyadh last week.
The Cabinet reshuffled the board of directors of Al-Balad Al-Ameen Construction Company with Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar being its new chairman.
The Cabinet also announced the new board of directors of the Jeddah Development Company under the chairmanship of Jeddah Mayor Adel Fakieh.
