RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Monday reshuffled the Supreme Economic Council (SEC) inducting Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Prince Muhammad bin Naif, assistant interior minister for security affairs, to the apex body.
The king also reconstituted the SEC’s permanent committee, making Prince Saud its new chairman and Prince Muhammad its member. Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi, and Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf are other prominent members.
The 12-member panel also includes State Minister Abdul Aziz Al-Khuwaiter, State Minister Matlab Al-Nafeesa, Commerce and Industry Minister Abdullah Zainal Alireza, Economy and Planning Minister Khaled Al-Gosaibi, Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen and Secretary-General of SEC Saud bin Saleh bin Hamad Al-Saleh.
The SEC, a mini-Cabinet chaired by King Abdullah, has been instrumental in adopting a number of important economic decisions, including privatization of state-owned corporations such as Saudi Telecom Company and Saudi Arabian Airlines.
The SEC has set up a Privatization Committee to assume work and tasks necessary for the Council to achieve its responsibilities and exercise its duties related to privatization.
