MANAMA, NOV. (BNA) HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PREMIER PRINCE KHALIFA BIN SALMAN AL KHALIFA TODAY CONGRATULATED HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA MARKING THE ADVENT OF EID AL ADHA, PRAYING ALLAH ALMIGHTY TO GRANT HM GOOD HEALTH IN ORDER TO CARRY ON THE PROGRESS BOOM BAHRAIN IS WITNESSING UNDER HIS WISE LEADERSHIP.
HRH THE PREMIER CONGRATULATED BAHRAINI PEOPLE AND THE ARAB AND MUSLIM NATIONS. THIS CAME AS HRH THE PREMIER CHAIRED TODAY THE REGULAR CABINET MEETING AT GUDAIBIYA PALACE, SAID CABINET AFFAIRS MINISTER SHAIKH AHMED BIN ATIYYATULLAH AT THE END OF THE SESSION. HR THE PREMIER CALLED UPON THE CABINET MEMBERS TO REFLECT DEEPLY UPON THE SUBLIME SIGNIFICANCE OF HAJJ RITUALS, THE FIFTH PILLAR OF ISLAM, AND EID AL ADHA AND UNDERSTAND THEIR REAL OBJECTIVES OF TENACITY, COOPERATION AND COHESION BETWEEN MUSLIMS. IN THE SAME CONTEXT, HRH THE PREMIER CONGRATULATED THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES KING ABDULLA BIN ABDUL AZIZ ON THE SERVICES AND FACILITIES PROVIDED FOR PILGRIMS WHICH HAVE ENABLED THEM TO PERFORM THEIR RITUALS EASILY AND COMFORTABLY. NEXT, CABINET MEMBERS CONGRATULATED HRH THE PREMIER ON RECEIVING THE 2009 LEADERSHIP VISION AWARD FOR ARAB AND INTERNATIONAL BANKING. IT TESTIFIES TO HRH THE PREMIER'S MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO PROMOTE BAHRAIN'S LEADING POSITION IN CONSOLIDATING THE ARAB LEADING FINANCIAL ROLE AND AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HIS ENDEAVORS TO SET UP A WIDELY-PRAISED BAHRAINI ECONOMIC AND BANKING EXEMPLARY SYSTEM, THEY ADDED. HRH THE PREMIER LAUDED THE HONEST PATRIOTIC FEELINGS EXPRESSED BY OFFICIALS AND CITIZENS IN BAHRAIN ON HIS WINNING THE 2009 LEADERSHIP VISION AWARD FOR ARAB AND INTERNATIONAL BANKING, STRESSING THAT IT-AWARD- REFLECTS THE GLOBAL APPRECIATION OF BAHRAIN FINANCIAL AND BANKING CENTRE BUILT BY BAHRAINI PEOPLE ACTIVE IN THIS FIELD AND UNDER THE WISE LEADERSHIP OF HM KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA. HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRIME MINISTER PRINCE KHALIFA BIN SALMAN AL KHALIFA PRAISED THE ROYAL SUPPORT FOR THE HOUSING SECTOR AS HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA APPROVED THE 2010-2014 HOUSING SCHEME WHICH THE CABINET PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED ITS FINANCING. THE PLAN IS A REALIZATION OF HM KING HAMAD'S ASPIRATION TO IMPROVE THE HOUSING SECTOR, A BOOST FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S PROGRAMMES LED BY HRH THE PREMIER TO PROVIDE DECENT HOUSING FOR THE CITIZENS AND A REINFORCEMENT OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD (EDB) UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS CROWN PRINCE SALMAN BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA, DEPUTY SUPREME COMMANDER AND EDB BOARD CHAIRMAN'S DIRECTIVES TO REDUCE DELAYS IN GRANTING HOUSING UNITS. IN THIS REGARD, HRH THE PRIME MINISTER TASKED THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING TO PREPARE ALL DETAILS RELATED TO THIS HOUSING SCHEME, WHICH WILL BE FINANCED THROUGH A BD 250 MILLION LOAN, AND TO COORDINATE EFFORTS WITH THE FINANCE MINISTRY TO SECURE THE ANNUAL FLOW OF LIQUIDITY NEEDED TO PAY THE LOAN. IT IS TO BE NOTED THAT THE FIVE-YEAR HOUSING SCHEME CONSISTS OF BUILDING 14,000 HOUSING UNITS, 10,000 OF WHICH TO BE BUILT USING THE SMART BUILDING STYLE, DURING THE FIRST PHASE STARTING IN 2010, AND 1,500 UNITS WITHIN THE NORTHERN CITY PROJECT'S FIRST STAGE DURING THE SECOND PHASE. CONCERNING JEWELLERY ARABIA 2009, HRH THE PREMIER HAILED ITS HIGH QUALITY PREPARATION AND ORGANISATION, NOTING THAT THE EXHIBITION IS A CONSOLIDATION OF THE GOVERNMENT'S APPROACHES TO DEVELOP THE EXHIBITION INDUSTRY AS AN IMPORTANT ECONOMIC SOURCE. THE CABINET ALSO REVIEWED BAHRAIN'S PIONEERING POSITIONS IN MANY FIELDS ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS' INDICES AND REPORTS. IN THIS CONTEXT, HRH THE PREMIER GAVE HIS DIRECTIVES TO FIND OUT THE REASONS LYING BEHIND THE DROP IN SOME INDICES. IN THIS REGARD, THE CABINET TASKED HRH THE PREMIER'S COURT MINISTER TO HEAD A COMMITTEE TO STUDY THESE REASONS AND SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE CABINET. THIS FALLS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE GOVERNMENT'S TENDENCY TO PRESERVE BAHRAIN'S LEADING POSITION IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE FURTHER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT . THEN, THE CABINET REVIEWED MANY MEMOS ON ITS AGENDA AND TOOK THE FOLLOWING DECISIONS: CONCERNING DEPUTY PREMIER SHAIKH ALI BIN KHALIFA AL KHALIFA'S REPORT HIGHLIGHTING THE POSITIVE RESULTS OF THE CIVIL AVIATION'S MARKETING POLICIES THAT ATTRACTED MANY ARAB AND WORLD AVIATION COMPANIES TO OPERATE DIRECT FLIGHT FROM BAHRAIN, THE CABINET HAILED THE EFFORTS EXERTED BY THE CIVIL AVIATION LED BY DEPUTY PREMIER SHAIKH ALI BIN KHALIFA AL KHALIFA AND BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT COMPANY. THE CABINET ALSO APPROVED THE AGREEMENT OF LONG-TERM LOANS TO FINANCE THE ELECTRICITY AND WATER PROJECTS SIGNED BETWEEN THE ELECTRICITY AND WATER CORPORATION, ARAB FINANCING FUNDS AND THE ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT BANK ADOPTED BY THE FINANCE MINISTRY. NEXT, THE CABINET DISCUSSED AND APPROVED THE REPRESENTATIVES COUNCIL'S REQUEST CONCERNING THE TOUGHENING OF SECURITY PROCEDURES TO REDUCE THEFT INCIDENTS. AFTER THAT, THE CABINET APPROVED AND REFERRED TO THE PARLIAMENT A DRAFT LAW TO MAKE UP FOR THE DAMAGE INCURRED BY A THIRD PARTY DUE TO ILLEGAL INTERVENTION WHICH INCLUDES AVIATION. FINALLY, THE CABINET APPROVED AND REFERRED TO THE PARLIAMENT A DRAFT LAW TO MAKE UP FOR THE DAMAGE INCURRED BY PLANES TO THE THIRD PARTIES. WHQ 22-NOV-2009 23:41