Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — The Council of Ministers on Tuesday emphasized that the Kingdom’s recent contribution of $100 million for the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh (the so-called IS) will help support the Coalition’s efforts to re-stabilize the regions liberated from the terror outfit in the northeastern Syria with the restoration of basic services and ensuring decent living for the local people.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman chaired the weekly session of the Cabinet at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Awwad Al-Awwad said that the Cabinet lauded the contribution, saying it aims at supporting the stabilizing efforts of the Coalition to revitalize local communities.

The contribution will help restore livelihoods and basic services, save lives, facilitate the return of displaced Syrians and ensure that Daesh and other terrorist organizations do not reemerge to threaten Syria or its neighbors.

At the outset of the session, King Salman expressed happiness over the successful operation of this year’s Haj.

The King thanked and appreciated the princes, ministers, chairman and members of the Supreme Haj Committee, emirs of provinces and all officials and civil and military personnel for their efforts in serving pilgrims which have contributed to the success of the Haj season, which was free of diseases and epidemics.

Al-Awwad said the Cabinet reviewed the statement of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen and its clarification on the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Yemen.

The Cabinet commended the Coalition’s refutation of most of the allegations, fallacies and partiality of the report.

The minister stated that the Cabinet hailed the Finance Ministry’s second quarterly report on the performance of the state budget. The report reflected an improvement in the performance of public finance and a continuation of efforts being exerted to implement reform and economic plans aimed at economic diversification and achieving financial sustainability. It also included indicators and data reflecting the government’s commitment to transparency and financial disclosure, strengthening fiscal governance and public finance’s control and moving forward towards the achievement of the goals of fiscal balance program.

The Cabinet appreciated the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for praising the Kingdom’s efforts in promoting medium-term public finance framework initiatives, developing financial and economic risk management, increasing public finance transparency, developing public and aggregate finance analysis and encouraging it for further development of such initiatives.