RIYADH — The Council of Ministers on Monday approved a number of financial and procedural arrangements to ensure security and safety while implementing government projects. The regulations prevent payment of any amount of money for project implementation without an undertaking from the consultant to abide by security and safety rules and regulations. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman chaired the weekly session of the Cabinet at Al-Yamama Palace in Riyadh. Minister of State, Member of Cabinet and Acting Minister of Culture and Information Essam Bin Saad said the Cabinet approved the regulations after reviewing a report presented by the minister of finance. Under the new rules, the government agencies have to verify compliance of security and safety regulations. As for public utility projects such as road and transport projects or those involving renovation, modifications and additions, the payment will be cleared only after an undertaking from the contractor about his commitment to abide by the security and safety rules approved by the Civil Defense. The Cabinet directed that the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has to review the system of classifying contractors and its executive bylaw by giving them classification grades on the basis of their adherence to the security and safety requirements. The Council also approved the regulations to implement its earlier decision to stop cultivation of green fodders for a period not more than three years. The Cabinet confirmed the Kingdom›s call before the 23rd World Energy Conference in Istanbul for continuously investing in energy and oil production to keep up with future need for oil. It also endorsed the adoption of a set of measures to increase energy consumption efficiency, including strengthening the capacity of the Kingdom in the field of solar energy and activation of many other factors under the Kingdom›s Vision 2030. The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom›s efforts to consolidate three existing pillars of its economy — oil and gas, chemicals, and mining — and to increase its production of conventional and non-conventional gas by 50% to 18 billion standard cubic feet per day by 2020. The Cabinet discussed the Kingdom›s participation in the international meeting on the Syrian crisis held in Lausanne and the Kingdom›s confirmation of its firm position toward Syria, its unity, stability, territorial integrity and the importance of reaching a peaceful solution that ensures the end of the crisis according to the contents of the Geneva 1 and the relevant international resolutions.
