The Shoura (Consultative) Council at its 37th session here on Sunday approved boosting the Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) fleet by adding medium and small planes to serve the regions with low population density and reconsidering the privatization strategy for the national carrier. Presided over by its Vice Chairman Dr. Bandar Hajjar, the Shoura Council approved by majority vote the annual SAA report for the fiscal year 2006-07. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Council's Secretary General, Dr. Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, said the Council also approved by a majority vote the UN Anti-Corruption Agreement proposed by the Committee for Foreign Affairs. The Council also approved the annual report of the Ministry of Water and Electricity for the fiscal year 2006-07. It also approved the recommendations of the committee on the annual report, which call for time-bound planning for introducing electricity service and water and sanitary drainage networks for the citizens in the cities, villages and rural complexes that lack these services. The Council called for reconsidering the common indices and criteria in the reports of the ministry's sectors so that they reflect the citizens' needs. The other recommendations called on the Ministry of Water and Electricity to upgrade its performance and coordinate with other ministries to overcome the difficulties it is facing in carrying out its work. The committee also recommended reviewing the current emergency plans so as to confront water supply cuts and power outages. The Shoura Council session witnessed a broad debate on the report for the General Presidency for Youth Welfare during which the Social, Family and Youth Affairs Committee withdrew all its previous recommendations and replaced them with others, some of which the Council approved with a minimum vote. Also, the committee called for the speedy implementation of the Royal Order for holding cultural activities in the clubs in coordination with the Ministry of Culture and Information and the General Presidency for Youth Welfare. Al-Ghamdi added that the Council also approved by majority vote the draft memorandum of understanding between the Kingdom and China regarding the health quarantine for entry-exit persons or infected individuals at border posts.
