The Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry is scheduled to soon discuss reasons for not implementing the Ministry of Interior's ban on expatriates under 40 years of age working in shops that sell women's undergarments. Plans to discuss this matter are intended to support Saudization and respond to correspondence from Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Al-Qassim, who rejected demands made by merchants in the region to postpone the ban, officials said. Official correspondence between Al-Qassim Emir's Office Governate and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the region, copies of which Okaz/Saudi Gazette obtained, affirmed the ban, which has only been implemented in Al-Qassim Region. The Al-Qassim Chamber of Commerce has sent a letter to the Emir conveying the traders' request to postpone implementing the ban because they sought “treatment on par with the rest of the regions in the Kingdom.” “As all the regions of the Kingdom are not implementing this decision at present, we hope Your Highness would direct the committee concerned with implementing this decision to postpone its execution,” the letter said, Al-Qassim Chamber said it wants to postpone the ban because it would encourage investors to open stores in the area. The Emir, who rejected these requests, stressed that the ban needs to stay in place. In a letter to the Chamber of Commerce, he said, “The directives to the governorates of the regions on the basis of memos issued by Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, and the letter of the acting minister of interior all stipulate banning foreigners younger than 40 years of age from working in shops for selling women's items, except for wholesale shops. “No decision has been received so far stopping or postponing these directives.” He concluded the letter with, “This request can be discussed through the Council of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Kingdom.” On the basis of this correspondence, Faisal Al-Khamis, secretary general of Al-Qassim Chamber of Commerce and Industry wrote to his counterpart, Dr. Fahd Al-Sultan, secretary general of the Council of Chambers of Commerce, and asked the Council to discuss the matter.
