The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Tuesday afternoon. At the outset of the session, the King briefed the Cabinet on the telephone call made between him and President Juan Manuel Santos of the Republic of Colombia, and outcomes of his meetings with United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Director General of World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom. The Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session that the Cabinet expressed its thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for patronizing the ceremony and laying the foundation stone for Al-Qiddiya Project, the new entertainment, sports and cultural destination to be established in west of the capital Riyadh on an area of 334 square kilometers including many entertainment options and sport and cultural activities expected to receive 17 million visitors by 2030, provide about 57,000 new job opportunities for Saudi citizens and contribute to enhancing the growth of non-oil revenues of the Kingdom. The Cabinet commended the plan of implementing the privatization program approved by the Council for Economic Affairs and Development under the chairmanship of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Vice President of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Council for Economic Affairs and Development aiming to raise the efficiency of the performance of the national economy, increase the contribution of the private sector to the Gross Domestic Program (GDP) from 40% to 65% by 2030, increase the number of jobs and non-governmental investments, and increase the quality of services covering the largest number of beneficiaries. The Cabinet was briefed on a number of reports on latest developments in the region and the world, stressing the statement of the Kingdom's delegation at the high-level event on peace-building and peacekeeping held at the United Nations General Assembly and its confirmation of the Kingdom's affirmation that the basic pillar of peace-building and maintaining it lies in the achievement of justice, and without it, peace will not flourish, the Kingdom's initiatives in this regard within its ongoing efforts to resolve conflicts peacefully, and its emphasis on the need that the United Nations shall play a more active role in building peace and consolidating its foundations and pillars. --More 15:15 LOCAL TIME 12:15 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1758418
