Cabinet approves merge of restructuring program in manpower authority

KUWAIT, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- The cabinet on Monday approved the merging of the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program (MGRP) in the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM).
The decision was made during a routine weekly meeting held at Bayan Palace chaired by Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
The ministers entrusted the authority with coordinating with the MGRP, the Fatwa and Legislation Department and the Civil Service Commission, as well as other relevant bodies to take the necessary legal, regulatory and technical steps to achieve the merge, said Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah.
Today also, the cabinet tasked the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAFR), in coordination with the Ministry of Public Works, the Kuwait Municipality and the Fatwa and Legislation Department, to take the legal and procedural steps regarding the farms interfering with the right of way of the South Regional Road in Al-Wafra.
The PAAFR was offered a month grace period, paving the way for the Ministry of Public Works to offer projects on implementing and maintaining the South Regional Road, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah added.
Meanwhile, the cabinet approved and referred to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah a draft decree on replacing Item 1 of Article 1 of the Civil Service Decree, giving priority to appointment of Kuwaitis, then non-Kuwaitis of Kuwaiti mothers.
Then the ministers reviewed a recommendation by the Committee on Education, Cultural. Social and Health Affairs the regular follow-up reports of the construction program of the Sabah Al-Salem University City in Al-Shadadiyah for the period July through October 2016.
The reports include the steps and measures taken so far for enforcing the regulatory act of the University City, and the status quo of the infrastructure and projects there.
At the onset of today's meeting, the cabinet was notified of the message from the Comoro Islands President Azali Assoumani to His Highness the Amir congratulating him on Kuwait's presidency of the Fourth Africa-Arab Summit recently held in Equatorial Guinean.
He also expressed desire to promote bilateral ties in all fields.
The ministers were also informed of a message from Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay to His Highness the Amir, reiterating the fact that the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) had proved itself as an Asian constructive organization with an agenda for the future.
He also lauded Kuwait's role for enhancing cooperation among the ACD member states since the country hosted the 1st Summit in 2012.
The Bhutanese Premier invited his Highness the Amir to visit the Kingdom as part of the efforts to foster bilateral relations.
Following this, the ministers were apprised of the message His Highness the Amir received from Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Mohammed Barkindo, who commended Kuwait's leading role for concluding two historical agreements for the good of the world's oil sector.
Barkindo also said that Kuwait has been elected to chair OPEC's Ministerial Monitoring Committee.
Then the cabinet congratulated Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on being awarded the King Faisal International Prize (KFIP)- Service to Islam.
Then, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, briefed the meeting on the outcome of his participation in the international conference on peace in the Middle East, held in Paris Sunday.
The conferenced stressed that the only solution for the conflict and for achieving peace in the region is establishing an independent and viable Palestinian state on the pre-June 1967 borders, to live side by side with Israel.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled also offered the ministers an account of his talks with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri on the sidelines of the Paris conference.
In addition, he informed the meeting of the outcome of the talks he held with President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Peter Maurer who visited Kuwait last week.
Maurer lauded Kuwait's support to the afflicted people and the needy around the globe.
On his part, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled appreciated the ICRC's efforts in the search for Kuwaitis taken POWs and or missing in Iraq, urging harder work to settle the humanitarian issue. (end) msa