Bahrain Cabinet condemns attack on oil pipeline

Manama : The Cabinet meeting chaired by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa yesterday strongly condemned Fridays’s terror attack, which resulted in an explosion in one of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapaco)’s oil pipelines near Buri area, causing damage to property of individuals and enterprises.

The meeting, held at the Gudaibiya Palace, was attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier.

The Cabinet described the latest incident as an escalation of violence using criminal methods aimed at vital interests and installations, jeopardizing the citizens’ safety, said the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser. “The terror act is a dangerous aggression that exposes the role played by the Iranian regime which is responsible for several acts of sabotage in Bahrain and the region,” the Cabinet said.

“Tehran gives direct instructions to terrorist elements in Bahrain to carry out its plans to subvert security and stability,” the Cabinet said, adding that the latest  act is an attempt to undermine its security and civic peace. The Cabinet said that the Iranian meddling in the region has escalated recently through the aggressive attacks by the Tehran-supported Houthi militias, who recently targeted the Saudi capital Riyadh, by Iran-made ballistic missile from Yemen. 

“The terrorist elements involved in such a heinous crimes will be confronted firmly and severely by the force of the law,” the Cabinet said, pledging that the arm of the law will reach the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Land to be acquired for projects

HRH Prime Minister yesterday gave directives to acquire more land in a number of regions for public utility projects, including the Salmabad Housing Project and the expansion of some streets in Al-Dair and Jid Hafs.  Reviewing a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, the session endorsed the acquisition of real estate for the Pearl Museum in Muharraq and projects in Al-Dair and Jid-Hafs.

Allowance for expats stopped

The Cabinet has decided to stop the “expatriate allowance” paid to non-Bahraini workers with foreign contracts as there is no reason to keep such a bonus, considering national talent available in the public sector.

Accordingly, the Civil Service Bureau was tasked to settle the situation of current expatriate employees through comprehensive contracts that maintain their entitlements. The move is in line with the government’s approach to reduce public expenditure. The session also endorsed a draft Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income between Bahrain and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. The Finance Minister was mandated to sign the agreement on behalf of the Kingdom. The agreement aims to provide the necessary legal, legislative and economic framework for encouraging the flow of capitals and joint investments.