Environment & Energy | Tuesday 27 October, 2015 3:56 am |

The Cabinet has approved a recommendation from the Shoura Council for Saudi Aramco to build petrol pipelines to Riyadh and set up new stations in remote rural areas. 
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Monday at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, Adel Al-Toraifi, minister of culture and information, told SPA.
The Cabinet also ordered that all petrol stations must have at least a 20-day reserve of fuel. The ministers also discussed finding alternative energy sources for consumers in the Kingdom, said Al-Toraifi.
At the outset of the meeting, King Salman informed the ministers that he had sent letters and had telephonic discussions with leaders of various countries, including those of Egypt, Russia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Ethiopia and the United States.
The king also made a phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin said that Putin and King Salman exchanged views on Syria in light of Friday’s meeting of Russian, US, Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers in Vienna. 
Al-Toraifi said that the Cabinet ministers also discussed the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, and urged the international community to focus on reforming the organization, so that it could strengthen its multilateral work worldwide. The ministers said that the Kingdom was playing an important role in improving the work of the Security Council. The Kingdom had signed the UN charter so that it could ensure that the body achieves international peace and security, said Al-Toraifi.
The Cabinet also lauded the Saline Water Conversion Corporation for winning two World Water Summit awards. The ministers said that the Kingdom has been at the forefront of water conservation efforts.
The Cabinet also decided to link the Central Department of Statistics and Information with the Ministry of Economy and Planning. The ministers further decided to appoint new members to the Supreme Authority for the Resolution of Labor Disputes and the Public Pension Authority for three years.
Al-Toraifi said that the Cabinet decided to form a committee that would expand the work of the late King Abdullah in the areas of religious and cultural dialogue.
The ministers further decided that the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy should hold discussions with Brazil on developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Other decisions taken include the setting up of the new Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises with financial and administrative independence, overseen by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. 
The authority would regulate and grow the small and medium enterprise sector in the Kingdom, so that it makes a substantial contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product of the country, and create jobs, said Al-Toraifi.
The authority would also ensure financial support for the sector through the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, said Al-Toraifi in his statement carried by the SPA.
In response, Mansoor bin Abdullah Al-Shathri, a member of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and head of the board of trustees of the Riyadh Center for SME Development, thanked King Salman for the decision, and said it would help grown the country’s economy.