By John Lee.
The Cabinet held its regular meeting in Baghdad on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.
At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister extended his condolences and paid tribute to Dr. Hisham Al-Hashimi who was assassinated by a group of armed outlaws.
The Prime Minister said that the perpetrators of this crime will be pursued and brought to justice, as will those who have spilled the blood of other Iraqis.
The Prime Minister made it clear that he will not allow Iraq to be held to ransom by gangs, and that the government is determined to reassert the authority of the state and the rule of law.
The Prime Minister said that this government came into office in very challenging circumstances, and it will take the necessary action to fulfill the aspirations of Iraqis.
The Cabinet then received a briefing from the Minister of Health on the latest developments in relation to Covid-19, and the ongoing efforts to combat the pandemic.
Following discussions, the Cabinet decided to:
- Approve a draft law on the pension rights of medical and health professionals who died as a result of their work caring for Covid-19 patients, and to submit it for parliamentary approval
- Approve the recommendations of the Ministerial Council on Human Development on secondary education, including the creation of a new arts track in secondary education, in addition to the current science and humanities tracks
- Commission the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to prepare an urgent study on the actual numbers of those entitled to social security benefits, the cost of their inclusion in the system, and the measures taken by the Ministry to address any abuse of the social security network
- Authorise the Minister of Finance to sign a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Finance and the German Development Bank regarding a grant in the amount of 15,000,000 euros to equip five temporary hospitals for Covid-19 patients in various locations
- Renew the licenses of mobile phone companies for five years, on conditions they pay 50% of their outstanding debt, and commit to introducing 4G commercial services by early 2021
The Cabinet also discussed other policies and draft laws and issued several directives.
(Source: Govt of Iraq)