Saudi National Center for Privatization Awarded Over 60 Contracts in 8 Targeted Sectors 

Saudi Minister of Finance and chairman of the board of directors of the National Center for Privatization (NCP) Mohammed Al-Jadaan. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Finance and chairman of the board of directors of the National Center for Privatization (NCP) Mohammed Al-Jadaan. (SPA)
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Saudi National Center for Privatization Awarded Over 60 Contracts in 8 Targeted Sectors 

Saudi Minister of Finance and chairman of the board of directors of the National Center for Privatization (NCP) Mohammed Al-Jadaan. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Finance and chairman of the board of directors of the National Center for Privatization (NCP) Mohammed Al-Jadaan. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Finance and chairman of the board of directors of the National Center for Privatization (NCP) Mohammed Al-Jadaan took part in Beijing on Tuesday in a roundtable meeting organized by NCP in cooperation with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

Senior officials of Chinese companies interested in private-sector projects and public-private partnerships (PPPs) were also present.

Al-Jadaan noted the depth of the historical relationship between Saudi Arabia and China that are based on trust and continuous cooperation in various fields, said a Finance Ministry statement.

He added that NCP has since its inception awarded over 60 privatization and partnership contracts in eight targeted sectors, with a capital cost of over $10 billion.

It has also sought to strengthen its work by adopting the privatization law and complementary statutory tools that contribute to accelerating the implementation of PPP projects, he went on to say.

He praised the role played by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in supporting NCP efforts to present privatization and partnership opportunities and initiatives to Chinese investors and companies.

Participants at the meeting presented privatization and PPP opportunities in the infrastructure sector and how companies and investors can participate in privatization and partnership projects in several areas, most notably in construction, roads, water, and airports.



Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
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Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)

The United States on Thursday called on Israel to extend its cooperation with Palestinian banks for another year, to avoid blocking vital transactions in the occupied West Bank.

"I am glad that Israel has allowed its banks to continue cooperating with Palestinian banks, but I remain convinced that a one-year extension of the waiver to facilitate this cooperation is needed," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday, on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro.

In May, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to cut off a vital banking channel between Israel and the West Bank in response to three European countries recognizing the State of Palestine.

On June 30, however, Smotrich extended a waiver that allows cooperation between Israel's banking system and Palestinian banks in the occupied West Bank for four months, according to Israeli media, according to AFP.

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the decision on the waiver was made at a cabinet meeting in a "move that saw Israel legalize several West Bank settlement outposts."

The waiver was due to expire at the end of June, and the extension permitted Israeli banks to process payments for salaries and services to the Palestinian Authority in shekels, averting a blow to a Palestinian economy already devastated by the war in Gaza.

The Israeli threat raised serious concerns in the United States, which said at the time it feared "a humanitarian crisis" if banking ties were cut.

According to Washington, these banking channels are key to nearly $8 billion of imports from Israel to the West Bank, including electricity, water, fuel and food.