The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill on exempting citizens from interest and fines for overdue payment of municipal fees, building infringement fines, sanitations fees, industrial city installments, and rents, investment payments, and debts due to state establishments from 2013 and earlier as long as the overdue payments are met by December 31st.

During the session which was chaired by Premier Wael al-Halaqi, the Cabinet also discussed its upcoming ministerial statement which will be delivered at the People’s Assembly, with the statement emphasizing early recovery, reconstruction, and the development process.

The statement set the government’s priorities as restoring security, combating terrorism, bolstering national reconciliation, relief, and humanitarian response efforts, improving living standards, caring for families of martyrs, administrative reform, combating corruption, and judicial reform.


The statement also focuses on human development, infrastructure, energy, production local administration, and developing media policy.

Premier al-Halqi said the government’s vision is based on the constitution and the directives given by President Bashar al-Assad in the speech he delivered after being sworn in, as well as the directives he gave to the new government, and that the government will embrace transparency with citizens.

He asserted that the government is committed to providing the citizens’ essential needs, noting that there have been some fuel shortages due to delays in the delivery of tankers to Syrian harbors.

The Premier also reviewed the steps taken by the government to stabilize the exchange rate of the Syrian Pound.

In turn, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem, gave a political presentation on the latest international and regional developments, while Deputy Prime Minister for Services Affairs, Local Administration Minister Omar Ghalawanji, briefed the Cabinet on the state of the services sector