SAG SHAKES UP SUPREME ECONOMIC COUNCIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 001541 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/18/2019 TAGS: ECON PGOV SA SUBJECT: SAG SHAKES UP SUPREME ECONOMIC COUNCIL REF: A. RIYADH 916 ¶B. RIYADH 674 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) The SAG re-organized the Supreme Economic Council (SEC) on November 16 with the publication of a royal decree appointing the Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Assistant Interior Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Naif, and Saud Al-Saleh, Secretary General of the SEC, to the council's permanent committee. The decree also made Prince Saud the chairman of the permanent committee. This expands the committee's total membership to 12. The permanent committee meets weekly to discuss major economic issues and is the primary decision-making body of the SEC. ¶2. (U) Prince Saud replaces Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Khuwaiter, Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers, as the chairman of the committee. Al-Khuwaiter remains on the committee as a member. ¶3. (C) Comment: The inclusion of two members of the royal family on the permanent committee of the SEC (where previously there were none),one of them the foreign minister, is likely to increase the committee's profile and may reflect the SAG's inclination to steer the committee's activities in a new direction. End comment. SMITH