Syria's Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri chaired on Tuesday the weekly Cabinet meeting, during which the ministers approved the draft budget for 2011. The Cabinet approved the draft law for the state general budget for the fiscal year of 2011, the first year of the 11th five-year plan. The general budget amounts to SYP 835 billion (US$ 18 billion), reflecting a 12% increase compared to the 2010 state budget which amounted to SYP 754 billion (US$ 16.3 billion).
Investment funds in the 2011 budget increased from SYP 327 billion (US$ 7 billion) in 2010 to SYP 380 billion (US$ 8.2 billion) with an increase of 12%. The draft law for the general budget will provide around 63,565 job opportunities in the general administrative and economic sectors.
