NEW CABINET SWORN IN: ZAYED ASKS FOR HARD WORK AND HONESTY
The new Cabinet was sworn in yesterday before President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai at Rawdat al Reef rest house. Addressing the ministers, President Sheikh Zayed wished them success in shouldering their responsibilities in the next phase of the country's development.
"The people of the UAE are looking forward with hope and confidence that every member of the new Cabinet will undertake his responsibility in the field of his specialisation with sincerity and seriousness," Sheikh Zayed told the Cabinet. The President said hard work was needed to achieve progress and prosperity for the people of the UAE and to support the progress of the country's federation.
"We have given the new Cabinet Ministers a wide margin in helping serve the interests of the country and its citizens. They will be judged by their constructive work and how they tackle their national responsibilities and obligations with sincerity and seriousness," Sheikh Zayed said. The President urged the ministers to directly follow up the progress of work under their supervision and ensure that it is performed with diligence and perfection.
He said they should have comprehensive knowledge of their responsibilities and be ready for any enquiry by the higher authorities. The ministers should be truthful, trustworthy and duty-bound, he said. "This is the tradition of our people and sons and is considered a treasure and a source of the country's pride."
He reminded the ministers to set a good example in leadership and warned them that those found to be negligent would be accountable for their behaviour while hard workers would be appreciated by the higher authorities. "An official whose work is characterised by negligence and indifference does not deserve to be in his position and is not worthy of praise. When he takes the oath of office, the minister carries the name of the country and should respect and achieve his objectives," he said.
Sheikh Zayed lauded Sheikh Maktoum's service to the country and his effective role in all fields of national work. "You and your brethren, the Rulers of the Emirates, have entrusted me with the responsibility of this country. I have also charged you to form a new Cabinet. You have made a good choice and picked up the best of our sons. I place great hope in those men and expect from you all help in shouldering the responsibility and in performing our national duty for the good of our country," Sheikh Zayed said.
He urged the ministers to protect the wealth of the people and to work with decisiveness and awareness. "Any shortcomings you face should be reported to me," he said. "We will work together as one in the interest of the country."
On the Middle East peace, the President affirmed that there would be no peace and no security without the return of Jerusalem, the priority of all Arabs and Muslims. The challenges facing the Arab nation demand a decisive stance without concessions on rights and land. "Peace that is built on concessions is to be rejected even if Israel freezes peace talks for many years," the President said.
He said the UAE would continue to support the Palestinian people until they regain their full rights to their land and country. He asked Israel to reconsider its stance, give up its settlements policy and abide by the agreements it signed with the Palestinians.
The ministers expressed appreciation and pride in the guidance of the President and Sheikh Maktoum and promised that they would be up to the responsibility entrusted to them and work for the progress of the country.
Later, Sheikh Zayed held a luncheon in honour of Sheikh Maktoum and the new Cabinet. The ceremony was attended by Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Chief of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Director of Abu Dhabi Police Colonel Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Director of the President's Court Sheikh Dhiyab bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Director of the President's Office Khamis Butti Al Rumaithi.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Maktoum received cables of congratulations from the Prime Ministers Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar, Mahmoud Al Zouabi of Syria and Li Peng of China. Sheikh Maktoum also received cables from the Thai Premier and Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber.
DUGAS' MTBE PLANT HOLDS PROMISE
With spot prices of petroleum products firming up, Dubai National Gas, DUGAS, Company's newly-commissioned methyl tertiary butyl ether, MTBE, plant - producing the environment-friendly additive for unleaded fuel - is projecting renewed demand from key North American markets.
The plant was formally opened yesterday by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and the UAE Minister of Finance and Industry. "It is an historic event in Dubai's industrial march. The plant coincides with growing demand for MTBE and unleaded petrol. It is now one of the most prominent industrial complexes in Jebel Ali," said Sheikh Hamdan, who is also the Chairman of DUGAS.
The full production capacity of 500,000.0 metric tonnes a year is dedicated for exports. There are no plans to raise additional capacity at present. DUGAS has confirmed a three-year contract with an overseas firm for the plant's output. Global prices of MTBE on the spot market are on the increase, according to DUGAS officials.
Demand is expected to soar with the US Government enforcing strict fuel emission controls through the Clean Air Act, first brought into law in the early 1990's and revised in 1995. The European Union, EU, is expected to follow suit bringing into law tougher emission standards more in line with those in the US. Thus, the demand and supply equation for MTBE will continue to be positive for a while yet, said senior officials.
Adjacent to its existing Liquid Petroleum Gas, LPG, facility, DUGAS' MTBE plant in Jebel Ali - capitalised at $ 250.0 million and financed from internal sources - is the first of its kind in the emirate and, at full capacity, will account for 2.5% of the global output. Three are already in Saudi Arabia which, combined, account for nearly 2.0 million tonnes. The Saudi output of MTBE, which will be raised by another 700,000.0 tonnes shortly with the commissioning of a fourth plant, stands second only to the US.
Work on the DUGAS project was completed in 30 months, entailing 5.0 million manhours. "Our own engineering office handled all process, instrument and pipe drawings, as well as civil, structural and instrument blueprints. The construction was carried out in-house and computer aided systems were accessed to interface the existing DUGAS LPG plant with the MTBE complex.
The whole project was self-financed form DUGAS' own financial resources," said Mirza Hussain al Sayegh. MTBE helps raise the octane levels of fuel, giving the fuel more power, supplying additional oxygen during combustion and complete burning. (The Gulf Today)
DUBAI AIRPORT PASSENGER TRAFFIC INCREASES 12.5%
Passenger traffic last year grew faster at Dubai International Airport that at any airport in the Middle East, the Geneva-based Airport Council International, ACI, revealed in a report on its members. The total number of passengers who passed through Dubai increased to 8.02 million in 1996, which is 12.9% more than in 1995. The rate of growth is greater than at any other airport in the ACI's Middle Eastern region, which does not include Cairo.
Dubai also led from the front in terms of cargo. Total cargo handled by the airport stood at 369,271.0 metric tonnes during 1996, a 13.4 per cent rise on the previous rise on the previous year, according to the ACI. Although more passengers passed through Jeddah airport during 1996, percentage growth at the Saudi Arabian destination, which is particularly busy during the Haj, was just 3.4%.
The three airports which come close to Dubai in terms of percentage growth are Amman, Muscat and Sharjah. Around 1.97 million passengers passed through Amman's international airport (up 8.4%), 2.33 million through Muscat (also up 8.4%) and 0.99 million through Sharjah (up 8.1%). The performance registered by Fujairah was impressive, 0.09 million during 1996, which is 6.1% more than that in the previous year. Kuwait registered growth of 6.8% in passenger traffic to 3.73 million in 1996.
Meanwhile, Sharjah will host the ACI World Air Cargo Conference from April 5-7. Over 400 delegates from all over the world will attend the three-day conference which has for its motto "Air Cargo - It's a Free World". The conference will examine the new trends and demands of the world air cargo industry and how the challenging demands are being met by the global service providers. More than 20 professionals from major airlines and related organisations, including the IATA and the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, will address the conference.
The ACI, created in 1991, is the international association of the world's airports and has 459 members in 155 countries/territories operating 1,250 airports. A non-profit organisation, its prime purpose is to foster co-operation among its member airports and with other partners in world aviation, including governmental, airline and aircraft manufacturing organisations. Through this co-operation, the ACI makes a significant contribution to providing the travelling public with an air transport system that is safe, secure and environmentally compatible.
A meeting of the board of the Asian section of the ACI will be held on April 5 to review matters concerning the merger of the Asian and Pacific sections of the federation, the UAE's Emirates News Agency, WAM. reported yesterday. The move is being put forward because of the regions' geographical proximity and with the aim of developing airport operations in the two zones. (The Gulf Today)
SHARJAH DIG SEASON ENDS WITH MORE DISCOVERIES
A German anthropological mission led by Dr Hans Peter Erbman from the University of Tobjin and the local archaeological team led by Dr Sabah Aboud Jassim completed their joint work for the second consecutive season. The month-long excavations concluded with the discovery of more human skeletons in the Jebel Bhuaiss area. The 180 skeletons were discovered in a mass burial site and female skeletons were found with hundreds of necklaces of various semi-precious stones nd even of pearl.
Dr Jassim said that the most significant discovery this season was the remains of a settlement, apparently belonging to the relatives of the buried ones. Fire places and remains of simple stone structures were also found while the discovery of animal remains at the settlement indicated that the inhabitants were hunters. The biological analysis shows that the site dates back to 5,000 BC. Dr Jassim added that this site is considered to be one of the more important sites pertaining to the pre-historic era in the southeast of the Arabian peninsula.
HH Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al Qassimi, Supreme Council member and Ruler of Sharjah, earlier received the German mission. The Ruler praised the joint project and pledged his further support to the excavation work while, in turn, the head of the German mission thanked the Ruler for the good care and hospitality they had received. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
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