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HRAWI HAILS ZAYED'S SUPPORT FOR LEBANON
Lebanese President Elias Hrawi, paid tribute to President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan for the support he extended to Lebanon both during and after the crisis endured by the country, and throughout its rebuilding process, adding that Sheikh Zayed was the first to extend a helping hand to Lebanon.
Hrawi told Arab ambassadors during a meeting here yesterday that permanent and just peace in the Middle East would only be realised when all occupied Arab lands, including the Golan Heights, Southern Lebanon and Palestine, is liberated. He said that the only accord Lebanon would sign with Israel would be within the framework of comprehensive peace in the region, and called for Arab countries to join ranks to collectively face the various challenges confronting the Arab nations.
Palestinian Ambassador and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Khalid Malak welcomed Hrawi to the UAE under the leadership of Sheikh Zayed whom he described as a leader who cares very much for the people of the UAE and who endows them with correct principles and values, and who has spared no effort in building a modern state which commands the admiration of all countries and has become a friend to honest people worldwide.
"HH Sheikh Zayed, the miracle of our present time, truly deserves every gratitude. He is a leader who should be honoured and respected by all," Malak said. He praised too, the efforts of Hrawi is rebuilding and restoring Lebanon to the state the country formerly enjoyed as a 'minaret of knowledge'.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Electricity and Water Humaid bin Nasser al Owais and Lebanese Ambassador Georges Siam. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Arabic daily 'Al Safir' yesterday praised the wisdom and stances of President Sheikh Zayed.
In an article carried by the paper on the occasion of Hrawi's visit to the UAE, it said that, without any bias, Sheikh Zayed feels great affection for the people of Lebanon, and it stressed that this frankness, which characterises the UAE President, is enhanced by his honourable intentions and his will to do good. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
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HRAWI WANTS ISRAEL TO QUIT LEBANON
Lebanese President Elias Hrawi said that his talks with HH President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan covered all current issues pertaining to the Arab and Middle East arenas and the recent crisis between Iraq and the United Nations.
He told a press conference that the fraternal talks also included the issue of UAE's three islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb occupied by Iran, and stressed that Lebanon is against occupation of any Arab land by any country and the conflict over the three islands should be resolved peacefully.
Hrawi also expressed deep thanks and gratitude to Sheikh Zayed for the hospitality he and his accompanying delegation received and wished further progress and prosperity for the UAE particularly such that it regains sovereignty over its occupied islands.
On the security measures demanded by Israel as a condition of withdrawal from South Lebanon, Hrawi said that Lebanon would not negotiate with Israel on this matter and urged Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon according to the UN resolutions. He also called upon the United Nations to compel all countries to implement each resolution issued by the organisation.
Hrawi described Israel's offer to withdraw from South Lebanon as "test balloons" that would not be considered by Lebanon. Asked about Lebanon's readiness to spread its control over Lebanese territory should Israel withdraw its troops from South Lebanon, Hrawi said that the UN peacekeepers in South Lebanon should play a key role to help Lebanon extend its military control over the area if talks on Israeli withdrawal were "correct".
The Lebanese leader called upon Israel to withdraw fully and unconditionally from all occupied Arab territories and to allow the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate rights, including their right to establish their own independent state on their national soil. Hrawi was pessimistic about the future of the Middle East peace process, citing the recent statement by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in which she said that she had lost hope of making progress in the peace process.
Replying to a question about the existence of any secret plan by France to resolve the problem of Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon, Hrawi said: "There can not be a comprehensive peace in the Middle East without American pressure on Israel to force Tel Aviv to come to terms with the will of the international community for peace in the region."
He also pointed out that the United States could co-operate with France or others to achieve a just and lasting peace in the region.Hrawi added that the Israeli Government had no respect for the international community and recalled the bad manners shown to British Foreign Secretary and current President of the European Union Robin Cook by Israeli authorities as a result of his insistence on visiting Jebel Abu Ghnaim in occupied Jerusalem.
Asked about the possibility of holding a summit to deal with Israel's intransigence, Hrawi expressed the hope that such a summit would be held in order to adopt a collective Arab decision on stopping all dealings with Israel until all legitimate Arab rights were restored.
In response to a question on how Lebanon would deal with the Palestinian refugees, Hrawi expressed the hope that an independent Palestinian state would be established to grant citizenship and passports to Palestinians to enable them to work wherever they get their daily bread. "Lebanon has insufficient area or resources to host anybody. Our constitution does not permit the settling of the refugees," Hrawi said.
Referring to reports that some Arab investors are turning away from investing in Lebanon, Hrawi described these reports as "tendentious propaganda that could be due to misunderstanding between some investors and their Lebanese partners. In this regard, Hrawi urged the UAE investors to invest in Lebanon saying that it offers all the necessary facilities and incentives to create a suitable climate for investment.
The press conference was attended by Minister of Information and Culture Sheikh Abdulla bin Zayed al Nahyan, Minister of Water and Electricity, and Head of the Honorary Mission accompanying Hrawi Humaid bin Nasser al Owais, UAE Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Omran and Lebanese Ambassador Georges Siam. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
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OUTPUT CUT A LANDMARK, SAYS AL NASSIRI
Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Obeid bin Saif al Nassiri described the landmark output cut, decided by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, as "very good." In a statement to the Emirates News Agency, WAM, after his arrival from Vienna, al Nassiri said it was the first time in the Organisation's history that it received a tremendous support by non-member producers.
"The Vienna Agreement was complimentary to that of Riyadh. We have achieved an unprecedented co-operation between OPEC members and non-members, which will certainly lead to creating a balance in the supply and demand in the oil market," al Nassiri said. Al Nassiri went on to say that OPEC's emergency meeting approved reduction of around 1.5 million bpd in global output to relieve the congested markets.(The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
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DIB THANKS DUBAI GOVERNMENT, CENTRAL BANK
Dubai Islamic Bank, DIB, Chairman Al Haj Saeed bin Ahmed Lootah yesterday expressed his appreciation of the support given to the DIB by the Dubai Government and the UAE Central Bank.
"The assistance received by DIB from Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler and Finance Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Defence Minister General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum and from the UAE Central Bank reflects the great attention given by the Dubai Government to the Islamic economy and the key role played by DIB in the development of Dubai in particular and the UAE in general," Lootah said.
"This support also reflects confidence in the bank's strong financial position and the strength of its balance sheet and investments," he went on.
In a statement yesterday, Lootah said that he had received a number of messages from banks and Islamic economic institutions in Arab countries in which they had expressed their support for the bank, saying that these Islamic Banks and financial institutions had stressed their willingness to offer assistance to boost the DIB's operations.
Lootah said that messages had been received from the International Islamic Banks Union, the Saudi-based Islamic Bank for Development, Bahraini Islamic Bank and the Saudi-Egyptian Financing Bank and from other Islamic financial institutions.
He also said that the bank was operating normally and had ample liquidity to meet customer requirements no matter how much they needed. The Chairman said that the Dubai Islamic Bank made large profits over the past few years which had seen steady growth year after year, thanks to the bank's extensive activities in the country which increased its 1997 balance sheet to Dh 8.4 billion.
Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum told the Emirates News Agency, WAM, and Dubai Television that the financial situation of the Dubai Islamic Bank was very good and that depositors at the Bank need not panic. "What happened was a little difficulty that did not lead to any financial losses either in the Bank's investments or depositors accounts," he added.
Sheikh Hamdan praised the vigilance of the Central Bank in acting quickly, which led to Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum forming a special committee to probe the case. Sheikh Hamdan expressed confidence that the committee will succeed in steering the Bank's operations and re-assured depositors that their deposits were safe. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
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3,000-YEAR-OLD SETTLEMENT UNEARTHED AT BIDA BINT SAUD
An important new archaeological find dating back to around 1,000 BC, during the local Iron Age, was announced on Tuesday by the Department of Antiquities and Tourism in Abu Dhabi's Eastern Region.
The find is a settlement in the Bida Bint Saud area, around fifteen kilometres north of Al Ain, where a subterranean water channel, or falaj, and the remains of a large building made of mud-brick, covering an area of around 300.0 sq. metres, according to Department officials. According to a report by the Emirates News Agency, WAM, the Assistant Under Secretary of the Department, Saif bin Ali Dhaba'a al Darmaki, said yesterday that the building appeared to have "an administrative function."
In a press briefing at the Bida Bint Saud site the Department's archaeological expert, Dr. Walid Yasin Al Tikriti said that the building included a large courtyard, while the foundations for three rows of pillars were found, which would have supported a roof. The building "appears to have been the majlis of the chief of the tribe or the administrative centre of the region three thousand years ago," WAM quoted Dr. Al Tikriti as saying.
During a preliminary survey of the surrounding area, potsherds had been identified on the surface, permitting the archaeologists to recognise the presence of archaeological remains without the need for remote sensing or other investigations. It was, therefore, decided to put down some test trenches to investigate.
"We managed, in the first trench dug, and within a few hours to uncover the mystery of life in the Bint Saud area," WAM quoted him as saying. "We uncovered the underground water tunnel (falaj) and found a water well reinforced with stone and connected to a horizontal tunnel extending deep into the ground. From that horizontal tunnel, locally called 'Sul,' we found a series of many openings," he said.
Dr. Al Tikriti added that the excavations were extended to the rest of the site, in order to determine the direction followed by the underground tunnel. A meeting point of two tunnels was identified which permitted a definitive dating of the structure. At the meeting point, dubbed 'Al Sharia,' broken pottery sherds were found which were contemporary with those found at the Bida Bint Saud settlement, datable to around 1,000BC, in the Iron Age.
The Iron Age in the Emirates commenced around 1,300 BC and continued until around 300 BC. Iron Age burials, as well as other burials dating back to the Third Millennium BC, were identified by Danish teams over twenty years ago on the nearby rock outcrop of Qarn bint Saud. (The Emirates News)
WAM adds: Dr. Al Tikriti pointed out that earlier publications about underground water tunnels had relied on inaccurate historical information, and had included other information unrelated to the area. "As a result, we are (working) on publishing documented scientific research on the history of the underground water tunnels relying, for the first time, on the archaeological evidence not mentioned by anyone before," he said.
The Chief of the Archaeological Section in the Department, Khalfan Mohammed al Dhahiri, briefed the press on the programmes and plans of the local teams and the applied procedures in the digs and excavations at each site.
He explained that a special system had been created to govern the use of the old underground water tunnels. After the tunnel was completed and water started running through it, allocation of the water was arranged. There were rules governing the distribution of the water at set times during the day and the night.
Stars were used to determine the time at night, while the shade cast by sunlight was used to determine the allocation of water during the day, he said. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
