Back to main index
:
EMERGENCY TALKS ON UAE ISLES
Gulf Arab foreign ministers are to hold an emergency meeting in Abu Dhabi on Thursday to discuss Iran's military exercises in the southern Gulf. The UAE, which currently chairs the six-state Arab Gulf Cooperation Council, called the meeting "to examine the excesses of Iran and its military exercises in UAE territorial waters." The meeting will be presided over by Foreign Minister Rashid Abdullah. The AGCC groups the UAE with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. AGCC Secretary-General Jamil Hujailan arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to attend the meeting. The Cairo-based Arab League has, meanwhile, expressed "extreme concern" over the nine days of Iranian exercises which began on Saturday near the Iranian-occupied UAE islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs. Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdel-Meguid summoned the Iranian representative in Cairo to express the League's concern to him over the Iranian action. "Iran's behaviour towards the Arabs is incompatible with Arab policies towards the Islamic Republic," Dr Abdel-Meguid said. He said that the developments over the three occupied UAE islands was a very sensitive issue for the Arabs. Arab countries were committed to better ties with Iran. Iran must, therefore, reciprocate, he said. Dr. Abdel-Meguid said that the UAE ambassador to Cairo had briefed him on Iranian measures on the islands. He said that the Arab League would present the results of that contact to the next Arab foreign ministers meeting. "These manoeuvres are essentially a use of Iran's reserve forces to defend Iran's territorial integrity," a spokesman of the Iranian foreign ministry said. He said the League should encourage the Emirates to negotiate with the Islamic republic. Abu Dhabi formally protested to UN chief Kofi Annan over Teheran's opening of a new town hall in February on Abu Musa. On Sunday, the six Gulf Arab states launched week-long joint air exercises of their own in the UAE. General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, on Tuesday visited the site of joint exercises code named Bairaq Al Haq '99 (Standard of Justice'99). He was accompanied by Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces Lt-Gen. Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Information and Culture Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Defence Ministry Under-Secretary Maj-Gen. Shaikh Mohammed bin Obeid Al Maktoum and Deputy Chief of Staff Maj-Gen. Obeid Mohammed Al Kaabi and military commanders of the UAE and other Gulf states. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM )
:
OPEC TALKS FAILURE WILL SPARK DISASTER - says OIL MINISTER
United Arab Emirates Oil Minister Obaid bin Saif Al Nasseri said yesterday Opec producers should comply fully with existing supply curbs before any new cuts could be considered to rescue battered oil prices. "I don't think anyone will back more output cuts without compliance. What's the point of deciding on a cut without compliance?", Nasseri told Reuters in an interview. "The proper action first is full compliance with agreements." Opec ministers are meeting in Vienna on March 23, with oil prices at 22-year lows in real terms despite 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of cuts agreed by the organisation last year. Once-powerful Opec is paralysed by bickering over compliance with the supply curbs and there are no signs that members will bury differences any time soon. Nasseri said that he estimated Opec compliance was now at 70-75 per cent. "Unfortunately I'm not satisfied with the compliance level at the present time." Nasseri said failure by Opec to reach an agreement in Vienna would have a grave impact on the oil market. "Without an agreement it will be chaos. It will be disastrous for the price and for the market," he said."I just want to make a general call on all Opec members that it is very important to comply with previous agreements." Asked whether Opec might just prolong existing supply cuts, he said: "By extending the cuts of the existing agreement with full compliance it will help the market although it will prolong the downturn. I think it will help prices in the long run. "By taking a further cut it will accelerate the improvement in the market," Nasseri added. The Opec agreement runs to end of June but Gulf Cooperation Council members, including the UAE, have made a commitment to maintain their supply curbs until the end of 1999. "Whether it is a new extension or beyond the GCC extension which is at the end of 1999 it will be constructive providing there's full compliance," Nasseri said. He expressed hope that Opec members would reach a compromise on the compliance issue, stressing that prices would be volatile and unstable if new measures were not imposed. He was optimistic new cuts would secure a price recovery but he predicted the Opec meeting would not be an easy one. "If there is a serious agreement and that agreement is respected the situation will improve towards the higher level of $17 and $18 (a barrel). It is reachable," he said. (The 'Gulf News' )
:
ETISALAT TO LAUNCH NEW ROAMING SERVICE- CABSAT, TELECOM EXPOS OPEN
Emirates Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat) plans to introduce three new services - Emirates SMS Text, Emirates Internet roaming and SIM applications. One is in an advanced stage of testing. Inaugurating the fifth Middle East Cable, Satellite and Broadcast exhibition (Cabsat'99) yesterday, Minister of Communications Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer said, "There is a daily advancement in technology and the world of information, particularly TV, broadcasting and the services sector. This will continue to grow rapidly over the years. The products on display at the show indicate a high level of technology which can cater to the needs of the Gulf states." An Etisalat official, confirming the new services, said: "The Emirates short message service (SMS) will allow a mobile phone user to send a text message to another GSM user. We have been testing this service for the past fortnight and results have been extremely encouraging." A Siemens official participating in Cabsat' 99 said the cost of using SMS Text will be 30 fils per message. "I do not wish to talk about the charges at this stage. Our aim is to first provide a satisfactory service to our customers," the Etisalat official said. Work is also on to provide the Emirates Internet roaming service. "This will be like our GSM roaming facility. Subscribers to the Emirates Internet services will be hooked onto an international body (like the ISP or Internet service providers) and can access their E-mail even while the user is mobile," the official said. The SIM applications service is in the development stage. "A user may access information about his bank balance or make related queries, order a Dubai taxi service...or even maybe order a pizza from a restuarant. We are talking to banks and others to see how we can best provide this service," he said. (The 'Khaleej Times')
:
ANCIENT RELICS ON DISPLAY IN CAPITAL
An exhibition of archaeological findings to mark the 20th anniversary of UAE-France cooperation in archaeology was inaugurated at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation by Saqr Al Ghobash, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Information and Culture yesterday. The two-week exhibition will showcase 140 relics from the Bronze and Iron Ages from the third to the first millennium BC which were unearthed in Abu Dhabi. It is being held under the auspices of the French Embassy, the French National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Department of Antiquities and Tourism (DAT) in Al Ain. The exhibition also comprises 19 boards, each detailing one aspect of the archaeological research. The boards contain pictures, maps and site plans. Most of the objects have never been put on public display before and were kept in storage by the DAT. Several ceramics lent by the Al Ain Museum are also being exhibited, which are testimony to the richness and diversity of the findings made by the French archaeological missions in Hili and Rumeilah. In addition, objects found during the excavations by the DAT in Al Ain recently on the Hili Tomb N are being displayed. Speaking at a Press conference, Benoit Deslandes, cultural attache at the embassy, thanked Minister of Culture Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his patronage of the event and expressed hope that such exhibitions would help forge stronger links between the UAE and France. Dr Walid Yasin, director of the DAT, said French expeditions since 1977 had thrown new light on ancient civilisations in the Arabian peninsula, as early as the third millennium BC. The funerary rites of the people were studied, with subterranean tombs, different from the ordinary circular tombs of the Umm Al Nar period were discovered first at the Hili 8 excavation, and later in Ajman, he said. Similar excavations in Rumeilah have also been carried out, he added. (The 'Khaleej Times')
:
CHINA FIRMS STUDYING PROPOSAL TO SET UP TRUCK FACTORY IN UAE
Companies from China are considering the proposal for establishing a factory in the UAE for assembling and marketing heavy trucks in the region. The intention for setting up the enterprise was expressed by Hang Chen, Acting Deputy Mayor of the Chinese province of Nantong, who is heading a visiting delegation of representatives of Chinese firms, at a meeting yesterday with Ahmed Ghanoum Al Hameli, member of the board of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mr Chen said that some 72 Chinese companies are operating in the UAE, practising various trade and industrial activities. "The Government of China is encouraging companies to set up joint ventures with partners from the UAE," he said. Mr Chen also extended an invitation to the Chamber to visit Nantong, for an on-the-spot apprisal of the investment and business opportunities there and discuss ways and means of furthering bilateral economic ties between China and UAE. In his invitation to the Chinese businessmen to explore Abu Dhabi as a venue for business and industrial ventures, Al Hameli said the chamber will undertake study of any project proposed and extend all assistance and advice. The Chinese entrepreneurs are sure to benefit from the strategic location of the emirate which opens large markets in the Middle East, Africa and the CIS, he said. "A number of Chinese products are already being re-exported from Abu Dhabi. As many as 50 million bicycles imported from China every year are re-exported from here," he said. (The 'Khaleej Times')
:
GOLD FESTIVAL EXTENTED TILL MARCH 20
Those who love the glitter of gold can enjoy shopping for the yellow metal for another two weeks with lucrative offers, as the Gold Festival, which forms part of the ongoing Abu Dhabi Festival of Sales is being extended until March 20. The extension is at the request of participating outlets, companies and shoppers, according to the organisers. Confirming the extension, the chairman of the Festival Committee and deputy director general of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI), Ahmed Hassan Al Mansouri said, "We have decided to let the event, so popular in its very first edition, to run a longer course until March 20...". The organisers said that the brisk business was witnessed throughout the festival, which had statistically increased overall sales between 40 per cent and 70 per cent, and attracted many visitors to the UAE with the discounts, raffles, promotions and gifts that were offered. The Gold Festival is reported to have increased sales turnover by about 40 per cent, according to the organisers. The proprietor of one of the participating gold outlets told Khaleej Times that business would hopefully increase with the extension, giving more people time to plan and invest in the purchase of gold. He added that the crowds coming in to the shop had definitely increased during the festival, although in the first one week, things had been slow with people believing the sale was for only a week. The organisers said that in keeping with the regular programme, the fourth 1 kilo gold draw would be held on March 5. However, the bumper draw also supposed to be held on that day will now be scheduled for March 20, the last day of the festival. (The 'Khaleej Times')
