:
ARAB PARLIAMENTARIANS SUPPORT UAE OVER ISLANDS
Arab parliamentarians participating in their 9th conference has affirmed the UAE's right to restore its sovereignty over three Islands of Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa occupied by Iran. All the delegates who took the floor today affirmed their full backing for the UAE's position to bring back these Islands to its fold through peaceful negotiations or by referring the dispute to the International Court of Justice, ICJ. The support came from the delegations of Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Palestine, Bahrain, Syria, Kuwait and Djibouti. They all called upon Iran to the UAE's peaceful initiatives and return the Islands to their rightful owner. The UAE had earlier called Arab countries to support its position on the Islands. Speaking at the 9th Arab Parliamentary Conference on Monday, Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Habtour, Speaker of the Federal National Council, FNC, urged the Arab parliamentarians to adopt the UAE's stance which calls upon the Iranian government to enter into direct and scheduled talks with UAE over the Islands or to accept the dispute to be referred to the International Court of Justice. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
:
ZAYED ISSUES DECREES ON APPOINTMENTS
President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan issued five Federal Decrees appointing and promoting staff at the ministries of planning, education and youth, health and ministry of state for cabinet affairs. The decrees order the appointment of Abdul Latif Mohammed Hamad as Under Secretary of the Planning Ministry, Tariq Saeed Ali Al Nouman as Under Secretary of the General Information Authority, Sultan Saqr Al Suweidi who is Under Secretary of the Education and Sports Ministry as Secretary General of the General Authority for Youth and Sports, Juma Gharib who is the Assistant Under Secretary for Sports and Affairs at the Ministry as Assistant Secretary General of the Authority. They also order the appointment of Ali Obaid Khalifa bin Ghanim Al Himiari as Assistant Secretary General for Financial and Administrative Affairs at the cabinet's General Secretariat and the promotion of Yousuf Jakkah to the post of Deputy Director of Medical Zone at the Ministry of Health. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
:
PURCHASE CEILING FOR FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS RAISED
The Ministry of Finance and Industry today raised purchasing allocations for federal government departments from Dh400,000 to Dh1 million. Jamal Nasser Lootah, the Ministry's Assistant Under Secretary for Lands and Purchasing, said that the purpose of the decision was to give more flexibility to federal departments on purchasing and contracts. He added that the decision was also in line with decision No. 20 of 2000 issued by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Deputy Ruler and Minister of Finance and Industry, regarding contracts. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
:
ATHEER SIGNS PIPELINE ACCORD WITH NPCC
An 84 million US dollar agreement was signed between Abu Dhabi Gas Company, ATHEER, part of the ADNOC Group and National Petroleum Construction Company, NPCC, for building a pipeline from Maqta Area to Jebel Ali in Dubai to provide gas to Dubai. The agreement was signed by ATHEER's Director General Rashid Mohammed Al Otaiba and his NPCC counterpart Oqail Abdullah Madhi. The 112km long pipeline, with a diameter of 48 inches will be built according to international specifications with regard to safety and environment protection. It has a capacity of 900 million cubic feet a day. The initial capacity will be completed and commissioned by March 2001. The project is the first to be implemented by the company onshore. Dubai and Abu Dhabi signed on February 18, 1998, an agreement for supplying Dubai with gas from Abu Dhabi. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
:
UAE TAKEN OFF US '301' WATCHLIST
The US Trade Commission has eliminated the UAE from the International Intellectual Property Alliance, IIPA, "Special 301" watchlist of copyright piracy and market access problems, the Business Software Alliance, BSA, announced. The Special 301 watch list is used by the US Trade Commission to identify the viability of global markets for trade and investment by US organisations and serves as the international benchmark for investments in markets that provide an ideal environment for business. (The Gulf Today)
:
DUBAI GDP LIKELY TO GROW 6-7%
The actual growth rate of Dubai is expected be in the range of six to seven per cent in 2000, according to official sources from the Dubai Department of Economic Development. According to the sources, the gross domestic product (GDP) for 2000 is expected to be at Dh53 billion against the estimated Dh519 billion in 1999. The sources also maintained that according to Dubai's development plans, the contribution of the oil sector to GDP should not exceed its current level of nine per cent. The department also plans to enhance investment opportunities for the national youth and is going ahead with the emiratisation policy. To help the flow of investment, the economic department is trying to provide a clear and flexible financial, economic and legal environment. The Department will attach special importance to privatisation, though privatisation will not be considered as a goal in itself. According to Eissa Kadhem, Director of the Planning and Development at Economic Department, boosting the private sector's ability to compete is a basic ingredient for enhancing investments and implementing some of the obligations under the WTO agreements such as the expected cancellation of the trade agencies law and the revision of the intellectual property law. (The Gulf Today)
:
SHARJAH TO SET UP PANEL TO ATTRACT INVESTMENTS
Chairman of Sharjah Economic Department, Sheikh Tariq Bin Faisal Al Qasimi, has agreed to set up a specialist consultative committee, which will have experts from the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and World Bank to work out an integrated strategy to attract investments. The committee will look into strategies for developing the economic sectors, particularly industry, tourism and financial and banking services to cope with the demands for economic openness from international agreements such as Gatt. (The Gulf Today)
:
INTERNET CITY TENDERS TO BE ISSUED SOON
Tenders will shortly be issued for various construction-related work in the first phase of the Dubai Internet City, DIC. The site for the DIC will span an area between Dubai Police College and Dubai Aluminium Co. on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway. The first phase of the project will be over by October. The promoters are also in talks with international venture capitalists to create a mechanism which would provide assistance for smaller start-ups. DIC promoters have finalised the rate cards specifying different rates and tariffs for companies wishing to set up a presence there. Land will be available on 50-year leases. The legal and regulatory framework for companies in DIC was passed just recently. DIC participants can have 100 per cent ownership, and their operations are tax exempt. But these companies have to be related to information technology, e-commerce and media services. (The Gulf News)
:
FIRST JOB FAIR FOR DISABLED ON MARCH 26
A job fair for UAE Nationals with special needs will be held during March 26-28 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The fair, organised by the National Human Resources, NHR, will be held in accord with the Rehabilitation Exhibition of the Dubai Handicapped Club. The fair is being held under the patronage of the Minister of Finance and Industry Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It has the full backing of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the support of many government and non-government institutions. NHR was founded in 1997 and focuses on placing UAE nationals in rewarding careers. The NHR has access to an extensive database of nationals seeking employment, enabling them to source the appropriate candidates for local and multinational companies in the country. (The Gulf Today)
:
NEW PROJECTS TO UPGRADE POSTAL SERVICE
Over 10 new projects of the General Postal Authority, GPA, will become operational next year. The new projects are part of a programme to provide more and better services to customers. The new post office buildings would have facilities for people with special needs. The projects include Bani Yas Post Office in Abu Dhabi with 3,500 private post boxes, Madinat Khalifa Post Office in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Central Post Office with 10,000 private post boxes. The Deira Main Post Office with 15,000 post boxes is expected to start functioning by the end of this month. The Rashidiya Post Office, also in Dubai, with 5,000 post boxes is expected to be completed in March. (The Khaleej Times)
:
ETISALAT TO LAUNCH BILINGUAL SEARCH ENGINE
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, ETISALAT, new Arabic language portal and search engine which can support both Arabic and English may be launched in the second or third quarter. The ETSALAT search engine, named ArabVista, is expected to be one of the largest Internet search tools. The new portal will open up a new subscriber base for UAE Internet services and unclog traffic on the present network. It will also benefit future e-commerce. The Arabic portal will operate on a Compaq Unix platform. Compaq's professional services (PS) division will provide back-up. ETISALAT is currently averaging over 5,000 new Internet connections a month. Average monthly usage is 1.6 million hours; per user it is 72 hours. (The Gulf News)
More than 220,000 people visited Dubai Museum last year, making it one of the UAE's most popular cultural attractions with an average of over 18,000 visitors a month. The visitors last year represent a 20 per cent growth over 1998's 185,000 visitors, who viewed the country's history through artistically designed displays. The Dubai Museum is located in the refurbished Al Fahidi Fort in Bur Dubai, which was built in 1799 to guard the city against invasion. Inside the museum are realistic dioramas of commercial life, domestic life, life in the desert and at sea. (The Gulf News)
A two-day heritage for Camel Races was held at Nad Al Sheba Racetrack. The races are being held in accordance with the directions of President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, on the preservation and promotion of the country's heritage. (The Emirates News Agency, WAM)
:
GLOBAL VILLAGE TO HOST CULTURES OF 36 COUNTRIES
The DSF Global village is ready to play host to cultures of 36 countries through a fascinating mix of handicrafts, live music and dance performances, demonstrations of handicraft making and glorious food. The Global Village, spread across an area of 84,000 square metres - 25 per cent larger than last year - is a veritable melting pot of cultures and a tribute to Dubai's status as a peaceful haven for people of over 100 nationalities. Organised by the Dubai Ports Authority, Global Village aims to take visitors on a transnational cultural journey, with plenty of entertainment and fun thrown in. Apart from the pavilions showcasing handicrafts and other traditional products from different countries, the organisers have made provisions for all essential and emergency services, such as banking, money exchange, telecom centre, childcare centre, information booth and facilities for the physically challenged. The Global Village features a total of 23 traditionally designed pavilions representing 32 countries from around the globe, in addition to a pavilion of Jebel Ali Free Zone. Other facilities include a medical clinic, an Internet and business centre, a Lost and Found Centre, Police and Civil Defence centres and a mosque. (The Khaleej Times)
:
MAKTOUM HOSTS TROPHY WINNING VICTORY TEAM
His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashis Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of The UAE and Ruler of Dubai, officially received the Victory Team racing pilots in recognition of their outstanding performances in the UIM Class II World Offshore Powerboat Championships held in New Zealand on Feb 7to 14. Sheikh Maktoum expressed his continuous support to the sportsmen of the UAE, and congratulated the team for bringing back a World Championship sports title to their homeland. Sheikh Maktoum also complimented the team on their constant promotion of the UAE worldwide through their sport. (The Gulf News)