Gulf Cooperation Council States: weely Events in a Summarized Form

SUMMARY

International Front

Yemen said on Monday it needed not only assistance from donor countries to finance development programmes but also jobs for skilled and semi-skilled Yemenis in the Gulf, according to a senior Yemeni official.

Saudi King Abdullah has ordered treatment of the Palestinian Siamese twins, two girls named Rittal and Retag Bint Yasser Abu Assi.
Pakistan welcomes Saudi mediation for the restoration of meaningful composite dialogue with India, says visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Qureshi arrived in Riyadh Saturday on a two-day visit to the Kingdom.
King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has made history with his call for dialogue among religions, TV network CNN said.

Bahrain has contributed $1 million to recovery efforts in Haiti, the United Nations has said.
Bahrain and Thailand have agreed to bolster their cooperation on food security, Islamic finance, education, culture and construction. In a joint communiqué at the end of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's two-day visit to Manama, the two countries said that they had convergent ideas and views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation, the situation in the Middle East and on closer consultations and ties between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Association of Southeast Asia Nations.

Oman is in talks to buy Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from the UK in a deal potentially worth billions of pounds and which could help ease the budget crisis at the Ministry of Defence. Downing Street said yesterday the Gulf state had indicated its intention to buy the aircraft for the Royal Air Force of Oman.

Social Front

Around 30 prisoners escaped after a bomb explosion at a prison in southern Yemen yesterday, police said, identifying the fugitives as sympathisers of a secessionist movement.

In Saudi Arabia, land and homeowners in unplanned districts across the province of Makkah are seeking a raise on compensation packages which have already paid out SR32 billion for 2,000 properties demolished by the Mayor’s Office.
In Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Al-Rabeah, Minister of Health, said Friday that the ministry handles 60 percent of all health services in the Kingdom, with the private sector responsible for 20 percent and the remaining covered by other sectors.
Two men and two women were killed when their car veered into a roadside farm after being allegedly chased by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Al-Khalil area in Madina early Monday. Firefighters extracted three bodies from the wreckage of the vehicle, said Madina Civil Defense spokesman Col. Mansour Al-Juhani.
The newly set up Facilities Security Force has taken all necessary measures to protect oil and power installations, and water desalination plants throughout the Kingdom in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, the National Guard, and the Ministry of Defense and Aviation, said Maj-Gen Sa’ad Al-Majed, Chief of the Facilities Security Force in Makkah Saturday night.

In Bahrain, drivers of cars with Gulf licence plates will no longer be able to register them in Bahrain, a traffic source has said. "We have noted that some people bring in cars from Gulf countries, but do not change their licence plates into Bahraini ones as required by the law," Shaikh Abdul Rahman Bin Sabah Al Khalifa, the head of traffic directorate, said.
More than 135 children suffered abuses in Bahrain in 2009, the social development minister has said.
The bitter standoff between conservatives and liberals in Bahrain is likely to deepen amid news that a municipal council is pushing for the closing of restaurants and cafés at midnight.

Kuwait's information ministry has pledged a zero-tolerance policy towards satellite channels that broadcast programmes that could "erode national unity or undermine social cohesion.
Kuwait will limit the current transfer of business visit visas to residence permits at the end of this month, a senior labour official has said.
A 23-year-old Kuwaiti woman was on Tuesday sentenced to death for causing a fire that killed 57 women and children attending a wedding party in a tent in Al Jahra, 45 kilometres west of Kuwait City.
Kuwaiti media criticised the participation of three Kuwaiti athletes in an international track meet where Israelis also participated.

In Oman, Smokers lighting up in commercial centres and other closed public areas face stiff fines as smoking curbs come into effect in the sultanate's capital city today.
The first batch of Omani women earned residential plots of land in a draw on Monday at the Minsitry of Housing.



Labor Front

In Saudi Arabia, More and more Nepali workers are taking jobs in the service sector in the Eastern Province. Since Saudi Arabia opened up recruiting workers from Nepal, a trend has developed that could tilt the balance of foreign workers in the Kingdom, possibly even dislodging Filipinos, who are still very much entrenched in the service industry.

Economic Front

Yemeni imports from Pakistan have reached USD 200 million during the past year, said Deputy Ambassador of Pakistan in Yemen.

Saudi stocks rose to the highest since 2008 after Dubai said it would support the restructuring of state-owned Dubai World with $9.5 billion. The Tadawul All Share Index increased 0.66 percent to 6,801.64 Saturday closing, rising for a third day – the highest since October 2008.
Share sales in new Saudi Arabian export refineries will offer investors alternatives to listed downstream companies in developed countries — likely to remain exposed to chronically weak margins and high operation costs. The kingdom plans initial public offers (IPOs) for two plants in coming years, following the listing of PetroRabigh in early 2008. These, along with export refineries in India, are likely to attract investors' money away from refinery stocks in the industrialised countries. They may also make it even more difficult to find buyers of relatively old downstream assets, most of which are up for sale in Europe, analysts said.
The government has decided to pay the difference of the customs fees applied under the Gulf Cooperation Council unified customs tariff on 180 major food items and construction materials to help curb inflation in the Kingdom that reportedly surged to a 27-year high of 8.7% in February.

New guidelines aimed at clearing up religious doubt over the booming Sukuk (Islamic bond) market - the world’s fastest growing financial instruments - are to be debated at the premier international Islamic finance event in Dubai next month.
In UAE, holiday traffic has been gradually picking up pace since the end of last year as the need to de-stress from work is on a high, an Emirates Holidays official said. "People worked really hard last year.

Bahrain's Al Baraka Banking Group (ABG) said it had changed the name of Egyptian Saudi Finance Bank and will invest 3.4 billion Egyptian pounds (Dh2.25 billion) to expand its operations.

Qatar is offering to invest $1 billion (Dh3.67 billion) in France's heavily indebted CMA CGM, the world's third-biggest shipping group, a report said yesterday. The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), which manages investments for the gas-rich nation, has offered the equivalent of 740 million euros (Dh3.6 billion) in the form of loan guarantees, French business magazine La Lettre de l'Expansion reported.

Kuwait interior minister under fire for allowing policewomen to use guns and join combat forces

Newspapers ran large pictures of black-clad policewomen in action and carrying guns, a highly unfamiliar sight in Kuwait. Several Kuwaitis welcomed the new role for women, with bloggers praising their courage "to favour genuine action over shopping trips" and their dedication to the country. While Al Hayef, Conservative Kuwaiti MP Mohammad, insisted that the new role for Kuwaiti policewomen was ridiculous and required prompt intervention from senior officials.
The decision to allow women to join "combat forces” was taken in June 2008 when Interior Minister Shaikh Jaber Al Khalid Al Sabah issued a breakthrough decree to allow applicants for the first batch of women cadets in the police force at the Sa'ad Al Abdullah Academy.

Do you people think that this step would have any significance for the women empowerment in Gulf States???

Comments are welcomed

GCC States, Report no 112

SUMMARY

International Front

Around $2.1 million raised by the Kuwaiti embassy in Washington will help build 60 schools and educate 20,000 people in Pakistan and Afghanistan, an activist has said. The amount, collected by the embassy at its annual gala "Journey for Peace" held last week in cooperation with the Kuwait-America Foundation will be used by the Central Asia Institute to build schools, mainly for girls, in the remote regions of the two countries, Kuwait News Agency said.
Kuwait has denied a media report claiming that it had instructed the interior ministry not to allow Iranian citizens to enter the country. "The report is untrue and lacks credibility," the interior ministry said, according to Kuwait news Agency. "There have never been verbal or written orders banning the issuance of entry or visit visas to Iranians."

In Bahrain, a society dedicated to resisting the normalisation of ties with Israel has urged the upper chamber of the bicameral parliament to endorse a draft law to criminalise contacts with Israelis.
Iran’s ambassador to Bahrain on Tuesday denied media reports that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was in involved in the money-laundering unveiled by Manama on Friday. “We strongly deny all claims about an alleged involvement of the Revolutionary Guards in the operations,” Hossein Amir Abdollahian said.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will arrive in Bahrain on Tuesday on a two-day working visit. According to reports, Vejjajiva said his mission in Bahrain was to improve economic ties and show harmony with the Islamic world, as Thailand struggles to handle a six-year separatist insurgency in its largely Muslim southern provinces.

In Qatar, Barwa & Qatari Diar Research Institute (BQDRI) and France-based Dubosc Associates have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on creating a “sustainable built environment” and “encourage the adoption and application” of Qatar-specific green building practices.
Some 25 percent of electricity generated by the Chubu Electric Power Company in Japan is fuelled by imported Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to Chubu Electric Power’s Doha Office General Manager. Keiichi Yoneyama said yesterday that 7 percent of Qatar’s total exports to Japan go to Chubu, noting “relationship between Qatar and Chubu is very important.” “We started importing LNG from Qatar in 1997 then totaling 2.5 million tons per year.

A cargo ship has been hijacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Oman, according to European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor) on Wednesday. "The Bermuda flagged British Virgin Islands owned cargo ship MV Talca has been hijacked," a spokesperson for the EU Navfor told Gulf News.

Political Front

In UAE, The agency charged with protecting Abu Dhabi's strategic assets such as oil rigs and power stations will expand its operations to cover the entire UAE, a senior official said yesterday.
The website of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, received 17,500 visitors on the 2010-2010 Education Strategy opinion poll page.

A Kuwaiti conservative MP is putting pressure on the government to ensure that the Open University would not tolerate mixed education. "I want to know about the measures and steps taken to segregate between boys and girls in the classrooms and the various facilities at the Open University," MP Jama'an Al Harbash said in a question he submitted to Dr Moodhi Al Humood, the education minister.
Hours before a crucial confidence vote by the Kuwaiti parliament in the information minister, Kuwaiti media speculated that most of the MPs would rally behind him. "I am confident that Shaikh Ahmad Al Abdullah will ride the confidence vote by getting 24 votes against 22 calling for his dismissal," MP Abdul Rahman Al Anjari said.
Conservative Kuwaiti MP Mohammad Al Hayef has requested the interior minister to "honour his pledge on the duties of policewomen", saying that there would be a quizzing on the matter. "We have read media reports about Kuwaiti policewomen and their role as combat women," Al Hayef said in a statement. "This new role clashes with the interior ministry's pledges on employing policewomen only in positions and places where they are really needed."

Stunned Bahrainis were on Friday seeking information and answers in the aftermath of the arrest of a sitting minister, the first since Bahrain became independent in 1971. Still reeling under the dramatic developments around Al Wefaq and the ire it drew from some MPs and media people for its perceived faux pas at its annual general assembly and the subsequent onslaught on the British ambassador to Bahrain for his alleged interference in Bahrain's domestic affairs, Bahrainis were not ready for the news that a minister who enjoyed the full trust of the leadership would be detained on charges of alleged money laundering. On the other side the minister has denied involvement in a money-laundering scheme, saying that reports of his arrest and interrogation were not true and lacked credibility. Addressing visitors to his weekly majlis (open house), Mansoor Bin Rajab, a state minister without portfolio, said that he had been summoned by the interior ministry to answer questions about his ministry staff.

Social Front

It looks a serious challenge for Arab countries. One-third of the educated, ambitious, creative and employed Arab youth, who form the bedrock of their countries' future prosperity, would like to leave their home countries permanently if they were given the opportunity. A recently released Gallup report says, "The findings suggest that a country's greatest assets … are its most mobile, underscoring the potential effects of brain drain in the region."

In Saudi Arabia, as part of expansion work on the Haram Mosque in Makkah, residential and commercial buildings and real estates on a total area of 1,500 sq. metres will be expropriated. This area, consisting of eight various sites, will be added to the southern courtyard of the holiest mosque in Islam, close to its main entrance of King Abdul Aziz Gate. On the other side, Prominent Saudi scholars slammed a recent call by another scholar to demolish the Al Haram Mosque and reconstruct it in a way that would prevent the mingling of men and women during circumambulation (Tawaf) and prayers. They agreed in unison that this was a ridiculous call by a scholar, who had no authority or jurisdiction to do so. While ridiculing the call, Shaikh Abdul Mohsen Al Obaikan, adviser to the Royal Court, said such individual opinions should not be taken into consideration and must be rejected outright.
It was a startling voice of protest at a startling venue. Covered head-to-toe in black, a Saudi woman lashed out at hard-line Muslim clerics' harsh religious edicts in verse on live TV at a popular Arabic version of "American Idol." Well, not quite "American Idol": Contestants compete not in singing but in traditional Arabic poetry.
About 38 per cent of Saudis using Facebook are women, according to a researcher working in the media field. Fawzia Al Shadadi said there are 231,000 Saudis using the social networking website as of December 2009. "More women are turning to social networking. There is a growing trend among Saudi young women to have a wide circle of friends to express their feelings without revealing their original name," she said.

In UAE, The membership of Dubai Press Club (DPC) has expanded to include media professionals from all platforms, including broadcast and online media instead of only print, as part of its new initiative.
British expats are sending their children back home for education after feeling "let down" by Dubai schools. They said the trend is growing, even though authorities have initiated checks on schools here to lift standards. Only four out of over 200 schools examined by The Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) were rated ‘outstanding' in the first round.
The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority fined three outlets and issued warnings to eight more during extensive inspections conducted at restaurants, cafeterias, fast food outlets and others in Al Ain to check if they were adhering to the rules governing the use of cooking oil.
The number of fines issued to Dubai Metro passengers has dropped to 121 in February compared to 183 in January, a sharp decline of 34 per cent.
Residents who have not obtained an ID card will not receive services from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) (apart from visa issuing and renewal) or licensing services of police departments in all emirates.

A move by four Kuwaiti women to open a diwaniya (open house) for men and women in Al Jahra has sparked negative reaction among Kuwaitis. In announcing the opening of the diwaniya on Sunday, the four women said that it would be used to discuss women's issues and rights in Al Jahra, an area located 30 kilometres north west of Kuwait City.

Human Rights Front

A recent survey showed that most of the people in the kingdom oppose Saudi women working as housemaids. The outcome of the survey, released on Monday, showed that nearly half of those interviewed for the survey are of the opinion that Saudi women should not be allowed to work as housemaids. "However, 35.5 per cent is of the view that they can work as maids under strict conditions. Only 12.3 per cent of those, who took part in the survey, are in favour of employing Saudi women as housemaids. The survey was conducted among some 3,000 Saudis and expatriates in the kingdom by the Saudi Center for Statistical Studies.

In Bahrain, Abdullah Al Durazi, the activist who resigned from his position as secretary general of a society following row with members over a press statement, is back at the helm of Bahrain's oldest human rights organisation. With the deadline for the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) board elections ending on Saturday evening, and no candidate signing up his or her name to compete against Al Durazi, he is the de facto new secretary general for the new two-year term.

Turmoil and Terrorism Front

A Yemeni court on Tuesday sentenced a leading member of a southern separatist movement to 10 years in prison, a move that could further heighten tensions between secessionists and the government. Violence between Yemeni security forces and southern separatists protesting against the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh worsened this month. On the other side, Yemen risks a sustained separatist insurgency in the south, scene of increased tit-for-tat violence, unless it seriously addresses grievances of southerners who say their region is neglected by the state. President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who a week ago declared that Yemen's separate war with Shi'ite rebels in the north was over, has offered dialogue with opponents in the south. But there is little evidence so far of a rush to the negotiating table. "If the escalation continues it will be a big, big problem.

Saudi state media announced on Wednesday the arrest of over 100 members of Al Qaida cells that were plotting attacks on oil facilities in the kingdom. The arrests came just a day after the US had warned of Al Qaida plans to attack ships off Yemen's coast.

There is no evidence that Kuwaiti charity groups are involved in terrorist activities, the social affairs minister has said.

Environment

Sayyid Fahd Bin Mahmood Al Said, Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, has underlined the need for efforts to address challenges facing the water sector in GCC states. During his meeting with the participants of the 9th Gulf Water Conference on Monday evening, the senior Omani Minister said that Oman accorded top priority to water resources development, considering it as the cornerstone of sustainable development. He stressed the importance of co-operation among all in order to develop this vital resource.

Economic Front

Saudi shares rallied for the sixth week in a row, backed by strong gains of the petrochemical and banking sectors. The Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) gained 1.24 percent last week, to close at 6,756.98 points. In terms of sectors, the market on a weekly basis only saw negative sector closes in four separate sectors ranging from -0.13 percent by the Media and Publishing to -0.76 percent by the Agriculture & Food Industries sector. Otherwise, all other sectors closed the week with gains. Weekly sector gains ranged from 0.27 percent in the Multi-Investment to a gain of 3.03 percent in the Transport sector, the Jeddah-based Financial Transaction House (FTH) said in its weekly market commentary.
The industrial cities development projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia within the past two years alone have increased the total size of the industrial cities from 42.5 million square meters to 71 million square meters - a 67 percent increase on the total of the previous 40 years’ developments, Dr. Tawfig bin Fawzan Alrabiah, director general of Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) said.

The United Arab Emirates, in a call made at the United Nations, has urged the international community to overcome political and financial obstacles that prevent full implementation of the 'Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration on Financing for Development'.
Dubai debt insurance costs rose yesterday as doubts surfaced about the emirate's ability to fund its share of a $ 9.5 billion plan to repay creditors of its struggling Dubai World conglomerate. On Thursday Dubai unveiled its proposals to repay lenders to Dubai World in five to eight years and fully repay two bonds issued by its property developer unit Nakheel. The $ 9.5 billion plan includes $ 5.7 billion previously lent by wealthy neighbour Abu Dhabi, with the remaining $ 3.8 billion coming from Dubai's own "internal resources".

Oil and Gas

Qatar does not plan to cut output in a bid to support global gas prices, Minister of State for Energy and Industry Affairs H E Mohammad Saleh Al Sada said. Major pipeline gas exporter Algeria plans to ask other big gas producers to stop flooding markets with extra spot natural gas deliveries when they meet next month.

Oman has made significant gains in cutting down on the flaring of natural gas, the World Bank has revealed in a recent report detailing global trends in gas flaring and venting. Natural gas volumes flared by the Sultanate declined from 2.5 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2005 to 2.2 bcm in 2006.

Can Saudi Arabia reform itself?

All people from the relevant fields are welcomed to put there views regarding the above issue in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Weekly Summary #106

Human Rights Front
Bahrain will investigate allegations by the Human Rights Watch group that interrogators are again using torture in the Gulf Arab country after a lull of several years, the foreign minister said on Wednesday. Human Rights Watch said in a report on Monday that detainees in three cases mostly linked to protests in 2007 and 2008 in Shi’ite Muslim villages had been beaten and abused during interrogations.
Kuwait is fully committed to international human rights legislation, with any human rights violations that take place in the country being an "individual" matter that will be tackled as such, said a cabinet member.
Freedom of Expression
Bahrain has been accused of stifling political debate after a series of high-profile seminars was allegedly cancelled because authorities deemed them too sensitive. The KitSon, a Paris-based non-governmental organisation, was planning to hold monthly debates in Bahrain to address a variety of topics. Its first dinner-debate on March 8 was due to focus on GCC counter-terrorism, but organisers have been told that local laws prevented it from taking place.
Labor Front
The government of Oman will extend the amnesty deadline of March-end granted to overstaying expatriates to leave the country without paying fines. This will facilitate the repatriation of the large number of expatriate workers who have registered themselves in their respective diplomatic missions in Oman.
Social Front
A Saudi appeals court upheld a verdict against an airline sales clerk sentenced to five years in prison and 1,000 lashes for boasting on a television programme about his sexual exploits. In the meantime The Shoura Council approved on Sunday a proposal requesting a full report of the rights and duties of the members of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia). The Shoura’s Islamic Affairs and Human Rights Committee presented the proposal last week after listening to an annual report by the Haia’s umbrella, the General Presidency for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
International Front
US President Barack Obama’s charm offensive on Muslim states comes to a weekend forum in Qatar, where he will send a video message and his chief diplomat will give a speech, organizers said Thursday. Obama will deliver his message to the seventh annual US-Islamic World Forum in the Qatari capital.
GCC and EU officials held a meeting here Tuesday to discuss ways of activating the cooperation agreement. Meanwhile GCC Secretary General Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah categorically rejected Sunday the International Criminal Court's (ICC) accusation of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir of genocide in Darfur. The ICC took the decision while the Arab League and African Union (AU) were making progress in the Darfur peace talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, Al-Attiyah said in a statement.
In Saudi Arabia, the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has said that no complaints have been received from Saudis concerning tightened security inspections and searches at US airports.
Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon denied apologizing to a senior Saudi diplomat before a rare public handshake between officials of the two states. Prince Turki al-Faisal had said he shook hands with Ayalon at a security conference in Munich, but only after the Israeli apologised for actions Turki objected to giving Turkey’s ambassador a public dressing down. However, Ayalon said it was not true he said sorry to Turki. “Everyone who was present at the conference knows there was no apology from the deputy minister to the Saudi prince,” said a statement from his office. To those who did not take part in the conference we suggest they check the video recordings to verify what really happened.

In UAE, Dubai would seek the arrest of Israel's prime minister if it found evidence intelligence service Mossad was behind the killing of a senior Hamas official, its police chief was quoted as saying in a newspaper report. Hamas has blamed Israel for killing Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, one of its top military commanders, in a Dubai hotel last month. Israel has declined to comment.

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed stressed on the strength of ties between Bangladesh and Kuwait in all fields, during her visit to the state.
Economic Front
Bad managers, lack of adequate investment in scientific and technological research initiatives, near-absence of technical and vocational training for local manpower and the private sector ignoring manufacturing ventures are hurting the diversification effort in the GCC. These are the major challenges in steering the Gulf economies away from their dependence on hydrocarbon resources, experts said at a key conference. Banks in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economy are expected to return to profit growth in 2010, benefiting from higher oil prices and a sharp recovery in regional economies because of expanding public spending and rebounding confidence, analysts said.
The Saudi Arabian insurance industry has emerged as one of the fastest growing insurance industries across the world. While the global economic crisis has severely hit other industrial sectors, the insurance industry posts 25-30 percent annual growth rate on the back of compulsory insurance lines, research report. In addition to this Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry will for the first time allow local firms to bid to supply basic materials excluding arms with the long-term goal of encouraging a domestic military industry, officials said.
In UAE, Abu Dhabi is spending more on infrastructure development than any other capital in the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), said a senior municipality official. Giant infrastructure projects are being undertaken in the city and its suburbs in line with Abu Dhabi Vision 2030.
Oman and Iran signed the minutes of the consultative meeting of the Joint Technical Committee regarding implementation of memorandum of understanding on tourism.
Renewable Energy Front
Massive renewable energy projects undertaken by the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries could turn them into solar energy exporters along with their large hydrocarbon exports, according to a veteran Arab energy analyst. "After oil, Arab countries could start exporting solar energy.
Oil and Gas
Global demand for crude oil this year is expected to rise by 170,000 barrels per day (b/d) to reach 86.5 million b/d, an increase of 1.8 percent over 2009 levels, due largely to a pick-up in the world economies, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report.
Saudi Aramco has concluded supply deals to purchase up to 7.14 million barrels of gas oil for delivery in 2010 from private trading firms and international oil companies, industry sources said.
Yemen Turmoil
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has issued a directive on cessation of hostilities against the Shiite Houthi rebels in the northwestern part of the country. The presidential decree was announced in a press release after Saleh presided over a meeting of the higher security commission tasked with the implementation of the government's six-point ceasefire proposal accepted by the Houthis.Yemen’s Shia rebels said Saudi warplanes intensified attacks on northern Yemen on Tuesday, and that the insurgents had surrounded a Yemeni paratroopers unit.

weekly Summary of GCC States (105)

GCC

Expert says closing gender gap in enrolment and degree choices should be priority with emphasis on job training. Economists and scholars on Tuesday shared views on a roadmap for an education system that can meet labour market requirements across the GCC region.
A senior Iranian military official told Gulf States yesterday not to squander money on US missiles, boasting that Iran can render them useless, and the state news agency IRNA reported. Tehran had on Wednesday slammed plans by the United States to beef up defences in the Gulf against potential Iranian missile attacks, with the Islamic republic insisting it posed no threat to its neighbours.
Kuwait's immigration bureau has directed to not allow maids into the country unless their sponsors had the approval from the police. Kuwaitis and residents in the past could send the visa and the plane ticket to the recruited helper without resorting to a manpower office. The new measures, according to unnamed sources, aims to ensure that the maids had a police clearance from their home countries.

Labor Front

In Bahrain, A plan to replace the current sponsorship scheme or kafala system is under study by the cabinet. The Ministry of Labour has made a proposal to the cabinet laying out the framework for a new employment system for expatriates, a cabinet source told Gulf News on condition of anonymity. The plan is currently under discussion and no decision has been made yet on approving it, said the source, refusing to divulge details of the proposed system. A leading Bahraini lawmaker has expressed "tremendous concerns" that claims about Al Qaida in Yemen threats to world security would turn out to be as baseless as the ones made about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction. "Al Qaida in Yemen has been given incredibly impressive proportions which it does not deserve," Adel Al Mouawda, an MP representing Al Asala, said.

Human Rights Front

A Bahrain women's rights group has stepped up pressure to make the citizenship issue among the top priorities in the application of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
UAE remained in 2009, as in the year before, at third place in press freedoms among Arab states, following Kuwait and Lebanon, according to the Index. The UAE took a major step backward in press freedom last year. That is according to the latest Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, and confirmed by prominent media personalities in the country.

Health Issues

Oman’s Health Minister, Dr Ali Bin Mohammed Bin Moosa, told 84 elected Shura members that the country’s health services were under pressure and the ministry had plans to open more hospitals to cope with it.

International Front

Qatar and Iran are expected to sign agreements in oil and gas industry, tourism, investments and other important fields to boost their economies.

GCC Summary # 103

SUMMARY

Gulf Economy
Qatar's index slumped to its biggest loss for seven weeks yesterday as investors sold off bank stocks after a muted response to bumper earnings from the country's largest listed lender. Dubai slunk to a new five-week low, dropping 2 percent, Abu Dhabi fell for a fifth session and Oman extended its losing streak to three, but Kuwait and Bahrain rose and Saudi Arabia hit a 12-week high on optimism its banks had turned the corner after a tough 2009. Qatar National Bank fell 2.3 percent as the feel-good factor from a 65 percent rise in quarterly profit proved fleeting. Doha's benchmark fell 2.4 percent. On the other side more than 300 officials and businessmen from Gulf oil producers and India will meet in Saudi Arabia in mid-2010 to discuss joint projects and opening up of their markets to each other's products. While Kuwaiti Finance Minister is still hopeful on UAE return to fiscal union. Meanwhile the Gulf Cooperation Council joint rapid deployment force could be set up this year. GCC states had agreed at their last summit in Kuwait in December to create a joint rapid deployment force that would address security threats in the world’s top oil-exporting region. Abdul Rahman Al Atiyyah, GCC secretary general, said that the force would be one of the pillars supporting stability and security in the region.
Saudi Arabia’s economic recovery this year will most likely follow a gradual, steady track. Economic growth should accelerate following a stagnant and difficult year, inflation will remain at manageable but historically high levels and expansion of the private sector is set to take a turn for the better along with credit expansion at Saudi banks. The government, through a stimulatory public spending program, will continue to lead the pick up in the economy as Saudi oil averages around $74 a barrel and low levels of government debt bolster the Kingdom’s fiscal position. A higher oil price environment will enable Saudi Arabia to experience comfortable budget and current account surpluses.
The property market in Qatar, that witnessed a downturn during 2009 on the back of the global financial crisis is expected to recover this year, with a great degree of stability in demand and prices. House rents fell by 25 to 30 percent over the past one year, while the prices of real state properties dipped by 30 to 40 percent. The market is currently witnessing a surge in supply of residential properties, resulting in lower prices.

Yemen Turmoil
Yemeni warplanes struck outside a desert village near the border with Saudi Arabia on Friday, killing six Al-Qaeda operatives, including the group's top military leader in the country, security officials said. The military chief, who escaped a government attack targeting him last month, was one of Yemen's most-wanted militants and had plotted to assassinate the US ambassador. Yemen, with the help of US counterterrorism aid and training, has intensified an offensive against an Al-Qaeda offshoot that has dug in to pockets of the mountainous, impoverished nation, sometimes under the protection of powerful local tribes that have their own grievances with the weak government. Meanwhile Yemen decided not to issue tourist visas on arrival to foreigners in an effort to prevent militants entering the country as it steps up its war on Al-Qaeda. On the other side the number of Saudi soldiers died fighting Yemeni infiltrators during the last three months has increased to 113.

International Front
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the headquarters of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Saudi Arabia and expressed his satisfaction over the 57-member group’s increasing role on the world stage. Addressing a press conference at the residence of OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Erdogan thanked the King Faisal Foundation for awarding him the prestigious King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam.
The first 100-tonne aid plane of the UAE air bridge to relieve quake victims in Haiti left Abu Dhabi last week. Meanwhile Qatar Red Crescent has launched an emergency appeal to gather around 4 million Qatari Riyals of financial aid for those affected by the earthquake that hit Haiti last week. It was launched in a press conference held Monday in the presence of the Secretary General of the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) and its Board's Deputy Chairman, Dr Mohammad Bin Ghanem Al Ali al Mahdaadi and the Venezuelan Ambassador to Qatar, His Excellency Dr Juan Antonio Hernandez. "
"As part of a growing business interest in foreign countries, Kuwait has recently signed two investment projects with Kazakhstan," disclosed Abdulwahab Al-Wazzan, Honorary Deputy Treasurer Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). He met with members of Kazakhstan economic delegation yesterday at its headquarters in Kuwait City. The two sides agreed to carry out projects in Astana-the capital city of Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Kuwait has denied allegations made by Iraqi MPs that it is holding Iraqi land, either offered by the former Iraqi regime or annexed by its citizens. "Kuwait has never sought to expropriate land of other countries and has repeatedly called for the full respect of international borders," the An Nahar daily reported Kuwaiti diplomats as saying on Sunday. "What the Iraqi officials are referring to is in fact Kuwait land owned by Kuwaiti citizens, and this is clearly indicated in the internationally recognised maps. On the other side Kuwaiti lawmakers have often criticised the government for providing assistance to Iraq, which invaded their country in 1990. A Kuwaiti MP has lashed out at his government after it announced plans to fund the building of a hospital in Basra and homes for Iraqi farmers, charging that it was making "unjustified concessions" to Iraq. While Tehran said that it was ready to talk with the Kuwaitis on the "thorny" maritime border issue as Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani is making a visit to Kuwait on Saturday, Kuwaiti and Iranian sources have said. During the two-day visit, part of a tour that will also take him to Uganda and Kenya, Larijani, who will be accompanied by several members of the parliament and foreign ministry officials, will discuss with Kuwaiti officials bilateral relations and cooperation, the sources said without elaborating.

Social Front
Scientists on board the Tara, a sailboat that has set out on a three-year scientific expedition across the oceans to study the secrets of the earth’s climate and marine environment, have said they are keen on establishing links with King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST). Two of the research scientists of Tara Oceans told reporters at the French Consulate General on Saturday they would visit the KAUST to meet with officials of the university before sailing out of the Jeddah Islamic Port. Meanwhile Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the first countries to win preliminary approval for Internet addresses written entirely in their native scripts. Since their creation in the 1980s, Internet domain names have been limited to the 26 characters in the Latin alphabet used in English, as well as 10 numerals and the hyphen. Technical tricks have been used to allow portions of the Internet address to use other scripts, but until now, the suffix had to use those 37 characters.
In a few years time, Dubai will see more than 60 per cent of UAE nationals in private schools as an even greater number is currently enrolled in primary grades in these schools, according to the emirates education authority. In a trend where UAE nationals in private schools have increased in the last five years from 37.8 per cent to 52.3 per cent in 2008-2009, the head of education authority in the emirate said that the figures need to be watched and studied for future policies. This is the first time Dubai has reached this threshold of more nationals attending private rather than public schools. It is also the first time for any emirate in the UAE.
Bahrain’s labour minister has joked that he should be made member of the all-females Supreme Council for Women (SCW) for his persistent championing of women’s rights. Majeed Al Allawi made the light claim at the end of a week during which he had to face a barrage of criticism, mainly from women MPs for supporting calls to amend the private sector labour law in order to give women more rights, including more time to look after their children.

Labor Front
The UAE remains a popular destination among expatriate workers from all over the world as employment prospects in the country have increased by up to 8.3 per cent annually. It is also expected to maintain its upbeat growth in 2010, according to Careertunity.com, a private online recruitment portal in the Middle East. The trend is reflected in the surge in the number of job applications from expatriates at the web portal which maintains a huge database of various job candidates that is increasing every day. It further revealed that the unique situation of the UAE job market, which has been dominated by expatriate workers, has prevented it from being adversely affected by the global economic downturn, ensuring a steady supply of experienced professionals and international executives from the US, Europe, South Africa, Africa, Asia and the rest of the Middle East.

Environment
Special prayers to mark an annular eclipse in Saudi Arabia were held in mosques throughout the Kingdom on Friday morning. Yet turnout for the special salatul kusuf was very low since it was a weekend. The annular eclipse exceeded 11 minutes when viewed from the countries near the Indian Ocean – a record for the millennium. Such a long eclipse will not be seen until 3043. The annular eclipse, where the entire sun is obscured by the moon except for a blazing ring of light around the perimeter, was visible over a 300km wide track that encompassed half the earth. Meanwhile Civil Defense teams in Tabuk rescued over 75 people stranded in a number of valleys across the region following heavy rains and floods on Monday. Around 27 people were injured as a result of the rains, which caused schools to close and delayed commuters from reaching work. There were also power outages in several areas across the province. Gen. Suleiman Al-Huwaiti, head of the Civil Defense in Tabuk, said heavy rains flooded all of the province’s valleys. On the other side aid to most of the people displaced by the Nov. 25 flash flooding will come to an end on Thursday with Civil Defense officials asking people to return to their homes.
Now in Saudi Arabia the Passport Department has launched a service to enable exit and re-entry visas to be issued online. On another side, in an effort to curb dengue fever from spreading in Jeddah, the local Department of Health Affairs has added pharmacists to its war on dengue. A large pharmaceutical chain has agreed to distribute dengue awareness information in its stores and billboards. In addition to this effort, local health officials continue to push for awareness on how to reduce the risk of contracting the mosquito-borne disease. In the Same week, Shoura Council approved on Sunday a 5 percent increase in pensions paid to retired public servants. The house unanimously approved of the decision with an unprecedented ovation among its members. It was also decided to appoint a special committee to work out the modalities of making the payments to the pensioners. The move to increase pensions from the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) follows a recent announcement to increase government retirement funds by 15 percent. Meantime a Riyadh court is considering a lawsuit against the Ministry of Social Affairs, which is accused of unreasonably delaying the provision of legal support for people who have problems with the ministry. The legal action comes from a group of 25 lawyers, who claim they were subject to a five-year delay in receiving their license to start practicing, even though they had already set up a charity for the purpose. The Administration Court is considering their case.
Saudi government is set to relax regulations governing the marriages between Saudis and non-Saudis. A revised draft law prepared by the Interior Ministry and the Cabinet’s Committee of Experts allows government ministers, judges, Shoura members and students on foreign scholarships to marry non-Saudi women. The new law, which replaces the old one issued 38 years ago, should be passed by the Council of Ministers. According to Article One, Saudis who are allowed to marry non-Saudis include ministers, members of the judiciary and diplomats at the Foreign Ministry. Other beneficiaries of the law are: Employees of the Royal Court, the crown prince’s court, the Council of Ministers, the National Security Council, and members of the councils and organizations chaired by the king and the crown prince, Al-Riyadh Arabic daily said. Staff at the Ministry of Defense and Aviation, the Interior Ministry, the National Guard, the Royal Guard and the General Organization for Military Industries including military and civilian officers as well as members of the Commission for Investigation and Public Prosecution, Customs staff and all students studying abroad under the government’s scholarship program are also allowed to marry non-Saudi women. “The above-mentioned Saudis are allowed to marry non-Saudis including GCC women after receiving permission from higher authorities,” says Article One of the revised draft law. Article Two allows Saudi men and women to marry GCC citizens. Saudi men can marry the daughters of Saudi women and non-Saudi men. But those who propose marriage should not be from categories mentioned in Article One. Paragraph Two of Article Three says a Saudi can marry a non-Saudi woman born in the Kingdom to non-Saudi parents. However, the law insists that the woman should have a valid resident permit and birth certificate issued by Saudi authorities. Here also the man proposing should not be from the categories mentioned in Article One.

Oil and Gas
Saudi Aramco has been entrusted with the task of building and financing the $10 billion Jazan refinery, which will have a capacity of 250,000 to 400,000 barrels per day.
In Bahrain, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa will inaugurate the firm at the site of Bahrain's historic first oil well at Jebel Dukhan. The new firm, Tatweer Development Company (Tatweer Petroleum), is a joint venture between Bahrain, UAE and US firms.