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Arab ministers avoid rifts at meeting before summit
Arab ministers avoid rifts at meeting before summit (AFP) / 24 March 2014 Rifts between Qatar and the three other Gulf states as well as Egypt were expected to be tackled during the ministerial meeting and also at the two-day summit starting on Tuesday Arab League foreign ministers said they agreed on the draft resolutions on Sunday for a summit in Kuwait this week, despite deep rifts among member states. Tunisian Foreign Affairs Minister Mongi Hamdi speaks with his Qatari counterpart Shaikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa during the opening session of the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in preparation for the Arab Summit in Kuwait City on Sunday. UAE Minister of State Dr Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber also seen in the picture. — AFP “There was no tension whatsoever in the meeting. Host country Kuwait in fact has smoothed relations,” Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said at the end of the one-day meeting. “The subject of the … withdrawal of ambassadors was never mentioned at all,” he said. “There were no controversial issues or problems, and the atmosphere was very positive,” he said, declining to answer if efforts will be made to heal the rifts. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have recalled their ambassadors from fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Qatar in protest at Doha’s perceived support for the Muslim Brotherhood, branded a terrorist organisation by Cairo and Riyadh. Rifts between Qatar and the three other Gulf states as well as Egypt were expected to be tackled during the ministerial meeting and also at the two-day summit starting on Tuesday. Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, however, said: “Not all issues are discussed in the meeting hall. Some issues are debated on the sidelines behind the scenes.” Arab League assistant secretary-general for political affairs Fadhel Jawad has said the Arab leaders will hold a special session during the summit in a bid to sort out their differences. Morocco’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Salahuddin Mezwar, said the ministers discussed efforts to combat international terrorism and ways to limit its impact on Arab countries. But he said Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood or whether to approve a new inter-Arab counter-terrorism pact were not discussed at the meeting. Zebari said all draft resolutions were unanimously approved by Arab foreign ministers. A draft resolution on the Syrian conflict, which entered its fourth year last week, urges the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibility after the failure of Geneva peace talks between the regime and the opposition. The leader of Syria’s opposition National Coalition, Ahmad Al Jarba, has been invited to address the Arab summit. But Syria’s seat in the Arab League remains vacant although the last annual summit, held in Doha, granted the seat to the opposition. The Arab League said the opposition still needs to meet some legal procedures to take up the seat. On the Palestinian issue, the ministers called on Arab states to provide $100 million in financial aid to the Palestinian Authority every month and rejected recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. The ministers approved the basic charter of a Bahrain-based Arab human rights tribunal and recommended that the next summit be held in Egypt. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Work permit application in Abu Dhabi goes online from April
Work permit application in Abu Dhabi goes online from April (Wam) / 23 March 2014 New online protocols connect the Ministry of Labour work permits with the issuance of entry permits through the Ministry of Interior. Business owners in Abu Dhabi can apply online and follow-up on labour work permits without the need to personally visit service centres from next month. The Ministry of Labour has recently designated April 1 as the start date for business owners in the UAE capital to be able to electronically apply/follow up on labour work permits without the need for frequent service centre visits. The date marks the completion of the second phase of the electronic linkage project by implementing new online protocols that connect the Ministry of Labour work permits with the issuance of entry permits through the Ministry of Interior, using new services that enable applicants to electronically monitor their requests, the ministry said on Sunday. Humaid bin Deemas Al Suwaidi, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Labour for Labour Affairs, said: “The completion of the second phase, which includes issuing electronic work permits within the city of Abu Dhabi after implementing it in other emirates, reaffirms the commitment of both ministries of Interior and Labour, to follow the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which refers to the unification of the federal government’s strategy in terms of partnership and integration between the federal government institutions and local communities to provide the best quality of services to customers in order to achieve their satisfaction.” “We will move forward to finalising the upcoming stages of the electronically linked project under the directives of Lt.-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; and Saqr bin Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, Minister of Labour; as they follow-up on the current operational status and emphasise the need to complete all stages of the project with outstanding performance,” he continued. Al Suwaidi also said that the new measures will save time and efforts and cut costs on business owners, especially as it connects the work permit permission with the entry permit, therefore the applicant will enjoy completing the transaction in a single step without the need to visit the Residency and Foreign Affairs Department to review the entry permit status to complete work permit procedures related to the Ministry of Labour. “The completion of phase two basically revolves around adapting these new measures in Abu Dhabi, which include checking on all permit applications submitted by business owners in Abu Dhabi via the MoL’s “Tasheel” service centres or through facilities involved with Tasheel or official typing centres. After the check-up stage, the Ministry of Labour will exchange data electronically with Ministry of the Interior and respond to the applicants by approving or rejecting permits or even informing them of required documents if any are found missing,” Al Suwaidi said. He pointed out that before the approval notification, business owners will be required to pay any set fees related to issuing the permit, and provide the bank guarantee sum per worker within a period of 30 days from the date of notification. The permit will be cancelled in the event of not fulfilling the requirements during the period mentioned. “After finalising work permit payments and providing the bank guarantee, applicants must apply for entry permits from the Department of Residency and Foreigners Affairs during the same 30-day period otherwise he’ll have to submit a new application,” he went on to say. “The reduction of the application/payment period from 60 to 30 days comes due to the fact that the new measures have reduced the steps to applying at the MoL offices, payment of fees and guarantees upon approval and request an entry permit. 30 days are considered long enough.” The electronic linkage project between the Ministries of Interior and the Ministry of Labour includes linking around 20 major services within several stages, the first phase included the cancellation of labour cards and work permits project. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Car Museum showcases 200 vehicles, Abu Dhabi’s history
Car Museum showcases 200 vehicles, Abu Dhabi’s history Silvia Radan / 23 March 2014 Shaikh Hamad created the museum to host much of his car collection, some that he bought himself, some that he built or modified to suit his taste and some that he received as a gift. A suspended, supersized four-wheel vehicle towers over Hameem Road in Abu Dhabi’s Al Gharbia region. A series of speed bumps are meant to slow down every driver, in case the sight tempts him to take his eyes off the road for a bit too long. Those curious enough to stop and check out the suspended Land Rover, will find inside not giant seats, but a small grocery shop and, “upstairs” (yes, it’s big enough to have two floors), a cafe. Behind it, more strikingly oversized vehicles and structures lead the way to the massive pyramid building that houses the Car Museum. Never advertised, barely talked about publicly, rarely in the limelight, the Car Museum is a private one, exhibiting about 200 vehicles, all belonging to Shaikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, along with a good chunk of Abu Dhabi’s modern history. “Do you see those two water towers over there? They used to be the Tourist Club water tanks in Abu Dhabi, and because of their shape, they used to be called the Onion Towers,” said Khalfan Al Romaithi, an Emirati from Abu Dhabi, who was visiting the museum with his son Sultan for the third time. Fenced off right next to the museum, the 90s Onion Towers are now known as Aladdin’s Palace! A house in the shape of a massive Earth globe on wheels leads the way to the museum entrance. Next to it is “Al Houdaj”, another house on wheels, built to resemble the seat placed on a camel for women travellers through the desert in the days long gone, a seat known as Al Houdaj. A notice board explains this is one of Shaikh Hamad’s Guinness Book of Records entries, bestowed on him for “manufacturing the largest two-wheeled caravan.” Rainbow Mercedes at the museum. -Supplied photo Officially known as the Emirates National Auto Museum, Shaikh Hamad created the museum to host much of his car collection, some that he bought himself, some that he built or modified to suit his taste and some that he received as a gift. There are cars dating as far back as the 1880s, all the way to 2007. “Shaikh Hamad is known as the Rainbow Shaikh because in the early 80s he painted each of his seven Mercedes 500 SEL in a different rainbow colour. When he learnt that this got him the Rainbow Shaikh nickname, he painted one more Mercedes in all rainbow colours,” explained Al Romaithi. As a young boy, Al Romaithi used to play with Shaikh Hamad’s sons and now, each visit to the Car Museum is one down memory lane. Walking passed the eight wheels Nissan that was recently featured in a Top Gear UK TV show filmed in Abu Dhabi, Al Romaithi stops in front of an enormous Dodge pick up truck. “Dodge was the car used to go out in the desert to look for petrol here, in Abu Dhabi. This one, built in 1994, is about five times the size of a normal Dodge,” said Al Romaithi. “It can move at maximum five kilometres per hour, and the museum has a special door that can open to take it out, if the Shaikh ever needs to,” he added. The eight metres wide Dodge weighs nearly 50 tonnes, sporting wheels from an oil rig transporter. In a rare strike of luck, the inside of the truck was opened and we could have a quick visit. A fully equipped home, with showers, TVs, air conditioning units and furniture in the 70s style revealed itself. Army trucks, a New York taxi, a Mini collection that includes a Padmini S1 made in India in 1997, a 1928 Ford T and a 1967 Pontiac Firebird, all in great shape, are among the exhibits. “These Kenworth truck used to, and still do, transport oil rigs in the desert. They have 18 gears forward and 12 in reverse,” pointed out Al Romaithi. One of the most expensive vehicles in the collection is the “Queen’s Rolls”. The Rolls Royce RR Phantom 6 was the car used by Queen Elizabeth the II during her first visit to Abu Dhabi in the 70s. For Hamad Al Kharoosi, an Emirati visitor from Al Ain, the most exciting vehicle was a 1988 GMC Sierra. “This was my father’s first car! I used to sit in the back and fight with my sister over the single air conditioning spot. Later on, I learnt how to drive on this car,” said Hamad. Back in the outdoors, in the museum’s backyard there is yet another Guinness Record supersized 4×4 and a pretty old looking commercial aircraft that, rumour has it, still has “everything” inside, even the galleys. silvia@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
