Kuwait and Oman Sign Memoranda of Understanding

Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al Salim Al Sabah

After a two-day visit to the Sultanate of Oman, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al Salim Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the State of Kuwait, along with his accompanying delegation, left Oman to return home after completing the fifth session of the Omani-Kuwaiti Joint Committee meetings.

Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al Salim Al Sabah chaired his country’s delegation at the deliberations of the fifth session, and was given a fond farewell on Wednesday at the Salalah airport by Yousef bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Salim Ghassab Al Zamanan, the ambassador of Kuwait in Oman.

Presiding over the fifth session of the Omani-Kuwaiti Joint Committee were the Deputy Prime Minister Al Sabah and the Foreign Affairs Minister Alawi bin Abdullah. During the session two memoranda of understanding were signed: One connected to technical cooperation, especially in the areas of environment and climate protection; and the other concerned with cooperation in sports and youth programs.

BankDhofar Reporting First Half Loss Due to Legal Action

The period ending on June 30, 2011 was decidedly unfavorable as BankDhofar posted a loss of RO 4.55 million. This is an especially disappointing showing compared with last year’s gain of RO 17.73 million.

The Bank explained that the loss is related to the booking of RO 26.1 million as a result of a recently determined legal case.

“Although we have booked this loss in compliance with the relevant accounting standards, the Bank challenges the premise of this legal case and is exercising all legal actions to reclaim the amount and to protect the bank’s interests,” the bank stated in a disclosure notification to the Muscat Securities Market (MSM).

The bank has stated that it is taking every possible legal action to reclaim the funds in an effort to protect the Bank and its shareholder’s interests.

Oman’s Port to be Transformed to Exclusive Tourist Hub

Port Sultan Qaboos

As part of Oman’s master plan to develop tourism into a major part of its GDP, Port Sultan Qaboos is slated to be turned into an exclusive hub for tourists to Oman and the rest of the region.

Today the port is the Sultanate’s main harbor for the import and export of cargo. The goal in Oman is that the development of the port will be part of an expansion of the tourist trade in general until it becomes 2.4% of the country’s GDP.

A joint statement was issued by the ministries of transport and communications explaining the intention to soon creating a master plan:

“The two ministries will develop the master plan and detailed designs for the port and its associated services and utilities in coordination with the concerned government and private establishments.

“It will be totally dedicated to tourism,” a joint statement said.

The present activities at Port Sultan Qaboos will be transferred to the port in Sohar in as smooth a way as possible “to ensure non-conflict with the existing concession agreement for the management and operation of Port Sultan Qaboos.”

Turtle-Watching Tourists Crowd Shores of Oman

Greenback's in Oman

Peak Season Now

The peak of turtle-watching season has reached Oman. For the best view of this spectacular sight it is recommended to visit Ras al Hadd on the Indian Ocean between the months of July and October to witness the landing of more than 50,000 sea turtles that will be breeding and laying their eggs.

Protected Harbor

Ras al Hadd is a beautiful protected harbor which is a primary breeding ground for mainly Greenback turtles who lay an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 egg clutches each year which is probably the largest number of any country along the Indian Ocean.

Greenbacks are Rare

Rare Baby Greenback Turtles Heading for the Sea

Greenbacks are among one of the sea’s most endangered species, and it is for this reason that the Sultanate of Oman has closed all 275 of its turtle nesting beaches in an effort to protect the delicate habitat in which the turtles need to breed.

The protected beaches are strewn with turtle pits which reach high above the waterline. Greenback turtles are the sea’s fastest turtles, reaching swimming speeds of up to 32 km/hour (20 miles per hour.)

High Unemployment Rates in Bahrain and Oman

The asset management firm Al Masah Capital published a report revealing that Oman and Bahrain have the highest unemployment rates than other Gulf countries.

The Great Job Rush

The Dubai-headquartered firm released ‘MENA: The Great Job Rush’, which described rates of 15% unemployment in each of the two Gulf states. In comparison, neighboring Qatar has an unemployment rate of 0.5%.

Saudi Arabia also revealed its own high unemployment rate of 10.8% while in the midst of a program of nationalization designed to help reduce this rate.
Kuwait’s jobless rate is also low, hovering at about 2.2%.

The report stated that “there is an urgent need for action.”

“Joblessness is a structural problem, particularly among the youth in the region. Short term solutions will not remove problems which took generations to fester. Deep structural changes are required, changes that go to the heart of cultural mentality.”

The MENA region has the highest unemployment rate in the world, with North Africa at 9.8% and the Middle East at 10.3%.

Youth Hit Hard

Saudi Arabia faces a serious unemployment problem among the young of the nation. The Kingdom’s youth are out of work at a rate double that of the global rate of jobless people, at 25.9% compared to 12.6% for the rest of the world.

A report of the World Bank published in 2003 predicted that the MENA region will need to create about 100 million new jobs during the 20 years between 2000 and 2020 in order to overcome a severe unemployment crisis.

Shura Elections Attract Record Number of Women Candidates

Shura Council

Out of a total of 1306 candidates who will be competing for the 84 seats of the seventh term of the Majlis Asshura, a record number of 82 women will participate.

Elections Evolving

Oman held open elections for the first time in 2003. In those elections 13 women competed for the 83 seats on the Shura, with only two of them succeeding. Since that time the process of electing the Shura council has changed, and today every citizen older than 21 has the right to vote.

The last elections were held in 2007, when the advisory Shura council increases its number of seats from 83 to 84. In that year 717 candidates vied for membership, 21 of them women. None of those women made it to the Shura that year.

Reforms Incorporated

This year’s election will incorporate changes which Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed granted as part of reforms which came in the wake of the “Arab Spring” unrest which spread throughout many middle eastern countries, including Oman. The newly elected Shura will have, for the first time, legislative and regulatory powers as part of its membership in the greater body of the Council of Oman.

Hi-Tech Campaigning

Last year candidates were, for the first time, allowed to hang campaign posters, banners and advertisements in newspapers and other local media outlets. This year there are even more reforms in the campaign methods, including the use of SMS messages, electronic media for advertising, use of the internet to get the word out about each candidate and more.

Elections will most likely be held in October, but a precise date has not yet been established.

Fistfight Erupts in Kuwaiti Parliament

Kuwaiti Parliament

A remark by a Shiite parliamentarian referring to Kuwaiti citizens who are being held in the US prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as terrorists elicited a violent response from fellow Sunni lawmakers.

Shiite Calls Kuwaiti Prisoners “Al Qaeda Militants”

Kuwaiti lawmakers were meeting to discuss what should be done about the two Kuwaitis which the United States has so far refused to release. When Shiite MP Hussein Hussein Al Qallaf dismissed the two prisoners as “Al Qaeda” militants, Sunni lawmakers took extreme umbrage.

Sunni Muslim Brotherhood member Jamaan Al Harbash lashed out at Qallaf, saying that the lawmakers were not called to meet in order to discuss Al Qaeda, but rather to discuss the prisoners.

Angry Words Turn Quickly to Fisticuffs

As a result of this exchange others joined into the fray, which then led to blows between two Shiite and four Sunni MPs, prompting the acting speaker of the house, MP Abdullah Al Rumi to dismiss the session.

Later on, the speaker of the parliament Jassim Al Kharafi said that the incident was “shameful.” Kharafi decided to adjourn all further sessions of parliament until May 31st and also called for an investigation of the incident by the parliamentary bureau for investigations.

MP Rudhan Al Rudhan called for the parliament to be suspended of an entire month, asking the country’s leader to use his constitutional powers to close down the house.

Another Type of Terrorism

MP Adnan Al Mutawa, a Shiite who was cut under his eye during the brawl, accused the hardline MPs of not understanding the meaning of democracy, or at least not believing in it. He said that the attack by them on their opposing MPs is just another “form of terrorism.”

“A Kuwaiti from any sect can make mistakes, but the government and the country should provide him with a fair trial,” lawmaker Waleed Al Tabtabae said.

“This is a national issue, but unfortunately Qallaf wanted to break national unity and started calling them (Guantanamo detainees) terrorists and members of Al Qaeda,” he added.

Democracy Not Respected or Understood

Adnan Al Mutawa, fellow Shiite lawmaker stood up to defend Qallaf.

“Parliament members are free to express their views in parliament, and they should be respected,” Al Mutawa said.

“Whoever violates others for their points of views is far away from freedom and democracy.”

Osama bin Laden Killed in Pakistan During US Military Operation

Osama bin Laden

The leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, was killed in a US military operation which targeted his hideout in Abbottabad, about 61km north of Islamabad in Pakistan. President Barak Obama made the announcement of the notorious leader’s death on Sunday night which was met by a flurry of congratulations and pleased responses

Significant Achievement for the US

Obama said in a prepared statement which interrupted regular television programming that, “Tonight, I can report to the people of the United States and the world, the United States has carried out an operation that has killed Osama Bin Laden, a terrorist responsible for killing thousands of innocent people.

“The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date against al-Qaeda.

“We must also reaffirm that United States is not and will never be at war against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader, in fact, he slaughtered many Muslims,” Obama added

The New York Times reported that bin Laden’s body was recovered from the compound and then buried at sea.

US President Obama

Congratulations Offered

A former president of the United States, George Bush, declared that the killing of bin Laden is a “momentous achievement.”

Crowds formed outside the White House as well as at the site of the destruction of the World Trade Center as the news spread of bin Laden’s demise.

Rosalind Jordan, a reporter for Al Jazeera in Washington, DC, said that the successful operation was the culmination of nine to ten months of planning.

“The fact that it happened inside Pakistan, there have been suggestions that Pakistani intelligence may have been protecting them,” she said.

Another Al Jazeera journalist, Patty Culhane, added that the US was able to utilize intelligence that was acquired last September, and using this information they were able to track bin Laden down via his couriers. They were then able to follow the couriers to bin Laden’s million dollar hideout.

Kamal Hyder, reporting from Pakistan for Al Jazeera explained that this outcome had surprised a lot of people.

“He was considered by many as a hero, but not to the extent that people would come out on the streets. The reaction so far has not been strong on the streets, perhaps a protest here or there by the religious parties,” Hyder said.

Osama bin-Laden Held Responsible for Massive Attacks on the US

The United States holds bin Laden and his al-Qaeda group as responsible for several serious attacks, including the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing over 200 people, which first put bin Laden on the ‘most wanted’ list; the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, an American destroyer anchored in Yemen, killing 17 US soldiers; and most famously, the attacks of 2001 on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, which involved the hijacking of four separate planes and resulted in massive death and destruction with over 3,000 people murdered in one day.

Four New Dams Planned for Oman

In order to further promote economic growth and stability in the country, the government of Oman has decided to address the issue of water supply. Saleh Hamood Al Harthy, the director of dams for the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources in Oman announced plans to construct four new dams throughout the water-challenged country.

Those dams will be at Wadi Umti Recharge Dam in wilayat Izki; Wadi Darbat Dam (weir) in Dhofar; Wadi Al Khoudh Flood Protection Dam upstream Al Khoudh old village; and Wadi Kalbouh Recharge Dam in wilayat Nizwa.

The ministry explained that Wadis in Oman can provide water during flood peaks of as much as 20/m/km and even more during heavy rains.

“We will be introducing Omani products this time, which will help to create local employment too.”