Tamimi: UAE is putting pressure on London to ban Islamic institutions

25 April 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

The UAE is trying hard to put pressure on Britain to ban Islamic institutions in London, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, the director of Al-Hiwar TV channel Azzam Tamimi said yesterday.

Speaking at the International Palestinian Conference for Media and Communications in Istanbul, Tamimi stressed that Britain is a democratic state that does not give in to pressure, unlike the violations that occur in Arab countries and asked these countries to stop playing "malicious" roles.

Tamimi added that the UAE demanded British Prime Minister David Cameron shut down Al-Hiwar and some Islamic institutions and offered financial bribes to the UK, but Cameron refused saying that "Britain is a nation subject to law and the judiciary. If you have a problem with them then you must let law run its course."
The aim of the conference, also known as Tawasul, is to provide opportunities for meaningful dialogue about experiences within the media, to provide help in developing and directing media productions on Palestine. In addition, Tawasul aims to coordinate public information efforts and promote the development of joint projects and programmes and launch media initiatives encouraging creativity in media productions serving the Palestinian cause.

The conference was organised by the Palestine Media Club, the Foundation for Research, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and the Middle East Monitor (MEMO).

Link:  middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/11099-tamimi-uae-is-putting-pressure-on-london-to-ban-islamic-institutions.

Egypt's Sisi in UAE for joint military exercises

15 hours ago

Source: Yahoo News

 

 

Abu Dhabi (AFP) - Egyptian military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrived Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates, a strong supporter of his July ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Field Marshal Sisi, who is Egypt's defence minister and deputy premier, travelled to the UAE to attend the closure of joint military exercises there. He was met by UAE deputy army chief Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

The two men noted the "fraternal and solid relations linking the two countries and their peoples," and their wish to "consolidate bilateral cooperation," the WAM news agency reported, without giving details on Sisi's plans or the length of his stay.

The Emirates have given Egypt $4.9 billion in financial aid since Morsi's ouster, as well as deposited $2 billion in the Egyptian central bank, interest free.

Last week, the UAE joined Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in recalling their ambassadors from fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member Qatar over its support for Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

As a sign of support for the military-installed government in Cairo, the UAE's Arabtec contractor signed a memorandum of understanding Sunday to develop a $40 billion project to build one million housing units in Egypt.

The signing came ahead of an expected announcement by Sisi that he will run in elections to replace Morsi, a vote he is widely expected to win.

Sisi has emerged as the most popular political figure in Egypt following Morsi's troubled year-long rule, with many viewing him as a strong leader who can restore stability after three years of unrest unleashed by the 2011 revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

Emiratis denounce arrests of activists and renew calls for democracy

http://www.echr.org.uk/?p=1207  

A group of Emirati intellectuals have issued a statement denouncing the detention and torture of political activists, while calling for democratic reforms to allow citizens the right to political participation.

The statement has been issued to commemorate the third anniversary of a petition that was sent to the country’s rulers in March 2011, which called for democratic reform and sparked a crackdown against peaceful political activists.

The authors, who have chosen to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals by the authorities, say that this crackdown will “be marked with shame in the history of the UAE” referencing a recent report by the United Nations (UN) that called for an investigation into torture and described the judiciary as being under the executive’s control.

They explain that the March 2011 petition called for the UAE to meet international human rights standards and implement democratic reforms, saying that the “legitimacy of a government is now measured by the participation of its people in choosing it”.

Although authorities have attempted to silence calls for reform the authors say this will not dampen their spirit: “Emiratis will continue to work toward achieving their full citizenship and dignity, for themselves and the coming generations after them. These demands will continue at all costs. The dignity of a country is the dignity of its people.”

Authorities responded to the petition by arresting and prosecuting its supporters, which has led to more than 100 activists being put in prison and left the UAE with one of the highest per capita rates of political prisoners in the world.

The trials of political prisoners have been roundly criticised as lacking due process and authorities have failed to properly investigate any of the credible allegations of torture made by political prisoners.

The crackdown has steadily expanded to include the targeting of individuals who use social media websites to criticise authorities and barring families of political activists from leaving the country.

While authorities in the UAE have publicly committed to protecting and promoting human rights, by signing the UN Convention Against Torture and through election to the UN Human Rights Council, they have failed to turn these promises into action.

The Emirates Centre for Human Rights calls on authorities in the UAE to engage with citizens who call for political reform and end their crackdown against activists by respecting the human rights of all its citizens.
 

For further information please contact Rori Donaghy on +44(0)7850062105 or at campaigns@echr.org.uk

Saudi, UAE, Bahrain recall their envoys from Qatar

22 hours ago
By AYA BATRAWY
Source: Yahoo News

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain said Wednesday they have recalled their ambassadors from Qatar in the clearest move yet underscoring their apparent displeasure over Doha's support for the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group in Egypt and elsewhere the region.

The three Gulf Arab states made the announcement in a joint statement on state media, saying Qatar had breached a regional security deal. They said the move was made to protect their security.

Tensions between the three and Doha intensified following the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Arab Spring protests in early 2011. Mubarak was long seen as a reliable Saudi ally and one whose disdain for Islamist groups was in line with the kingdom's own.

Qatar's massive financial and public support for Mubarak's successor, President Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the Brotherhood, stood at odds with UAE and Saudi policies — as did its condemnation of Morsi's ouster last July by the Egyptian military, following days of massive protests in Cairo against the Islamist president.

At home, both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have cracked down on Islamist groups with links to the Brotherhood, which they see as a threat to their ruling systems. They are both staunch supporters of Egypt's new military-backed government, which subsequently launched sweeping crackdowns on Morsi and his Brotherhood supporters.

The joint Gulf statement said Qatar's ruler Emir Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani failed to uphold a security agreement that he signed in late November in Saudi Arabia. The emir of Kuwait was a witness to the meeting in Riyadh and the agreement was endorsed by other members in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

 

The agreement called on all GCC members not to interfere, "whether directly or indirectly" in another member nation's internal affairs. It also stipulated that GCC countries would not support organizations or individuals that threaten the security and stability of Arabian Peninsula countries "either through direct security work or by attempting to influence politics."

The language appeared to have been shorthand for support for the Brotherhood and Qatar's funding of the Doha-based pan-Arab Al-Jazeera network.

However, three months after signing the agreement, no action was taken by Qatar despite "great efforts" by the Gulf Arab nations to reach out to Doha's leadership to fulfill its side of the deal, said the Saudi-UAE-Bahrain statement.

Details of the November agreement were not made public until Wednesday.

Saudi analyst Anwar Edshki said the decision was a warning to Qatar to stop inciting violence by Islamists in Egypt.

"It is Qatar's right to support the Muslim Brotherhood, but not its right to threaten security in Egypt and incite the (people on the) street," he said.

Edshki, who chairs the Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies in Saudi Arabia, said Qatar's policies have created chaos in Libya, Yemen, Syria and Egypt. However, what particularly disturbed Saudi Arabia and the UAE more recently was how Qatar allowed Islamic cleric Youssef el-Qaradawi to continue attacking the policies of these countries publicly.

The withdrawal of ambassadors from Qatar came after a meeting Tuesday in Riyadh of GCC foreign ministers that tried to "persuade" Qatar to keep up its end of the deal.

"However, all these efforts have not resulted, with great regret, in the consent of the State of Qatar to adhere to these procedures," the statement said. "So the three countries have to start taking whatever they deem appropriate to protect their security and stability by withdrawing their ambassadors from the State of Qatar, as of today."

Though Wednesday's announcement was unprecedented for the region, last month the UAE signaled it was losing patience with Qatar when it summoned Doha's ambassador to formally protest the comments of the outspoken pro-Brotherhood el-Qaradawi who criticized the Gulf country's policies toward Islamist groups on Qatari TV.

The Emirati leadership said Qatar should stop the Egyptian-born cleric from expressing comments critical of the UAE.

Even though the UAE was part of Wednesday's three-state announcement, its ambassador to Qatar has not been present in Doha for several months.

Etihad Airways removes Israel from flight map

04 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Etihad Airways, the official airline of the United Arab Emirates, has removed Israel from its in-flight map; the New York Post reported.

Etihad Airways is a partner of the American Airlines and receives annual support to the amount of $425,000 from the US Department of Homeland Security which administers customs clearance at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The facility allows passengers travelling to the United States to clear customs more easily and reduces waiting times.

The Etihad Airways in-flight map lists the names of all neighbouring countries including: Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus, but does not mention Israel or any of its main cities.

Link:  /www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10094-etihad-airways-removes-israel-from-flight-map.

UAE holds talks with Norway, Denmark, Hungary

Dec 14, 2011
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS
Source;Yahoo News Maktoob

Abu Dhabi, Dec 14 (IANS/WAM) Officials of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have met representatives from Norway, Denmark and Hungary and discussed ways to expand trade and investment.

Minister of Economy Sultan Al Mansouri met Ase Elin Bjerke, the ambassador of Norway, and Poul Hoiness, the ambassador of Denmark.

Al Mansouri reiterated his country's interest in expanding trade, technological and investment cooperation with the Scandinavian countries, and to tap their expertise in the telecommunications, education, technology and energy sectors.

There are over 100 Danish as well as Norwegian companies operating in the UAE.

Meanwhile, the director for Europe at the ministry of foreign affairs, Mohammed Saif Hilal Al-Shehhi, met Hungarian ambassador Janos Gonci and discussed bilateral relations.

--IANS/WAM