RIYADH: A proposal to expand the joint force of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called Peninsula Shield is currently being reviewed by the Gulf governments with an aim to boost indigenous capability to deter any external threat or aggression.
Osama Bin Ladens family members who are in Pakistans custody after the Abbottabad operation will not be sent to a third country, or handed over to the United States.
ISLAMABAD/ RIYADH: Gunmen shot dead a Saudi diplomat as he was driving in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Monday, days after two stun grenades were tossed at the consulate building.
This consultative meeting of the GCC leaders will also share information and look at possible ways to solve the crises in a number of states in the region, in particular Yemen, Libya, Syria and Iraq as well as Afghanistan.
RIYADH: A Saudi diplomat who was kidnapped by tribal militants in Yemen late last month has been released and is under the protection of the Saudi Embassy in Sanaa, said Osama Nugali, a spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, here Tuesday. Saeed Al-Malki was freed Tuesday morning, said Nugali.
“The GCC foreign ministers discussed all aspects of the deal and ways to ensure political transition in that fragile nation,” said a statement released by the GCC General Secretariat here following a GCC ministerial meeting on Sunday. Sultan Al-Barakani, assistant secretary-general to Yemen’s ruling General People Congress (GPC) party said Sunday the president was still committed to the GCC deal, suggesting that Sanaa would be a better venue for the signing ceremony.
“There is no pressure from the Gulf states or Arab countries to avoid the trial of former president and we don’t accept any pressure,” said the Egyptian premier. Sharaf, who has earned a reputation for his opposition to corruption and concern for workers’ rights, said: “No one is above the law in Egypt.” He said Egypt and the Gulf states share common views on a range of important regional and international issues.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is exerting utmost efforts to secure the release of Saeed Al-Malki, second secretary at the embassy in the Yemeni capital,” said Osama Nugali, a ministry spokesman, here Sunday. “The Saudi government is following the case closely, and with great concern.”
The latest proposal calls for the resignation of the president within 30 days from the date of its acceptance. It guarantees that Saleh will not be prosecuted and a new government in Sanaa will be installed within 90 days from the date of Saleh’s departure.
The current recruitment trends in the Middle East also show that most employers favor recruiting candidates with MBA qualifications than people with mere undergraduate degrees. “Another interesting aspect is employers are willing to ungrudgingly pay a lot more to candidates with MBA degrees,” said Mohammed Al-Madi, a Saudi banker who works for Saudi Investment Bank here. Al-Madi said that an MBA degree is labeled as the most preferred qualification by many huge business organizations in the Gulf region also.