Sultanate and the 13th conference on climate change                      

Bali, Indonesia, December 12 (ONA)- The proceedings of the three-day thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) commenced here today. 

The Sultanate’s  delegation to the conference is led by Sayyid  Hamoud Bin Faisal al Busaidi , Minster of Environment and climate Affairs. 

    The conference will discuss method of developing climate change related technologies , the possibility of reducing emissions in the developing countries and the reports on boosting the cooperation among developing countries to face the impact of climate changes on human being and the environment.

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Sultanate takes part at Beirut International Book Fair

 Muscat , December 12 (ONA)- The Sultanate represented by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Thursday will take part at the proceedings Beirut 51^st International Book Fair which lasts up to December 20^th 2007.  

     The Sultanate’s delegation to the Fair is led by Khald Bin Salim al Ghasani , Director General of the Organizations and Cultural Relations at the Ministry of Heritage and Culture.  

The Ministry has prepared comprehensive materials that cover its publications in addition to publications by other tourism and media governmental bodies in addition to the publications of the Omani private bookshops.

      The Ministry will host an expanded stand compatible with the Sultanate’s cultural position. The stand will be divided into several corners that cover the different cultural , literary , historic and jurisprudence publications in addition to a corner for the literary , cultural and historical publications of the Omani and Arab men of letters ; published by the Ministry to mark Muscat as the Capital of Arab Culture.

 There will also be a corner for displaying Cultural and heritage documentaries on the Sultanate.

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SMSE workshop concluded  

    Muscat, December 12(ONA)--- The concluding ceremony of a workshop on Small and Medium Sized Enterprises development at the AGCC counties which continued for five days concluded here today under the auspices of Sayyid Hamad bin Hilal , al Busaidi , Undersecretary of Manpower Ministry for Labor Affairs.  

In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA), Sayyid Hamad said that “Sanad” program is one of the pioneering programs which gained praise on both Arab and Gulf levels.  The prospects for SMSE are high as they form a big base of establishments; if nourished will create a new category of successful businessmen.

 At the end of the ceremony, the undersecretary of the Manpower Ministry handed over the certificates to 43 participants form the Sultanate and AGCC countries working at departments concerned with labopur. The concluding ceremony was attended by Khalid bin Abdul-Wahab al-Balushi, assistant director-general of Arab Labour Organization, Manpower Ministry and OCCI officials .

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Sultanate and UK meeting             

 Muscat, December 12 (ONA)--- Lt General Ahmed Bin Harith al Nabhani, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces received in his office at Muaskar Al Murafea today, British Ministry of Defence ‘s  Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup and his accompanying delegation currently visiting the Sultanate. 

     During the meeting, good relations and existing field of cooperation that serve the Armed forces in the two countries were discussed.  

The meeting was attended by a number of senior officers at the COSAF office.

  State Council - meeting

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Muscat , December 12(ONA)- The State Council today held its second regular meeting of the first annual sitting of the 4^th term at its HQ’s in Khuwair  under the chairmanship of Dr. Yahya Bin Mahfoudh al Manthri , Chairman of the State Council .  

At the beginning of the session Dr. al Manthri congratulated His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said , the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day.  

During this session , the council discussed the report of the State Council Secretariat General on the period between this meeting and the previous meeting ,fixing a date for the first annual session , selecting chairmen and deputy chairman of the Council’s permanent committees and other regular issues.

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Civil Council meeting

 Muscat, December 12 (ONA)--- The Civil Service Council today held its 13^th meeting of the year under the chairmanship of Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud al Busaidi, Minister of  Diwan of the Royal Court, chairman of the Civil Service Council.

 The Council reviewed a number of topics listed on the agenda, the incoming correspondence from the different ministries and took the appropriate decisions and recommendations towards them.

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  Sultanate and Kingdom of Spain - Talks

Muscat , December 12 (ONA)- The second session of talks related to organizing the air transportation services between the civil aviation authorities at the Sultanate and the Kingdom of Spain was held at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Metrology at Seeb International Airport today.  

The Omani side to the meeting was led by Rashid Bin Mohammed al Kiyoumi , Assistant Director General of Civil Aviation and Metrology whereas the Spanish side was led by Y. Lurance, Deputy Director General of Civil Aviation for Transport.

  The meeting discussed the draft agreement on regularizing air transportation between the two countries which will be signed by the governments of both countries  in a subsequent meeting after completing the formalities by both parties.

 Heads of the two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding between the civil aviation departments in both countries including the validity of the articles of the draft agreements that have been agreed upon temporally till the agreement be signed later on. They also discussed a number of operational maters agreed upon to cope with the latest developments in civil aviation and air transportation, such as,  the number of lights , the rights of transportation and appointing air carriers of both countries  , operating air companies by joint codes and other issues related to organizing air transportation between the two countries.

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Road project is opened  

Bukha, Dec 12 (ONA)--– Under the auspices of Sheikh Saif bin Muhana al Hinai , Wali of Bukha , a celebration was organized at Ghamdha village  to mark the opening of internal rods projects which cost RO.857,304. The opening of the project coincides with the Sultanate’s celebrations of the 37^th National Day.  

The 7 km plus  internal roads covers Ghamdha , Fadhga and Al Jadi villages in addition to a number of sub roads at the wilayat centre.

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      Jakarta, December 12 (ONA)- The proceedings of the conference of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) currently being held in Jakarta continue with the participation of the Directors-general and Editors-in-chief of News Agencies of member countries.   

     The Sultanate is represented at the meeting by Majeed bin Mohammed al Rowas, Director-General and Editor-in-Chief of Oman News Agency (ONA). 

     OANA General Assembly meeting reviews the technical committee report on OANA website, the recommendations related to supporting the site with pictures and reports of member countries to OANA through the email.  

   The meeting will also discuss the country reports in addition to providing a number of training programs, seminars and workshops for OANA journalists and engineers.  

   Dr. Linda Santiago, Basic Sciences Specialist at UNESCO office in Jakarta affirmed the UNESCO"s commitment to support OANA programs including the training of journalists of OANA.  

   It is worth-mentioning that the Vice President of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla, who inaugurated the General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-pacific News Agencies (OANA) yesterday stressed on the importance that news agencies and other media organisations need to build a solid cooperation in order to help create a positive perceptions on countries in Asia and Pacific region.  

    The Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), which was established on December 22^nd 1961 in Bangkok, compromises 41 news agencies from 33 countries that represent Asia and Pacific region which have 60% of the world population.

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       Muscat, December 12 (ONA)—Dr. Jumah bin Ali bin Jumah, Manpower Minister and his accompanying delegation returned home today after a four-day official visit to the Republic of Bangladesh. 

     During the visit Dr. Bin Jumah met the President of Bangladesh and a number of officials there and discussed with them means of boosting bilateral cooperation in human resources field in addition to other issues.  

     The Manpower Minister and his accompanying delegation was received by Sayyid Hamad bin Hilal al Busaidi, Manpower Ministry Undersecretary for Labour Affairs.

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RAFO - Live Shooting Exercises 

       Muscat, December 12 (ONA)--As part of the modernization process by the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO), Maj. Gen. Said bin Nassir al Salmi, Commander of the Royal Army of Oman, Air Vice-Marshal Yahya bin Rasheed al Jumah, Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman and Rear Admiral Salim bin Abdullah al Alawi, Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman today watched the live shooting exercises by Super Lynx helicopter.  

     The commanders were briefed on the specifications of the Super Lynx, its combat capabilities and modern equipment that meet the operation requirements. 

     The shooting activities began on supposed targets and all achieved direct hits which was evident of the capabilities and training of the copter crews and RAFO operations.  

     The ceremony was attended by a number of senior officers, armed forces officers and RAFO commissioned and non-commissioned officers.

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First League / Matches   

     Muscat, Dec 12 (ONA)---Four matches will be played tomorrow (Thursday) in the sixth week of the first league during which Al Nasr will meet Al Khabourah at the sports complex in Salalah, and Muscat will play against Dhofar at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Baushar while Bahla will play at its playground against Al Wihda and Sur against Oman at the sports complex in Sur. 

     This round will be completed on Friday when A’seeb plays against Al Uroobah at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Baushar and Al Taleah plays again Al Nahdah at the sport complex in Sur.

     A’seeb at the top of the league with 10 points ahead of Al Uroobah by goals difference.

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Sayyid Fahd receives Singaporean Businessmen 

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      Singapore, December 12 (ONA)--- Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers received in Singapore today a number of Singaporean executives and businessmen of major companies, as part of his current visit to the Republic of Singapore.  

     Sayyid Fahd expressed his delight with the visit which will open new horizons of cooperation between the two countries especially in economic and trade exchange fields, in addition to exchanging experiences. Sayyid Fahd also praised the remarkable achievements witnessed by Singapore during the last decades in a number of domains despite its limited resources. Singapore now has become a model of progress and development, he added.  

     The Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers added that the Sultanate is a developing country and going forward on the road of development under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who focused from the beginning on encouraging the private sector to be tributary in establishing a contemporary state.  

     Sayyid Fahd affirmed that the Sultanate thanks to this leadership has laid down the foundations for strong economy that can grow amidst an environment characterized by stability and security. He pointed out to the open minded economic policies in Oman that cope with the modern age requirements which vary from time to time and from region to another.  

    On their part, the Singaporean businessmen hailed the level of growth achieved by the Omani economy and pointed out that they follow with interest the constant growth witnessed by the Omani private sectors in all domains and the mega projects underway at which some Singaporean companies are taking part.  

    The Singaporean businessmen whom their companies have work in the Sultanate expressed their thanks for the support they receive from the government and private sector. They also affirmed their interest in finding real partnerships that serve the common interest, pointing out that such visits will allow more ventures that serve the bilateral interest.  

    The meeting was attended by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad al Rumhi, Oil and Gas Minister, Sayyid Kamel bin Fahd al Said, Assistant Secretary-General for the office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, Mohammed bin Yousuf Shalwani, Sultanate’s ambassador to the Republic of India and Non-Resident ambassador to the Republic of Singapore, Sheikh al Fadhl bin Mohammed al Harthy, Undersecretary of the National Economy Ministry for Development Affairs, Khalil bin Abdullah al Khunji, OCCI Chairman.

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Sayyid Fahd receives Arab Ambassadors 

        Singapore, Dec 12 (ONA)---Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, received here today a number of AGCC countries ambassadors and Arab countries ambassadors accredited to the Republic of Singapore. 

     At the outset of the meeting Sayyid Fahd welcomed the ambassadors and expressed his pride with the level of relations which link the Sultanate with its sisterly Arab countries.  

     He reviewed with them most important issues of concern to the Arab world mainly the Palestinian issue, in addition to a number of matters of common concern. 

     Sayyid Fahd also during the meeting touched on the AGCC summit recently held in Doha, Qatar, praising its important decisions, chiefly the Gulf Common Market (GCM) due to the significance of this market for closer cooperation between brothers in the council states and its positive reflections on the Arab world in general. 

     The Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers affirmed the importance of cooperation with the Republic of Singapore, which possesses many economic, scientific and research experiences which can be of great benefit to progress in the Arab world. 

      On their part, the ambassadors expressed their thanks and appreciation to Sayyid Fahd for availing them with the meeting opportunity and stressed their countries pride in the great renaissance witnessed by the Sultanate under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said who extended bridges of love and peace with all. 

      The meeting was attended by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Yousuf Shalwani, Sultanate’s accredited ambassador to India and accredited and non-resident to Singapore.

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Sayyid Fahd leaves Singapore 

       Singapore, Dec 12 (ONA)---Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, left here today heading for the Republic of India, winding up his four-day visit to the Republic of Singapore. 

    After departure Sayyid Fahd has sent two cables of thanks to President Sellapan Rama Nathan and Hsien Loong, Prime Minister. 

    Sayyid Fahd expressed his thanks and appreciation for the leadership, government and the Singaporean friendly people for the warm welcome and attention accorded to this visit. 

    Sayyid Fahd also affirmed the deep, friendly and strong ties, thanks to the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and the leadership in Singapore, noting that the tangible results that were reached reflect the firm desire and keenness to develop cooperation in a number of spheres.

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    Muscat, Dec 11 (ONA)--- Yahya bin Saud al Sulaimi, Minister of Education today presided over the celebration organized by the Royal Army of Oman (RAO) to mark the Armed Forces Day and Retired Day which coincides this year with the 100thanniversary for forming the first nucleus of the Royal Army of Oman in 1907. The celebration was attended by Maj. Gen. Said bin Naser al Salmi, RAO Commander.  

    During the celebration, al Sulaimi was briefed on the progress witnessed by the RAO and cross-country race. After this, al Sulaimi gave the signal for the start of the cross-country race for all the formations and units of the RAO.  

    The chief guest then pinned long service and good conduct medals on a number of officers, non-commissioned officers and personnel in recognition of their sincere efforts in performing their national and sacred duties.  

    Then a number of programs and shows by the RAO music band, Sultan of Oman armoured division and free parachute jumping by the Sultan of Oman Parachute were performed.  

    The Minister of Education then presented cups and prizes to winning teams in shooting and cross-country competitions. 

    As part of the cooperation between the RAO and the Ministry of Education in different fields the chief guest honored a number of school students of Muscat governorate to mark the Armed Forces Day.  

     He then, watched fixed exhibition of arms and equipment recently introduced. 

     The ceremony was attended by Ahmed bin Harith al Nabhani, Chief of Staff of the SAF, Maj. Gen. Said bin Nasser al Salmi, RAO Commander, Air Vice Marshal Yahya bin Rasheed al Jumah, RAFO Commander, Rear Admiral Salim bin Abdullah al Alawi RNO Commander, Mohammed bin Nasser al Rasbi, Defence Ministry undersecretary, Maj. Gen. Salim bin Mussalam Qatan, Assistant Inspector-General for Police and Customs, Ali bin Salim al Mamari, ambassador at the office of the Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, as well as, honourable members of the State Council and members of the Majlis A'shura, several invitees, senior officers of the SAF, ROP and other security departments, senior pensioner officers,  of the RAO and officers, non-commissioned officers, personnel and Muscat Governorate school students.

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      Muscat, December 11 (ONA)- Sheikh Abdullah bin Salim al Rowas, Minister of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources today received Dr. Salim Abdul Karim al Louzi, Director General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development who is currently visiting the Sultanate.  

     The meeting dealt with boosting the existing relations between the Sultanate and the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development in the fields related to water resources management and means of benefiting from the expertise of the organization in the field of water resources management and maintenance.

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