The long, hot summer - and Lebanon
The long, hot Gulf summer is in full swing. Sandstorms blowing from Ar Rub al Khali (the Empty Quarter) have hit Dubai. Temperatures are recorded as being in the forties' centrigrade, but often exceed 50C, certainly in the sun.
So hot has it been that Sri Lankan labourers have been asking their embassy to go home because 'they have to work on open sites exposed to the scorching sun' throughout the heat of the day. The Punjab News has alleged that ten Indians have died in an open camp, during a scramble for food and water. Around 2,000 Indians had been rounded up for not having labour cards and residence permits.
Those who can, leave town. Including senior government figures. It was left to the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, for instance, to receive the credentials of the Greek ambassador last week. Although Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, deputy prime minister for the Council of Ministers, received both the outgoing Syrian ambassador and the British Chief of Defence Staff, a few days later. In the language of diplomacy, the meetings focused on "bilateral relations, current regional and international developments and matters of common concern."
The British Chief of Defence Staff also met Lt General Malik bin Sulaiman al Maamari, Inspector-General of Police and Customs, and Lt Gen Ahmed bin Harith al Nabhani, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces, which points to a focus on security issues.
Perhaps the summer break explains the lack of published government response to the crisis of Lebanon.
A two-line item in the Oman Observer of 26th July reported that 13 aid flights had been sent to Lebanon with medicine, food, tents and blankets. Compare this with the public fund-raising that has been happening in Saudi Arabia and in UAE, where a telethon organised by three local television stations raised at least Dh49 million (approx £13,342,000 or RO5,130,000).
It might be appropriate to provide a little more background, before examining the direct influences on Oman's foreign policy towards the current crisis.
So hot has it been that Sri Lankan labourers have been asking their embassy to go home because 'they have to work on open sites exposed to the scorching sun' throughout the heat of the day. The Punjab News has alleged that ten Indians have died in an open camp, during a scramble for food and water. Around 2,000 Indians had been rounded up for not having labour cards and residence permits.
Those who can, leave town. Including senior government figures. It was left to the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, for instance, to receive the credentials of the Greek ambassador last week. Although Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, deputy prime minister for the Council of Ministers, received both the outgoing Syrian ambassador and the British Chief of Defence Staff, a few days later. In the language of diplomacy, the meetings focused on "bilateral relations, current regional and international developments and matters of common concern."
The British Chief of Defence Staff also met Lt General Malik bin Sulaiman al Maamari, Inspector-General of Police and Customs, and Lt Gen Ahmed bin Harith al Nabhani, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces, which points to a focus on security issues.
Perhaps the summer break explains the lack of published government response to the crisis of Lebanon.
A two-line item in the Oman Observer of 26th July reported that 13 aid flights had been sent to Lebanon with medicine, food, tents and blankets. Compare this with the public fund-raising that has been happening in Saudi Arabia and in UAE, where a telethon organised by three local television stations raised at least Dh49 million (approx £13,342,000 or RO5,130,000).
It might be appropriate to provide a little more background, before examining the direct influences on Oman's foreign policy towards the current crisis.
