Two summits, GCC in Kuwait and the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference
The 30th summit meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has just concluded in Kuwait. HH Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, attended the summit on behalf of HM Sultan Qaboos.
Absence from a summit meeting of this nature tends to send a diplomatic message. 'I have more important things to do,' or 'I'm not happy about the agenda,' or 'Somebody's upset me.' Since Gulf Monetary Union was a major topic for this conference, and Oman is adamant that it will not join, the absence of His Majesty sent a pointedly discreet signal. Kuwait, which hosted the meeting, had positively asserted that both UAE (which quit last year) and Oman, which announced its decision in 2006, would re-join the fold.
I think I'd side with the leader who felt that discussion of the Swiss government's ban on minarets should be assigned to a minor item under Any Other Business. As it was, the Oman Observer reported that the council was 'overwhelmed' by the decision and classified it as 'discrimination against Islam.' The affair evidently stretched mind and comment.
Understandably, the impact of the global recession, especially events in Dubai, was a talking point, as was the armed infiltration of Yemenis across the Saudi border. The delegates gave full support to both Saudi Arabia and the Yemen government on this issue.
Note that the summit was held at exactly the same time as the Copenhagen summit on climate change. National leaders were converging on Copenhagen as the GCC summit was closing.
I had wondered if there would be an official delegation from Oman in Copenhagen, and eventually discovered that His Majesty is being represented by Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al Busaidy, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs, accompanied by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry, Mohammed bin Sakhr al Amri, Under-Secretary of Transport and Communications Ministry for Civil Aviation and other government officials.
The official list of confirmed delegates lists just one businessman from the UAE and no other Gulf national. Climate change has obviously not been recognised in the Gulf as an opportunity to develop business.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been notable opponents to any climate change agreement, arguing that cuts in energy and thus oil consumption, would cause billions of dollars of losses to the Gulf economies. Mohammed al-Sabban Senior economic adviser, Saudi Arabia, has been earmarked as 'Copenhagen's most likely villain.' Commentators counter-argue that Saudi has great wealth to fall back on while poorer countries in the Group of 77 have slammed Saudi Arabia for undermining key issues in the climate change talks that affect them.
So full marks to Oman's Haidthan (should that be Haitham?) Al-Yakoubi, 23, who is an official observer at the summit, thanks to British Council sponsorship. He does not argue against using oil but wants his government to invest in better technology to reduce emissions. Business opportunity there, surely.
He also wants the government to develop solar power, because he recognises that oil will run out some day. He views the Copenhagen summit as an opportunity to learn how to increase awareness of the issues back home.
GCC leaders were not entirely oblivious to climate change issues. They argued for the peaceful implementation of nuclear energy under IAEA rules. Both UAE and Oman have signed agreements to implement nuclear energy.
Agriculture, livestock and fish resources, global warming and climate change, people with special needs - all have been referred to ministerial talks as a basis for discussion at the 31st GCC summit next year.
Postscript 18th December: Are you fascinated by conspiracy theories? Read this blog at today's (18th Dec) Daily Telegraph, which posits a connection between the Sultanate of Oman, Royal Dutch Shell and the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia. Remember? Saudi Arabia claimed that the theory of climate change had been brought into disrepute by the allegation of 'fixed' data at the CRU.
Indeed, the Sultanate of Oman is named as a sponsor of the CRU. I'm still trying to make sense of it all.
Absence from a summit meeting of this nature tends to send a diplomatic message. 'I have more important things to do,' or 'I'm not happy about the agenda,' or 'Somebody's upset me.' Since Gulf Monetary Union was a major topic for this conference, and Oman is adamant that it will not join, the absence of His Majesty sent a pointedly discreet signal. Kuwait, which hosted the meeting, had positively asserted that both UAE (which quit last year) and Oman, which announced its decision in 2006, would re-join the fold.
I think I'd side with the leader who felt that discussion of the Swiss government's ban on minarets should be assigned to a minor item under Any Other Business. As it was, the Oman Observer reported that the council was 'overwhelmed' by the decision and classified it as 'discrimination against Islam.' The affair evidently stretched mind and comment.
Understandably, the impact of the global recession, especially events in Dubai, was a talking point, as was the armed infiltration of Yemenis across the Saudi border. The delegates gave full support to both Saudi Arabia and the Yemen government on this issue.
Note that the summit was held at exactly the same time as the Copenhagen summit on climate change. National leaders were converging on Copenhagen as the GCC summit was closing.
I had wondered if there would be an official delegation from Oman in Copenhagen, and eventually discovered that His Majesty is being represented by Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al Busaidy, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs, accompanied by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry, Mohammed bin Sakhr al Amri, Under-Secretary of Transport and Communications Ministry for Civil Aviation and other government officials.
The official list of confirmed delegates lists just one businessman from the UAE and no other Gulf national. Climate change has obviously not been recognised in the Gulf as an opportunity to develop business.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been notable opponents to any climate change agreement, arguing that cuts in energy and thus oil consumption, would cause billions of dollars of losses to the Gulf economies. Mohammed al-Sabban Senior economic adviser, Saudi Arabia, has been earmarked as 'Copenhagen's most likely villain.' Commentators counter-argue that Saudi has great wealth to fall back on while poorer countries in the Group of 77 have slammed Saudi Arabia for undermining key issues in the climate change talks that affect them.
So full marks to Oman's Haidthan (should that be Haitham?) Al-Yakoubi, 23, who is an official observer at the summit, thanks to British Council sponsorship. He does not argue against using oil but wants his government to invest in better technology to reduce emissions. Business opportunity there, surely.
He also wants the government to develop solar power, because he recognises that oil will run out some day. He views the Copenhagen summit as an opportunity to learn how to increase awareness of the issues back home.
GCC leaders were not entirely oblivious to climate change issues. They argued for the peaceful implementation of nuclear energy under IAEA rules. Both UAE and Oman have signed agreements to implement nuclear energy.
Agriculture, livestock and fish resources, global warming and climate change, people with special needs - all have been referred to ministerial talks as a basis for discussion at the 31st GCC summit next year.
Postscript 18th December: Are you fascinated by conspiracy theories? Read this blog at today's (18th Dec) Daily Telegraph, which posits a connection between the Sultanate of Oman, Royal Dutch Shell and the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia. Remember? Saudi Arabia claimed that the theory of climate change had been brought into disrepute by the allegation of 'fixed' data at the CRU.
Indeed, the Sultanate of Oman is named as a sponsor of the CRU. I'm still trying to make sense of it all.
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