SACM Confirms Dates for 2014 Job Fair and Graduation Ceremony, Launches New Website

Source: Saudi US Trade Group (Read full story)

The Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM) announced the official dates for the 2014 Job Fair and Graduation Ceremony through a new website: sacmjobfair.com. The 2014 SACM Job Fair will be hosted at the Gaylord National Harbor hotel just outside of Washington, D.C., on May 24-27, 2013. The launch of a new website dedicated to the job fair and graduation ceremony will bring all information about the massive event into one online location. The website is available in both English and Arabic. The site has step-by-step procedures for potential exhibitors to register to participate in the event.

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Foreign firms to design GCC train project

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

The Saudi Railway Organization (SRO) will issue tenders for the design of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) train project in the Kingdom in February. Mohammed Al-Suwaiket, president of the SRO, said that every individual GCC state would be responsible for the design and implementation of their part of the project. Al-Suwaiket was speaking recently on the sidelines of the fourth Saudi Arabia International Transportation, Materials Handling, Warehousing and Logistics Exhibition and Conference (Saudi TRANSTEC), at the Dhahran International Exhibitions Center in Dammam.

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Oman’s stand on Gulf Union ‘will not hurt key projects’

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

Oman’s reluctance to join the proposed GCC Union will not affect the joint economic projects between the six Gulf states, says a Gulf official. His remarks follows a recent statement by the Omani Foreign Minister.
The official said the details of a project to create a GCC Clearing Organization (financial organization for a unified financial clearing of GCC member countries) will be discussed soon by the committee of the financial and banking sector of the Federation of Gulf Chambers of Commerce.  Abdullah Al-Shibli, GCC assistant secretary general for economic affairs at the General Secretariat of GCC, said a meeting will be held between the secretariat, represented by the economic affairs department and the financial sector of the Federation of Gulf Chambers to discuss the final details of the project to create a GCC Clearing Organization.

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GCC Summit Kicks off in Kuwait tomorrow

Source: Bahrain News Agency (Read full story)

The 34th session of the Supreme Council for the leaders of GCC states kicks off tomorrow Tuesday, where Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) stated that the GCC leaders would discuss a number of issues concerned with achieving the aspirations of the Gulf nations in the political, security, and economic areas. The GCC leaders would also discuss vital issues such as human rights, environment, education, combating infectious diseases, cultural and media affairs, and unified Gulf currency, in addition to what has been achieved in regard of Customs Union between GCC countries. During the summit, GCC leaders will discuss the obstacles to trade exchange, in a way to standarise systems, customs, financial, and administrative procedures, as well as the flow of goods between GCC countries without customs restrictions, and treatment of goods produced in any GCC country as a national product.

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GCC members moving from cooperation to integration

Source: Kuwait Times (Read full story)

Gulf Cooperation Council parliament and Shura council chiefs have come up with a number of joint recommendations at the end of a meeting in Kuwait yesterday. They decided that Kuwait will host a conference of the committee of parliament chiefs on GCC economic integration in 2014, while Kuwait’s National Assembly will also be responsible for organizing a trip involving the regional group to the US Congress. Gratitude was expressed for a report by Bahrain’s Council of Representatives on geopolitical blocs that are more developed than the GCC, like the European Union and a study on foreign media policies of the region’s parliaments. Other internal issues for the meeting were also adopted like a project for a joint website and a committee tasked with placing a set of laws for the meeting.

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GCC states fear N-deal will boost Iran’s regional desires

Source: The Peninsula (Read full story)

Sunni-ruled Gulf monarchies feel let down by their US ally and want good relations with their Shia neighbour Iran but also fear the Geneva nuclear deal will boost its regional ambitions, analysts say. Saudi Arabia and the oil- and gas-rich nations of the Gulf were weighing their reactions yesterday hours after the agreement was signed between Iran and Western powers. Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in the breakthrough interim deal that world powers claimed was the biggest step in decade-long efforts to deny Iran an atomic bomb. But Gulf states have never made a secret of their concerns about Iranian regional ambitions. “In principle, the Gulf states want good relations with Iran,” Saudi analyst Jamal Khashoggi said.

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Saudi Arabia wins U.N. Human Rights Council seat

Source: Al Arabiya (Read full story)

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday won a seat at the Human Rights Council, the U.N.’s highest rights monitoring body, Al Arabiya correspondent reported. China, Russia and Cuba were also elected, raising speculations of potential battles over human right issues to be considered by the council in the future. The U.N. General Assembly elected 14 seats on the 47-member council which is taking on increased diplomatic importance because of Syria’s civil war and other conflicts. The council, which will start work on Jan. 1, will be one of the most polarized since it was created in 2006.

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Iran talks must broaden: UAE

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

The GCC stance has become more unified on Egypt, and the world community should come forward to helping the Arab republic emerge from the current situation, UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has said. “We denounce any act of terrorism against Egyptian police, army and people at large,” Shaikh Abdullah said on Wednesday at a joint Press conference with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, held here at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Egypt is very important to the region, Shaikh Abdullah said, citing its “political and religious weight” and noting that “all political forces in Egypt should join hands together for the stability of the country. He also urged the friends of Egypt all over the world to help speed up the negotiations between the IMF, World Bank with Egypt, and play their role in the development of Egypt.

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