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The escalating conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, along with the risk of a broader regional war, will be high on the agenda during a meeting between European leaders and their GCC counterparts on Wednesday.
Energy, migration, and the war in Ukraine will also be discussed during the gathering in at the European Council in Brussels.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia is among leaders from six Gulf countries attending this inaugural summit with EU leaders. The event is co-hosted by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim and European Council President Charles Michel.
The UAE delegation is led by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and includes Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Khalifa Al Marar, Minister of State, Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mohamed Al Sahlawi, UAE ambassador to the EU.
Trade, climate action and Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon were among the topics of discussion between Reem Al Hashimy and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola before the summit.
“It is important to establish this dialogue at the highest possible level in order to join our voices and the call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in order to ensure that this conflict does not completely spiral out of control,” said the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as he arrived at the summit.
A draft version of a final communique circulating in Brussels on Wednesday said the blocs would deepen their partnership across a broad front, including participation in another joint meeting in Riyadh in January.
“We commit to our EU-GCC strategic partnership and pledge to elevate it to the next level,” it read. “We agree to build our strategic partnership, based on mutual respect and trust, for the benefit of the people of our regions and beyond.
“We will engage in negotiations of bilateral strategic partnership agreements between the EU and the GCC countries with a view to strengthening our existing co-operation. We will also actively explore and seek enhanced co-operation on security through the definition and implementation of joint priorities and co-operation initiatives on security.”
The document also expressed concern about Israeli military action over Lebanon's Blue Line and called for implementation of UN Resolution 1701. It called for increased humanitarian access to Gaza and redoubled support for a two-state solution to that conflict.
“We strongly condemn attacks against civilians and humanitarian workers, whose safety must be ensured. We call for an immediate and enduring ceasefire and stress the need to implement orders of the International Court of Justice, which are legally binding.”
European leaders said the meeting would seek urgent solutions to the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.
“The signal is first of all that we are partners, and in many topics we are partners with aligned interests,” the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo told reporters. “Peace will only come when reasonable people sit around the table and we know that many Gulf countries have been facilitators in that and we hope that we continue to join forces in that.”
“We want to avoid a general conflagration, which is a fear on both sides,” an EU official told a briefing before the summit began. The talks come as Israeli escalates what it calls “targeted attacks” on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The death toll in Lebanon has exceeded 2,350, and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced.
Cross-border exchanges of fire along the Israel-Lebanon border have already led to the displacement of tens of thousands before the conflict escalated into an air and ground campaign by Israel.
“We share the same concerns about peace and security in the region,” said EU's foreign affairs minister Josep Borrell before a working dinner with GCC foreign ministers on Tuesday.
“Both meetings – today at the ministerial level and tomorrow at the leaders' level – reflect the growing positive dynamics between the Gulf Co-operation Council and the European Union.”
While discussions are under way to release a joint statement, its final form remains uncertain. European officials said they were optimistic. One EU diplomat said that GCC countries were prudent in wording linked with Iran.
“They want to give space to a dialogue which has been developing between GCC and Iran,” he said.
Salman bin Hamad, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, and Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah are also expected to attend. Oman will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister for International Affairs Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mr Borrell will participate in the EU-GCC meeting, alongside the heads of the EU's 27 nations, ahead of a European Union leaders' summit on Thursday. The EU has called for a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the summit in person on Thursday in an effort to win more support from the EU for his country's war effort against Russia.
With the war in Ukraine, Europeans are eager to strengthen partnerships with the Gulf leaders to address the continent’s growing energy needs and to create a unified response to international conflicts.
Migration will also be a crucial topic at the summit, with 14 member states, including Germany, France and Italy pushing the issue at all levels of the EU.
European countries aim to curb irregular migration by strengthening partnerships with non-EU countries. A letter from Ms von der Leyen to EU leaders on October 14 emphasises the need for continued co-operation with third countries and is expected to guide discussions on migration.
Her 10-point plan to modernise Europe’s migration system includes a proposal for return hubs in non-EU countries to expedite the deportation of individuals who do not qualify for asylum status.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
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Biography
Her family: She has four sons, aged 29, 27, 25 and 24 and is a grandmother-of-nine
Favourite book: Flashes of Thought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Favourite drink: Water
Her hobbies: Reading and volunteer work
Favourite music: Classical music
Her motto: I don't wait, I initiate
UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
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Fixtures
Sunday, December 8, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v USA
Monday, December 9, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – USA v Scotland
Wednesday, December 11, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v Scotland
Thursday, December 12, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v USA
Saturday, December 14, ICC Academy, Dubai – USA v Scotland
Sunday, December 15, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v Scotland
Note: All matches start at 10am, admission is free
FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
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Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
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Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
