The players - resources on key people and personalities in Oman.
Issues and ideas - a selection of articles from GSN's more recent history.
Perspectives: from the GSN archive - articles from GSN's extensive database.
The Al-Zawawi family – major players in Oman
GSN has long profiled leading players in the Gulf, focusing on the personal, political and business relations that are rarely covered in the region. In line with this tradition, GSN is running an occasional series of profiles of major families and business entities, starting with the Al-Zawawis
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. 
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Conservative values, tribal affiliations win in Omani election
With the Majlis Al-Shura limited to a consultative role and candidates excluded from promoting policy ideas in campaign literature, traditional allegiances dictated voting patterns in the Sultanate even if elections to the assembly did mark some cautious steps forward. A first experiment with modern public campaigning techniques boosted turnout but also reinforced the influence of tribal loyalties and conservative social attitudes among voters in the latest election for Oman’s Majlis Al-Shura. (Consultative Assembly).
Issue 817, 9 November 2007. more
Qaboos reshuffles administration ahead of October elections
With weeks to go until Oman holds nationwide elections to its Majlis Al-Shura (Advisory Council), Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said has reshuffled his cabinet and created two new ministries – Environment and Climate Affairs, and Fisheries.
Issue 812, 14 September 2007. more
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Oman accuses UAE of spying: smoke without fire?
Reports from Oman that an Emirati spy ring was operating in the Sultanate cast bilateral relations between Gulf neighbours in an unusually negative light. Analysts have expounded a range of theories to explain the affair, from an Emirati royal keen to lead an Oman-UAE confederation to envy of Muscat’s budding relationships with international powers
Issue 894, 11 February 2011. more
Progress on civil liberties and economic diversification remains slow
Risk management report, Issue 892, 17 January 2011. more
Muscat opera house to open in 2011
Catering not only to his love of classical music, but also to the genre’s reported popularity among Omanis, Sultan Qaboos has ordered the construction of a 16th century Italian-style opera house due to open in October 2011, according to Agence France-Presse.
Issue 891, 10 December 2010. more
Visitors and National Day celebrations
Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Saeed has received various visitors, some in connection with the Sultanate’s 40th anniversary celebrations. On 5 December, Qaboos held talks with US defence secretary Robert Gates.
Issue 891, 10 December 2010. more
High-profile deals keep region on track
Recent financings worth a total $1.3bn for two Omani power projects and a $2.2bn package for Emirates Steel have maintained momentum in the GCC project finance market, according to participants canvassed by GSN
Issue 888, 29 October 2010. more
Risk management report
Good relationship with Iran continues, budget surplus forecast
Issue 888, 29 October 2010. more
US confirms Omani role in Iranian release
The US State Department on 15 September confirmed the role of the Omani government in securing the release of imprisoned hiker Sarah Shourd, who was arrested with two other Americans by Iran 13 months ago when walking in the mountainous Iranian/Iraqi border region.
Issue 885, 17 September 2010. more
Increased oil production boosts economy
New figures from the Ministry of National Economy indicate that the Sultanate will end the year with a budget surplus, despite a forecast OR800m ($2.08bn) deficit and an increase in total public expenditure of 8.8% to OR3.52bn.
Issue 883, 27 August 2010. more
Repsol farms into RAK’s Block 47
RAK Petroleum said on 16 August it had signed an agreement to farm out a 50% stake in onshore Block 47 to Spain’s Repsol Exploration.
Issue 883, 27 August 2010. more
Workers’ rights provoke tensions, while investment boosts mining and tourism
Risk management report
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Second RNO corvette deal
A corvette built by BAE Systems for the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) was commissioned at Portsmouth naval base in the UK on 25 July. Al-Rahmani is the second of three corvettes being built by BAE for the Sultanate after a contract was signed in 2007.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
GE gets Salalah IWPP turbine, services orders
GE will provide five advanced 6FA gas turbines for the $1.5bn Salalah independent water and power project in southern Oman which will generate 445MW of electricity and 15m g/d of desalinated water.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
Qaboos Bin Said: Condolences
Sultan Qaboos has received condolences from across the Gulf following the death of Sayyid Thuwaini Bin Shihab. Thuwaini, who was born in 1924, was at times very powerful despite being only a distant relation of the Sultan.
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Oman’s response to cyclone points to heightened efficiency, maturity
By and large, Oman reacted quickly and efficiently to the cyclone that struck the Sultanate in early June. GSN’s soundings in Muscat suggested that Oman was better prepared to confront climatic volatility as Cyclone Phet arrived than it was when Cyclone Gonu struck in June 2007.
Issue 879, 18 June 2010. more
Oman strengthens ties with Iran
The Omani Shura Council speaker, Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al-Essaei, is due to pay an official visit to Iran on 6 June. Iran’s ambassador to Muscat Hossein Noushabadi said on 30 May that Al-Essaei would lead an Omani delegation to Tehran at the invitation of Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani.
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Onshore Oman farm-out, reserves hike
Operator Consolidated Contractors Energy Development and Tethys Oil AB are bringing Mitsui & Company’s Mitsui E&P Middle East BV subsidiary into its onshore blocks 3 and 4 – whose reserves are bigger than previously thought, the Swedish partner said.
Issue 877, 21 May 2010. more
Oman upstream update: Output continues to recover but investors remain elusive
Oil output continues to rise after the slump of the last decade, but acreage left open for several years has failed to attract the international interest expected. Meanwhile, IOCs are leaving as the government looks to expensive enhanced oil recovery projects
Issue 876, 7 May 2010. more
Iranian co-operation tests relations with the West, economy grows on oil recovery
Risk management report
Issue 876, 7 May 2010. more
The Al-Zawawi family – major players in Oman
GSN has long profiled leading players in the Gulf, focusing on the personal, political and business relations that are rarely covered in the region. In line with this tradition, GSN is running an occasional series of profiles of major families and business entities, starting with the Al-Zawawis
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
Investment fund looks east
Oman Investment Fund (OIF) has become a foreign strategic partner of PetroVietnam Insurance (PVI). OIF’s Funderburk Lighthouse has acquired shares worth some $42.5m, representing 12.6% of Hanoi Stock Exchange-listed PVI’s equity.
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
First order for weapons from India
India’s Financial Express newspaper reported that Oman has become the first country in West Asia to place an order for guns with an Indian supplier.
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
It’s official: Oman’s Eurofighter deal
Just ahead of its 6 May general election, the United Kingdom has finally confirmed that Oman is in line to buy Eurofighter jets, although the prime minister’s office declined to say how many of the advanced Typhoons were being bought.
Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
Gas exports, Iran connection and real estate plays in the mix as Oman looks to economic resurgence
Oman’s sovereign rating has improved and there is growth again, but the authorities still face a tough task if they are to lift living standards for the majority. An Iranian gas deal is among potential solutions to drive new projects
Issue 872, 5 March 2010. more
Qaboos maintains balanced regional relations, benefits from oil production hike
Risk management report
Issue 871, 12 February 2010. more
Alleged $220m securities fraud
Thousands of investors have been swindled out of OR88m ($220m), the Omani prosecutor’s office said on 27 January. “So far, as many as 3,254 people fell prey to the swindlers and the total amount swindled by the cheats so far stands at OR88.4m,” the prosecutor said in a statement.
Issue 870, 29 January 2010. more
Qaboos visits Kuwait, Finance Ministry releases new budget
Risk management report
Issue 869, 15 January 2010. more
Gas on agenda for talks
Omani ministers have been talking up the relationship with Iran, whose importance was underlined by the visit to Tehran this summer of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Saeed (GSN 859/1). As well as acting as a mediator between the embattled Islamic Republic and its critics, notably the United States and United Kingdom, Oman has a number of national interests in developing ties with Iran, including in the energy sector.
Issue 867, 4 December 2009.
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IWPP transaction
Standard Chartered Bank and Chinese institutions appear close to rounding off financing for the long-delayed $1bn Salalah independent water and power project (IWPP), one of a number of Gulf projects that have been hit by liquidity woes since mid-2008.
Issue 865, 20 November 2009. more
Oil price volatility underlines need for diversification, Oman maintains Iran links
Risk Management Report
Issue 864, November 2009. more
Qaboos orders action on swine flu
With Oman taking the threat of H1N1 – ‘swine flu’ – very seriously, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Saeed on 5 September ordered the establishment of a Supreme Committee for H1N1 to draw up a comprehensive plan to tackle the disease.
Issue 860, 11 September 2009. more
Oman ploughs independent furrow as Qaboos visits Tehran, plans another air defence upgrade
The Sultan’s decision to visit Iran during President Ahmadinejad’s inauguration shows that Oman remains a significant player in the region, able to balance strong relations with the West with an open approach to Tehran. And the purchase of 24 Eurofighter Typhoons shows it has a tougher mindset, too.
Issue 859, 7 August 2009. more
After the F-16, Oman garners power of Typhoon
The Sultanate is on the verge of a defence deal that will enhance its ability to deal with military threats in the region, from piracy in the Horn of Africa to tensions with Iran and Yemen. The Royal Air force of Oman will be the big winner in the next phase of procurement
Issue 859, 7 August 2009. more
Also see Issue 859, 7 August 2009. US munitions raise Omani strike power
Oman’s approaches to Iran and Yemen
Oman has reduced the chance of conflict with Iran in the tight confines of the Strait of Hormuz through a policy of engagement, committed defence diplomacy and other confidence-building measures.
Issue 859, 7 August 2009. more
BP begins Oman gas field well tests
BP plc has begun testing its first well drilled on the Khazzan-Makarem gas field, which, if found commercially viable, could boost the sultanate’s gas output by nearly 50%.
Issue 859, 7 August 2009. more
Risk Management Report
Qaboos visits Iran, development projects on track
Issue 859, 7 August 2009. more
Pragmatic Oman moves to engage lonely Islamic Republic
Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Saeed’s three-day official visit to Iran has cemented decades of steady relations between the troubled Islamic Republic and Oman, for long seen as a moderate and sensible state whose good offices are valued by international partners.
Issue 859, 7 August 2009. more
Nuclear agreement with Russia
Russia and Oman have signed an agreement on nuclear energy co-operation that could see them building reactors and conducting research together.
Issue 855, 12 June 2009. more
EPSA deal with US’ Petrotel
Texas-based enhanced oil recovery specialist Petrotel has signed a three-year exploration and production-sharing agreement to develop Block 17.
Issue 854, 29 May 2009. more
Risk management report
GSN Risk Grade — B/2: Financial risk upgrade reflects positive economic newsflow
Issue 853, 15 May 2009. more
Indago farms out to RAK, HNR and Petronas come in
London AIM-listed Indago Petroleum has sold its 50% stake in Blocks 31, 47 and 43A to UAE-based RAK Petroleum. RAK Petroleum already held the balance of the interests and is the operator of the licences.
Issue 851, 17 April 2009. more
Oman’s prudent management of the windfall from high oil prices has paid off, say analysts
By squirreling away its recent fiscal surpluses, Oman has stayed snugly insulated from the worst chills of the global financial crisis, with both the credit standing of local companies and the sovereign outlook still viewed very favourably by rating agencies and credit insurers.
Issue 850, 27 March 2009. more
Omani fund’s love for Bulgaria
Compared to the likes of the Qatar Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority or the Dubai group of funds, not much is known about the Omani State General Reserve Fund (SGRF) or how it makes its investments. But some details have now emerged following its acquisition of a majority stake in the AIM-listed, BVI-incorporated Equest Investment Balkans Ltd (EIB). The SGRF holds 32.27% of EIB, which invests primarily in Bulgaria and Romania.
Issue 850, 27 March 2009. more
Legal battle rages over Oman’s Blue City
Oman has all the ingredients for becoming the Gulf’s most attractive tourist and living destination, but projects remain prey to the vagaries of local politics, as well as more recent credit crunch concerns. A case in point seems to be the legal dispute over ownership of Blue City – said to be the Sultanate’s largest real estate development, costing an estimated $20bn – that for more than three years has pitted Bahrain’s Al-Janahi business family against the local Cyclone company.
Issue 848, 27 February 2009. more
Risk management report
GSN Risk Grade — B/3: International relations strengthened, while economic outlook is relatively stable
Issue 848, 27 February 2009. more
Oman upstream update: IOCs invited to help consolidate an upturn in the E&P outlook
Buoyed by a reversal of the long-term declining trend in crude production, and looking to build gas reserves, Oman is offering opportunities for IOCs of all sizes, reflected in its current offer of five exploration blocks. These are shown below in GSN’s first Oman upstream update – a feature we plan to develop in future months, with regular updates and more information as our database builds. Oman provides a good place to start, as a rare Gulf state that gives smaller players an opportunity to participate in upstream exploration and production. Even in the current economic downturn, Omani officials are bullish about pushing ahead with expensive EOR projects, and are determined to attract even more international players with the licensing of more exploration blocks.
Issue 847, 13 February 2009. more
Also see Issue 848, 27 February 2009: Block 8 partner announces first oil from West Bukha; Oilex resumes Block 56 testing programme; Issue 838, 10 October 2008. Facing up to energy shortages
MAP: Oman's hydrocarbons infrastructure and E&P potential
Issue 847, 13 February 2009. (low resolution version) more
After the GCC’s Muscat summit, currency plan credibility hangs on acts, not words
Five country ratification is the first hurdle. Policy and structural detail will have to follow soon if markets are to take the GCC’s monetary union plan seriously.
This promises to be a crucial test year for the commitment of Gulf Co-operation Council members to their long discussed monetary union project. At December’s Muscat summit, GCC heads of state formally endorsed next steps for the scheme. Now they must clear the way for implementation, by ensuring that it is ratified at the national level. While few believe it is now practicable to introduce the planned new single currency at the beginning of 2010, there is a growing market expectation that GCC states need to rapidly finalise and publish the practical details, if they want the plan to be taken seriously.
Issue 845, 16 January 2009.more
Risk management report
GSN Risk Grade – B/3: Political and social stability underpin growth despite weak points in economy
Issue 843, 19 December 2008. more
Facing up to energy shortages
Senior officials have been unusually open about the energy shortages facing the Sultanate. In late September, Oil Minister Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Seif Al-Rumhi said that even with the start of delayed gas imports from Abu Dhabi-based Dolphin Energy Ltd in November, Oman would still be short of gas supplies.
Issue 838, 10 October 2008. more
Samena Capital attracts Omani, other investors
Bringing together businessmen and former asset managers from the (Indian) Subcontinent, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa (Samena), a new asset management company set up in Bahrain, has attracted particular interest from Omani investors. Samena Capital (SC) has already raised $200m for its Special Situations Fund (SSF) and targets a $350m close by 31 October.
Issue 837, 26 September 2008. more
Risk management report
Stronger economic performance, privatisation opening
Issue 835, 1 September2008. more
Salalah 2 next onto PF blocks
Bids are due on 16 June for the 400MW Salalah 2 independent power and water project, paving the way for the Sultanate’s next project finance package. The plant marks Oman’s sixth private power project, and will involve banks taking some risk on offtaker Dhofar Power Company (DPC), one of the Middle East’s few private utilities involved in power generation, transmission as well as distribution.
Issue 831, 13 June 2008. more
Omani project points to booming trend in Gulf smelter construction
Aluminium smelters are all the rage across the GCC. The comparative advantage of low energy costs combined with forecasts of almost insatiable global demand for the metal are driving a policy of rapid industrial diversification which is being replicated in country after country.
Issue 824, 29 February 2008. more
Conservative values, tribal affiliations win in Omani election
With the Majlis Al-Shura limited to a consultative role and candidates excluded from promoting policy ideas in campaign literature, traditional allegiances dictated voting patterns in the Sultanate even if elections to the assembly did mark some cautious steps forward. A first experiment with modern public campaigning techniques boosted turnout but also reinforced the influence of tribal loyalties and conservative social attitudes among voters in the latest election for Oman’s Majlis Al-Shura. (Consultative Assembly).
Issue 817, 9 November 2007. more
Oil price boom provides welcome relief for Oman after Gonu
Surging international oil prices have helped the Sultanate to confront a range of pressures after the cyclone.
Issue 817, 9 November 2007.more
Islamic finance: Reluctant but not rejectionist
The authorities believe the Sultanate is not yet ready for Islamic banking, meaning that alone among Gulf states the industry has received a lukewarm welcome – at best – from otherwise usually hospitable Oman. But GSN’s soundings suggest this does not mean that Oman is altogether closed to the Islamic industry.
Issue 813, 21 September 2007. more
Qaboos reshuffles administration ahead of October elections
With weeks to go until Oman holds nationwide elections to its Majlis Al-Shura (Advisory Council), Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said has reshuffled his cabinet and created two new ministries – Environment and Climate Affairs, and Fisheries.
Issue 812, 14 September 2007. more
Five-year plan shelved as cyclone puts Oman to the test
The Sultanate has shown it can handle emergency relief, but now Oman has to show a similar capability in the planning and delivery of big budget reconstruction. Elections in October could test the public’s appreciation of these efforts, but Oman’s performance so far has been impressive.
Issue 808, 22 June 2007. more
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| Perspectives: from the GSN archive |
Oman IWP pushes private financing envelope
The imminent financial closure of Oman’s first independent water project (IWP) has carved a new milestone in the Sultanate’s use of private sector capital to support its infrastructure requirements.
Issue 806, 25 May 2007. more
Oman sees Islamic banks as a ‘possibility’ for the future
Responding to a number of recent press reports quoting senior officials as saying the Sultanate had ruled out hosting an Islamic banks, highly-placed sources in Muscat have told GSN the policy is nowhere so extreme as has been suggested.
Issue 801, 16 March 2007. more
EADS and VT Group contracts
The Ministry of Defence has signed the certificate of final acceptance to expand European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company’s existing OFEQ2000 joint C4I system military command computer network.
Issue 798, 2 February 2007. more
Indago’s drilling plans show juniors can get GCC foothold
Indago Petroleum, a company formed from the Middle Eastern assets of Australia’s Novus Petroleum, is looking to start serious project development work on its assets in Oman and Ras Al-Khaimah, with the aim of developing what chief executive Peter Sadler sees as an under-developed and tight local gas supply market.
Issue 796, 22 December 2006. more
OMAN/UAE: Bun fight at the Buraimi border
Residents and workers in Abu Dhabi’s garden city of Al-Ain and the Omani town of Buraimi cannot agree on very much when it comes to border arrangements between the two places, both located in the picturesque Buraimi oasis. For years there have been no border controls between Oman and the United Arab Emirates around here, but now – and for reasons that vary according to who you speak to – bilateral relations are strained.
Issue 794, 24 November 2006. more
Qaboos gets his FTA in the face of congressional Arabophobia
The House of Representatives has followed the Senate in narrowly approving the United States’ free trade agreement (FTA) with Oman – despite vigorous opposition from congressmen claiming it posed a security risk because companies from the Sultanate might end up running American ports.
Issue 787, 4 August 2006.more
Oman E&P activity hots up
Oman has signed seven oil and gas exploration agreements worth $346m.
Issue 785, 7 July 2006. more
European flavour as Oman signs new defence contracts
European contractors have secured major new contracts as the Omani military continues its modernisation. These include an order for VT Group that analysts say will help to revive the UK’s naval industry.
Issue 782, 26 May 2006. more
Energetic aspirations to help Sultanate sustain its export base
Declining oil production has seemed to define Oman’s economic prospects in recent years, taking some of the shine off the Sultanate’s undoubted success in promoting its natural gas industry. But with higher oil prices helping to boosts its resources, Muscat believes a massive investment drive is feasible that will put the industry back on an expansionary course – and these would seem to be achievable goals.
Issue 779, 14 April 2006. more
Oman sees new E&P operators, needs more gas
More rivals are set to come into Shell’s traditional domain, as the Sultanate looks to accelerate exploration for gas, to meet the constantly growing demand for supplies to feed the Sohar zone and other industrial projects, as well as Oman LNG and power stations.
Issue 777, 10 March 2006. more
Oman sees shortfall in maritime patrol responsibilities as UK ponders pull back
Although the United States has consistently enlarged its foothold in Britain’s traditional Omani defence market, the United Kingdom has continued to fly the flag since 1990 through the presence of Royal Air Force Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) in the Sultanate. But in a sign of the times, GSN has learned that the RAF is considering cutting back its provision of MPA support in the Straits of Hormuz.
Issue 765, 16 September 2005. more
Oman’s Ibadi rebels invoke divine right to counter inclusive Qaboos
The reign of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Saeed has been marked by the transformation of his country from the old Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, where – as its name suggested – the capital territory was estranged from its ‘interior’ (once ruled by the Nizwa-based Imamate) to a modern state, whose ruling legitimacy comes from its ability to deliver services and material rewards to the estimated 2.3m national population.
Issue 757, 13 May 2005. more (Also see Issue 756, 29 April 2005: Ibadi treason verdict imminent).
Eyes turn to NBO in the wake of Omani bank merger failure
Following the failed merger of BankMuscat and National Bank of Oman, Gulf banks are looking with renewed interest at NBO, which could offer a major point of entry into the Omani market for an ambitious player.
Issue 757, 13 May 2005. more
MDC/Oxy link extends into Sultanate
The oil and gas subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company (MDC), the Abu Dhabi government investment vehicle chaired by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, and its strategic partner, US independent Occidental Petroleum Corporation, have further expanded their regional oil and gas portfolio with a major deal in Oman.
Issue 757, 13 May 2005. more
PDO renegotiation will help Shell corporate and
Oman’s production profiles
Under pressure to rebuild its declining oil output,and with anchor investor Royal Dutch/Shell seeking to restore a
depleted reserves base, Oman is moving towards as early renewal of its key concession agreement.
Issue 735, 28 May 2004. more
Civic modernisation, not radical change, for Oman
Oman’s recent parliamentary elections failed to excite those hoping for accelerated political change, but Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed’s administration has been quietly pressing forward an agenda of civic modernisation that is one of the most distinctive in the Gulf region.
Issue 729, 5 March 2004. more
After elections, Oman faces challenge of reform
Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed inaugurated the third session of Oman’s joint majlis on 21 October with talk of the country’s “enterprise in the field of democratic action”, but although recent steps toward political reform in the Sultanate have looked good on paper, they have yet to satisfy a populace that would like more of a voice in the country’s affairs.
Issue 721, 31 October 2003.more (For previous coverage of Oman’s reform path and the first elections with universal adult franchise please see: GSN 720/4, 719/4, 710/8, 648/6, 645/7, 644/6).
Questions of succession
It is tempting to see Oman’s slow construction of democratic processes as a long-term preparation for the post-Qaboos era, gradually devolving power from the monarchy to constitutional institutions. But Muscat observers suggest this may be reading too much into a process of political evolution now evident in a number of the smaller Gulf states. The Omani succession path is relatively clear. Although the Sultan has no children, there is wide agreement on the two most likely potential successors, and the formal mechanism for selecting a new ruler is expressly laid down.
Issue 710, 16 May 2003. more (Also see Issue 711/7).
Court action reflects devolutionary tendencies
Faced with an upsurge of popular resentment at nanny-state over-regulation, Muscat Municipality has abandoned attempts to ban the smoking of traditional hubble-bubble pipes in the capitals cafes. But more important than the retreat itself was the step that led up to it: a grassroots court action challenging the city’s right to regulate life in this way. This is thought to be the first time that the authorities in Oman have faced such a legal challenge to their governing policy (as opposed to complaints about individual personal cases). The court action failed, but public embarrassment persuaded the Municipality an offshoot of the Sultans Diwan (court) to back down anyway.
Issue 664, 25 June 2001. more
A bitter past
The reconciliation agreement reached between Oman and South Yemen, signed in Kuwat at the end of October, brings to an end 15 years of confronatation and hostility by the two countries.
Saudi Arabia Newsletter, Issue 84, 8-21 November 1982.Download the PDF
State Advisory Council formed
Not normally regarded as a political pace-setter in the region, the Sultanate of Oman has jumped ahead of some of its Gulf neighbours and set up a 45-member State Advisory Council. The Advisory Council, which is to be presided over by Khalfan Nin Nasser Al-Waheibi, the former labour minister, has been set up by a Royal Decree to "involve the public in development decisions as part of the efforts of the government towards a greater co-operation between the government and the private sector".
Issue 174, 2-15 November 1981.Download the PDF
