The Dubai-based Gulf Research Center (GRC) and American University of Sharjah (AUS) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, knowledge dissemination, networking, internships and related events.  

After the signing ceremony, GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager said: “In line with our ‘knowledge for all’ mission, the motive of the agreement is to enhance information dissemination about the Gulf region openly and as widely as possible.”

As a first step towards pursuing their common objective, the GRC will provide all AUS students and faculty members with free access to its research website (www.grc.ae) and media website (www.gulfinthemedia.com) until April 2006.

According to AUS Chancellor Prof. Winfred Thompson, the MoU “will facilitate information exchange among scholars, researchers, faculty and students by convening joint conferences, seminars, workshops and lectures as well as through the sharing of relevant data and databases.”

The two institutions have also agreed to cooperate effectively to enhance on-the-job experience by sponsoring internships for AUS students at GRC in various subject areas relevant to the region and specialized by the center; collaborate in research activities; publish selected joint publications in both electronic and hard copy forms; encourage networking of scholars and regional experts; improve technical capabilities by exchanging relevant information and transferring knowledge, including best practice information; and promoting capacity building through the conduct of joint training programs.

South Africa on Wednesday denied it had any form of nuclear cooperation with Iran, but said it reserves the right to access nuclear technology for peaceful purposes on ideological grounds and supports all countries wishing to have access to such technology without violating the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), including Iran.

Addressing a press conference at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai, South African Foreign Minister Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said: “NPT stands on three legs – non-proliferation, disarmament and access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The West wants to pretend that there is only one leg – non-proliferation – and ignores the other two, which is unacceptable.” 

Dr. Dlamini-Zuma emphasized that South Africa is urging Iran to clear the air about the present ambiguity, but would support Iran’s right to nuclear technology as long as it does not violate the principles of NPT.

The minister’s visit to the UAE is part of a week-long tour of the Gulf region, during which she will also visit Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen. Apart from strengthening bilateral political, economic and cultural relations with the region, where more than 32,000 South Africans live, the minister’s interaction is focusing on issues pertaining to multilateralism, poverty eradication, peace and stability, as well as the rule of law.

Commenting on the issue of supporting independence for the Western Sahara after traditionally backing the Polisario Front, overriding Morocco’s objections, Dr. Dlamini-Zuma said South Africa – because of its history of freedom struggle – supports all self-determination movements, including the Palestinian struggle against Israel.

“We delayed the decision to back the Western Sahara movement for 10 years following requests from Saudi Arabia, the United Nations and Morocco, but after realizing that there was no Moroccan move towards a referendum, we formalized our support in 2004,” the minister said, adding that “if the people of Western Sahara are given a chance to decide and they favor to be part of Morocco, we will support it too.”

Similarly, “we will not abandon the Palestinians till they achieve freedom. We support their right to self-determination, the roadmap and the two-state solution. We have been and will continue to hold talks with Palestinian and Israeli groups to resolve the crisis and convince them of the benefits of peace,” she said.

On its role in Iraq, Dr. Dlamini-Zuma said South Africa was against the war and was hence not involved in the reconstruction process at the official level. “But private individuals and companies are involved in Iraq through Western institutions, especially as part of the private security apparatus,” she added. 

South Africa’s interaction with Iraq has changed after the elections, the minister pointed out. “We have now agreed to have an ambassador in South Africa, will resume normal relations and even consider how to get involved in the reconstruction process.”

On issues concerning better ties between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Africa, the minister urged the region to realize that the “forgotten continent” will be quite awake during the next decade. “We look forward to support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) by way of investments in the field of energy, information technology and transportation infrastructure,” she said.

Earlier, the minister was briefed about the political, economic, social and security developments in the region by experts at the Gulf Research Center (GRC), an independent think tank, education provider and consultancy. The GRC, “which is pursuing a dedicated research program on GCC-South Africa Relations, intends to facilitate better cooperation between the two sides. Further, given South Africa’s fundamentals and capabilities, it could also play an important role in boosting the GCC’s relations with the Sub-Saharan African countries,” the center’s Chairman, Abdulaziz Sager, said.

A delegation of over 25 experts from the Paris-based International Council on Large Electric Systems (Cigre) held talks with the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center (GRC) on April 20 to explore avenues of working jointly in the electricity sector and its related areas within GRC’s energy research program.

“Since our energy research program deals with oil, gas and electricity sectors, we are keen to work in synergy with organizations like GCC-Cigre,” said GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager.

The Cigre delegation was particularly interested in the GRC’s ‘research and business model’ as a benchmark for its own activities. It also discussed the various aspects of privatization of the water and electricity sectors in the region and the GCC pricing in comparison with their international counterparts. 

The visit of the delegation – headed by Dr. Ibrahim Al-Hamoudi, Chairman of Doha-based GCC-Cigre Technical Committee – coincides with the work on the multibillion-dollar GCC power grid project getting under way in September. The plan – which links the six GCC countries with an integrated electricity network – was first discussed 20 years ago, but is now scheduled to be completed by 2010.

While phase one will link Saudi Arabia with Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, the second phase will link the UAE with Oman. The two resulting mega grids will be linked in the final phase. The power grid is expected to boost electricity network in the region, help exchange electricity to meet growing needs, utilize surplus output, save on new power projects and ensure uninterrupted power supply.

Cigre is a non-profit making organization established in 1921 and is mainly devoted to encouraging and developing scientific research and studies in the field of electricity systems. The Regional Committee for Large Electric Systems, GCC-Cigre, is an affiliate of the Paris organization.

A two day workshop on e-learning in social sciences and humanities ended in Dubai on Friday with a call to evolve an effective mechanism to blend the modern information technology (IT) and communication components with the traditional educational system to ensure maximum impact.  (English) (Arabic)