Khalifa, GCC official hold meeting

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan received at Al Rawda Palace on Tuesday Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, GCC. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region, was also present. The GCC Secretary-General conveyed his congratulations and best wishes to Sheikh Khalifa on the occasion of the 41st National Day, expressing his hope that the UAE leadership, government and people would enjoy further progress and prosperity under his wise leadership. During the meeting, Sheikh Khalifa was briefed on the preparations for the 33rd GCC Summit, to be held in Manama, Bahrain later this month, and efforts to support the development of GCC joint action towards broader horizons, thus strengthening the work of the Council. Sheikh Khalifa noted that the UAE sought to support the GCC progress in various fields, expressing his best wishes for the success of the forthcoming summit in Manama. For his part, Al Zayani expressed his confidence that the summit would be an important milestone and a turning point in the GCC march toward the future, serving the common interests of the peoples of its member countries. He welcomed the President’s support for the future progress of the Council and for enhancing its achievements in various fields. The meeting was attended by a number of other Sheikhs, ministers and senior state officials. In a separate development, Sheikh Khalifa has been presented by the author with a copy of the book ‘’Adnan Al Pachachi in the Eye of Storm.” Dr Al Pachachi is a former Iraqi Foreign Minister who worked in the UAE for many years. Accepting the book, the President said that it represented a chronicle of bright chapters in the history of the UAE, through the author’s personal experience in and service to the country. Expressing his wishes for Dr. Al Pachachi’s good health and success, Sheikh Khalifa added that the UAE respects and values the contributions made to the development of the country by those who have served in their respective positions and according to their capabilities. In response, Al Pachachi, said that he was delighted to be able to give to the President the first copy of his book, adding, “I am presenting my personal experiences to the loyal people of the UAE, for whom I have deep respect. I hope that the book will be useful to the generations to come.” A number of Sheikhs and senior officials were present. Meanwhile, Sheikh Khalifa also received an invitation from Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 18) being hosted in Doha. The invitation was delivered to Sheikh Khalifa at Al Rawdha Palace in Al Ain by Abdullah Mohammed Al Othman, Qatari Ambassador to the UAE, in the presence of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region, and other Sheikhs and officials. Greeting cables Sheikh Khalifa has sent a congratulatory cable to King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on the occasion of his birthday. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has sent a similar cable to the King of Thailand. Additionally, Sheikh Khalifa has sent a congratulatory cable to President Sauli Niinisto of the Republic of Finland on the occasion of his country’s Independence Day. Sheikh Mohammed has also dispatched a similar cable to the Finnish president. Sheikh Khalifa has received a number of congratulatory cables from leaders of sisterly and friendly countries on the occasion of the 41st national day of the UAE. The President got greetings from Kings Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain and Mohammed VI of Morocco as well as from Presidents James Michel of Seychelles, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov of Turkmenistan, Vaclav Klaus of Czech, Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam, Janos Ader of Hungary and Bronislaw Komorowski of Poland. Sheikh Khalifa also received felicitations on the occasion from Governor-General of Australia Quentin Bryce, Abdou Diouf, Secretary General of La Francophonie, and Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC). Sheikh Mohammed has received similar congratulations from presidents of Turkmenistan, and Czech as well as from Prime Ministers Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam and Viktor Orban of Hungary.