Nation Eyes Bigger Goals

ABU DHABI/DUBAI - As the nation celebrates its 37th National Day, UAE leaders paid rich tributes to late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum on the country’s remarkable strides made under their leadership.

By Staff Reporter

Published: Wed 3 Dec 2008, 1:10 AM

Last updated: Sun 5 Apr 2015, 5:12 PM

The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in a statement on this glorious occasion, urged citizens to continue their selfless work to consolidate the achievements of the country.

Shaikh Khalifa said: “The sense of satisfaction over what we gained in our country should not be a reason for lethargy and relaxation. Rather it should be an endless inspiration for more work and self giving.”

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, pledged to the President to keep and sustain UAE’s stature as a source of giving, good, charity, development, a symbol of pride and glory as as well as an oasis of security, stability, building and progress.

In a statement to mark National Day, Shaikh Mohammed stressed that the goals set to propel the country to gain pride of place among the comity of nations would remain firm and unequivocal.

An Emirates News Agency (Wam) report on Monday, said the President’s wide ranging statement through the magazine Dira’al Watan to mark National Day defined the national identity, delineated the process of development, promised enhancement of the democratic process and the need to modernise legislation, described ways to resolve the demographic anomalies, stressed on the improvement of governance and placed utmost priority on environmental protection, among other issues. Shaikh Khalifa reiterated the need for a peaceful solution to the issue of UAE’s three islands occupied by Iran and underlined Iraq’s unity and territorial integrity. He urged countries to exert more efforts to bring peace to the Middle East through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Underlining the need for more legislation, the President said: “This development demands from us to safeguard this position well-fortified through building a solid regulatory structure, which will respond to the changes and conform to global standards.”

Shaikh Khalifa stressed the need for improving governance, and emphasised the role of modernising laws.

Thhe backbone of any improvement of governance, its development as well as its protection from any form of wastage or excessiveness is a mechanism to place laws under the microscope of revision and modernisation until they resonate in tune with the methodological development and new administrative technologies, he said.

Promising to strengthen the democratic process, the President said: “We will continue to strengthen the democratic process and to develop it until we reach the level of its participatory role.” Speaking on Iraq he said that UAE is helping it to regain its role and national sovereignty and to protect its freedom and territorial integrity and the unity of the people. Appreciating the cooperation to combat terrorism, the President said that it should continue at various levels. “I also believe that these efforts should continue and improve, not only with military and security means, but also through the work for solving explosive issues.” Shaikh Khalifa asserted UAE’s role in the humanitarian and charitable avenues.

“We worked for transforming UAE’s charity activities into an institutional activity with an aim of making them more effective and sustainable.”