Khalifa says democratic process will be enhanced

Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyah has called on Emirati citizens to continue their work limitlessly to enhance the nation's gains and make further achievements.

"The march of federation made great achievements in the past 37 years and fulfilled the hopes and aspirations of our nation in many walks of life, yet this should not make us be satisfied and resort to rest," the President said in a statement on the 37th National Day anniversary.

He 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 incentive for more work and self giving

The country's development boom and great achievements should serve as a motive for more work and efforts, he added.

Addressing the nation, Shaikh Khalifa said:" my call for making 2008 the year of the national identity truly aimed at encouraging initiatives and specifying means and mechanisms to help develop the components of our identity and safeguard it from distortion.

The President called for setting a legislative framework and clear programmes to develop the national capability and combat any attempts that threat the nation's social structure, culture, language and faith.

The President's wide- ranging statement defined the national identity and the development process with a promise to enhance the democratic process.

Highlighting the need for updating and modernising legislation, the president said this development requires us to safeguard this position well-fortified through building a solid regulatory structure, which will respond to the changes and live up to the international standards .

The 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 modernization until they resonate in tune with the methodological development and new administrative technologies, Shaikh Khalifa explained.

Shaikh Khalifa stressed the need for achieving a balance between the nations' ambitions and keenness to preserve the dynamics in the process of the social and economic development, and the legitimate right of the citizens to live in a country where they are the mainstream, the people of the pioneering role, the ruling voice and the integrating identity.

He spoke about the role the private sector presently plays, as well the integrative relation between the local and federal levels in any process of legislative modernization and development.

Shaikh Khalifa noted that any solution to the issue of demographic imbalance must be based on a comprehensive vision with benefiting from others' experiences.

He lauded efforts exerted in this regard and stressed the need for society bodies to play its part by boosting the government's endeavours so as to come up with practical solutions.

He stressed the need to continue to strengthen the democratic process and to develop it until we reach the aspired level of its participatory role .

"I look forward to receiving more participation from the people in this endeavour, with all faith in the importance of building an interactive relationship between the two poles of our political existence and the social pyramid," he added.

Shaikh Khalifa noted that ecological conservation and protecting natural resources and biological diversity are placed top on the government's environmental strategy.

He pointed out that the successes achieved by the country would not have been possible without the wise foreign policy and national standards adopted by the UAE.

On the issue of the occupied islands, the President reiterated the need for a peaceful solution to the issue of the UAE's three islands occupied by Iran.

He hoped that Iran would respond to the UAE's peaceful call for solving the issue on the grounds of bilateral historic ties and mutual interests.

On regional issues, Shaikh Khalifa reaffirmed Iraq's unity and territorial integrity, and called for helping Iraq restore its national sovereignty and stability.

He also called on the international community and effective world powers to exert more efforts to bring peace to the Middle East through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

He underscored the need for combating terrorism through solving the root causes and explained the UAE' s growing interest in the humanitarian work and its initiatives to help people affected by armed conflicts and natural disasters.