Articles from the author

In 1995, Qatar's proven oil reserves were put at 3.7 billion barrels.

Expatriates working in Bah-rain are now able to switch jobs and change sponsors.

Saudi Arabia's national gas initiative has yet to make concrete progress due to differences between international oil companies (IOCs) and the government.

GCC Insights: Gulf Air has been slow in responding to challenges

Saudi Arabia's budget for 2003 is conservative on revenue and cautious on spending. This reflects the mood in the kingdom that faces external variables including the possibility of a U.S.-led war against Iraq as well as volatility of oil markets.

Bahrain stands out within the GCC as it publishes budget figures for two years at the same time. The practice provides investors a direction of government plans.

Few days ago, the initial public offer (IPO) of Saudi Telecommunications Comp-any (STC) made headlines. However, Saudi Arabia is not liberalising the telecom industry.

The most notable achievement of the recently held GCC summit in Qatar was confirmation that the long-awaited customs union will be launched as scheduled on January 1.

In 1997, the IMF advised Qatar to step up structural reforms in order to facilitate economic diversification. Amongst others, the IMF called for privatisation, deregulation and financial sector reforms.

Bahrain is home to the largest concentration of Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) and is keen to maintain the competitive edge.

Oman's proven gas reserves stand at 29 trillion cubic feet, though it's not comparable to 500 trillion cubic feet Qatar has, the Sultanate has made momentous strides in developing the sector, notably the liquefied natural gas industry.

The long-awaited privatisation law remains deadlocked at the National Assembly due to political wrangling between the appointed government and the elected parliament.