Minister asks Council to postpone discussions on economic crisis

Abu Dhabi: The UAE government asked the Federal National Council (FNC) to postpone discussions of the global financial crisis and its impact on the country, the House was told on Tuesday.

Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for FNC Affairs and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, told the House that the Cabinet demanded that discussion of the crisis be postponed until after the Government completes measures to cope with it.

The House rejected the move and said there should be a good reason for refusing or delaying discussion of an extremely important public issue.

Sultan Saqr Al Suwaidi, FNC member from Dubai, said, "The financial crisis is a vital issue that affects everybody in the country. If the House is denied the right to discuss such an important issue, what issue will the legislature be allowed to discuss?

"The House was denied the right to discuss the national identity and now the Cabinet demands that discussion of the financial crunch be delayed. Until when should we delay the discussion of this extremely vital issue. Is it until the crisis is over? We at the FNC have to enjoy full freedom to discuss these national issues," Al Suwaidi said.