Terrorists have 'no loyalty to citizens'

Abu Dhabi: Joint efforts to combat terrorism and strengthen national solidarity were called for yesterday by General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the 16th Legislative Chapter of the National Consultative Council (NCC).

Shaikh Mohammad urged both UAE nationals and expatriate residents to perform their duties towards the country's security and be vigilant against efforts that might destabilise the country.

As we head towards comprehensive development we should not forget the huge security challenges, which require vigilance from all, he said.

Non-negotiable

"The interest of the country is non-negotiable. We will not tolerate any deviation from this principle of loyalty," he said.

On top of these challenges, he said came terrorism.

To confront and eliminate terrorism in all its forms, including money-laundering, he said was a national priority "because it guarantees stability and progress."

"We would like to stress here that this will not be achieved unless we exert joint efforts under the banner of total loyalty," he said.

Regarding the electoral process in the country, Shaikh Mohammad said: "The decision to hold elections for the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the first time was a continuation of our keenness to activate the central role of the chamber in developing the local economy and opening new vistas."

Addressing members, Shaikh Mohammad said the road to development was long and required joint efforts and initiatives, particularly to involve nationals in an effective way.

"In this regard, the government encourages the setting up of more industrial projects, developing agricultural and animal wealth resources and activating the relationship between the public and private sectors while redressing the imbalance or shortcomings in the labour market through further developing emiratisation plans, especially in the private sector.

Technology

"We are going ahead with restructuring government institutions and have employed modern technology to build a knowledge-based society, with an emphasis on eliminating administrative and financial corruption.

"We also have a mechanism to create permanent partnerships between the private and public sectors to help achieve initiatives adopted by the country through focusing on education, research, developing society, culture, environment and human development, he said.

"The efforts and plans we have embarked upon in Abu Dhabi is part and parcel of the national action to develop the UAE and enhance its federal identity.

"The leadership trust in you [members] is great as you are entitled to take the responsibility and render the successful march of your council."

Strategic decisions

On the achievements attained under the leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Shaikh Mohammad said:

Shaikh Khalifa, in his capacity as the Ruler of the emirate, has issued a series of strategic decisions and decrees during the past year with the aim of creating a quality leap in national action fields. High on the top of the decisions was the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Educational Council, which aims at developing education and educational institutions in the emirate to keep abreast of the development being achieved.

He also issued a decision to establish the Applied Technology Institute, which undertakes setting up technical institutions and training centres in all specialities, providing support for graduates in industrial technology.

Out of keenness to develop government authorities, Shaikh Khalifa issued a decision to establish the Abu Dhabi Commission for Information Technology and Systems to help improve administrative performance and achieve a full eGovernment network.

The appointment of the board of directors for the National Health Insurance Corporation and the National Centre for the Rehabilitation and expanding the powers of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi to help enhance its effectiveness and enable it to take huge responsibility. He said the initiatives at this stage were some of the recent milestone decisions.

"Activating these decisions and taking them into a specific achievement on the ground is a measure of success we seek, which requires full cooperation and exerted efforts to focus on the interest of the nation and putting them on top any other consideration," Shaikh Mohammad added.