Qaboos, Hamad hold talks

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos returned to Muscat yesterday afternoon from Bahrain at the end of a three-nation tour which also took him to Qatar and Egypt.

The visit to Bahrain at the head of a high-level delegation, was marked by wide-ranging talks between Sultan Qaboos and His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Both leaders renewed their condemnation of the attacks on the U.S. on September 11 and affirmed the need to work with the U.S. and the international community to punish those who supported and sponsored such terrorist acts.

The two leaders also called on Israel to stop its savage and repressive practices against the Palestinians and vacate all occupied Arab territories,including the Syrian Golan Heights. They urged the early establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The two leaders also expressed their determination to transform the forthcoming GCC Summit taking place in Muscat in December into an achievement that would meet the aspirations of the people of the region. Sultan Qaboos, who then visited Cairo,was given a warm home.

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, held talks with his Bahraini counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa in Manama, focusing on the emergency GCC foreign ministers' meeting scheduled for Riyadh on Sunday. This will take stock of the situation in the wake of the terror attacks on New York and Washington.

Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki,Minister of National Economy, and Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce and Industry, also held talks with their Bahraini counterparts to boost bilateral economic cooperation in the GCC context.

According to an announcement by Interior Minister Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, Sultan Qaboos will offer Eid-ul-Fitr prayers in the wilaya of Barka in the Batinah region.

Meanwhile, Real Admiral Liurant Marar, Commander of the French Naval Forces in the Indian Ocean, called on Sayyid Mutassim bin Hamoud al Busaidy, Minister of State and Governor of Muscat and lauded the Sultanate's all round achievements made during the past 31 years.The French naval officer arrived on board warship Lavar,which is on a several days' visit to Oman.