British Prime Minister says 'Syria matters to us'
Dubai e-Government content advisory board reviews implementation of new content management system
Plans to incorporate voice features into e-Services for the benefit of visually impaired people
December 17, 2002The content advisory board of Dubai e-Government reviewed the progress of the new content management system of its flagship portal www.dubai.ae and discussed ways of standardizing content in order to make it more customer-centric and user-friendly at a meeting held at the Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) offices recently. The meeting, chaired by Ayesha bin Beshr, website developer at DTCM, focused on devising ways to publish integrated content on the portal in a cost-effective manner and was attended by 24 representatives of 24 government departments.
"The standardization of content for easy integration with the www.dubai.ae portal is a significant aspect of Dubai e-Government's task and this process has been accelerated with the adoption of a more advanced content management system (CMS) as part of the overall revamp of the portal," said Anas Haddad, Content Manager, Dubai e-Government. "The portal has benefited considerably from the advanced CMS which enables faster and easier publishing of content."
"With the implementation of the new CMS, integrated content on the Dubai e-Government portal www.dubai.ae can now be categorized more systematically, thus facilitating easy access to the e-Services. This system has been adopted on the basis of the results of a detailed study launched by the content department, to ensure that the content management on the portal is conducted in a methodical and organized manner, using best of breed technologies," he added.
Haddad further pointed out that the Dubai e-Government portal currently offers 110 e-Services, which have been classified according to the nature of the users, whether business, individual or people with special needs. "In order to ensure easy access and retrieval, the services have been categorised under various channels including business, educational, employment, health, residents, legal, security and tourism. In addition, the e-Services have also been packaged into clusters for easy access to related services," he said.
Haddad noted that significant progress had been achieved by the different departments in integrating their Web services with the unified portal and made suggestions for further improvements and upgrades. The board discussed the key elements of the portal, which facilitates decentralized content management, allowing each department the freedom to manage its own content, while remaining an integral part of the portal.
Sally Ahmed, the representative from the Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS) demonstrated the benefits of the new content management system and showed how information could be updated and retrieved at a fast pace. Under this system, departments can also obtain and use content of other departments, in addition to automatically updating it whenever the parent department updates it. DOHMS, which is the first department to adopt the new system, took just two weeks to install it.
The members were also briefed on the facility of having individual press releases and newsletters posted on the www.dubai.ae website for wider exposure. All departments were urged to make use of this facility.
Haddad noted that a standardized content management system was essential to fulfil the goal of providing the whole gamut of services online, through a model that will be followed by each department to offer common standards for search and retrieval. Further, the advisory board has to ensure that government departments are well-versed in the technical aspects of uploading and publishing content on the portal.
Rami Kallawi, a representative from the Auqaf and Islamic Affairs Department suggested the incorporation of voice features in the e-Services for the benefit of visually impaired people. The IT subcommittee of the board agreed to study the proposal and explore the technology that is needed to add such a feature to the services.
Ayesha bin Beshr, website developer at DTCM, said: "The meeting reviewed the achievements of Dubai e-Government portal in adopting the new content management system. It was encouraging to see the progress made by DOHMS as the first department to adopt the system. The facility provided by the portal to post the press releases of all departments is also a praiseworthy service. Finally, providing audio text for the benefit of the blind is a humanitarian feature that needs to be lauded, and we are confident that this will become a reality soon."
The content advisory board of Dubai e-Government has been in constant touch with the various Government departments by organizing training sessions and workshops to provide them with the expertise to upload content in a standard manner. This in turn ensures that users can expect uniform standards of service and efficiency across all government department websites. The e-Government portal integrates with the various departments through the highly complex Government Information Network (GIN), which provides network connectivity, inter-departmental connectivity as well as Internet access to and from the department. GIN allows government departments to access the e-Government server and utilize the content management software to publish their content.
The advisory board meeting comes at a time when some departments have already revamped their offerings as per uniform e-Government portal standards while many are gearing up to go live with the first compliant services.
Dubai e-Government is a pioneering initiative in the region to provide online services across the spectrum of corporate and community life in the emirate. It also has a vision to integrate individually automated government departments under the single umbrella of the e-government initiative, thus empowering employees across lines of businesses and levels of government, besides facilitating the lives of citizens and customers of the government. Dubai has taken a lead in the region in deploying e-government applications and is among the first few governments in the world to provide such integrated services to its citizens. The e-Government portal (www.dubai.ae) is a single contact point masking the complexity of the bureaucratic procedures, and guiding access to all services in the easiest possible way. In addition, the e-Government initiative seeks to improve and enhance procedures by maximising the benefit from technology, so that users from all walks of life will be able to utilize the portal for their specific needs with considerable ease.'British Contribution to Middle East Peace Plan
Speaking in an interview for Channel 4 News on 16 December, the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, responded to questions about a British initiative to reinvigorate the Middle East peace plan by hosting a meeting of leaders of both sides. Admitting that it was not a perfect solution, he said it was nevertheless and important step in the right direction, and on that tied in with the efforts of Quartet, the EU, United Nations, the United States and Russia. In the same interview the Foreign Secretary also responded to questions on Iraq's declaration of its arms, in which he said the UK had not yet read the document and had not therefore come to any conclusions about it as yet. More
Blair says a 'process of engagement' with Syria is the right way forward
Following talks with President Al-Assad of Syria, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he believed that it is vital to engage with Syria as the country 'is going to be an important part of building a peaceful and stable future in the Middle East'. The two leaders commented on a range of issues including Iraq, the Middle East Peace Process and the fight against international terrorism.
The Prime Minister stressed that he wanted to see the Middle East process resolved in a way that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side together in peace. He added that Syria has as much to gain as anyone from success in the fight against international terrorism.
The Prime Minister and President Al-Assad leave the Pillard room following the press conference. Mr Blair commented that a choice doesn't have to be made between dealing with weapons of mass destruction and the Middle East peace process, both issues should be dealt with. He added:
"...we should be strong against international terrorism, strong against weapons of mass destruction, and equally strong in making sure there is justice, based on the two state solution, for people in the Middle East."
British Prime Minister says 'Syria matters to us'
Writing in advance of talks with President Al-Assad of Syria at Downing Street, Prime Minister Tony Blair called Syria 'an important and influential country'. Mr Blair added that he expected 'hard-talking' on the issues of Iraq and the Middle East Peace Process, in the article for the Financial Times today (16 December).
The Prime Minister said:
"I strongly believe that candid dialogue is much more productive than no dialogue at all. I make no apologies at all for this approach. It would be a strange foreign policy if we talked only to those with whom we were in total agreement."
Turning to the issue of Iraq, Mr Blair said that sometimes the only way of avoiding war 'is to be clear that you are prepared to use force if necessary'. He said:
"Iraq has only moved this far because diplomacy has been backed with a realistic threat of force. Military conflict in Iraq is not inevitable. What is inevitable is that Iraq will no longer be allowed to continue threatening its neighbours and defying the UN."
Read the article from the Financial Times in full below:
Despite our fundamental differences on many issues, no one can dispute that Syria is an important and influential country. It is a power in the Middle East, a leader of Arab opinion, central to any comprehensive peace deal with Israel and a member of the United Nations Security Council. It's also a country which, under President Bashar Al-Assad, is beginning to reform its economy, open up its society and play a fuller role in the international community. Syria is changing. I want to ensure that Britain does what it can to help.
This is why I think it was right to invite President Al-Assad to Downing Street today. It does not mean, of course, that there won't be frank exchanges. As our last meeting in Damascus underlined, there are important differences of outlook and ambition between us.
We disagree, for example, on the terrorist groups still based in Syria. I believe you can't be anything other than 100% against terror and will say so today. I will emphasise our real concerns about Syria's trade links with Iraq. And, while I welcome the progress on human rights in Syria, President Al-Assad knows that I believe there should be further moves towards political freedom.
But I strongly believe that candid dialogue is much more productive than no dialogue at all. I make no apologies at all for this approach. It would be a strange foreign policy if we talked only to those with whom we were in total agreement.
Our last meeting also demonstrated the determination of both of us to keep talking to narrow our differences. I believe, too, the success of such dialogue can be seen in a number of ways, not least, possibly, in Syria's decision to vote with all other members of the Security Council to demand that Iraq eliminate its weapons of mass destruction.
Many experts believed that the Syrians would never vote for SCR 1441. But they did. They have a long border with Iraq and more reason than most to be wary of Saddam Hussein. They joined the Allied coalition to liberate Kuwait. They have remained supportive of the international community's efforts to ensure Iraq dismantle its weapons of mass destruction programmes.
That doesn't mean that we are in agreement over what happens in the future. There will be hard talking today on both sides. But we both support the UN route. The weapons inspectors are at work. Because of Saddam Hussein's record of lies, concealment and aggression, we must be sceptical that he will willingly give up his WMD, let alone that he already has.
We must also continue our military preparations because Saddam Hussein must realise we are serious. Sometimes the only way of avoiding war is to be clear that you are prepared to use force if necessary. Iraq has only moved this far because diplomacy has been backed with a realistic threat of force. Military conflict in Iraq is not inevitable. What is inevitable is that Iraq will no longer be allowed to continue threatening its neighbours and defying the UN.
There will be hard talking, too, today on the Middle East Peace Process.
Britain cannot accept there can be any justification for the appalling acts of terrorism against innocent Israeli citizens. Such terrorism simply provokes hatred rather than facilitating the negotiations we need. We know, too, the Palestinians are suffering deeply.
But this is another area where we have some common ground. Britain is absolutely committed to the MEPP, based on security for Israel and a viable Palestinian state, and recognises that no lasting and fair peace is possible without the full involvement of Syria. President Al-Assad has made clear, in turn, his commitment to a peaceful resolution of his country's dispute with Israel as part of a comprehensive peace settlement.
I recognise that failure to make progress on the peace process is a reason for anger and frustration in the Arab world as is the economic and social plight of many in the region. I want Britain to help tackle these long-standing problems.
We must also work to help the continued evolution of Syria. It was clear from President Al-Assad's inaugural speech that he was determined to bring about real change in Syria and there are encouraging signs.
We welcome the recent release and amnesties for hundreds of political prisoners. A start has been made on easing controls over the press. Steps have been taken to promote the rights of women. Non-government organisations are beginning to take over new roles. There is new legislation to enable foreign banks to operate and moves to reform and modernise public administration.
The UK is already playing its part in encouraging such changes. The main author of Syria's IT strategy is a British consultant. We are giving advice on economic reform. The British Council is supporting the expansion of Syria's universities. Scholarships are being provided for Syrian students to take post-graduate courses here so they have the expertise needed to help in the liberalising of their country.
President Al-Assad has strong links with Britain. He has lived and studied in this country. His wife was born and bred here. Britain matters to him and Syria matters to us. That is why I believe that, despite the real disagreements between us, it is better to discuss them rather than retreat into entrenched positions and stay there.
