Saudi Arabia has 500,000 jobless expats India and Iran to Cooperate in Vocational Training and Skill development -- CiA training in Dubai More

IRAQ: U.N. Inspectors Step Up Work With Helicopters, Branch Office

With U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission chief Hans Blix set to report to the U.N. Security Council twice this month on Iraq weapons of mass destruction inspections, the U.N. inspectors in Iraq have stepped up their activity by assembling a fleet of six helicopters and planning to open a branch office Saturday about 240 miles from Baghdad, the Washington Post reports.

During their five weeks in Iraq, inspectors have checked out 230 sites, taking no weekend or holiday breaks, the Post reports. Iraq maintains the inspections have yielded no evidence of prohibited weapons, and some U.N. officials have anonymously agreed in recent days. The Post cites a U.N. official who asked, "If we'd found a shed full of Scud missiles, don't you think we would have reported it to the council?"

The newspaper adds that inspectors may have found indirect evidence of weapons of mass destruction development, such as "precursor" chemicals or aluminum tubes, and that U.S. President George W. Bush's administration has promised intelligence help.

Iraqi officials said yesterday that Blix has accepted Iraq's invitation to participate in talks in Baghdad during the third week of this month -- just before his Jan. 28 date with the Security Council -- on "pending issues." If the inspectors find no conclusive evidence before the Jan. 28 report, according to the Post, the United States could find it difficult to persuade the council of the need for a war with Iraq.

Iraq is growing annoyed with inspection teams and stepping up anti-U.S. rhetoric as U.S. troops are dispatched to the region despite the fact that the inspections are yielding little, the Post reports. According to the newspaper, news of U.S. troop movement plans appears to have convinced Iraq inspections will not change Bush's mind about the need for war.

"They didn't say, 'Let us wait for a while for the result of the inspection, and then let's decide what to do,'" Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said yesterday. "When they continue their preparations for the war of aggression, what does that mean? It doesn't mean that they are genuinely afraid of an imaginary Iraqi threat. It means that they have an imperialist design."

Officials cited by the Post said Iraq will yet manage to ease the pressure on it by scaling back its total denial of banned weapons development. "This is a chess game being executed on 10 levels at the same time," said one diplomat (Peter Baker, Washington Post, Jan. 3).

Meanwhile in Western-protected, Kurdish-dominated northern Iraq, two Kurdish parties said yesterday that they have formed a joint committee to plan for the protection of residents against a possible chemical or biological attack. The parties criticized the United Nations for allegedly failing to respond to their appeals for help in preparing for the effects of a possible war (Shamal Aqrawi, Agence France-Presse/ReliefWeb, Jan. 2). (keralamonitor.com)

India and Iran to Cooperate in Vocational Training and Skill development

Labout Minister to visit Iran

Union Labour Minister Sahib Singh will visit Iran for developing exchange and cooperation in vocational training and skill development. This visit is being organized on the invitation of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The visit of Indian delegation led by Union Labour Minister to Iran from 8-12 January 2003 will discuss with the Iranian Minister of Labour and Social Security on sharing of information regarding skill development and training system prevalent in the two countries; identification of Areas of Mutual Cooperation in the field of skill development and training; and any other item of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visited Iran from 10-13 April 2001. During this visit Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Khatami signed the historic Tehran declaration which puts forward the shared vision and common concerns of the leadership of the two countries. The agreement on technical cooperation was also signed during the visit. India and Iran share centuries of close cultural and civilizational affinities. The two countries have in the past influenced each other in fields of Culture, Art, Agriculture and Language. Close links between the two countries have continued over contemporary times. (keralamonitor.com)

CiA TRAINING IN DUBAI

London- January 3, 2002 A British North East training company has won its first order from Dubai with the help of Trade Partners UK. CiA Training Ltd, a Sunderland-based information technology training and publishing firm, secured the order following a successful trip to exhibit at GITEX 2002, the Middle East's premier computing and communications show, in Dubai in October. More

Saudi Arabia has 500,000 jobless expats

Riyadh - Around half a million expatriates in Saudi Arabia are unemployed, reported the Gulf News. quoting a senior official from the Saudiisation Department, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. According to him, Saudi labour market is saturated with manpower and the number of unemployed workers is expected to increase. "The labour market can accommodate seven million workers, around 80 per cent of which is already filled with foreigners.," the paper quoted him.Wages of the foreign manpower are very low which keep the Saudi nationals away from getting suitable jobs with reasonable wages, the GN report said.

Quoting a recent study by the labour office in Jeddah, GN said the money transferred by these expatriates is worth more than SR70 billion annually. Random recruitment has flooded the market with an illusive work force. Seventy per cent of all foreign workers are not skilled and their presence exceeds development needs.

The Ministry of Labour reports indicated that the number of expatriates in the Kingdom will decrease as more Saudis enter the work force. The official also warned that unemployment among foreigners could cause social and security threats because of such low wages. He suggested: "The visa issuing procedures should be regulated. More private recruitment offices should be checked and those who violate rules should be punished." In a step to control the situation, the Shura Council is expected soon to discuss possible ways to combat the problem of overstayers. According to Jeddah's Passports Department, it receives 1,500 overstayers everyday. Recently released statistics by the department showed that during the last three months, authorities regularised the status of five million foreigners while 94,000 were deported. (keralamonitor.com)