President’s wide ranging statement defined the national identity, delineated the process of development, promised enhancement of the democratic process, described the opportunities and alternatives to solve the demographic anomalies, stressed the improvement of governance, placed environmental protection as an ultimate priority of the country, emphasised the need to modernise legislation, reiterated the need for a peaceful solution for the issue of the UAE’s three islands occupied by Iran, underlined Iraq’s unity and territorial integrity, called on the world countries to exert more efforts to bring peace to the Middle East through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, underscored the need for combating terrorism through solving the root causes and explained UAE’s growing interest in humanitarian and developmental works to the extend of its institutionalisation.
In the statement given to the nation through the magazine Dira’al Watan, to mark the National Day, Shaikh Khalifa said that the sense of satisfaction over what we gained in our country should not be a reason for lethargy and relaxation; rather it should be an endless inspiration for more work and self giving’ .
Shaikh Khalifa stressed the need for achieving balance between our ambitions, as well as our keenness to preserve the dynamics in the process of the social and economic development, and the legitimate right of the citizens to live in a country where they are the mainstream, the people of the pioneering role, the ruling voice and the integrating identity’ .
Underlining the need for more legislation, the President said: “This development demands from us to safeguard this position well-fortified through building a solid regulatory structure, which will respond to the changes and conform to the global standards.”
Shaikh Khalifa stressed the need for improving governance, and emphasized the role of modernising the laws.
“The backbone of any improvement of governance, its development as well as its protection from any form of wastage or excessiveness is a mechanism to place laws under the microscope of revision and modernization until they resonate in tune with the methodological development and new administrative technologies,” he said.
The president asserted that environment should be an ultimate priority of the county.
The issue of environment should continue to be a central one in our concerns, a prime axis of our work and an ultimate priority among our national priorities’ he said.
Promising to strengthen the democratic process, the President said:’ I am solicitous to continue to strengthen our democratic process and to develop it until we reach the aspired level of its participatory role’.
“I look forward to receiving more participation from the people in this endeavor, with all faith in the importance of building an interactive relationship between the two poles of our political existence and the social pyramid,” he added.
The president invited Iran into direct bilateral talks to solve the issue of the three islands of UAE occupied by Iran, and warned them not to bet on UAE’s disillusionment.
“I assert that betting on its own arbitrary occupation of the islands, or on our loss of hope at the end of the continued demand for our proven rights be established in the islands, is a betting which will lose in the end,” Shaikh Khalifa said.
He said that the only way of permanent peace in the Middle East is the establishment of a Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital.
“We also believe that the failure in finding a just solution for this issue on the basis of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with the Holy city of Jerusalem(Al-Quds) as its capital, will leave the region as a plunder for instability and a source of threat to the regional peace,” he warned.
Speaking on Iraq he said that UAE is “helping it to regain its role and national sovereignty and to protect its freedom and the territorial integrity and the unity of people.”
Appreciating the global cooperation to combat terrorism, he said that it should continue on various levels.
“I also believe that these efforts should continue and improve, not only with the military and security means, but also through the work for solving explosive issues.”
Shaikh Khalifa asserted UAE’s growing role in the global humanitarian and charitable avenues.
He said: “We worked for transforming UAE’s charity activities into an institutional activity with an aim of making them more effective and sustainable.”
Shaikh Khalifa specially appreciated the role of the non-citizens and said: “I never forget to express my appreciation and gratitude to those who reside among us, the citizens of sisterly and the friendly countries, for the role they play and the efforts they contribute.”
Paying tribute to the founding father of the nation the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the co-founders of the federation, the President said: “The march of our federation through the last 37 years has made numerous achievements, fulfilled enormous ambitions and encompassed several avenues of our lives, taking our nation, the society and the individual into the 21st century, adequately armed to face its challenges and opportunities”
