M'SIAN PM, SHEIKH MOHAMMED TO HOLD TALKS IN DUBAI

BY ABDUL MUIN MAJID

DUBAI, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is
scheduled to hold talks with his United Arab Emirates' (UAE) counterpart, Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, at the start of his two-day visit to this Gulf
nation which is among Malaysia's largest trading partner in the Middle East.

UAE is the final leg of Abdullah's official visit of Gulf Arab states after
Bahrain and Qatar.

Malaysian ambassador to the UAE Yahaya Abdul Jabar said Malaysia noted with
satisfaction the excellent state of bilateral relations between both countries,
with ministers and officials exchanging frequent visits.

According to him, many Malaysian companies were currently involved in
construction projects in the UAE and Abdullah would be able to get a closer
look at that during his visit.

Speaking to Malaysian journalists ahead of Abdullah's arrival here, the
envoy said total trade between Malaysia and UAE from January to November 2008
stood at RM19.5 billion (US$5.95 billion).

Malaysia's main exports to the UAE include jewellery, consumer electronics
and palm oil.

Presently, there are over 65 Malaysian-registered companies in UAE
including IJM Corporation, Eversendai, LCL, Sunway and SPK Bina Puri.

Yahaya said Abdullah was scheduled to visit the Al Reem Island project -- a
residential, commercial and business project being built off the northeastern
coast of Abu Dhabi.

A consortium of Malaysian companies are involved in the development that
will be connected to Abu Dhabi city by two or three bridges.

The envoy said construction firms from Malaysia were able to penetrate the
Dubai and Abu Dhabi markets due to their expertise and competitive cost.

The Malaysian community in the UAE number nearly 6,000 and many of them
would be able to meet the prime minister at a gathering organised Thursday in
conjunction with his visit, said Yahaya.

Some 34,000 visitors from UAE came to Malaysia last year, and Tourism
Malaysia has set a target of 40,000 tourist arrivals for 2009, he added.
-- BERNAMA