THIRD MALAYSIA-UAE JOINT COMMISSION MEETING PROPOSED

By Muin Abdul Majid

DUBAI, May 18 (Bernama) -- After a 20-year lapse, Malaysia feels that the
time is ripe for the convening of the third joint commission meeting (JCM)
between the Southeast Asian nation and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to its ambassador to the UAE Yahaya Abdul Jabar, the last
Malaysia-UAE JCM was held in this Gulf state back in 1989, with Malaysia having
hosted the first meeting in 1983.

"Now it's our turn to host the JCM. We have indicated our willingness to do
so and we hope that the UAE would be agreeable to come to Malaysia (for the
proposed meeting)," he told Bernama in a recent interview.

Yahaya stressed that despite the absence of the JCM over the years,
relations between Kuala Lumpur and Abu Dhabi went on as usual.

"In light of the global recession, perhaps this is the best time for the two
countries to meet to discuss the situation and see how we can help each other as
well as strengthen our bilateral relations," said the envoy who presented his
credential letters to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in April.

He expressed hope that newly-installed Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak
would visit this Gulf nation which, boosted by Dubai, has moulded itself as the
region's leading commercial hub.

"We're arranging for the visit to happen before the end of this year. We
feel that there's a need to maintain Malaysia-UAE contacts at the highest
level," said Yahaya.

Before stepping down as Malaysia's fifth prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi in January made an official visit to the Middle East that took him to
Bahrain, Qatar and UAE.

"I think that Abdullah's UAE visit has helped to further cement bilateral
relations, especially at the political level," said Yahaya.

The ambassador said the challenge now was to encourage more Emirati
ministers and senior officials to visit Malaysia with a view to enhancing
linkages between the two countries.

Prior to his current posting, Penang-born Yahaya served as high commissioner
to South Africa for a little over four years.

He was also ambassador to Uzbekistan from 1999 to 2003 and had served in
various capacities at Malaysian missions in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Italy and
Thailand.

Besides serving the Malaysian community in the UAE, Yahaya listed boosting
Malaysia-UAE economic ties as among his top priorities.

Malaysia's trade with the UAE stood at RM20.9 billion last year, up 43.9 per
cent from RM14.5 billion in 2007.

The bilateral trade was in Malaysia's favour, with RM12.5 billion worth of
goods -- not including services -- exported to the UAE.

Malaysian companies have also secured construction projects worth tens of
billions of ringgit in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, of which UAE is
a member.

Yahaya said: "We'll find ways to further increase Malaysian exports to the
UAE as well as opportunities for Malaysian firms. We'll also endeavour to boost
UAE investments in Malaysia and vice-versa."

He said the presence of a number of Malaysian government agencies in the UAE
underscored the significance of this Gulf nation and the region as a whole to
Malaysia.

The ambassador commended the UAE and its rulers for extending various
assistance to other developing countries, saying that this country had the
resources to assist the development of other nations.
-- BERNAMA