Fwd: Fw: shikh mohammed first media e session
Forwarded message
From: Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem
Date: Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Subject: Fw: shikh mohammed first media e session
To: Jeffery vacation jeevacation@gmail.com
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From: [unknown]
Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:06:58 -0400
To: <ssulavemeetisalat.blackberrv.com>
Subject: shikh mohammed first media e session
UAE Prime Minister
First Media e-Session with the Prime Minister
Dear Friends in the Media:
I write this in the spirit of good will to thank all of you for your interest in communicating with me through the official Prime Minister's Web site.
This is the second time that I have responded to your questions online; the first time was eight years ago, when Internet communications were still in the nascent stage -- although, I must say, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates had already made noteworthy progress in this field. During that initial online interview, my objective was to stimulate the interest of the Emirati community in the Internet when the use of the online communications was relatively limited.
Today the usage of the Internet across the UAE has come to be taken for granted; in fact, the Web has been adopted so extensively in both the public and private sectors that e-communications are the norm rather than the exception. We see that a large segment of our society, especially young people, believe that the Internet is the most important source of information, education and entertainment.
The UAE continues to lead the Arab world in adoption of information and communication technology according to the annual global information technology report released before yesterday.
Little wonder, then, that I get inundated with questions from citizens and media alike. That's why I have chosen to meet with you via my Web site. I think hosting this encounter online will allow all of you to ask as many questions as you wish. In the last few days alone, I have received hundreds of questions from several local and regional newspapers. Naturally, there was some overlapping of questions since they came from so many different sources. Hence, I have tried to consolidate my answers in such a manner that I do not come across as repetitious.
This "interview," of course, relates to questions from the media, whose work I consider especially significant in telling the story of how Dubai and the UAE are coping successfully with the global financial crisis, and how our development plans are being advanced with the resilience and determination that has always characterized Emirati society.
I have also received many questions from everyday Emiratis, and these will be answered in a subsequent communication.
In the meantime, I hope my responses will generate positive discussion about the issues and values that Dubai and the UAE care about — the strengthening of a society that's anchored in unique Emirati traditions, and the continued building of a global city to which all are welcome, a city that is well integrated in the fast changing global commons that we all must share. Dubai is not only a catalyst of change; it is an exemplar of change. And I am proud of that, just as I am proud of the economic and social contributions that Emiratis and their well-wishers have made over these years to furthering the Dubai Vision.
[The remainder of the message is a lengthy Q&A session with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE, covering topics such as Dubai's response to the global financial crisis, media criticism, economic diversification, social development, government actions, and the UAE's vision for the future.]
No flight information is present in this email.