Obama and Jordan's king in talks to focus on stalled peace moves

Omar Karmi

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WASHINGTON // Barack Obama, the US president, was due to meet Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House yesterday for talks expected to focus on stalled international efforts to push forward a Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

Jordan hosted Palestinian and Israeli negotiators in Amman this month and although the talks have yielded little progress so far, they mark the first time the sides have faced each other since 2010.

The talks also suggest Amman is seeking to fill a regional mediation role vacated by Cairo after the removal of Hosni Mubarak. Jordan is the only other Arab country that has a peace treaty with Israel.

In an interview in yesterday's Washington Post, King Abdullah said he believed Palestinians and Israelis remained committed to pushing ahead but faced major hurdles.

"I am cautious about saying that I'm cautiously optimistic," he said, adding the Amman talks amounted to "baby steps", but progress nonetheless.

"I do believe they want a way out, a way to get to [direct] negotiations. We all know the positions in which they have entrenched themselves. However, the intent, I believe, is there - from both sides. It is little baby steps, right at the beginning."

Three rounds of talks between the Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have so far been held in Amman and another meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday.

King Abdullah also alluded to the events of the Arab Spring in the Post interview and suggested Israeli leaders have realised they are running out of time. "Waiting is the worst mistake the Israelis can make. It wasn't until the elections in Egypt that suddenly Israel awoke ... Now I think there has been a big shift in the way the Israelis look at the issue, and it is imperative for them ... [to] get the Israeli-Palestinian issue off the menu."

Jordan has also had its share of protests, and there are weekly, if small, demonstrations throughout the country against government corruption. King Abdullah has promised domestic reform, but the pace of change has so far been slow.

A US-based Jordanian opposition group, the Jordan National Movement, said it was organising a protest outside the White House against King Abdullah's "absolute monarchy system".

okarmi@thenational.ae

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With Amman seeking to fill a regional mediation role vacated by Cairo, talks expected to focus on stalled international efforts to push forward a Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

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Intellectual Property Rights comes into focus in Sharjah International Book Fair 2011

International Book Fair 2011 granted a special spotlight in its agenda for raising public awareness on the importance of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Held in SIBF 2011, a seminar entitled "Intellectual Property Rights in Emirates," headed by Mr. Mohammed Al Raisi, and attended by Maj. Gen. Dr. Abdul-Quddus Abdali, lawyer Nasser Al-Khasawneh and Mr. Jawad Al Redha head of government relations of intellectual property and business development.

At the beginning, participants spoke about the core of intellectual property rights, which is all the production of human thought of inventions, artistic creations and other outcomes of the human mind. Later, the World Intellectual Property Organization "WIPO" introduced the "Intellectual Property Rights" as the result of intellectual creativity of inventions, literary and artistic works and symbols, names, images and designs used in commerce.

Participants shed light on various kinds of intellectual property such as copyright, which covers the literary and artistic works from novels, poems, plays and musical acts, where the artistic works include oil paintings, photographs, sculptures and architectural designs. Additionally, the brands are all what takes a distinctive form of companies and institutions to familiarize the public with its products and distinguish them from other similar products. Furthermore, the industrial property "inventions", that include a patent, is every innovation that leads to substantial progress in industrial art and provides vital protection by granting the formal legal certificate from the state.

Participants pointed out that intellectual property has a great role in encouraging creativity and innovation, attracting investment and achieving development, added to enhancing and supporting international trade. Moreover, participants interpreted the author’s literary copyrights, where the author shall have the rights of literary non-prescription or waiver of the workbook, in addition to his right to self-publish the work for the first time, and the right in the workbook’s share. Also, the right to object to any amendment to the workbook if it includes any distortion or deformation of the work or prejudices the rank of the author, plus the right to withdraw the work from circulation if any serious reasons occurred justify doing so. There are also financial rights which entitle the author alone the right to exploit his work financially in any way he deems appropriate.

On the other hand, some participants mentioned types and forms of violations of copyright and related rights, such as transgressing a right of the moral or financial rights of the author or right holder. These violations appear as sharing any work, performance, sound recording or a radio program with the public, and selling, leasing or offering for trading in any possible form.

Furthermore, unlawfully manufacturing or importing a protected work, and using equipment or tools specifically designed to circumvent the protection or the technique used by the author or right holder. Nevertheless, some breaches come as illegally disabling or faultfinding the right of any technical protection, added to downloading and storing copies of any computer software, applications or databases, and finally using computer programs without prior authorization from the author or his successor.

In the event of any breach in any right of the intellectual property rights the aggrieved should visit & inform departments and institutions such as the Ministry of Economy, the Public Prosecution, the Attorney General, the Civil Justice, the Customs, local departments, the Department of Economic Development, and the municipality.

The Emirates Society for Intellectual Property is one of the major institutions that deal with this issue, and aims to raise awareness in society and individual for all areas of intellectual property, trying to improve the international rankings of the state in the field of intellectual property, its participation in related international and regional forums, added to strengthening international and community partnerships with ministries, agencies, local departments, and scientific research institutions in the fields of intellectual property.

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Ministry to focus on technology in UAE schools

Dubai:  The UAE education ministry is committed to introducing technology in schools, the education minister said on Wednesday, announcing the launch of the fourth edition of the Global Education Forum (GEF) and the Gulf Educational Supplies & Solution (GESS) show.

The event, organised by the education ministry in association with Fairs & Exhibition (F&E), will take place from May 3-5.

"The ministry is committed to ... provide advanced learning opportunities for students," Humaid Al Qutami, the Minister of Education, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The selection of "Education in a knowledge society," as a key theme for this year's event is testament to the importance of embracing new channels and the dialogue between education experts and decision makers on the latest technologies to be used in educational institutions, he said.

Themes

The event focuses on special needs education, sustainable education and education for employability.

The themes of the event have been designed in line with the strategy of the ministry to improve aspects such as student outcome and school life, Dr Abdullah Mohammad Al Amiri, the advisor to the minister said.

This year's line-up includes published authors such as Dr Khalifa Ali Al Suwaidi, Assistant Professor at Department of Curriculum and Instruction, among many others.

Clive Richardson, Chief Executive Officer, F&E, said that GESS 2011 will see 30 countries represented at the event with over 250 exhibitors.

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