ABDULLAH, SHEIKH MOHAMMED TO HOLD TALKS IN DUBAI

By Muin Abdul Majid

DUBAI, Jan 21 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri 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 Datuk 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 tomorrow 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