FNC delegation visits London

A Federal National Council delegation is on a four-day visit to London to discuss a range of issues including higher education with British officials.

A delegation from the FNC meets British parliamentarians at the Palace of Westminster.

LONDON // A Federal National Council delegation has arrived in London on a four-day visit to discuss a range of issues with British officials including politics, the economy and education. The delegates, led by Abdul Aziz al Ghurair, the FNC's Speaker, are scheduled to meet Michael Martin, the speaker of the House of Commons, and Baroness Hayman, the speaker of the House of Lords.

During talks yesterday with members of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, which draws membership from both houses, the delegation complained that the UK educational system discouraged UAE students who wanted to study in Britain. Mr al Ghurair said most students preferred to go to the US, for instance, because British universities required a foundation year to prepare students for their undergraduate courses.

Another example, he said, was the International English Language Testing System, which was more difficult than its American equivalent. Some students prefer the American test because it is based on multiple choice, whereas the English version evaluates writing skills. Crispin Blunt, an MP and secretary of the all-party UAE parliamentary committee, said one suggestion was that British universities could explore the option of students completing their foundation year in the Emirates. Mr Blunt also underscored the importance of the official visit. "With 140,000 British citizens in the UAE, the relationship with the UAE is a key national interest," he said.

The delegation is also expected to discuss a number of political issues. Last night they met with Angela Eagle, the Treasury minister, to discuss the global financial crisis. "It's important to discuss financial issues with Britain, which is the largest European investor in the UAE," said Dr Mohammed al Mazrouei, the FNC's secretary general. This is the second official delegation from the FNC to the British parliament in just over a decade.

Last year, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, visited the UAE in a drive to solicit funds for the International Monetary Fund from a number of states in the region. The UAE is one of Britain's main trading partners in the region, with a trade volume that reached Dh20 billion (US$5.4bn) in 2007. According to figures released last year, there were almost 1,800 British investors in the UAE who owned 1.2 billion shares in a variety of companies.

There are 226 British companies operating in the UAE and almost 900 have branches here. Most of these companies specialise in medical, electrical and mechanical equipment. Last year the UAE signed an agreement with Britain for co-operation in peaceful nuclear energy. Britain's Prince Charles visited the country in 2007 along with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. Mr al Gurair said the visit was an example of the advisory body's keenness to garner "support from parliaments to a lot of issues that concern the UAE and the Arab world".

"Our visits do not stop short at meeting parliamentarians but we meet a lot of ministers of foreign affairs, trade and finance to promote the country's economic relations," said Mr al Ghurair, as he left the country on Sunday night. Last October, a similar FNC delegation visited three European countries - Italy, Spain and Poland. Mr al Ghurair said it was important for the FNC to win the support of legislatures in democratic countries where vital decisions could not be taken without being passed through the parliament.

"We have won the support to a lot of agreements that the UAE is planning to sign with countries that we visit, whether they are agreements to do with transport, trade or tourism," he said. "We ask the parliaments to support these agreements and implement them." [e-mail]