DUBAI // Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has offered a rare insight into his views on crucial global, regional and domestic issues in his first major interview in more than two years.
The Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai spoke at length to the BBC on the Syrian civil war, political progress in Egypt, the Palestinian peace process and human rights and the legal system in the UAE.
Sheikh Mohammed said Bashar Al Assad had no future as president of Syria. "If you kill your people you can't stay … eventually he will go," he said.
Turning to domestic issues, the Prime Minister said: “We have a law, like when we cracked on the Muslim Brotherhood, because if they want to live and stay and work, they are OK, if they want to go extremes, we have a law for that.”
Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE would establish normal diplomatic relations with Israel if the Israelis reached a peace deal with the Palestinians.
"We will do everything with Israel – we will trade with them and we will welcome them – but sign the peace process," he said.
The Prime Minister said he believed Iranian leaders were telling the truth when they said Tehran’s nuclear development programme was for solely peaceful and civilian purposes, and he had discussed the issue with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he was president of Iran.
“I talked to Ahmadinejad and he said, ‘If I send a rocket to Israel, how many Palestinians will I kill? And then the US and Europe will destroy my cities. I’m not crazy to go for that. It’s a weapon of the past’.”
Sheikh Mohammed said he looked forward to a time when the US-led economic sanctions against the Islamic republic were lifted.
The interview, Sheikh Mohammed’s first since he spoke to the American cable news channel CNN in December 2011, was broadcast yesterday on BBC World News.
The Prime Minister’s optimism on Iran was reflected in developments yesterday, with nuclear negotiations between Tehran officials and diplomats from six world powers now expected to resume as early as next month.
European Union states will begin relaxing oil sanctions next Monday, and Washington has agreed to unblock Iranian access to US$4.2 billion (Dh15bn) in oil revenues held abroad. The first instalment of just over Dh2bn is expected to be released on February 1.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Results
Women finals: 48kg - Urantsetseg Munkhbat (MGL) bt Distria Krasniqi (KOS); 52kg - Odette Guiffrida (ITA) bt Majlinda Kelmendi (KOS); 57kg - Nora Gjakova (KOS) bt Anastasiia Konkina (Rus)
Men’s finals: 60kg - Amiran Papinashvili (GEO) bt Francisco Garrigos (ESP); 66kg - Vazha Margvelashvili (Geo) bt Yerlan Serikzhanov (KAZ)
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
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How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
