DAMMAM, 28 February 2003 — Twelve years ago, during the Gulf War, air attack warning sirens used to break the eerie silence of Dhahran city and people could be seen running into bomb shelters for fear of Scud missile attacks by Iraq.
Gas masks had become part of everyone’s dress code here in the Eastern Province.
Deserted streets, empty shops and buzzing press center at the Dhahran International Hotel were routine sights.
Now, with the region bracing itself for another war, the ingredients of the past are missing. There is little fear among the local residents. There is no mass exodus from the city, and there are no gas masks being sold. The market is as crowded as it could be, the downtown streets of Dammam and Alkhobar as busy as ever.
The authorities have cleared gas masks for import, but there is a general feeling among residents that there will be no need for the gadget this time around.
Dhahran International Hotel, the headquarters of the allied forces during the 1990-91 war and the Joint Information Bureau, is today just like any other five-star hotel in the country.
“We’re not expecting anything extraordinary and there’s been no mass bookings made by the international media,” said Fattah Ennayel, the resident manager of the hotel.
Ennayel, a veteran who managed the entire show during the Gulf War, was nostalgic when asked to reflect on those turbulent days. He still misses the galaxy of international journalists like Christian Amanpour of CNN, Charles Jacho, who became a household name because of his on-the-spot reports on CNN of the Scud attacks, and Carol Murphy of the Washington Post (who later won a Pulitzer for her Gulf War coverage).
Ennayel is happy that this time there appears to be no substantial threat to the Eastern Province. “There will not be any action here. No American or allied forces, no international media. Life is just normal,” he told Arab News yesterday.
Jassim Al-Yaqout, director of Foreign Media at the Ministry of Information in the Eastern Province, was the coordinator of all the international media during the Gulf War. He admits that he too misses those celebrities, but is happy that there is no threat of war here. “I would love to meet all those friends again, but in different circumstances,” he said.
Members of the public contacted by Arab News yesterday said that they are not in the least bit bothered about the coming war. Though most of them are concerned for the plight of the Iraqi people, they said that it is “not our war and has nothing to do with the Kingdom.”
The Civil Defense has prepared its contingency plan, and air attack warning sirens have been set at all strategic locations and tested many times; but the Civil Defense authorities are confident that there will not be any need for their use.
“It’s just a precautionary measure,” an official told Arab News.
Foreign airlines as well as the national carrier Saudia do not expect their flight schedules to be disrupted.
“The skies will remain open and we will operate our routine flights,” said the manager of an Asian airline in Dammam.
In a statement, Gulf Air said that its flight schedule is to remain unchanged, with non-stop daily flights between key destinations in Europe and the Gulf.
“We have no plans to change our flight schedule or routes and it is business as usual,” said James Hogan, the airline’s president and chief executive.
Many airlines believe that there will be a surge in business as they expect additional traffic in the Kingdom from Kuwait and Qatar.
The King Abdul Aziz Seaport also reported no change in its services.
There were earlier reports that the seaport may close in the event of a war breaking out against Iraq due to its proximity to the zone of hostilities. However, a seaport official yesterday told Arab News that it will function normally, adding that if war breaks out it is expected that the Kuwaitis will use Dammam port and this will increase port activities.
However, shipping circles believe that the insurance value for the ships using the Eastern Coast might rise and, as a result, there may be an increase in freight charges.
