SHARJAH, 23 November 2004 — The United Arab Emirates has created a special Cabinet portfolio for presidential affairs and this move is seen as a big boost for the administration of the country. It will allow the president to receive expert advice after a thorough scrutiny of issues. Among the last acts of the late president, Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan Al-Nahayan, who died on Nov. 2, was the creation of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and the appointment of Sheikh Mansour ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan as the minister.
In that capacity, Sheikh Mansour will be the chief adviser to the new president, Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan, on all issues.
The Emirates News Agency said the duties of the new ministry include conducting studies on any issue as ordered by the president and implementing its recommendations; studying and research on the strategic objectives of the state; studying draft laws, decrees, rules and conventions before they are submitted to the president; following up performance of ministries and public institutions to ensure they are implementing government policies and programs and submitting the outcome to the president; developing databases and statistics on different sectors to support strategic decision making; studying issues relating to citizenship and offers advice to the president in this respect; handling all correspondences of the president; regulating communications between the different ministries, departments, public institutions and the president; and fulfilling any other duty assigned by the president.
Sheikh Mansour is the main adviser to the president in everything concerning presidential affairs and will represent the ministry before other state bodies.
All officials recruited at the President’s Office and the Presidential Court have been moved to the new ministry and all entities affiliated to the President’s Office shall be transferred to the ministry.
Under the presidential decree on the new Cabinet, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research were merged into one single Ministry of Education.
The Ministry of Electricity and Water with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources were merged into one entity referred to as the Ministry of Energy.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the Ministry of Planning were merged to form the Ministry of Economy and Planning.
The new Cabinet was sworn in on Sunday. At the swearing in ceremony, Sheikh Khalifa urged the new ministers to redouble their efforts in the service of the country and to resume the march initiated by the late Sheikh Zayed and to preserve the values and principles the late president had drawn up which have made the UAE an example to follow.
He reiterated that the UAE government and people will follow the policies formulated by Sheikh Zayed, and will remain loyal to the principles, values and achievements made by him.
Those who took the oath were: Maj. Gen. Sheikh Saif ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan, minister of interior; Sheikh Mansour ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan, minister of presidential affairs; Sheikh Nahyan ibn Mubarak Al-Nahayan, minister of education; Sheikh Hamdan ibn Mubarak Al-Nahayan, minister of public works; Sheikh Fahim ibn Sultan Al Qasimi, minister of the supreme council and GCC Affairs; Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, minister of economy and planning; Mohammad ibn Dha’en Al Hamili, minister of energy; Sultan ibn Saeed Al Mansouri, minister of communications; Dr. Ali ibn Abdullah Al Ka’abi, minister of labor and social affairs.
Present at the ceremony was Sheikh Maktoum ibn Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai crown prince and UAE defense minister, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan.
