OMAN ONLINE: FREE TRADE (AND FREE TAYBAH!)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 001499

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD, NEA/P, IIP/G/NEA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO SOCI MU
SUBJECT: OMAN ONLINE: FREE TRADE (AND FREE TAYBAH!)

REF: A. MUSCAT 1482


B. MUSCAT 1278

Summary: The Omani Internet message board "al-Sablah" is the
liveliest and most comprehensive Arabic-language forum for
political and social discourse in the country, touching on issues
and personalities rarely addressed in the conventional media.
While not totally free, nor wholly reflective of Omani public
opinion, this popular site nevertheless offers a worthwhile
window into the hot topics and unvarnished views of the day.
This edition of Oman Online contains the following topics:

-- Taybah al-Ma'wali, Continued
-- Completion Of Free Trade Agreement Negotiations
-- Dual Citizenship
-- His Majesty's Speech To The Majlis Oman
-- More On Oman's New Ambassador To The United States

End summary.

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This Topic Is Locked Up
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2. An ongoing discussion (reftel B) regarding Taybah al-Ma'wali,
an Omani woman imprisoned for criticizing senior officials and
spreading false information, attracted over 5,600 hits and almost
100 responses. The resurgence in interest was triggered by a
letter, written by Ms. al-Ma'wali and delivered to her brother,
thanking al-Sablah members for their support during her
incarceration. The members of the online forum overwhelmingly
reaffirmed their solidarity with her, saying "There are hundreds
of Omanis who have not forgotten you," and "We are behind you
every step of the way, Taybah!"


3. Many participants renewed their calls for Ms. al-Ma'wali's
release. One such individual hoped that, "On the occasion of
Ramadan, we pray that the government will grant amnesty to Taybah
and let her out of jail." Another argued, "The Sultan managed to
pardon dozens of criminals earlier this year, so why does Taybah
remain behind bars?" A related posting carried a link to the
Paris-based Arab Commission on Human Rights, which criticized Ms.
al-Ma'wali's detention.

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The End Of FTA Negotiations
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4. Despite significant press coverage, the October 3 announcement
of the completion of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations
-- hosted by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry -- failed to
spark a wide-ranging discussion in al-Sablah. 43 members viewed
the topic, with 8 responses thus far. One person commented, "I
have concerns about this agreement; for example, will we have to
follow Bahrain's example and get rid of the boycott on Israeli
products?" Another claimed, "Only U.S. companies will benefit
from this arrangement. Omani companies are simply too weak to
compete with the big firms, and we will suffer economically."


5. A more level-headed contributor, realizing that the text of
the agreement has not yet been released publicly, suggested "Let
us wait for the actual details of the agreement before analyzing
it." Still another referred to the upcoming Congressional
scrutiny of the FTA, and wrote "I wonder when the agreement will
be referred to the Majlis al-Shura for its consideration?"

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Citizens Of The World
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6. Al-Sablah members forayed briefly into the realm of
immigration issues when one member posed the following question:
"Can an Omani simultaneously hold an Omani passport and a U.S.
passport?" The topic generated 259 hits and 6 responses. "This
matter depends on the country's regulations," began one writer,
"but I think you lose your Omani citizenship once another country
accepts your application for naturalization." Another said, "I
believe the prevailing law in Oman does not allow dual
citizenship, yet I think there are many nationals who have more
than one passport. Yet, they did not abandon their identity and
their allegiance to the fatherland. I wish the government would
allow Omanis to retain their dual citizenship."

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Speechless in the Sultanate
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7. Sultan Qaboos' annual address to the Majlis Oman disappointed
a majority of al-Sablah members who commented on it (335 hits and
18 responses). Before the October 1 speech, one hopeful citizen
wrote, "Since this is the 35th anniversary of the Sultan's reign,
we can expect a momentous speech in front of the Majlis."
However, the perceived vagueness of the speech, not to mention
its limited duration, left a few forum members with a bad taste
in their mouth. "Where were the big decisions or big
announcements? It was just some talk about human resources. The
address was really too short," complained one observer. Another
added, "It seems that this was a 1970s speech; they merely
changed the date to 2005."

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Gender Diplomacy, Revisited
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8. The topic of Oman's new ambassador to the United States
continued to pique the interest of visitors to the online message
board. All told, the subject has received over 2,500 hits with
140 responses. As reported in reftel A, most of the responses
have been congratulatory, lauding the appointment of a female to
this important diplomatic post. However, a few observers took
the opportunity to air grievances about the overall state of
women in Oman. Sniped one member, "Where else in the world but
Oman can a woman achieve 90% on her college examinations and
still not get a job? Where else in the world but Oman can a
woman be prevented from buying a plot of land?"

BALTIMORE