NEW BOARD FOR OMAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000694 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PGOV MU SUBJECT: NEW BOARD FOR OMAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REF: MUSCAT 492 ¶1. On May 15, 2007, roughly 20,000 members of Oman's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) cast ballots for the organization's new Board of Directors (reftel). Eight of the fifteen elected positions were reserved for representatives from the Batinah, Buraimi, Dahirah, Dakhiliyah, Sharqiyah, Wusta, Dhofar, and Musandam regions, with the remaining seven seats allocated to greater Muscat. According to applicable regulations, Board members should be active participants in the business field for a minimum of five years prior to elections, Omani citizens, and not employed by the government. ¶2. On July 2, Sultan Qaboos issued royal decrees appointing the final seven members of the OCCI Board, including the new Board chairman, Muscat businessman Khalil bin Abdullah al-Khunji. Al-Khunji is from a prominent Shi'a family and CEO of the Al Khunji Group of Companies. A member of the Muscat Municipality Council, al-Khunji also serves on the Board of Directors of the Omani Center for Investment Promotion and Export Development (OCIPED) and is the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Belarus. Al-Khunji replaces previous chairman Salim bin Sa'id al-Ghattami, who was chosen by the Sultan to serve in the Majlis al-Dawla (the upper house of Oman's bicameral advisory body). Two women were among the seven appointees; the two women serving on the previous Board were not re-appointed. ¶3. The new OCCI Board met for the first time on July 9 to discuss a new "ten-pillar" program to capitalize on foreign trade agreements, improve Oman's business and work environment, and enhance cooperation between OCCI, governmental authorities, and the general business community. Al-Khunji commented to press that the new program would also focus on developing small and medium-sized businesses and encouraging self-employment in Oman. Additionally, the Board elected Jamil bin Ali Sultan - brother of Oman's Minister of Commerce & Industry - to his third consecutive term as deputy chairman of OCCI. The previous day (July 8),al-Khunji met with the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council Chambers Union, Abdulraheem Hassan Naqi, to discuss the possibility of hosting a Gulf Investment Conference in Oman to promote opportunities, incentives and facilities for investors in the region. GRAPPO