SULTAN QABOOS

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos was born in Salalah on November 18 1940, the most southern city of a state then called Muscat and Oman. He was the only son of the late Sultan Said bin Taimur and the eighth direct descendant of the royal Al Busaidi line, founded in 1744 by Imam Ahmad bin Said. Sultan Qaboos spent his childhood in Salalah. When he turned 16, his father sent him to a private school in England, and in 1960, he entered Sandhurst Royal Military Academy as an officer cadet.
After passing out of Sandhurst, he spent a year with a British infantry battalion on duty in Germany, and held a staff appointment with the British army. Later, speaking to young officers at a passing out parade, Sultan Qaboos recalled his own military training. "The values that I absorbed have remained with me forever afterwards," Sultan Qaboos said. "I learned that discipline is not just something one imposes on others: it is something that one has, above all, to apply to oneself, if one is to be a worthy leader of men. I also learned the true meaning of service: that is to give, and not to expect to receive, and that it is the team, and not oneself, that matters. I learned that with responsibility comes obligation."
Having finished his military service, His Majesty studied local government in England, and then embarked on a tour of the world. When he returned to Oman, he spent six years studying Islam and Omani history in Salalah. On the abdication of his father and his own accession on 23rd July 1970, Sultan Qaboos moved to Muscat to implement his vision for the country’s development.
Imam Ahmad, the founder of the Al Busaidi dynasty, was an outstanding leader who ended a turbulent era of civil wars to bring peace and stability to Oman. Like his famous ancestor, Sultan Qaboos took over a stagnant, conflict-ridden country. In his first address to the nation, he declared that the country would be unified as the Sultanate of Oman, with a new flag and ended restrictions on freedom of movement. He called on Omanis who had left the country to return home, to contribute to the challenges that lay ahead, and to use their talents and expertise to modernise a once powerful nation that had fallen into poverty and decline.

Development

In 1970, Oman had little physical or administrative infrastructure, and Sultan Qaboos faced the formidable task of turning a backward, impoverished country into a powerful, modern state. A communist-backed uprising had erupted in Oman’s southern Dhofar province, and was keeping the small, poorly equipped army fully engaged. Oman had begun to exploit its oil reserves in the late 1960s, but had achieved little development in other sectors. Oman’s health, education, housing and communications were basic, at best.
The Sultan rallied his troops to defeat the insurgents and launched a drive to unify and modernise the country. When Sultan Qaboos marked his 30th anniversary in 2000, he also celebrated the creation of a prosperous and stable modern state, ready to face the challenges of a new millennium. Having created a modern state in just thirty years, Oman’s next challenge is to replace public sector growth with a growing private sector to drive future progress and prosperity.
In 1996, Oman passed the Basic Statute of the state with more than 80 articles to clarify every aspect of the state apparatus. Sultan Qaboos has always addressed the basic rights and duties of the Omani citizen, and the Basic Statute includes several declarations on human rights.

The Basic Statute guarantees the equality of all citizens before the law, freedom of religion and of speech, a free press, the right to a fair trial and the right to create national associations. It lays down a legal framework for all future legislation and, as Sultan Qaboos has no children, clarifies the rules of succession. Article five asserts that the system of government is a monarchy and that the royal line comprises the male descendants of Sayyid Turki bin Said bin Sultan, Sultan Qaboos’ great-great-grandfather. The successor to the throne shall be a Muslim of sound mind, and the legitimate son of Omani Muslim parentage.
The rules of succession decree that the ruling family council will choose Sultan Qaboos’ successor within three days of the throne falling vacant. Only if the ruling family council fails to reach a consensus will the Defence Council open the letter which His Majesty has written naming his choice of successor.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos is a man of diverse interests. He has been a keen horseman since childhood, enjoying outdoor pursuits such as walking and tennis. His military training has left him with a keen interest in weapons and military equipment; he is a keen marksman and is proud of the Omani national shooting team’s numerous international successes. He has studied a wide range of subjects, from religion to astronomy and the environment, and has a keen interest in language, literature and history. His passion for music led him to establish the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra.

International relations

In 1970, Oman had been isolated from the rest of the world, and it was essential to open the country to the formal international relations that it had lacked for so long. Sultan Qaboos’ foreign policy extends Omani friendship to all countries, based on mutual non-interference in internal affairs, respect, peaceful co-existence and good neighbourliness.
However, recognising the collapse of the Middle East peace process in the last two years, and to protest against Israeli actions against the Palestinians, Oman decided in December 2000 to close Israel’s representative office in Muscat and the Omani representation office in Tel Aviv. Oman has criticised Israeli actions at United Nations meetings and in subsidiary committees, and continues to support the Palestinians both economically and politically.
The Sultanate condemned the September 11th terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Addressing the Oman Council on 25 September 2001, His Majesty stated that: "All types of terrorism, regardless of who practices it, constitute an attack on the peace that all nations aspire to, and on the international stability and security that we work with other countries to achieve. Therefore, we condemn terrorism, demanding an end to terrorism and for its causes to be resolved. We support international measures to fight terrorism that do not harm nations or cause innocent people to pay for practices not related to them in any Arabic or Islamic country."
During the last year, His Majesty has visited Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar and Bahrain. Visitors to the Sultanate included President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al Hariri and Senegal President Abdulla Wad, King Abdullah of Jordan and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Omani officials have sought to strengthen relations with the countries of the Far East, while maintaining strong links with Oman’s partners in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and with other Arab states. And recent years have seen Oman emphasise the need for economic ties with the Indian sub-continent. Sultan Qaboos believes that there is a sound basis to form regional economic groupings such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation, which Oman helped to found.

Addressing the Association’s inaugural meeting, Sultan Qaboos declared that: "the Indian Ocean has always been Oman’s primary gateway to the world, through voyages to the countries on its shores”.

Meet-the-People Tours

Sultan Qaboos enjoys meeting the Omani people and listening to their views. Every year, he conducts a grand tour of the country lasting several weeks, to see what needs to be done and to listen to the citizens’ views. The Royal Tour allows the Omani people to meet the Sultan and discuss problems with him personally. Sultan Qaboos sees his tours as a way of communicating directly with his people and gauging their reactions to the latest development plans.
Sultan Qaboos has used recent tours to stress the importance of education. He has called on young people to work harder and to take over jobs performed by expatriates at all levels, and explained the need to develop industry and commerce to drive future growth and prosperity.
In October 2001, Sultan Qaboos and his entourage visited Seeb, Barka, Nakhl, Rustaq and Saham. The Sultan used the 2001 Royal Tour to stress the need for young people to embrace the work ethic: "We urge our youth, male and female, to help themselves and, at the same time, develop their country," Sultan Qaboos said. He argued that self-employment was the best option for young Omanis seeking work.

Charity

During his reign, Sultan Qaboos has shown great personal generosity, making personal donations to worthy causes inside and outside Oman. Sultan Qaboos was a founder donor of the Omani Organisation for Charitable Works, established by Royal Decree in 1996, and has shown concern for the most disadvantaged people in society. In 1995, he announced that disabled people with limited incomes would be exempt from paying private vehicle registration and renewal fees. In the same year, Sultan Qaboos made a personal donation of RO 1.5 million to some 42,000 families on social security. In 1996 he donated $7 million in aid to Palestinian civilians and $1 million to Al Azhar University in Cairo. And at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, $2 million was pledged to the United Nations towards efforts to combat poverty in Africa.
Sultan Qaboos has given unqualified support to national youth and sports clubs. In 1998, he launched His Majesty’s Cup for Youth, a sports grant and trophy. Sports clubs compete in annual football and hockey tournaments to win the cup. Several other annual awards reward outstanding Omani industries, companies and communities. In 1989, the UNESCO-administered Sultan Qaboos award for Environmental Conservation was launched, awarding bi-annual prizes of $20,000 to groups or institutions that deliver outstanding results in protecting the environment.
In 1998, His Majesty launched the Fund for the Development of Youth Projects, created to encourage the private sector to finance projects set up by young Omani entrepreneurs. The scheme aims to develop young Omanis’ entrepreneurial flair and to encourage people to launch small businesses. It provides technical assistance and managerial support, helping young businessmen and women to obtain grants, loans and the support they need to set up and run their own businesses.
"The youth of Oman, who have the spirit of initiative and the desire to embark upon their own businesses, should make use of the Fund to finance their projects, having assured themselves that their plans are feasible," Sultan Qaboos said, in his 1998 National Day address.

Sanad Fund

In October 2001, Sultan Qaboos announced the launch of the Sanad Project, a drive to help young Omanis set up their own businesses. The government is to donate RO 2 million to the Sanad fund, which will train young people to launch small enterprises. The government is encouraging the private sector to donate money to train young Omanis at all levels.
Targets announced by Oman’s Joint Omanisation Committee include training 15,000 nationals to work in the contracting sector. The committee told the Sanad Fund that it would train 5,000 young nationals in 2002, and a further 10,000 in 2003. On-the-job trainees will earn 50 percent of the standard monthly salary during training, with salary costs shared equally by the government and the private sector.

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