World aviation security experts to converge in Abu Dhabi for the inaugural Arab aviation security conference

The event, to be hosted in Abu Dhabi, will be organized under the auspices of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

H.E. Mohamed Ghanim Al-Ghaith, Director-General of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), said the conference would see major participation from Arab countries. He said Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Syria, Oman, Iraq, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen and the UAE will be represented at the high-profile event.

The conference will be organised by the General Civil Aviation Authority in the UAE in cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Arab Civil Aviation Commission (ACAC) and the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO). Sponsors include Etihad Airways, Royal Jet and Abu Dhabi Aviation.

The list of top participants includes H.E. Sultan bin Saeed al-Mansouri, Minister of Communications and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the GCAA, H.E. Abdullah N. Ruhaimi, President of the Executive Office of the Arab Civil Aviation Authority and President of Saudi Civil Aviation; H.E. Mohammed El Alj, Director General, Arab Civil Aviation Commission; Mr. Mohamed El Amiri, Director, Air Transport Bureau, International Civil Aviation Organization; Mr. Richard H. Stein, General Manager, International Office, Transportation Security Administration, USA; Mr. Darren Crombie, General Manager, Aviation Security, Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services; Ms. Marjeta

Jager, Director, Directorate of Transportation and Energy, European Commission; Mr. Atsushi Shimamura, Director, Aviation Security, Ministry of Land, infrastructure and Transport, Japan; Mr. Jalal Haidar, Regional Officer, Aviation Security, Middle East and Africa, ICAO; Mr. David Sterland, Global Opportunities Fund Project Manager, Department for Transport, United Kingdom; Mr. Abdul Hamid Aba Alary, Director, Airports Security, Saudi Arabia; Mr. Raymond Benjamin, Executive Secretary, European Civil Aviation Conference; Mr. Charles Schlumberger, Principal Air Transport Specialist, World Bank; Mr. Brahim Lakhlifa, Director, Aviation Safety and Security, Office of National Airports, Morocco; Mr. Peter Kirk, Assistant Director, Aviation Security, Department of Transport, UK; Mr. Lyle Malotky, Scientific Advisor, Transportation Security Administration, USA; and Dr. S. Paul Dempsey, Director, Air and Space Law Institute, McGill University, Canada.

Mr. Al-Gaith underlined the importance of the conference which, he said, will explore the formation of a permanent aviation security working group to exchange ideas and build cooperation between the region's states. The efforts of conference delegates will have a direct impact on future cooperation among Arab countries in aviation security matters and on the development and prosperity of Arab civil aviation sectors.