Careless parking
Dear Sir,
Irresponsible parking on the road behind the Gloria hotel in the Old Salata area is causing huge problems for residents. In spite of having a big ground in the area, a lot of motorists leave their cars in the middle of the road obstructing traffic flow and denying access to the ground for others who wish to park there.
I would like to urge traffic authorities to monitor the area and take action against errant drivers.
I took the accompanying picture of a car being parked in the middle of the road the other day.
SM, (Full name and address supplied)
Hidden agenda
Dear Sir,
US Secretary of State John Kerry has named Martin Indyk as the main envoy in the renewed Israeli-Palestinian talks. Let’s briefly review the biography of Indyk: he was born to a Jewish family in London but grew up and was educated in Australia. He emigrated to the United States and later gained American citizenship in 1993.
In 1982, Indyk began working as a deputy research director for the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel and anti-Arab lobbying group in Washington. From 1985 he had been an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies where he taught Israeli politics and foreign policy. He has taught at the Middle East Institute at Columbia University, the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.
He served as the White House representative on the US Israel Science and Technology Commission. He served two stints as the US ambassador to Israel, from April 1995 to September 1997 and from January 2000 to July 2001.
Indyk was the first US ambassador to be stripped of a security clearance. Indyk was under investigation for improperly handling sensitive material. He spoke publicly of the path he followed from a young international relations student and volunteer in a kibbutz during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
So now would someone please tell me how is it fair to the Palestinians to have such a biased person to Israel as the main envoy? No one could take the US seriously.
Historically, every time the US revived the Israeli-Palestinian talks they had another hidden agenda. We’ll find out soon what it is this time.
AD,(Full name and address e-mail supplied)
Co-operate with volunteers
Dear Sir,
Massive construction work is going on in the Holy Haram, Makkah. The project to expand the Mataf, the area surrounding the Ka’aba, in order to accommodate more worshippers, is also on and thousands of engineers, labourers are working day and night to achieve their goals as early as possible.
Despite the presence of millions of people, there has not been a single case of stampede. This is mainly because the excellent arrangements and facilities provided by the Saudi government. Credit must also go to thousands of security personnel, medical teams and young volunteers who are working under difficult conditions.
At a time when the mercury is touching above 40 degrees in Makkah, thousands of young volunteers, in their brown uniforms and blue jackets, are trying hard to help millions of people who come from every corner of the world. In this month of fasting, their efforts must especially be appreciated.
It is also the responsibility of every visitor to the holy sites to follow all rules and regulations and co-operate with the volunteers and authorities.
Khawaja Umer Farooq, [email protected]
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