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The Dutch royal trio went on a three day state visit to the Sultanate of Oman. Originally scheduled last year, the trip was put off for this year due to the Arab Spring protests in the country.
 Click here for photos of the visit to Oman Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed greeted Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima on Tuesday at Al Alam Palace in Muscat. National anthems of Oman and the Netherlands were played, followed by a 21 gun salute welcoming the Dutch royals.
Their Majesties then went indoors for bilateral talks, followed by a lunch at the Beit al Zhubair museum.
In the evening, there was a state banquet hosted by the Sultan in honor of the Dutch royals. They also exchanged orders. The Sultan bestowed the Order of Al Said on the Queen while she conferred the Order of the Netherlands Lion to him.
Even Willem Alexander and Maxima received orders. The Dutch heir was bestowed the Great Order of Renaissance while his wife got the the Sultan Qaboos Order.
The next day saw the royals go to the Port of Sohar, where they were given a tour of its eco-friendly, industrial projects. They also went to the Sohar Free Zone, where they saw joint Omani-Dutch projects.
Next came Nakhl Fort, where the visiting royals were greeted by music and the children of the Omani Women’s Association of Nakhl with flowers and Omani and Dutch flags. The Queen, the Crown Prince and Princess were briefed about the fort by the students, and then later were shown Omani crafts.
Thursday morning concluded the state visit for the Dutch royals. They met with Sultan Qaboos again in Muscat who bid them farewell.
Sources: Gulf News, Times of Oman, Omani News Agency
The Sultan of Oman granted legislative powers to a council outside of the royal family Sunday. Sultan Qaboos bin Said did so in order to quell the weeks of protests in the usually quiet Gulf nation. This is the boldest move he has done to stop the unrest.
 MOHAMMED MAHJOUB/AFP/Getty Images/FILE Two weeks ago, the Sultan dismissed some cabinet members, but that didn’t stop the demonstrations. This new decree allows the Oman council – made up by members elected and appointed by the Sultan – to make laws and regulations. But it is not clear if he would keep veto power.
Currently, only the Sultan and his cabinet have legislative powers.
The Oman Council, which previously only offered policy advice, is made up of the elected Shura Council and the State Council, consisting of members appointed by Sultan Qaboos himself.
“A technical committee of experts shall be constituted to develop the draft amendment of the Basic Law of the State,” the Omani News Agency quoted Sunday’s royal decree as saying, adding the group would have to report back in 30 days.
In addition, Qaboos decreed to double monthly welfare payments and increase pension benefits.
News of the Sultan ceding some his absolute powers was greeted with joy by the Omanis.
“Sixty to 80 per cent of demands have already been met so there is no reason to continue protesting,” Dr Hussain Al Abry, a psychiatrist with a government hospital, who was a solo protester against Oman Television for the last four days, told Gulf News.
Lawyer Dr Tareq Al Busaidi said that Sultan Qaboos is giving people of Oman their own brand of democracy. “He knows what is applicable here, we are different and what will work here,” he said, urging people to trust the leader and his vision.
“The way he (Qaboos) is giving to people is a good indication for the people of Oman,” he stressed.
Sources: Reuters, Al-Jazeera, Gulf News
This week, the three most senior Dutch royals are in the Mideast region, where they privately visited one head of state before doing a state visit in another country.
 ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images Originally, Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem Alexander and Princess Maxima were to do two state visits – one in Oman, the other Qatar. But social unrest in the former lead to a postponement of the trip less than a week before it was to take place. Shortly thereafter though, Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said invited the royals to dine with him during a private visit, and the Dutch accepted.
That lead to some outrage with the Netherlands’ Parliament. The parties called the trip “unwise” (Labour Party), “very stupid” (Geert Wilders) and “messy and questionable” (Green Party). Some felt that Queen Beatrix would unwittingly get tied up with Oman’s internal affairs.
However, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said to reject the Sultan’s invitation would mean the Netherlands were choosing sides with Oman’s troubles. He also denied that there was any truth in reports that the private visit is linked to economic interests in the region. Rutte told journalists, “The Queen is not a traveling salesman”.
Rutte also said the personal invitation was a matter between him and the Queen.
So, Her Majesty and Their Royal Highnesses did have dinner with the Sultan at Bait Al Barakah palace. Before that, though, Queen Beatrix held talks with Sultan Qaboos. They discussed ways to tighten bilateral ties between their two nations.
 ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images That was Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Queen and Willem-Alexander and Maxima flew to Doha, Qatar for a three day visit. This time, business leaders and government officials joined them. The point of this state visit was to sign several agreements in arts, energy and business sectors.
The royals met with Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, whom they lunched with after an official welcoming. There were no speeches or toasts during the lunch.
Afterward, the Queen toured Qatar’s state-of-the-art museum of Islamic art and, with her son and daughter-in-law, took a short stroll through the Doha bazaar. There, they met with falcons and other animals still put to use.
In the evening, the Emir and his three wives hosted a dinner at al-Wajba Palace.
Among agreements to be signed during this visit will be an understanding between the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and the Dutch Rijksmuseum Amsterdam on art conservation, plus an agreement between Ras Laffan Industrial City and the Netherlands’ port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe.
The Dutch royals will meet with Dutch citizens living in Qatar, who will host a reception in their honor, and they will also attend a concert by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra at the Opera House in Katara.
Sources: Radio Netherlands, Gulf News
 Mark Renders/Getty Images/FILE Although their state visit to Oman was called off earlier this week, Dutch royals will still be going to the Gulf nation upon invitation from its leader, Sultan Qaboos, sometime next week.
Foreign Affairs Minister Uri Rosenthal told MPs on Friday that Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima will simply have dinner with the Sultan for a few hours before heading off to Qatar for a three day state visit.
“Under the good agreement between Oman and the Netherlands we accepted the personal invitation from the Sultan for a private dinner,” said Rosenthal.
In remarks later on Friday said Prime Minister Mark Rutte that he had consulted extensively with the Queen and both had come to the conclusion that it would be ‘wise’ would accept the invitation. “It’s a question of the Queen and him, and nothing changes anymore,” Rutte said.
The situation in Oman has quieted down after last weekend’s violent protests in the industrial city of Sohar.
Source: Reuters, DutchNews.nl
On Wednesday, it was announced that the Netherlands’ state visit to the Sultanate of Oman had been postponed. This is because of the growing unrest in the Gulf nation due to demands of political freedom and more jobs.
 REUTERS/Sebastien Pirlet/FILE There had been talk of setting aside the state visit – which would’ve included Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima – for about a week. But with the anti-government protests not slowing down in Oman, the visit was canceled.
The Dutch government information service said the decision to call off the visit was taken by both countries because “current developments demand all (Oman’s) attention.”
The Dutch royals were scheduled to go to Oman Sunday and stay for three days. They would’ve been accompanied by business leaders and government ministers in an effort to boost trade.
Source: AP
As the anti-government protests continue in the Gulf sultanate of Oman, there is concern in the Dutch government over the safety of its royals who are scheduled to go to Oman for a state visit this coming weekend.
 REUTERS/Sebastien Pirlet/FILE Prime Minister Mark Rutte is in no rush to make a decision, but is keeping an eye on the situation in the country.
“The next few days look very good,” Rutte said Monday in the TV show Pauw & Witteman. “We will monitor the situation very carefully.”
“I will not say that Oman is a perfectly functioning democracy. But in other countries with whom we have relations such as China and other countries, that’s not the case. That in itself is not a reason not to go. We have to see how safe it is there.”
Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima are expected to arrive in Oman on March 6th and stay two days promoting bilateral ties with the country. They are also expected to visit the city of Sohar, an industrial area which has seen plenty of violence in recent days.
If the Dutch government decides to cancel the state visit last minute, it won’t be the first time that may happen. In 1989, when Queen Beatrix was scheduled to go to China, demonstrations at Tiananmen Square turned violent and the state visit was canceled one day before Her Majesty was to leave.
Source: RoyalBlog.nl
In an effort to stop the demonstrations, Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman has ordered 50,000 jobs to be created. This comes after another violent day of protests Sunday in which one person died and 11 were injured after clashing with police.
 REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad/FILES The Sultan is also urging citizens to register with the Ministry of Manpower so they would be paid 150 rials (about U.S. $390) per month until they find work.
Like many other Arab nations, Oman is seeing protests demanding more jobs and political freedom. However, the demonstrations fall short of calling an end to the monarchy.
“We want to see the benefit of our oil wealth distributed evenly to the population,” one protester said over a loudhailer during a rally in the industrial city of Sohar. “We want to see a scale-down of expatriates in Oman so more jobs can be created for Omanis,” he yelled.
“There are no jobs, there’s no freedom of opinion. The people are tired and people want money. People want to end corruption,” said Ali al-Mazroui, 30, who is unemployed.
Sohar also saw looting and the burning of buildings this past weekend.
Source: CNN, Reuters
Oman has become the latest Arab nation to experience anti-government protests, and its longtime Sultan quickly reacted. Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has ruled the Gulf state since 1970, made changes to his cabinet and promised social reforms. All this happened Saturday as protests turned deadly in the industrial city of Sohar.
 MOHAMMED MAHJOUB/AFP/Getty Images/FILE According to the state news agency, the Sultan made the political changes in the “public’s interest,” but without elaborating further. Six ministers were replaced, but the longer serving ministers kept their positions.
In addition, Qaboos issued decreees boosting government grants for students at public universities and ordering the establishment of a consumer watchdog. He also increased the minimum wage earlier this month.
Oman is an absolute monarchy and political parties are banned.
As news of the political changes was breaking, two people were killed and 10 were hurt during the demonstrations in Sohar as protesters clashed with police.
Omani TV editor, Asma Rshid, told CNN: “The police shot them because they burned shops and cars in Sohar.”
Like the rest of the Arab world, the Omani demonstrators were demanding more political freedom and more jobs.
Source: Los Angeles Times, CNN
Thursday night saw Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II land in Muscat to begin her three day state visit to Oman. She was greeted by Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who this year is celebrating 40 years on the throne. The Queen is in his country to commemorate that milestone with the Sultan as well as strengthen bilateral ties. The last time she visited Oman was in 1979.
 -/AFP/Getty Images The U.K. and Oman have relations going back 200 years with treaties of friendship signed in 1798, 1800, 1891 and 1951.
During her visit, Queen Elizabeth saw the major changes that have happened in the Sultanate, from state-of-the-art technologies to international standard infrastructure. In addition, delegates from the U.K. will focus on broaden ties with Oman in terms of trade, education, energy security, defense and foreign policy.
As part of his welcoming of Elizabeth, the Sultan gave her a Fabrege style egg and a gold vase.
On Friday, the Queen attended an equestrian show intended as part of Sultan Qaboos’ 40 years on the throne festivities.
About 7,000 Britons live in Oman, while many other Omanis have either homes or business interests in the U.K. Sultan Qaboos even attended the famous Sandhurst military academy.
Source: AFP, ITN
July 23rd saw the 40th anniversary since Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed deposed his father and usher in a new era for the Gulf state. Originally called “Accession Day”, the event was called “Renaissance Day” on Saturday. It marked Oman’s rebirth as a nation.
 MOHAMMED MAHJOUB/AFP/Getty Images/FILE Usually, Omanis celebrate their Sultan’s birthday on November 18th, but with Renaissance Day, there were plenty of festivities for the monarch.
“On this dear occasion, we ponder with pride on the epic journey of the renaissance, the long road to achievement and the feats of Your Majesty’s loyal people, inspired by your royal directives, which have led to the building of a modern state,” Chairman of the State Council Dr Yahya bin Mahmoudh al Mantheri said is a cable of congratulations to Sultan Qaboos.
“After 40 years of hard work, the Omani people have been able to manage their own affairs in all areas and serve their country in a better way,” Mantheri said.
On its website, the Ministry of Information said: “With the dawn of the Blessed Renaissance 40 years ago, hope and optimism came to Oman and its citizens. Four core values — namely peace, stability, security and welfare — have since characterized Oman’s development plans.”
“On the 40th Renaissance Day, the nation salutes His Majesty who has shaped the destiny of Oman with wisdom and foresight, presenting a successful development model with a blend of modernization and heritage.”
Sultan Qaboos overthrew his father, Said ibn Taymur, at the age of 29. When he did this, he changed his country’s name from Muscat and Oman to simply the Sultanate of Oman.
Source: Khaleej Times, News Summary Royalblog, Wikipedia
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