In Dubai, the blue and white Israeli flag has gone up for the first time as the emirate hosts the annual joint meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) next week.
The Jewish state's flag, with the "star of david" symbol in the middle, has been placed on the wall among others inside the conference hall at the International Convention Center. Another has been hung in the media center.
An Israeli flag was also spotted a few days ago on a monument erected close to the center to mark the occasion. It has since been covered up, possibly awaiting an unveiling ceremony.
Israel has an automatic right to attend the meetings in the United Arab Emirates alongside 183 other country delegations.
However, Israel's Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not join his counterparts in Dubai, his office has announced, citing the "security situation" back home. Instead, the Israeli delegation will be headed by Bank of Israel Governor David Klein.
For his part, the Dubai police general in charge of security for the event, Abdulaziz al-Bannai, played down the Israeli presence.
He told AFP that an Israeli delegation in the UAE will be a "precedent" only because this is the first time the World Bank and IMF are holding their annual meeting in an Arab country.
"It is well known that all member states participate," Major-General Bannai said. "Invitations were extended by the secretariat of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, not the UAE."
"I am a military man, I don't discuss politics, but the UAE's policy is well-known. It has no links with Israel," Bannai added.
Moreover, he denied reports that one photographer was arrested for trying to take a picture of the Israeli flag on the monument dedicated to the meeting.
"From the security point of view, we are prepared (for the presence of Israeli officials) because they will be in our country and we will be responsible for their security," he said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
