Israel says Oman has agreed to Israeli flights in its airspace
Tel Aviv, Feb 23: Israel's foreign minister said Thursday that the Gulf Arab state of Oman has decided to allow Israeli planes to fly through its airspace. The announcement was another sign of closer ties between Israel and some Arab countries.
There was no immediate confirmation from Oman. The move comes on the heels last year of a similar step by Saudi Arabia, and would shorten the flying distance between Israel and Asia.
"This is a significant and historic decision for the Israeli economy and Israeli travelers," said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who said there had been American involvement in the decision.
Oman and Israel have had secretive ties for years, which were spotlighted in 2018 when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to the country, the first trip of its kind in over 20 years.
Still, Oman was not among the four countries to sign normalisation deals with Israel in 2020 under US-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as Morocco and Sudan, all agreed to normalise ties with Israel as part of the deals.
The sultanate has long had a low-key role in fostering negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. Oman, which sits on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, with Saudi Arabia to its north and Iran to its east, also has a long record of being a quiet broker in the region, opting to stay on the sidelines of the rivalry between the two regional powerhouses.
Oman has also served as a mediator between the United States and Israel's arch-rival Iran. Oman hosted the secret talks that eventually led to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and has facilitated the release of prisoners and hostages held by armed groups.
Earlier this week, Oman welcomed Syrian President Bashar Assad on his first visit outside Syria since the earthquake there earlier this month.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
