Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Maguire mentioned another key issue, that of flights for people who wish to travel or holiday abroad but also in the context of the promotion of trade and commerce. I note that he specialises in the area of commercial, industrial, tourism and financial relations between Arab countries. I have a couple of questions in that regard. This is based on ignorance more than on anything else. What is it about the Arab world and banking? Is there a particular banking system used in the Arab world that is not quite the same as the western capitalist one and does it prove to be a problem?

Of the countries listed, we do remarkably well in Oman, for example. We are developing great relationships with many of these Arab countries in terms of the provision of educational facilities. Students from these countries come to Ireland to undertake their educational training. In fact, I understand the Omanis will have a marching band in the next St. Patrick's Day parade, which is a sign of how well we are bonding. There are many Saudi Arabian students here whom I meet on a regular basis. There have also been unsurpassed developments in such a short period of time in the case of the United Arab Emirates.

Mr Maguire has pointed out that we are doing a lot of good with the Arab world, with which we have an interesting bond. We bond well with the Arabs. It probably has to do with our history. I personally thank Mr. Maguire for his life-long involvement in developing relationships because in days past matters would have been different. I wish him the best of luck in his ongoing work and congratulate the 12 Arab members of the board.