Monday, January 10, 2005

 

How Do I Know Your Name Is Really "Mohammed?"

The Gulf Cooperation Council countries - Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - are apparently coming up with a common id card:

His Majesty, who was presented with the card yesterday by Central Informatics Organisation (CIO) acting president Shaikh Ahmed bin Atteyatallah Al Khalifa, expressed his delight at the progress of the project.

He said the new card would deepen the concept of a one-Gulf citizenship and enable people to move more easily between GCC states.
It's described as a "smart" card, so presumably there will be magnetic stripes and id codes involved. The King's comments about a one-Gulf citizenship are what caught my eye, though.