Microsoft Pledges Technology Support for Palestinian Authority

[Ahmed Omair <ao@akunet.org>]

ME Microsoft Pledges Technology Support for Palestinian Authority 

Palestinian administration to benefit from contribution to IT resources
-
Microsoft to invest in education/training programs in Palestine. 

PALESTINE: June 30, 1999 

Microsoft has agreed to a short-term package of software and hardware to
assist the Palestinian administration in administrative and educational
areas. 

Following a meeting here with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat,
Microsoft
Gulf and Eastern Mediterranean (GEM) General Manager Bahram Mohazzebi
said there were ongoing initiatives between the two sides to bring
training and
education resources to Palestine. 

Microsoft said the initiatives, which include Microsoft's Authorized
Academic
Training Program, would provide substantial benefits for universities
and other
academic institutions in Palestine. 

"I had a very constructive meeting with Mr Arafat. One area we talked
about
was using IT in administration, and we discussed a pilot project for the
authority's administration offices which Microsoft will fund with
hardware,
software and training," said Mohazzebi. 

"Microsoft is to work closely with the administration office towards
building an
automated environment and I'm pleased to say that we can offer some
assistance in this area and be a part of information technology growth
in
Palestine." 

Mohazzebi and President Arafat discussed the Palestinian legal
framework,
including the efforts being made by the authority to establish copyright
protection legislation. 

"I think we all recognize that the Palestinian Authority is in the
process of
forming a national class infrastructure with very limited resources, and
that
there is an entire legal framework going into place. However, we did
agree that
copyright protection should sit high on the agenda, and that the growth
of the
Palestinian information technology skill set was most desirable," said
Mohazzebi. 

The academic training initiative is normally deployed by Microsoft GEM
in
markets where copyright legislation is in place in order to transfer
Microsoft
internal knowledge and know how to university students. "This is just a
first
move," said Mohazzebi. "I was delighted with Mr Arafat's commitment to
the
growth of information technology in Palestine, and we're eager to assist
him in
that process." 
-- 
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Ahmed Omair                Internal: 3437
Technical Support (Internet Services)
The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel. 0092-21-4930051 Fax. 0092-21-4934294
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