Monday December 20 2:53 AM ET 

 World Bank Consultant Says Oman
 Y2K Ready

 By Saleh al Shaibany

 MUSCAT, Oman (Reuters) - An independent certification
 from one of the World Bank's Y2K consultants has
 declared Oman's critical infrastructure to be year 2000
 ready.

 Martyn Emery, the chairman of Corporation 2000, told
 Reuters in an interview his firm had awarded Oman a
 certification of Y2K compliance on Saturday after
 assessing critical sectors.

 ``After a strenuous assessment of 10 critical sectors from
 a perspective of both technical Y2K readiness and the
 completeness of the individual sector business continuity
 plans, we have decided to certify Oman's national
 infrastructure as Y2K compliant,'' Emery said.

 Corporation 2000, a London-based firm, was recommended
 to Oman by the World Bank to assess Oman's Y2K
 readiness, Said Issa al-Ismaily, the chairman of Oman's
 National Y2K Taskforce told Reuters.

 Emery said the progress Oman had made, despite its late
 start in some sectors, had been impressive.

 ``The critical success factors were the leadership shown
 through the national Y2K taskforce and the flow of
 knowledge from the more advanced sectors such as oil and
 gas,'' he added.

 He said Oman's Y2K taskforce had also established a
 Y2K command and control center which would monitor the
 millennium transition and act as a national coordination
 unit.

 Ismaily said that as January 1 fell on a Saturday, Oman
 would be one of the few countries to open for business on
 that day.

 ``The eyes of the world will very much be on countries like
 Oman, especially on its stock exchange as it will be among
 the first to open for business on the first day of 2000,'' he
 said.

 Oman has spent some $100 million since February 1997
 when its Y2K plans were drawn up, Ismaily added.