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Short Takes:
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan received yesterday Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani. UAE sources said that Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani arrived in the UAE previously on a fraternal visit during which he was received by Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the armed forces in the United Arab Emirates, to discuss different aspects of cooperation. Go

The Bahraini Cabinet welcomed the positive results of the visit paid by Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani to Manama recently, which were reflected by the joint statement which was issued following the visit. Go

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa has made a telephone call to Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul Illah al-Khatib during which he briefed al-Khatib on the latest developments concerning the peace process, especially on the Syrian track and Syria's expectations of today's session in the US between Syria and Israel. Go

Oded Eran, head of the Israeli side in the negotiations with the Palestinians, said that Israel is making serious negotiations with the Palestinians concerning all issues of the transitional stage and the final status, especially concerning the borders of the future Palestinian entity. He added in an interview with Israel Radio today that the negotiations will continue until an acceptable solution is reached by the two parties. Go

Damascus Radio urged the Israeli government yesterday before the beginning of the second round of discussions between them in the US state of West Virginia today not to waste the chance for peace and to exploit it to prove the credibility of its peaceful intentions. Go

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has made a telephone call with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. During the telephone conversation talks dealt with steps realized on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and obstacles facing them. Go

The Hebrew language "Voice of Israel" radio said that the European Union's Middle East peace process envoy, Miguel Angel Moratinos, has conveyed a message to Israel which stated that Syria will take measures that would help build confidence with Israel after Syria explores the reality of the Israeli stances during the session of negotiations to be held today in the USA. Go

Moroccan star Abdelhadi Belkhayat will give next Tuesday in Batna (Algeria) a concert sponsored by the city's cultural and information center. Go

The human rights department launched Thursday a cooperation program to bind it to several associations and meant to promote the rights of children and women in adverse situations. Go

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jaber al-Thani has made a telephone call with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Talks dealt with issues of mutual concern as well as with bilateral relations. Go

Egyptian Tourism Minister Mamdouh El-Beltagi stated that there is an expansion plan to increase hotel capacity in Egypt that aims at containing anticipated tourism movement to Egypt during the coming years and that this plan will be implemented in cooperation between the private and governmental tourism sectors to maintain the studied gradual expansion of hotel capacity in Egypt. Go

The representative of the Qatari government to the Palestinian government in Gaza said on Sunday that Qatari banker of Palestinian origin Issam Abu Issa, who was the subject of a diplomatic problem between Qatar and the Palestinian government, had left the Qatari consulate in Gaza heading for Doha. Go

The Jordanian security bodies arrested 16 persons in Irbid governorate in northern Jordan in its campaign against illegal groups during the last three months that was accompanied by searches for the detainees houses and confiscation of their computer devices and compact discs. Jordanian newspapers quoted the detainees' families yesterday as saying that they do not know either the reason or the motive for the detention or the location of their sons. Go

King Mohammed VI sent King Juan Carlos I of Spain a message of condolences following the demise of his mother, the infanta Dona Maria De Las Mercedes de Bourbon et Orleans, Countess of Barcelona. Go

Sudanese Aviation Minister Meki Ali Balabel said that the plan to privatize the Sudanese airline led to a reduction of 33% of its employees, saying that these employees finished their work willingly in a step he depicted as civilized to facilitate for the company's full privatization. He said the employees were offered financial incentives to end their contracts at the the start of the privatization procedures. Go

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan issued orders to pardon 211 prisoners for the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and paid sums the pardoned prisoners owed to creditors, Khaleej Times reported. Go

Jordan has, as of the beginning of the new year, started the issuing of new passports for its citizens that can be read via computers, and they meet the specifications of the international civil aviation organization, regarding their volume and the information put on the passport. Among the most important characteristics of the new passport is that it cannot be forged. Go

Unidentified persons today at dawn detonated the car of a soldier in the Lebanese Army, Husam Ali Ghusein, in Kafer Malki town in Sidon. News reports from the Sidon district said that the explosion resulted in burning the car. Go

The Palestinian government and the Israeli government are making communications concerning arranging for establishing a Palestinian airport in Ariha city according to the Oslo agreement. Fayez Zedan, head of the Palestinian Civil Aviation Authority, said that Palestinian - Israeli communications are currently being made for establishing the airport, adding that the Palestinian government found the land upon which the airport will be established and is providing the necessary funds for it. Go

Palestinian sources participating in preparing for millennium celebrations assured that the orthodox patriarchs and bishops of the Orthodox Church will visit the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank to participate in the celebrations according to the Oriental chronology on January 7 and that the celebrations will begin in El-Mahd church in Bethlehem, where heads of the orthodox churches will participate in a large celebration of Christmas and declare the beginning of celebration of the jubilee according to the chronology. Go

The border guards in the United Arab Emirates' armed forces arrested 62 foreign citizens last week who were attempting to enter the UAE illegally. They were kept to be presented for trial in the framework of the armed forces' campaign to end the phenomenon of illegal immigration into the UAE. Go

Libya on Sunday won a four-nation tournament, after a tie with Ghana. The Libyan won the tournament to a favorable goal-average. The third place went to Gabon, the fourth to Cameroon and fifth to Togo. Go

Bahrain is eliminating 5% tariffs on food and reducing tariffs on "fabrics, electrical appliances, computers, household and kitchen items, communications gadgets and other accessories" from 7.5% to 5%, Gulf Daily News reported. Go

The Casablanca Stock Exchange resumed its activities this Monday normally after its computer systems successfully made the passage to the year 2000. The Casablanca bourse said in a statement that it passed various tests undertaken by the year 2000 monitoring committee, which made a simulation of a normal listing day on January 1st, a day off in Morocco. Go

Ittissalat Al Maghrib "IAM" announced Saturday new lower prices for GSM telephone services as of Jan. 1, as well as the upgrading of a host of services already offered. Go