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The spokesperson of the French Foreign Ministry yesterday praised the resigned coordinator of the UN humanitarian program in Iraq, Hans von Sponeck, saying, "Hans Von Sponeck's assessment of the humanitarian situation in Iraq corresponds exactly to the situation on the ground. Furthermore, it is consistent with what other observers have reported also. There have been the reports of independent experts from the humanitarian evaluation commission, reports from UNICEF and the Red Cross and other NGOs which concur. Even the British Parliament published a far more critical report last week on the system of sanctions in Iraq which, it charged, hurt the people and not at all the Iraqi regime." Go

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin will pay an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on February 23 through 26. This was announced on Tuesday in Paris by the media office at the French Cabinet. Go

Bahrain's crown prince and commander general of the Bahrain Defense Forces, Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad al-Khaleifah, on Tuesday received the advisor to the Egyptian president for political affairs, Osama El-Baz. The Gulf News Agency said the two sides discussed current issues on the Arab arena and issues of mutual concern. Go

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika left Amman on Tuesday at the conclusion of an official visit to Jordan which lasted for three days and dealt with issues of mutual concern and developing cooperation. Go

The Jordanian weekly al-Hadath quoted Jordanian governmental sources as saying that the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and mineral resources has recently refused an Israeli proposal to carry out electricity grid links between Jordan and Israel. Go

Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Mohamed Benaissa explored in Bangkok Tuesday with his Singaporean peer, Ow Chin Och, prospects of setting up joint ventures in tourism. Go

Morocco expressed support to Saudi Arabia's candidacy to host an international conference on globalization and technology transfer, says a statement of the Moroccan Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Ministry. Go

Russian sources in Cairo told ArabicNews.com today that there are Russian - Libyan consultations to revive the nuclear cooperation between the two countries and that there is a team of Russian experts currently in Tripoli to study the condition of the Libyan nuclear center that was established with the assistance of the former Soviet Union, asserting that the Libyan side wants to turn the center to a base for university research that could not be used in the nuclear weapons industry. Go

Kuwait renewed backing to Morocco's bid to host the 2006 World Cup. Kuwait will spare no effort to help Morocco win the bid to stage the planetary competition, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd, president of the Kuwaiti Football Federation and of the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee, said at a meeting with visiting Moroccan Youth and Sports Minister Ahmed Moussaoui. Go

A Saudi official source at the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the ministerial meeting of the joint Syrian-Saudi committee which was due on February 15 and 16 was postponed until the beginning of March. The postponement came at the request of the Saudi side and with the approval of the Syrian side. Go

The armed groups in Algeria carried out a new massacre in Khamis Malyana city, in the province of Ain Defla which claimed the life of 14 citizens while several others were wounded. The Algerian daily al-Khabar said on Tuesday that the security forces killed one armed group member in Awlad Seidi Ali area of Blida province. Go

Morocco's Karim Alami was ousted Tuesday at the first round of the $850,000 tournament of Rotterdam, Holland. Alami was squeezed out by Spanish Juan Carlos Ferrero in two sets, 6-7, 3-6. Go