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Peter Michael Dingens, the German ambassador in Cairo, said strategic Egyptian - German consultations will be held in April, saying that these consultations do not mainly relate to the peace process or developing bilateral relations, but they will focus on topics of joint concern like combating terrorism, the developments in Iraq and Iran, and the situation in the Mediterranean Sea. Dingens told ArabicNews.com that there is tight cooperation between the Egyptian and German authorities in combating terrorism, referring to Germany's support for the Egyptian proposal of convening an international conference to combat terrorism under auspices of the UN. Go

Lebanese defense minister, Ghazy Zaiter, on Saturday said despite the clarity of resolution 425 which stipulated Israel's unconditional withdrawal from south Lebanon, Israel continued its aggressions and massacres against Lebanese citizens. In a statement, Zaiter added that the Israeli premier and chief of staff various stands were only maneuvers to weaken the Lebanese national resistance, the unity of the Syrian-Lebanese stands and the two tracks concomitance. Go

El Jadida city in Morocco will host a the 13th conference for the Arab economists union at the end of this month with the participation of Prince Hassan, the former Jordanian crown prince, and economy ministers from Syria, Algeria, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon. Heads of Arab banks and company officials in the economic councils and in Oman will also take part in addition to experts on Arab and foreign bonds. This session will be held under the slogan "toward a new vision of Arab integration." Go

Statistics issued by the Egyptian Economy Ministry said the volume of Egypt's external debts reaches $28.5 billion and that installments are currently being paid of 1.2 billion dollars annually. The Economy Ministry added that it was decided to borrow a limit of a billion dollars annually on special conditions from regional organizations and Arab funds according to the instructions of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak upon which the borrowing takes place, which are knowing the economic feasibility of the loan and laying any burdens on the state's budget to pay this loan. Go

Dubai will host on March 26 - 28 the first fair for the handicapped and aged in the Gulf Cooperation Council states under the auspices of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai and minister of industry and finance in the United Arab Emirates. Go

Yousef Shahin, the Egyptian director, is currently getting ready to writing a film about the death of Princess Diana and Emad El-Fayed. Shahin told ArabicNews.com that the love story between Diana and Dodi inspires him, and he will write a cinema script about this relationship, but from his personal point of view. Go

It was decided to establish an Arab - Portuguese business council in Cairo. A statement issued by the Portuguese embassy in Cairo said a preliminary agreement has been reached concerning establishing this council during the visit of a delegation of Portuguese businessmen to Egypt during last week. The statement said the council will be aimed at marketing Arab projects inside Portugal and marketing Portuguese projects inside the Arab markets. Go

US State Department Spokesman James Rubin said in a statement yesterday that Mideast peace talks will resume on the Palestinian - Israeli track on March 21 at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. to reach a framework agreement on the resolution of the final status issues and to address remaining interim issues. "The U.S. will be working with both sides to facilitate progress," the statement said. Go

The Palestinian government arrested two suspected members of a Hamas cell Thursday and a Nablus court charged them yesterday with possession of weapons and explosives and planning to damage the Palestinian government, CNN reported. Go

Israel's Defense Ministry has classified the Palestinian government as a state in terms of exports of military equipment, Haaretz reported. Go

Palestinian Minister of Social Affairs Intissar Al-Wazir announced Friday that she resigned to protest cuts in her department's budget. I have handed in my resignation to Palestinian president Yasser Arafat because I cannot accept the $300,000 cut in the Social Affairs Ministry's budget decided by the Finance Ministry, said Al-Wazir, better known as Oum-Jihad. Go

Tunisian statistics show that Tunisia's citrus production (oranges and tangerines) for the 1999/2000 season is estimated at nearly 2,252 tons, in comparison to 210,500 in the previous season. The statistics added that the citrus exports in March reached 19,397 tons in comparison of 13,974 tons for the same period in last year while the Tunisian government seeks to export 30,000 tons of citrus this year in comparison to 21,500 tons last season. Go

Moroccan tennisman, Hicham Arazi, was ousted Friday at the quarterfinals of the US Indian Wells tennis tournament after n.8 Ecuadorian Nicolas Lapenti beat him (6-2, 6-0). Go

The Palestinian government started making drafts for 20 laws to regulate economic activity in the Palestinian territories to prepare for establishing an independent states that will be announced in the last quarter of the current year. These laws aim at regulating the bond markets, investment incentives and customs exemptions, as well as others in the economic fields in order to enhance comprehensive development plans. Go

Algerian Minister of Communication and Culture Abdelmadjid Tebboune, visiting France, said after meeting with French Culture and Communications Minister Catherine Trautmann that he expects strong bilateral cooperation in the areas of culture and communications, Algerian News Agency reported. Go

Russia blocked the United Nations sanctions committee from questioning the Iranian mission to the UN about gasoil smuggling from Iraq, saying the committee should question Turkey first, CNN reported. Go

Kuwait plans to hold live-fire military exercises involving recently-purchased Chinese howitzers, Bahrain Tribune reported. Go

Livestock imports and meat sales in Bahrain are to be privatized by June and placed under control of the Bahrain Livestock Company in which the government will participate for five years, Gulf Daily News reported. Go