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Official sources in the Iraqi Ministry of Culture and Information said Iraq allowed for the first time in more than 30 years the issuing of weekly civil newspapers. The sources said in press statements yesterday that this authorization will be granted according to qualifications that must be met, among which is that applicants must be from the press field, have press qualifications and be a working member of the journalists' union having higher education certificate and at least 25 years old. Go

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud left Bahrain yesterday to continue his regional tour in Iran. He was in Manama on Wednesday for a brief visit during which he held talks on regional and bilateral issues. The Gulf News Agency said that Lahoud had stressed before the Lebanese community in Qatar on Tuesday that comprehensive peace in the Middle East is only possible through Israel's complete withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese and Syrian territories and the realization of the right of the Palestinian people to return to their homes. Go

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday coming from Tehran on a visit to the United Arab Emirates. The UAE news agency stated that Sheikh Zayed received the Yemeni president immediately upon his arrival and that the two presidents exchanged views on "current Arab conditions, coordinating efforts between the two countries to strengthen Arab solidarity and the need of convening an Arab summit." Go

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday presented the US commander of the central command Gen. Antoine Zinni, with the Egyptian Order of Merit First Class. He held a ceremony for that purpose that was attended by Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Hassan Tantawi. Go

King Abdullah II of Jordan on Wednesday in Amman made a telephone call to Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gaddafi. During the telephone conversation, the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations, prospects of developing and boosting them and the current conditions in the region. Go

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara convened today in Damascus with Angel Miguel Moratinos, the European Union envoy for the Middle East peace process, who arrived in Damascus yesterday to discuss peace process and the results of his communications with the different parties concerned with the peace process in view of the Israeli declaration to withdraw from south Lebanon in July. Go

Saudi Arabia's second deputy premier and defense minister on Wednesday in Riyadh received Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and members of the accompanying delegation, currently visiting Saudi Arabia. Bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern were reviewed. Go

Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa Miro on Wednesday evening received Jordan's minister of agriculture, Hashem al-Shaboul for talks on cooperation between Syria and Jordan in agriculture. Syrian Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Asaad Mustafa attended the meeting. Go

Well-informed sources in Amman said on Wednesday that French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine will arrive in Amman today for a visit to Jordan which will last for several days. Go

Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani on Wednesday in Doha received a message from Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid pertaining to areas of cooperation between the two countries and means of strengthening and consolidating them. Go

The Egyptian Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Atef Ebeid agreed on project to establish an organization for industrial development and data technology to make plans and take all necessary decisions to promote the spread of advanced technology into Egypt. Go

Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Benbitour on Tuesday evening received in Algiers Czech Minister of Trade and Industry Miroslav Gregr, currently on an official visit to Algeria. Talks during the meeting dealt with means of revitalizing bilateral relations. Go

The al-Quds daily issued in the occupied Arab territories said on Wednesday, quoting Israeli sources, that the settlement council in the occupied Golan is working to build a new settlement to accommodate the members of the pro-Israel South Lebanon Army and their families and proposed to have this settlement built in the Banias area in the Golan. The paper stated that the proposal to build this settlement was made by Yehuda Wollman, the chairman of the council, in a message he sent to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who has not yet answered this message. Go

A military official for the Palestinian Fatah Movement in Lebanon, Munir al-Maqdah, stated on Wednesday that the resistance will continue until Israel recognizes all the rights of the Palestinian refugees to their homeland, according to UN resolution 194. Go

650 companies from 50 countries agreed to participating in the activities of the Arab travel fair that will be held on May 2- 5 in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. The fair aims at increasing the tourism coming to the Gulf area in general. VISA International is a sponsor in the fair, aiming at increasing awareness of using bank credit cards instead of cash. Go

A US congressional delegation headed by William Archer met on Tuesday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Foreign Minister Amr Moussa and People's Assembly Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sorour. The delegation also met with members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. "Without reaching a fair and comprehensive peace in the region, tangible economic progress could not be achieved," Archer said during his meeting with the chamber's members, an Egyptian statement reported. Archer added, "There is a need to introduce more amendments to the customs system in Egypt according to World Trade Organization's standards so as to attract more US investments to Egypt." Go

The weekly Yemeni Balagh newspaper said yesterday that wife of the British ambassador in Sanaa announced that she is becoming a Moslem after a deep study of the Islamic religion, clarifying that wife of the ambassador wore Islamic garb and expressed her strong admiration of Islamic traditions and family cooperation ties among members of Islamic society. Go

Three persons were killed while four others were injured, among which were three militants, in attacks related to armed groups in Algeria. Algerian security sources stated yesterday that a member of the municipal guard was killed in an attack that was launched by an armed group 10 kilometers east of Algiers, adding that another attack took place due to which one man was killed while his father was injured when an armed group attacked a ranch in the Mascara area, 60 kilometers west of Algiers. Go

Workers at Qatar's HBK Constructing Co. are striking, though their strike was ruled to be illegal by the Labor Department because the strikers' demand for a meal allowance is not included in their contract, Gulf Times reported. Go