We are looking for sales & marketing representatives in different countries. Apply now!

Short Takes:
Thanks for all those who sent statements of support about our notice of ArabicNews.com and its publisher being harassed and its work interfered with. For those who wanted to know who was doing the harassing, we thought we were very clear when we said we would like ex- US Senator Danforth to look into this issue. This is very serious matter! We are making accusation that a US press publication is being "very actively" interfered with by the government. At this point, we don't trust the government "agencies" investigating this issue. We are asking for an "outsider" to look into this. We believe that the White House and Congress are aware of this issue. ArabicNews.com is the leading online publication about Arab news and this issue cannot be dismissed by silence. We are very guarded with our use of words. We want our file to be open! And this issue dealt with. Someone is making a huge mess out of the First Amendment and using some god-knows-what as an excuse to be able to do this at the official level. Is this the new McCarthyism against Americans of Arab descent or of Muslim religion? We are asking for an answer. Go

The Syrian authorities released four political detainees in the framework of the new openness policy and improving the liberties began by the Syrian government. Bashar al-Assad, son of the Syrian president, said, "We should not confiscate the other opinion," emphasizing the importance of discussion and establishing the right of free thought. He added that the situation in Syria is witnessing an improvement and that there will be no peace without regaining back all Syrian lands. Go

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa headed to Zambia on a two-day visit carrying a message from Egyptian president to Zambian President Frederick Chiluba and to attend meetings of the foreign ministers of Comesa (the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa). Go

An Egyptian economy delegation headed by Egyptian Economy Minister Yusuf Botrous Ghali is to arrive in Baghdad tomorrow with more than 40 Egyptian businessmen and heads of holding companies to discuss joint cooperation during the seventh stage of the oil-for-food agreement that will be carried out next month. Go

Syrian sources stated that Iraq will reopen its consulate in Damascus, as employees in the Iraqi interests department arrived in Damascus, and that Syria has no objections toward exchanging opening the two states' embassies. The sources said the disputes which led to these conflicts are over, and Iraq should not go on in its isolation much longer, adding that the Arab states become convinced that the Arab states' commitment toward carrying out UN resolutions was great and that Israel has not implemented one resolution since 1948. Go

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara is resuming today his discussions in Paris in Damascus' adherence to informing all the parties concerned with the Middle East peace process about the real situation in the area. Syrian sources told ArabicNews.com that al-Shara informed French officials topped by President Jacques Chirac and Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine about the Syrian stance toward the peace process in south Lebanon and all the obstacles confronting the Syrian peace track, especially in light of the Israeli obstinacy toward withdrawal to the June 4, 1967 borders. Go

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak received a phone call yesterday evening from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Sources in the general office of the Egyptian presidency said the phone call tackled the latest developments in the Middle East peace process and the current communications among the concerned parties on different tracks. The sources said it also addressed exchanges of points of view concerning numerous issues and the current negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian governments concerning the final status of the Palestinian track. Go

Kuwaiti Crown Prince and Prime Minister Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah on Tuesday in Kuwait received Tunisian Foreign Minister Habib Bin Yahia, currently visiting Kuwait. Go

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud on Tuesday at Beirut's Baabda palace received the director general of the Arab Labor Organization, Ibrahim Qweider, and members of the accompanying delegation. Cooperation projects between the organization and the Lebanese government and labor and economic issues were reviewed. Go

King Mohammed VI received on Tuesday in the northern Moroccan city of Tangier Admiral Charles S. Abbot, deputy commander in chief of the US European Command. Admiral Abbot arrived Monday in Morocco for a three-day visit, during which he will confer with officials on ways to enhance Moroccan-US relations. Go

The Sudanese authorities undertook calling international observers to supervise the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for October, asserting the importance of international observers' supervision to guarantee purity in the elections. The Carter Center headed by former US President Jimmy Carter will participate in observing the Sudanese elections. Go

Qatari Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture Ali bin Mohamed al-Khater discussed rising water levels in Doha with a team of Japanese consultants, Gulf Times reported. Go

Tom Nutley, the head of Reed Travel Exhibitions, and Matt Thompson, manager of Mediterranean Travel Fair (MTF), thanked the EgyptAir family headed by Mohammed Fahim Rayan and Isaad Mandour, head of the commercial sector, for the facilities presented to the participants in the MTF in its first session in the airline's capacity as the main host for the fair. They also discussed means of getting ready for the second session, which will be held on September 24 - 26, 2001. Go

US Congressman Tony Hall who just returned from a visit to Iraq told PBS's NewHour on Tuesday that the Iraqi president is using the Iraqis' condition for propaganda purposes. He also added that in Iraq "you see malnourished children and they have distended stomachs, you know, red hair. They have spots all over their hair. They... there is certainly a lot of wasting among children. Wasting is a term that they use in countries that are facing famine. 25-30% of the children that are from the ages of one to six are chronically malnourished. There is cholera, and polio has come back with a vengeance, all of the major diseases. Any time you have cholera and the major diseases like this, you have a country that's going downhill quickly health-wise." Go

Morocco's tennis players, Hicham Arazi and Karim Alami, made it Tuesday to the second round of the $1-million tournament of Barcelona. Go

The Emirates Banking Group announced the launch of Tricolour Investments Limited (TIL), which will seek investments from the Gulf region in India, Khaleej Times reported. Go

Investments of $350 million will be made in the next three years by Elf Petroleum Qatar, part of TotalFinaElf, to develop the capacity of the offshore Al Khaleej field to 80,000 barrels per day, Gulf News reported. Go

Omani Minister of Commerce and Industry Maqbool bin Ali Sultan is to leave today for India to head the Omani delegation to the Omani- Indian joint committee, Oman News Agency reported. Go