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Short Takes:
An Iraqi delegation led by acting Foreign Minister Saad Abdul Majid Faisal arrived today in Tehran to hold talks with Iranian officials on normalizing relations between the two countries. Go

U.S. State Department Spokesperson James Rubin condemned in very strong words the statement by US House Speaker Newt Gingrich that the Secretary of State Albright "works for the Palestinians." Go

Peru and the PLO on Monday signed an accord in Lima providing for elevating the level of the PLO diplomatic mission to Peru into "special delegation" position. Go

Morocco's King Hassan II on Monday night received the president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, who is currently in a several-day private visit to Morocco. Go

Founder of Palestine's Hamas movement, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, has denied the transfer of the movement's headquarters to Damascus. Go

The Omani and Kuwaiti information ministers met in Muscat yesterday to discuss media cooperation, Oman News Agency reported. Go

Kuwait has summoned all its ambassadors and the heads of its diplomatic missions abroad to convene a meeting next Saturday with the Kuwaiti leadership. The meeting falls in the course of coordination and consultations regarding issues pertaining to Kuwaiti foreign policy in all Arab, regional and international circles. Go

The ninth regional conference on educational development in Arab states opened in Doha under the co-sponsorship of UNESCO and the Qatari National Committee for education, culture and science, Qatar News Agency reported. Go

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi met today with the secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Ezzeddine al-Iraqi, currently visiting Tehran to take part in the meetings of the dialogue, cooperation and confidence committee established among the Islamic states due to start deliberations tomorrow. Go

The UAE's Ministry of Health has drawn up a six-year plan to develop nursing services in the Gulf state, Khaleej Times reported. Go

Bahrain's Emir began a tour which will take him to France to meet with President Jacques Chirac and the U.S. where he will meet with President Bill Clinton and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Gulf News Agency reported. Go

Palestinians in East Jerusalem clashed with Israeli police over new settlements where Israeli settlers set up tin shacks in an Arab area of East Jerusalem, Nando Times reported. Go

Seven Algerians were killed in a market explosion in Khemis Miliana, 60 miles southwest of Algiers, Nando Times reported. Go

Chinese officials, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, said they support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, Fox News reported. Go

France detained 53 members of a suspected Islamic fundamentalist group with ties to the ongoing violence in Algeria prior to the start of World Cup soccer competition, Fox News reported. Go

Turkish troops entered Iraq to battle Kurdish PKK members there, CNN reported. Go

The US ambassador in Kuwait, James Larocco, expressed to deputies in the Kuwaiti Nations Council the US administration's opposition to Palestinian Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin's recent visit to Kuwait. Go

The economic meeting of the negotiation team between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the US will be held by the end of September this year in Washington. Go

The Algerian daily al-Khabar issued yesterday in Algiers said members of the municipal guards killed one member of the Armed Islamic Group in Bu Khalfa district in Teizi Ozo province. Go

Bahrain's Prime Minister Sheikh Khaleifa Bin Salman al-Khaleifa yesterday in Manama received a message from his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on recent developments on the Indian peninsula, bilateral relations between the two countries and issues of mutual concern. Go

Tunisia's ambassador in Cairo, Ahmed El-Mokadem, announced that the Tunisian - Libyan - Egyptian joint committee for businessmen, decided at the conclusion of its works yesterday to establish three projects with a joint capital of $500 million. Go

Egypt, represented by the diplomatic institute affiliated to the Foreign Ministry, is participating in a symposium for developing diplomatic training in the Arab states, to be held in Khartoum from June 15 - 17. Go

Syria's basketball team on Monday defeated Kuwait's team 82-76 in the Afro-Asian Cup winners championship, organized by the Kuwaiti Basketball Federation. This victory paves the way for the Syrian basketball teams to advance to the second round. The outstanding Syrian basketball player Muhammad Abu Saada was named as the man of the match. He was honored by the Kuwaiti Sheikh Duaij al-Sabah. Go

Yemeni Vice President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi has reiterated his country's desire to make its borders with Saudi Arabia a bridge of cooperation and communications for the interests of the two states and the region as a whole. Go

The ninth meetings of the INTERSPUTNIK International Organization of Space Communications opened in Damascus on Monday. The participants in the meeting are to examine various models pertaining to ground stations adopting INTERSPUTNIK's pattern, technical specifications and ground stations and modernizing ground stations systems to cope with the organization's new satellites. Go

President Hafez al-Assad on Monday received the commander chief of the North Korea's national defense committee, Marshal Zu Mung Dock, who delivered to a message from President Kim Chong-il, friendship and cooperation relations were reviewed. Go

At the conclusion of an urgent meeting the lasted till the late hours of last night in Gaza, the Palestinian Peace Group said that it will stop all its joint activities with Israeli peace groups due to the current political situation and the halt in the Middle East peace process. Go