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

Short Takes:
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad has announced that King Abdullah II of Jordan is to visit Kuwait during the coming days. In a statement to the Kuwaiti daily al-Watan issued on Saturday, Sheikh al-Ahmad welcomed the Jordanian king, adding that Jordanian - Kuwaiti relations have realized great strides towards joint cooperation in various fields. Go

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud on Sunday received Bashar al-Assad, son of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. The meeting was attended by the chief of the Syrian intelligence department with the Syrian troops in Lebanon, Ghazi Kanaan. Go

Bahraini Crown Prince and Defense Minister Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad al-Khaleifa announced in Algeria on Sunday that he will discuss with Algerian officials means of strengthening bilateral relations between the two states in various fields. Go

The chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Ahmad Qrei, called in a statement to the London-based al-Hayat daily for convening a summit meeting between Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Replying to a question on the possibility of convening a summit bringing together al-Assad and Arafat, Qrei added that the "Syrian - Palestinian meeting is required," saying, "Openness and frankness to open confidence should be made available so as to withstand the coming phase." Go

Moroccoan chess champion Nawal El-Amri recently won Portugal's international chess tournament of Faro devoted to those under the age of 18. El-Amri gained the title after winning six points. The second place was shared between Igor Krafchenko of Ukrenia and Diego Costa of Portugal. Go

The Sudanese army's deputy commander in chief, Lt. Gen. Muhammad Othman Yassin, has reasserted Sudan's commitiment to a complete ceasefire with the Sudanese rebels, announced one week ago. The Sudanese al-Rai al-Am daily quoted Lt. Gen. Yassin as saying that the ceasefire declaration came from a position of power with the control of the Sudanese army on the stage of military operations in the south and the east. Go

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has called for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to implement the agreements he signed with the Palestinian side in a secure and precise way. In a speech he delivered in Gaza on Saturday, Arafat stressed the fixed Palestinian positoin in favor of establishing the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as a capital. Go

Syrian Tourism Minister Danhu Daoud chaired a meeting in Damascus of the delegation to take part in the meetings of the joint Syrian - Turkish tourism committee. The committee opens its meetings in Ankara today at the invitation of the Turkish minister of tourism. Go

The secretary general of the opposition Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Nayef Hawatemah, announced on Saturday the postponement of the meeting he is to hold with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat for the fifth time. Hawatemah told Monte Carlo radio that the reason behind the postponement is that the two sides delegations have not completed reports for the meeting. Go

Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss stated taht Beirut has a stable position of refusing to settle the Palestinian refugees in its lands and confirming their right to their home. Go

Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khaleifa al-Thani on Sunday in Gaza called on Israel to implement immediately all agreements signed with the Palestinians. In a statement, Sheikh Hamad said the international community is convinced that comprehensive peace is not attainable without Israel's implementation of all international legitimacy resolutions. Go

Eritrea has officially accepted the details of the proposals submitted by the Organization of African Unity to end border disputes with Ethiopia. In a statement released on Sunday in Asmara, the Eritrean Foreign Ministry said Eritrean President Issias Afwerki told the delegation of the OAU, under the chairmanship of Algerian special delegate Ahmad Ouyahia, of Eritrea's acceptance during a meeting held on Saturday night. Ouyahia is expected to officially ask Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to accept the peace proposals in Addis Ababa. Go

The Bahraini Fund Establishment (central bank) has licensed the establishment of a new Islamic investment bank at a total paid capital of US $62 million. In a statement the establishment said the new investment bank will work according to the principles of Islamic Sharia with the participation of financial institutions and individuals from the Arab Gulf states. Go

The Pakistani Mujahedi Bader group said on Saturday that one of its leaders has met with Saudi billionaire Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan on Friday amid strong security measures out of fears of possible US attacks. In a statement, the group said that its leader, Nasser Ahmad Mujahid, met with Bin Laden in Daronta situated northwest of Jalalabad town, noting that Bin Laden moved to another place immediately following the meeting. Go

A Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture source said that Jordan has not been formally informed of a reported Saudi decision to temporarily ban the import of chicken products and fodder due to concerns of dioxin contamination, the Jordanian news agency, Petra, reported. Go

The April Understanding Monitoring Committee is due to meet on Thursday at UNIFIL headquarters in the Lebanese town of al-Naqoura to examine three Lebanese complaints concerning the Israeli shelling of al-Mansouri town, during which two soldiers in the Lebanese army were injured and Lebanese civilian possessions were harmed. Go