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Short Takes:
The first religious Judge in Damascus, Adel Bundul, said on Tuesday that he had not seen the crescent moon of Ramadan (the fasting month for Muslims). He added that December 9 will be the first day of Ramadan. Go

Official Sudanese sources stated that the final arrangements for the meeting between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Sudanese President Omar Hassan El-Bashir in Cairo will take place in the second half of the current month. The sources said that all the disputes obstructing the visit have been avoided and that the meeting will tackle the latest developments of the Libyan - Egyptian initiative and the obstacles facing its success, as well as the Djibouti initiative between the head of the opposition Ummah Party, El-Sadek El-Mahdi, and El-Bashir, which was supervised by Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh. Go

Tunisian President Zein El-Abidin Ben Ali expressed his thanks and gratitude for the welcome he and his accompaning delegation received during their visit to Egypt lately. He also expressed in a letter of thanks received by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after the official visit lately that intimacy prevailed in the talks on points of view, finding conformity in all topics of joint concern. Go

Abd El-Monem Saudi, Egypt's ambassador to Algeria, managed in his endeavors and intensive communications with high-ranking Algerian officials in the Transportation Ministry and the Algerian authorities in order to set free an Egyptian crew that works on the ship Mickey, which was detained by Algeria's harbor authorities for two weeks. Egyptian diplomatic sources in Algeria said the crew includes five members, among which is the captain, adding that the ship, owned by a Greek company, and its crew will leave Algeria during the nexy few hours. Go

The April Understanding Monitoring Committee on Tuesday held a meeting at the headquarters of UNIFIL at the Lebanese border town of al-Naqoura. The committee was to discuss several Lebanese complaints of continued violations of the provisions of the understanding by the Israeli occupation forces and their attacks on civilians and residential areas in south Lebanon and its western Bekaa. Go

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will start an Arab tour on December 18. It will cover the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt. The Algerian daily al-Khabar said this visit will come after the first meeting of the new Algerian Cabinet, which will be headed by Smail Hamdani. Go

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Monday night issued a general pardon for those who are accused of the explosions that took place in Khartoum last year. In a statement following the release of the pardon, al-Bashir said that this pardon is in compliance with the policy of peace and reconciliation taking place in Sudan at the present. Go

Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz on Monday night in Riyadh received US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and members of her accompanying delegation. Present at the meeting was Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. Go

Bahraini Prime Minister Sheikh Salman Bin Khaleifa al-Khaleifa on Tuesday received an official invitation to visit China to attend China's celebrations of Macau island's return to Chinese sovereignty. The Gulf News Agency said that the Chinese ambassador to Bahrain, Pan Xiangkang, delivered the message to Sheikh Salman during their meeting on Tuesday. Go

Bahrain's crown prince and commander general of the Bahrain defense force, Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad al-Khaleifa, on Tuesday received a message from Kuwaiti Crown Prince and Premier Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah dealing with fraternal relations between the two countries and there development in all areas. Go

The first propane storage facility in Morocco is being completed in Jarf Lasfar harbor on the Atlantic ocean, 100 km south of Casablanca. Go