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Short Takes:
On what impressions Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa on Monday in Cairo got during the talks he held in his recent visit to Damascus ( on Sunday) concerning the Palestinian track Moussa said, "The Syrians, at the meantime, are concerned with the track of negotiations with Israel and they will not obstruct nor attack the Palestinian track". Go

The Lebanese paper al-Mustaqbil reported that an Egyptian official source did not rule out that the coming days will witness a Syrian - Egyptian summit between President Hafez al-Assad and President Hosni Mubarak. Replying to a question on the date of the meeting, the source said that the possible meeting between the two presidents is expected to take place during next week. Go

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Tuesday in Algiers received a telephone call from Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, during which al-Bashir gave assurances to his Algerian counterpart on the conditions in Sudan following the declaration of a state of emergency in it and the dissolution of the Sudanese Parliament. Go

King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia has renewed Saudi Arabia's backing for Syria in its efforts to restore its complete rights. In a meeting of the Saudi Cabinet he presided over on Monday, King Fahd indicated "the progress attained over the agreement attained to resume negotiations between Syria and Israel from where they left off." He stressed Saudi Arabia's backing for Syria "to restore its full rights," the Saudi News Agency reported. Go

A well-informed Saudi source has denied the content of a report published by the al-Quds al-Arabi issued in the Palestinian territories in its Monday's issue in which it quoted the Israeli daily Maariv that there are claimed trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Israel. In a statement to the Saudi news agency broadcast on Tuesday, the Saudi source that these claims are fabricated and baseless. Go

Sudan informed the Arab League yesterday about the latest developments there in light of Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir's decision to dissolve the parliament and impose a state of emergency in the country for three months. This came during a meeting held by Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid with Sudan's permanent delegate to the AL, Ahmed El-Haleem. Abdul Meguid stated that, "The general trusteeship considers what happened in Sudan an internal affair, and what concerns us is that the Sudanese people succeed in agreeing on steps for achieving national rapport." Go

The Sudanese ambassador to Cairo, Ahmed Abd El-Haleem, denied reports broadcast by foreign radio and news agencies that Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismael presented his resignation to Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir to protest the procedures made by Sudanese president. The Sudanese ambassador told ArabicNews.com, "This news has nothing to do with truth," and that he held communications "with the Sudanese officials who absolutely denied what was said about the resignation." Go

Syria asserted the importance that the talks that are being held in Washington today between Syria and Israel with US participation must have sincere intentions and positive stances that express a real desire to establish peace, expressing its hope that these talks will be a serious start toward converting the current important moment in the history of the peace process into a continuos condition based on a comprehensive and just peace in the area. Go

Israel's Coordinator of Government Operations in Lebanon, Uri Lubrani, met on Monday evening with the commander of the Israeli-allied militias in South Lebanon, Antoine Lahd, in the presence of the commander of the northern area in the Israeli Army, Major General Gabi Ashkenazi. Go

US sources told the Kuwaiti daily al-Qabas in its Tuesday issue that the Republicans in the US Congress will refuse to have the US treasury bear the costs of the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, estimated at US $18 billion, including the expenditures to dismantle the settlements. These sources added that the Republicans will invest this "their very stand" in the campaign of the forthcoming presidential elections in the US. Go

Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gaddafi on Monday evening received a message from Djibouti's President Ismael Omar Guelleh. The message is connected to the results of the recent summit of the IGAD group, held in Djibouti, its resolutions to settle regional problems and the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia as well as the situation in Sudan. Go

The Algerian Ministry of the Interior announced on Tuesday that it had arrested the killer of Abdelkader Hachani, one of the leaders of the banned Islamic Salvation Front less than one month after his assassination. In a statement, the ministry said that the killer is named Boulemia Fouaed. Born in 1973, he is single and unemployed, and he had with him the identity card of the victim Hachani and the weapon used in the assassination, the statement said. Go

Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has renewed his invitation to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to visit Saudi Arabia shortly. It was, however, stated in Algeria that Butaflika reviewed in a telephone call with the Saudi crown prince means of strengthening relations between Saudi Arabia and Algeria. President Butaflika is expected by the year 2000 to make a tour on the Middle East and the Gulf states. Go

Mauritania has expressed concern over the growing threat of migrant locusts in its northern areas. Mauritanian rural development and environment minister, Col. Mohamed Ould Sid Ahmed Lakhal, was quoted by the press as saying that swarms of 21 to 25,000 locusts were located in Northern Mauritania and southern Morocco. Go

In framework of Egypt's preparations to celebrate the third millenium before the biggest pyramid in Giza governorate with the sunset of December 31, a French shipping airplane is to arrive tomorrow at Cairo port carrying special equipment for light and sound effects weighing 88 tons that are accompanied by a French team to activate it according to the demand of French musician Jean Michael Jarre, the director and composer of the celebration. Egyptian television will broadcast the celebration through its regular channels in addition to 700 television stations in all over the world that will broadcast parts of it. Go

FIFA president, Joseph Blater, sent a congratulations message to the Moroccan Raja club of Casablanca, following its victory last Sunday in the final of the African Champions League. Raja won the trophy after it defeated Esperance of Tunis in Tunisia. This is the third time that Raja wins the title after 1989 and 1997. Go

Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Salem al-Sabah said that US and Kuwaiti teams that are assigned to investigate the accident of the emergency landing of a US military transport jet at Kuwaiti International Airport on December 10 are still continuing. Go

The United Arab Emirates has expressed its support for Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir, Khaleej Times reported. It quoted UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan as saying, "The UAE expresses its support for the Sudanese leadership and for the decisions it has taken in order to ensure and protect the national unity of the Sudanese people." Go

Qatar's Technology Services Group is building a QR3.6 million plant, to begin operation in six months, to process waste paper into "handmade" paper for sale, Gulf Times reported. Go

The Jordanian government is working on establishing a contingency plan for water involving rationing and drilling new wells, Jordan Times reported. Go

The UAE Contractors Association is working for a nationwide construction code and updating of the country's construction requirements, Gulf News reported. Go