Today's Headlines
- Al-Assad received Tunisian prime minister
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday received the Tunisian prime minister Muhammad al-Ghanoushe, currently in an official visit to Syria to preside his country's delegation to the meetings of the 4th session of the Syrian- Tunisian joint higher committee. Syria-Tunisia, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Demonstrations to receive Powell in Beirut and then in Damascus; Lahoud rejects security guarantees
The US secretary of state Collin Powel will arrive in Beirut today and will leave for Damascus in the same day in two "sudden" visits, the Israeli sources say these two visits are in coordination with the government of Tel Aviv, while American official references said that the aim of this visit was to direct a sort of warning to Lebanon and Syria Lebanon-USA, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Morocco resolutely embarking on reforms, official
Morocco has resolutely embarked on an irreversible path of reforms, geared towards the consolidation of institutions and of political stability. Morocco, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Al-Assad confers with al-Hariri
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday met with the Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri who paid a short visit to Damascus. Discussions dealt with conditions in the region and in the Palestinian territories as well as bilateral relations, according to the press office of the Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al- Hariri. Lebanon-Syria, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Arafat- Powell meeting positive
Egyptian Foreign Minister Maher described Sunday's meeting between Arafat and the US. Secretary of State Colin Powell as positive despite the hesitation prior to it. Egypt-Palestine, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Kuwaiti official in Morocco with message to King Mohammed VI
Kuwaiti state minister to foreign affairs, Sheikh Mohamed Sabah Assalem Al-Sabah, arrived in Rabat Monday with a message to King Mohammed VI from the ruler of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah. Morocco-Kuwait, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Moussa discusses providing protection for Palestinians
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa starts on Monday a our-day visit to Switzerland and Britain during which he is scheduled to hold talks with the UN Human Rights Commissioner and the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as well as with British Foreign Minister Jack Straw. Regional-Palestine, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Amnesty international, human right groups slam Israeli practices
If a state's army committed what Israel's have done, it should immediately be put on trial; Palestine-Israel, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Moussa updated on outcome of Arafat Powell meeting
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa met late Sunday with Palestinian Planning and International Cooperation Minister Nabil Shaath. Palestine-Regional, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Vatican launches war against Israeli crimes
The Vatican launched a semi-official warfare against Israel terming its re-occupation of Palestinian territories as genocide against the Palestinian people, due to which the international community must intervene. Palestine-Vatican, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Maher: Washington will not permit the failure of Powell's mission
The Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Maher announced that the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon was defeated by the Palestinian resistance and the world's support for the Palestinian people. Egypt-USA, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Powell describes his talks with Arafat as constructive
The US secretary of state Collin Powell described his talks with the chairman of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat which lasted more than three hours at his besieged headquarters in Ramullah as "useful and constructive." Palestine-USA, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Annan calls for middle east force
In a brief press encounter with reporters in Geneva Sunday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan was asked about the situation in the Middle East, and he discussed his concern about the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian refugee camps, saying, "Once we get access to the camps, I think we are all going to have a lot of work to do." Palestine-Israel, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Syria denies to have summoned reserve army forces
The London- based al-Hayat daily said in its Saturday issue that well-informed sources denied Syria to have summoned the reserve forces in the Syrian army. Syria-Israel, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Mubarak receives Chinese Official
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday received visiting Chinese Education Minister Chen Zhili Education Minister Hussein kamel Bahaa-Eddin attended the meeting. Egypt-China, Education, 4/15/2002
- Maher phones Arafat on situation in Palestinian territories
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher phoned Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah late Sunday. Egypt-Palestine, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Saudi donation campaign for Palestinians is not a provocation to violence: US
The White House has stated that the donation campaigns organized by the Saudi TV for the interests of the Palestinian people doe not fall in the context of provoking violence. Saudi Arabia-Palestine, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Khatami confers with al-Qaddoumi
The Iranian radio said on Sunday that the Iranian President Muhammad Khatami on Saturday evening received the chairman of the PLO political department Farouk al-Qaddoumi, currently visiting Tehran. Palestine-Iran, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Saudi Arabia denies Swiss authorities to have frozen assets in the Kingdom
A Saudi charity establishment which takes Riyadh as a headquarters has denied that the Swiss authorities have frozen its assets or asked to freeze its assets in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Palestinians are serious in observing their commitments of Israelis withdraw from West Bank
Amidst indications that US diplomacy could succeed in putting an end to the current dilemma in the Palestinian territories, Secretary of State Colin Powell wound up his meeting at noon yesterday with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at his besieged headquarters in Ram Allah with encouraging statements. Palestine-USA, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Abul Gheit stresses need to dispatch international troops to protect Palestinians
Egypt's permanent delegate to the United Nations Ambassador Ahmed Abul Gheit urged the international community to take swifter steps to send international troops to the region to protect Palestinians from "the barbaric Israeli aggression." Egypt-Palestine, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Hamas vows to continue resistance
The Palestinian resistance movement ( Hamas ) on Sunday stressed that it will continue resistance as far as the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories continues. Palestine-USA, Politics, 4/15/2002
- European delegation in Baghdad
The delegation includes 130 figures, parliamentarians, physicians, journalists, authors and university students in addition to British and French persons who took part in the US-led aggression on Iraq in 1991. Iraq-European Union, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Belgium to boycott Israeli trade
Sources in the diamond sector in Belgium have informed their Israeli counterparts that the Belgian authorities is thinking of boycotting the Israeli trade in protest of its practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to the Israeli daily Haartez. Israel-Belgium, Economics, 4/15/2002
- Positive results for strategy on boosting Egyptian exports
There is tangible positive outcome for the Egyptian comprehensive strategy on enhancing exports, especially that last year witnessed an increase of exports by $ 1.9 billion, according to Minister of Foreign Trade Youssef Boutros Ghali. Egypt, Economics, 4/15/2002
- Trucks laden with relief aid arrive at Rafah checkpoint
Four trucks laden with dairy products and mineral water arrived Sunday at Rafah checkpoint on their way to the Palestinian self-rule areas. Egypt-Palestine, Local, 4/15/2002
- Morocco sends ministerial delegation to Dakar's African development conference
A Moroccan ministerial delegation, comprising trade, industry, energy and mining minister Mustapha Mansouri and transports and merchant navy minister, Abdesslam Znined, arrived on Sunday in Dakar to take part in the international conference on the financing of the NEPAD (New Partnership for African Development) taking place this April 15-16. Morocco, Economics, 4/15/2002
- Syria, UNICEF sign master plan of cooperation for 2002- 2006
Alami said that it is a good opportunity that the two sides are meeting to place a new stone in the foundation of the great works carried out in Syria in collaboration between Syrian sides concerned and the UNICEF Syria, Culture, 4/15/2002
- Morocco attends annual meetings of Arab finance bodies in Algiers
Some 20 Arab finance ministers and governors of central banks will attend the meetings in addition to 300 bankers. Regional-Algeria, Economics, 4/15/2002
- Presidential elections in Comoros
Presidential elections in Comoros started in Moroni, the capital of the greater Comoros island, the greatest island in the federation of Comoros island after President Othman Ghazali had submitted his resignation. Comoros, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Israel: imprisonment or expulsion for persons besieged in Nativity church
Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has put two options before the 200 Palestinians who are besieged In the Nativity Church either to be jailed or exiled for ever. Palestine-Israel, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Eritrea approves border definition with Ethiopia
Eritrea on Sunday approved the decision taken by the international committee concerning the border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia issued on Saturday in the Hague and considered it as final and can not be backtracked, besides being a victory for both countries. Eritrea-Ethiopia, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Britain bans weapons to Israel
Britain for the first time since 20 years imposed a ban of British weapons it sells to Israel, according the British daily the Guardian in its Saturday's issue. Israel-UK, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Three Moroccans in Georgetown University Symposium on Arab Novel
Three Moroccan writers participated in a symposium on the Arab Novel: visions of social reality, sponsored by the Arab contemporary studies center of the Georgetown University. Morocco-USA, Culture, 4/15/2002
- Banks must merge to survive
Bank mergers are hitting the headlines once again. Mergers are a way of creating a more efficient banking sector offering a better quality of service that is capable of coping with market fluctuations and risks, providing credit for customers and investors, and protecting depositor's money. Egypt, Economics, 4/15/2002
- Israeli economy paralyzed, amid increasing Arab calls for boycotting Israel
Studies are under way to find out means of dealing with the pro-Israeli economies, Abu Ismail noted. Palestine-Regional, Politics, 4/15/2002
- Bibliotheca Alexandrina and fostering Arab dialogue with all nations
The library promises an unlimited potential of cooperation between Egypt, the heart of the Arab World, and the West, said the poet Mahdi Bondoq. Egypt-Regional, Culture, 4/15/2002
Short Takes
- US secretary of state Colin Powell arrived in Damascus today. He was met at the airport by Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa. Go
- Kuwaiti Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed Al-Sabah was due in Cairo Sunday evening on a visit to Egypt during which he is to convey a message from Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al- Sabah to President Hosni Mubarak. Go
- Eye- witnesses said on Sunday that a demonstration included 5,000 persons started from the city of Hamad to the south of the capital Manama in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in particular called for expelling of the American ambassador from Bahrain. Go
- Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak said she felt sorry for the painful events in the occupied territories. In an interview with Italian newspapers, Mrs. Mubarak said two years ago we thought a peace agreement was imminent.Regrettably Israel violated basic Human Rights and UN Resolutions, whereas the international community seems toothless. Go
- US Secretary of State Colin Powell telephoned President Mubarak to brief him on the results of his talks with Arafat and Sharon and the ideas tackled during the meetings. He told the President that he would sustain efforts for narrowing the gap between the two sides standpoints. Go
- Morocco will dispatch, upon the order of King Mohammed VI, chairman of the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Committee, an emergency humanitarian assistance to the victims in villages and cities in the West Bank, the Moroccan foreign affairs and cooperation department said Monday in a release. Go
- The Foreign Ministers of European Union will discuss in Luxembourg today a wide array of measures for pressurizing Israel withdraw its troops from the Palestinian territories. The meeting will tackle the proposed German initiative combining Mitchell and Tenet plans and the Arab peace initiative that was raised during the latest Arab summit in Beirut. Go
- "First round of talks started between Iraq and Iran at Iraqi Foreign Ministry in Baghdad focused on discussing the humanitarian file and following up what have been implemented during previous meetings," INA reported yesterday. Iran lauded as great step-Iraq's decision on oil exports which came in a show of solidarity with Palestinian people. Go
- The Monte Carlo radio on Saturday said in the context of an interview with the Arab member in the Israeli Knesset Muhammad Barakeh that the Israeli army buries the "Palestinian martyrs" and victims of the Israeli bombardment of the occupied Palestinian territories in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. Go
- In its Sunday's issue, the London- based al-Hayat daily said, according to Lebanese ministerial sources that France has informed the Lebanese government its serious fears over Israeli preparations for an operation against Syria and Lebanon. Go
- The Lebanese security check points deployed in various parts of south Lebanon near the border with occupied Palestine have arrested three Palestinians from the camps of Tire while they were wandering in the area during Saturday evening. Go
- Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Monday dedicated a new dam in the rural locality of Aouzioua, 100 km east of the Moroccan southern town of Taroudant. The king, who named the reservoir Dam of Mohamed El Mokhtar Soussi, heard explanations on the facility which has a storing capacity of 50 million cubic meters, totally destined to the irrigation of 10,000 hectares of land. Go
- Total outcome of the donation campaign organized by the Saudi TV during the past three days for the victims of the Israeli aggression in the occupied Palestinian territories tolled 410 million Saudi riyals, besides material donations of a value estimated at tens of million Saudi Riyals. Go
- Germany temporarily suspended sales of military equipment to Israel, said German Defence Minister Rudolf Scharping, describing the German decision as an indication over the current situation in the Middle East. He denied that there are any relationship between the Middle East scene and imposing a ban on Israel. Go
- Four children of the Somali nationality were killed and the fifth escaped by a following the eruption of fire in one of Jeddah's quarters in Saudi Arabia on Saturday at dawn. Go
- Member of the Lebanese parliament Albert Mukheiber died in Beirut on Saturday morning at over 90 year old. Go
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