Today's Headlines
- Saudi Arabia approves Rafsanjani's visit to Shiite districts
The Saudi government's approval of Rafsanjani's visit to these areas is a landmark in the Saudi-Iranian relations which have entered "a new phase," according to the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. Saudi Arabia-Turkey, Politics, 2/27/1998
- Lebanese resistance takes back Deir Klab from Israeli troops
Lebanese resistance on Friday afternoon destroyed an armored vehicle while confronting the Israeli military buildup, just 200 meters from the enemy Deir Klab site which the resistance has already seized. Lebanon-Israel, Military, 2/27/1998
- World Court deals Libya a victory on Lockerbie
Libya won a victory today in the International Court of Justice, which ruled that it has jurisdiction to deal with a dispute between Libya and the United States over the extradition of two Libyan suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie Scotland. Libya, Judicial, 2/27/1998
- Palestinians in Jerusalem denied identity cards
Palestinians argue that from the start of the military occupation in 1967, Israel wanted to rid the city of Jerusalem of its Arab majority in order to increase the Jewish presence and achieve a demographic change that would serve its political ambitions in the city. Palestine-Israel, Politics, 2/27/1998
- Chirac shows strong commitment to Iraq on accord
Russia reiterated its rejection of the use of force against Baghdad, noting it will resume arms shipments to Iran if Iraq is exposed to a US aggression. Iraq, International, 2/27/1998
- Egypt arrests group with plans to blow up Israeli and U.S. embassies
Egyptian security forces arrested members of a new organization who planned to carry out violent attacks in Cairo, including the blowing up of foreign embassies. Egypt, Local, 2/27/1998
- Reconciliation between Iraq and Kuwait to take place
The Iraqi newspaper El-Zawraa said the head of the Arab Parliamentary Union made communications between Iraq and Kuwait aiming to initiate a reconciliation very soon. Kuwait-Iraq, International, 2/27/1998
- Khaddam and El-Sharaa will visit Tehran
Damascus had postponed the visit by Khaddam and al-Sharaa two weeks before the last monument, so not to imply that a bilateral alliance formed between the two countries against the US, especially concerning the Iraqi crisis. Syria-Iran, Politics, 2/27/1998
- Egyptian foreign minister denies crisis with Ethiopia
Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, who is participating in the African foreign ministers' conference in Addis Ababa, denied that there is any crisis between Egypt an Ethiopia resulting from "water projects," confirming that Egypt has no objections over the Ethiopian projects. Egypt, Politics, 2/27/1998
- Five Israel soldiers killed, wounded in south Lebanon
Israeli security sources said on Thursday that three Israeli soldiers were killed and another two were wounded in an attack by the Lebanese national resistance against military positions in Balat village in the occupied strip of south Lebanon. Lebanon-Israel, Military, 2/27/1998
- Jordan postpones meetings with Israel
A Jordanian source said the meetings were postponed due to unresolved points between the two parties regarding the preliminary steps for signing an agreement that will arrange commercial relations between the states for the current year. Jordan-Israel, Politics, 2/27/1998
- Pan-Islamic agreement against terrorism
Experts from 24 OIC member countries have drawn up a draft bill for an Islamic agreement to fight terrorism, to be submitted to the OIC foreign ministers during their meeting in Doha in mid-March. Regional, Politics, 2/27/1998
- Morocco to increase number of telephone lines
The Moroccan bureau of communications confirmed that its investments in the coming two years will include establishing 900,000 new telephone lines and 170,000 satellite telephone lines in addition to connecting 1,200 villages. Morocco, Business, 2/27/1998
- Mobile phones coming to Tunisia as costs drop
The Tunisian communications corporation recently reduced the cost of telephone calls by amounts varying from 10% to 50%. Tunisia, Business, 2/27/1998
- Increasing concrete production in Yemen
The Yemeni Ministry of Industry plans to increase Yemeni concrete production to 3 million tons annually by raising the production of the three main factories in the country and adding two other new factories. Yemen, Business, 2/27/1998
Short Takes
- Qatar and France will hold joit military exercises during March, Qatar News Agency reported. Go
- Marking the seventh anniversary of liberating their country from Iraqi occupation between 1990-1991, Kuwait has demanded the release of hundreds of missing Kuwaiti people believed to be held in Iraq, MENA reported. Go
- Sudanese rebels said they killed 80 government soldiers and took another 14 captive in eastern Sudan, CNN reported. Go
- Lebanon's Prime Minister Rafik Hariri continued meetings with Lebanese officials over the 1998 budget and funding development projects, Lebanon News Wires reported. Go
- Dr. Sami Sherief, the undersecretary of the Iraqi Ministry of Petroleum, said his country has not yet received large quantities of spare parts, agreed upon within the oil-for-food agreement, to maintain the Turkish - Iraqi pipeline. Go
- A latest census conducted the Palestinian government Central Bureau of Statistics showed that the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem amounts to 2,890,630 with 1.65 million in the West Bank, 1.02 million in Gaza Strip, 210,000 in East Jerusalem, and another 325,000 Palestinians who have rights to be Jerusalem residents spent over a year abroad. Go
- Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz on Thursday asked French President Jacques Chirac in a phone conversation to help revive the ME peace process and to exert pressure on Israel, thereby commiting itself to implementing UN resolutions and signed between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Go
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