MEED Middle East Economic Digest articles from September 2006

MEED Middle East Economic Digest archives from September 2006

Firing the imagination.(COMMENT)(Editorial)
September 1, 2006... The death this week of the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz. one of the few Nobel laureates to come out of the Middle East. is a moment for both celebration and reflection. A time to celebrate the development of Arab literature in the 20th...

Tel Aviv rejects UN call to lift blockade: Israeli PM insists on full implementation of UN resolution 1701.(LEBANON)( Ehud Olmert )
September 1, 2006... Tel Aviv has rejected a call from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 30 August to lift its six-week air and sea blockade of Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rebuffed Annan's proposal, saying any relaxation of pressure on...

On the record.(SEVEN DAYS)(obituaries)(Obituary)
September 1, 2006... If the urge to write should ever Lleave me, leave me, I want that day to be my last Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz, who died on 30 August, aged 94, speaking in an interview after he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988

Looking back ...(Chronology)
September 1, 2006... 2 September 1966 UK-controlled South Arabia closes its border with Yemen in response to the murder of a Federal Council representative 30 August 1991 Prices for Brent crude surged by almost $2 a barrel to $22.30 following an...

Iran defiant on deadline day.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... With the UN Security Council deadline to cease uranium enrichment fast approaching, Tehran appears to be wasting little time worrying about the possible consequences of defying the international community. The UN has indicated that it may...

Farewell to Egypt's greatest man of letters.(EGYPT)(obituaries)(Obituary)
September 1, 2006... Naguib Mahfouz, writer and winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature, died in hospital in his native city of Cairo on 30 August. Medical reports said the 94-year-old's condition had recently deteriorated following head injuries sustained in...

Too early to discuss Iran sanctions, says Russia: 25 August.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(Sergei Ivanov imposing economic sanctions for iran)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov says it is too early to talk of imposing economic sanctions on Iran. "I know of no instances in world practice and previous experience in which sanctions have achieved their aim and proved effective," he...

Ramses escapes Cairo congestion: 25 August.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A 3,200-year-old granite statue of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II is moved from Ramses square in central Cairo to a location near the pyramids at Giza. "Ramses will be happy now," said Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's antiquities council. "He...

US attorney-general in Baghdad talks: 29 August.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(international relations)
September 1, 2006... US Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales meets Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh to discuss legal and security issues, including the treatment of prisoners and suspected terrorists. Gonzales also meets officials at the Iraqi High Tribunal,...

US seeks UN force for Darfur: 29 August.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... US assistant secretary of stateJendayi Frazer meets President Al-Bashir to urge him to accept the mobilisation of UN peacekeepers in Darfur. Washington is pushing for a UN Security Council resolution to authorise a force of 17,500 UN troops and...

Ahmadinejad calls on Bush to join TV debate: 29 August.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(reports on television debates)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Iranian President Ahmadinejad challenges US President Bush to a live television debate on international affairs. White House spokesperson Dana Perino describes the challenge as a "diversion from the legitimate concerns that the international...

Oil revenues will be shared: 29 August.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The government of Iraq agrees to share oil revenues in order to unify the country following concerns from the Sunni community in resource-poor central Iraq, who fear missing out on revenues from the Kurdish areas in the north and Shia areas in...

Bomb attacks in Baghdad and Hilla claim 56: 30 August.(Al-Shurja market )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A bomb attack on Al-Shurja market in Baghdad kills at least 44 people and injures 35. The violence follows an attack earlier in the day on an army recruitment centre in Hilla, 90 kilometres south of the capital, which killed 12 and wounded 38...

Olmert accused of whitewash over investigations: 30 August.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is criticised for his decision to limit the parameters of Israel's investigation into the conduct in the war with Lebanon. "This committee is only a figleaf, and we will continue until the end with our battle...

Nurturing talent: the Middle East suffers from a lack of local innovators and entrepreneurs. Steps are being taken to redress the balance, but it will be about more than building business parks.(INNOVATION)(Cover story)
September 1, 2006... Sam Hamdan is a man on a mission. As chairman of the US-based Global Leadership Team, he has spent the better part of the year touring the Gulf to drum up support for his vision of a more entrepreneurial and innovative Middle East. His message...

A new silicon oasis: a hi-tech business park is taking shape in the Omani desert.(BRIEFING: KNOWLEDGE OASIS MUSCAT)
September 1, 2006... Some way down the desert road that leads from Sultan Qaboos University is a lone signpost. The turnoff leads through open terrain before finally opening out on a technology park of glistening glass buildings, an oasis of entrepreneurial...

Aramco casts its net over Red Sea: search for new reserves intensifies.(Chinese BGP Arabia)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Saudi Aramco has awarded two seismic survey contracts to the local/Chinese BGP Arabia to identify probable hydrocarbon deposits in the Red Sea and several other areas in the kingdom (MEED 10:2:06). The first contract, S-54, calls for a 2D...

Dodsal takes Mukhaizna EOR contract.(OMAN)
September 1, 2006... Two key appointments have been made on the Mukhaizna enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project. The UAE's Dodsal has been selected for the estimated $350 million main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, while the US'...

Enppi snaps up Safaniya.(Engineering for the Petroleum and Process Industries )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Saudi Aramco has awarded an estimated $225 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Engineering for the Petroleum & Process Industries (Enppi) to handle increasing water cuts at the offshore Safaniya field in the...

Algiers and Moscow close ranks.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... State energy company Sonatrach has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Gazprom and Lukoil, both of Russia. The MoUs call for co-operation n the oil and gas sector. and in particular for the examination of opportunities to engage...

SCOP looks to harness West Qurna gas.(State Company for Oil Projects)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... State Company for Oil Projects has invited companies to submit bids by 27 September for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build three new gas compression and processing trains each with capacity of 100 million cubic...

Companies line up for refinery maintenance.(Engineering and Contracting Company)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... State refinery operator Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) has invited seven contractors to bid by 12 September for an estimated $50 million contract to maintain control systems at its Mina al-Ahmadi refinery. Evaluation is expected to...

Nine queue up for PDO main oil line.(Petroleum Development Oman)(Punj Lloyd)(Petrojet of Egypt)(Dodsal)(Al-Jaber Energy Services)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Nine local and international companies attended the job explanation meeting held on 28 August in Muscat for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to replace a main oil line (MOL) near Qarn Alam. The attendees were Tekfen...

Aramco studies Nuayyim pipeline bids.
September 1, 2006... Bids were submitted on 26 August to Saudi Aramco for the pipeline package on the Nuayyim oil field project. The package is one of the two being tendered on the project. For the other, the gas-oil separation plant (GOSP), bids are now due by the...

CCC awarded GOSP job.(Consolidated Contractors International Company)(gas-oil separation plant)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Kuwait office of Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC) was awarded in late August its second major onshore engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning (EPIC) contract in the Divided Zone. Estimated...

Bids in for DURP.(Doha urban pipeline relocation project)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Qatar Petroleum (QP) started in late August technical clarifications for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract on the Doha urban pipeline relocation project (DURP). At least three companies submitted bids for the...

Azzawiya upgrade evokes feeble response.(Indian team of Engineers India )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Only two companies--Germany's Uhde and an Indian team of Engineers India (ELL) with Punj Lloyd--submitted bids in late August to Azzawiya Refinery Company (ARC) for the main plant contract covering a 24 per cent increase in capacity of the...

Technip, KBR sign up for export refineries.(SAUDI ARABIA)
September 1, 2006... Saudi Aramco announced in late August the signing of combined front-end engineering and design (FEED) and programme management services (PMS) contracts for its two new export refineries. US-based Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) has been awarded the...

Serept gets Ashtart revamp.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Societe de Recherche et d'Exploitation des Petroles en Tunisie (Serept), a 50:50 joint venture of state oil company Entreprise Tunisienne d'Activites Petrolieres (ETAP) and Austria's OMV, is to carry out a major revamp of systems and processes...

Fujairah cracks on with sonocracking.(Fujairah Oil Technology construction contract with Vera Group )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Fujairah Oil Technology (FOT) has awarded an engineering and construction contract to Jeddah-based Vera Group to build a 210,000-barrel-a-day (b/d) sonocracking plant in the emirate. Seven units, each with capacity of 30,000 b/d, are planned to...

VECO takes Adgas contract.(Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company (Adgas) has awarded an estimated $14 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to the US/Canadian VECO to upgrade the acid gas recovery units (AGRUs) covering the filtration systems of...

Descon readies to shoot from the HIPPS.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (Adco) has awarded an estimated $34 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Pakistan's Descon Engineering to supply and install new pressure valves and control systems at...

Deadline set for Ruwais GUP commercials.(general utilities and power plant)(seawater cooling system)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer) has invited companies to submit commercial bids by 20 September for the contract to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services for a major expansion of the existing seawater cooling system at...

DEL to study new Fujairah gas line.(Dolphin Energy)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Abu Dhabi-based Dolphin Energy (DEL) has invited companies to submit bids by 6 September for a feasibility study contract covering the construction of a gas feedstock pipeline from Taweelah to Qidfa in Fujairah, Prospective bidders for the...

Aker wins Hassi Messaoud.(Hassi Messaoud )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Oslo-based Aker Kvaerner announced on 29 August that it had been awarded the process equipment package on the Hassi Messaoud oil field development, 650 kilometres southwest of Algiers. The project, which comprises crude oil degassing and...

Two track Pearl GTL storage tanks.(gas-to liquids)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Two companies submitted commercial bids on 25 August to the Royal Dutch/Shell Group for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract covering the tank package on the integrated Pearl gas-to liquids (GTL) project. Estimated to be...

Sipetrol hits new Bahariva discovery.(company forecasts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Sipetrol, the international subsidiary of Chile's state-owned oil company Empresa Nacional del Petroleo (Enap), announced in late August an oil discovery in its North Bahariva concession in the Western Desert. Sipetrol said the well tested at...

Call for GFPC bids: new unit to recover benzene.(Gulf Farabi Petrochemical Company)(Al-Rajhi Petrochemical Company)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The local Al-Rajhi Petrochemical Company has invited international contractors to submit bids by 4 September for the project management consultancy (PMC) contract covering the development of a new benzene recovery unit at the Gulf Farabi...

Crude prices drop further.(prices and rates of petroleum)
September 1, 2006... For the third consecutive week, oil prices weakened in the global markets. Spot Brent crude was trading at $69.63 a barrel on 30 August, compared with $71.03 a barrel a week earlier. "A number of recent factors have pushed the market down,"...

Sipchem selects Danish ammonia technology.(contracts between Saudi International Petrochemical Company and Haldor Topsoe )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) has selected Denmark's Haldor Topsoe to supply proprietary technology for its new ammonia plant in Jubail. The ammonia facility is a key element of Sipchem's multi-billion-dollar phase 3...

OCI to work on urea plant.(joint ventures between Orascom Construction Industries and Sonatrach)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A joint venture (JV) agreement is set to be signed in the fourth quarter between Egypt's Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) and state energy company Sonatrach for a 1 million-tonne-a-year greenfield urea plant near Arzew. The project,...

SFCCL moves on methanol.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Danish/Indian consortium of Haldor Topsoe and Larsen & Toubro has been formally awarded the $145 million contract to build two new methanol and carbon monoxide units at the Jubail-based formaldehyde complex, planned by Saudi Formaldehyde...

Bids in for bridge and road works: RTA steps up road revamp.(Roads and Transport Authority)
September 1, 2006... Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has received bids for a further AED 830 million ($227 million) of road contracts. The most recent round of tendering covers the floating bridge project across Dubai Creek, road improvement works in...

Boskalis rides The Wave.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Netherlands' Royal Boskalis Westminster has won the first marine works contract on the $1,100 million The Wave Muscat mixed-use tourism and residential development. Tenders for the first infrastructure work and the first main construction...

Tenders out for Landmark.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Department of President's Affairs has invited companies to bid by 5 November for the main construction package on the Landmark tower project in Abu Dhabi. The mixed-use tower is set to be the tallest on Abu Dhabi island with a height of 329...

Nass/Burhan JV confirms awards.(Nass Contracting)(joint venture)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The local/Kuwaiti joint venture (JV) of Nass Contracting and Burhan International Contracting Company confirmed on 27 August the award of two contracts totalling BD 59 million ($156.5 million). The larger of the two, worth BD 49.3 million...

Two groups bid for Grand Egyptian Museum PMC.(project management consultancy)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Two consortiums submitted bids in late August for the contract to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services on the $600 million-650 million Grand Egyptian Museum project. They are: Pacific Consultants International (PCI) and...

KOC calls for dredgers.(contracts)(Kuwait Oil Company)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has invited nine local and international dredging companies to submit bids by 22 October for a contract to dredge the harbours and entrance channel to the Mina al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdulla refineries. The scope of works...

KOC invites Eols for Ahmadi BOT.(Kuwait Oil Company)(build-operate-transfer)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has invited interested Iocal and international companies to submit expressions of interest (Eols) for the build-operate-transfer (BOT) redevelopment of its Ahmadi oil township. The project entails the complete...

Local/French JV awarded Raha marine works.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The local/French joint venture (JV) NSCC and Soletanche Bachy has been awarded two marine works packages on the Al-Raha beach development planned by local real estate developer ALDAR Properties. The two packages are worth an estimated AED 1,000...

Local/Malaysian JV wins Atlantis fit-out work.(UAE)
September 1, 2006... The joint venture (JV) of Malaysia's LCL Interiors and Dubai-based Mice Kraftwork has been awarded a AED 92 million ($25 million) fit-out contract for the $1,500 million Atlantis resort located on the crescent of Palm Jumeirah. The award is the...

Locals access Saadivat.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The local Overseas AST has started work on two 70-metre bridges that will link Saadiyat island to the Shahama area on the Abu Dhabi mainland via another smaller island. The bridges, which will provide access to the island for construction...

Khatib & Alami plans Mahail highway.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Saudi Consolidated Engineering Company (Khatib & Alami) has started detailed design work for the construction of a major new road in the Asir region, The scope of works centres on the construction of a 60-kilometre dual-carriageway,...

Taisei starts on Gateway Tower.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Local property developer Nakheel has awarded Japan's Taisei Corporation the early works contract for the Gateway Tower project. The location for the proposed tower is understood to be on the mainland next to Palm Jumeirah, close to the existing...

Bids in for Shaikh Hamdan complex.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The local/UK Dutco Balfour Beatty is tow bidder at AED 283 million ($77 million) for a proposed mixed-use development in Jumeirah. Dutco's price is 5 per cent lower than the offer of AED 297 million ($81 million) submitted by a company...

Ras al-Khaimah plans theme park.(government of Ras al-Khaimah )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The government of Ras al-Khaimah is planning to build an AED 850 million ($231 million) theme park. Known as Wow RAK, the 12,000-square-metre project will be located in the Khor Qurm region and is the latest in a string of initiatives aimed at...

Dutch digs in for ETA Star.(Dutch Foundation awarded contracts by ETA Star)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The local Dutch Foundation has been awarded two enabling and foundations contracts by local property developer ETA Star. The works centre on the Centrium towers at the International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) and the Al-Manara tower in...

Bonyan inks PMS deal with Singaporeans.(Bonyan International signed a memorandum of understanding with BPL Engineering and Construction)(project management services)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Bahrain-based real estate developer Bonyan International has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Singapore-based BPL Engineering & Construction (BPL) to provide project management services (PMS) across the Middle Ease The...

Bechtel sails into Khalifa port: PMS firm hoists flag at Taweelah.(contracts)(Abu Dhabi Ports Company)(programme management services)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... US-based Bechtel has been appointed by Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) to provide programme management services (PMS) for the planned AED 8,000 million ($2,100 million) Khalifa Port & Industrial Zone (KPIZ) at Taweelah. Bechtel will manage...

Byblos clean-up under way.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The northern port town of Byblos has embarked on a massive clean-up operation of its harbour and surrounding coastline after an Israeli air strike in late July on Jieh power plant, south of Beirut, resulted in up to 35,000 tonnes of heavy fuel...

Duqm port project weighs anchor.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Transport & Communication Ministry has issued the tender for the main marine package on Duqm Port. The ministry has invited companies to bid by 2 October for the first package to be tendered, but the deadline is likely to be extended (MEED...

Israeli blockade lingers over Beirut.(LEBANON)
September 1, 2006... Six weeks after the Israeli assault on Lebanon began, limited operations have resumed at Rafiq Hariri International Airport but restrictions on entering Beirut port remain in place. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Tel Aviv on 29...

Fourth line for QNCC: capacity to be ramped up at Umm Bab.(QATAR)(Qatar National Cement Company )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC) has awarded France's FCB Ciments the turn-key contract to build its fourth production line at its Umm Bab complex. The QNCC line is one of two new production facilities planned as Doha seeks to address its...

Spending increase follows crash.(EGYPT)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Cairo has approved an immediate allocation of E 8,500 [pounds sterling] million ($1,484 million) to develop and modernise the country's rail infrastructure, Transport Minister Mohammed Mansour announced on 23 August. Of the total, E 5,000...

Capital study awarded.(JORDAN)(WSP Group contracts with Consultants)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The UK's WSP Group with the local Consolidated Consultants has been awarded a 15-month transport study for the capital. Under the contract, the team will assist the Public Transport Regulatory Commission in developing an advanced model of...

New general manager for Gulftainer.(PEOPLE)(Peter Richards appointed at Gulftainer Company )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Sharjah-based port manager Gulftainer Company has appointed Peter Richards as its new general manager. Richards takes over from Barry Coughlan who headed Gulftainer for 30 years.

WEC mulls Ras al-Zour options: feedstock to dictate plant cost.(SAUDI ARABIA)(Water & Electricity Company)
September 1, 2006... A final decision is expected by the end of September on the fuel feedstock to be utilised on the estimated multi-billion-dollar Ras al-Zour independent water and power project (IWPP), planned by Water & Electricity Company (WEC). The type...

Chinese to finance aluminium plant.(El-Maged Aluminium)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The local El-Maged Aluminium has applied to build an aluminium smelter in a new 1.6-square-kilometre special industrial zone in Ismailia. The application follows the securing of finance worth $800 million from an unnamed Chinese company with...

Bids due for water rehab.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Tenders for the rehabilitation of water facilities in Rafah and the Northern Governorate of Gaza are due to be issued in mid-September. The $5,5 million UN Development Programme (UNDP) project is funded by the Japanese government under the UN's...

Shuaiba north deadline extended.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The bid deadline has been extended by a month to 7 October for the contract to build the Shuaiba north power and desalination plant. Nine international contractors are prequalified for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC)...

GE, HHI win Subiya.(contracts)(General Electric)(Hyundai Heavy Industries)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The US/Korean consortium of General Electric (GE) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has won the contract to build the Subiya power plant in northern Kuwait. The client, the Ministry of Energy (Electricity & Water), is expected to sign the...

Doubts over Al-Zour north.(KUWAIT)(Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The fate of the 2,500-MW Al-Zour north power project hung in the balance in late August after the client, the Ministry of Energy (Electricity & Water), recommended that bid evaluation should proceed despite only one offer being submitted....

ONE delays Al-Wahda award.(Office National de I'Electricite)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The award of the estimated $500 million lump-sum turnkey (LSTK) contract to build and operate a combined cycle power plant at Al-Wahda is expected to be delayed until the first quarter of 2007 due to ongoing talks on the financing of the...

Siemens casts shadow on solar project.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A consortium of Germany's Siemens and Cobra of Spain has withdrawn from the bidding for the estimated $250 million contract to develop the country's first solar hybrid power plant at Ain Beni Mathar. Two other groups submitted technical bids on...

STEG opens negotiations on Ghannouch.(contracts)(State power company Societe Tunisienne de I'Electricite et du Gaz)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... State power company Societe Tunisienne de I'Electricite et du Gaz (STEG) will in September begin technical negotiations with the four bidders for the contract to develop a combined cycle plant at Ghannouch with capacity of about 400 MW. Bids...

Empower picks consultants.(contracts between Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation and Allied Consultants )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) has appointed the local Allied Consultants to design four district cooling plants for Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Dubai Knowledge Village, The plants will deliver 120,000...

Shinryo makes a splash with Palm Water.(Shinryo Corporation )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The local Palm District Cooling has awarded Japan's Shinryo Corporation the AED 191 million ($52 million) contract for the construction of two chiller plants which will provide 4%000 tonnes of cooling on the trunk of Palm Jumeirah. The plants...

Spaniards to develop Med resort: Kabila development deal signed.(Fadesa)(Tourism Ministry)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Spain's Fadesa has signed an estimated Eur 150 million ($191 million) agreement with the Tourism Ministry for the development and promotion of a holiday complex at Kabila on the Mediterranean coast. The 55-hectare development, five...

Disputes surface over recon effort: Chalak resigns, Nabil Jisr takes over CDR role.
September 1, 2006... Nabil Jisr has been appointed the new president of the Council for Development & Reconstruction (CDR) after Alfadl Chalak resigned on 23 August, citing differences with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora over the direction of the reconstruction...

Emirates takes a DIP at investments park.(contracts)(Dubai Investments Park)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Dubai Investments Park (DIP) has signed an agreement with Dubai-based Emirates to build a Premier Travel Inn at DIP. The 300-room hotel will offer budget accommodation at room rates that are expected to be in the region of AED 400 ($109). The...

Rezidor docks at Canal Point.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Brussels-based hotel operator Rezidor SAS will, under its Regent hotel brand, manage the luxury hotel at the estimated AED 2,500 million (681 million) Canal Point development off Shaikh Zayed road next to Jumeirah Lake Towers, The 80-storey...

Algiers pays down debt.(ALGERIA)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Algiers on 27 August completed its final debt repayment to the 19-member Paris Club with a $387 million payment to Germany. The move, which brought the country's total debt repayments to the group to more than $7,000 million, will enable...

Banks flock to Qatargas 4: Big MLA group likely to be formed.(finance)
September 1, 2006... Bids were submitted by 24 August for the bank tranche to fund the Qatargas 4 liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, with the deal receiving an overwhelming response in spite of the tight pricing model. A 25-30-strong group of mandated lead...

Amman to receive fiscal reform assistance.(contracts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The US' BearingPoint has been awarded a contract by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide technical assistance to the Finance Ministry in the area of fiscal reform. Under the three-year, $14 million contract,...