The Middle East articles from December 2003

The Middle East archives from December 2003

Brothers in arms? An old Arabic proverb notes: my brother and me against my cousin, my cousin and me against the stranger.(Current Affairs)(Cover Story)
December 1, 2003... The conquest and occupation of Iraq has radicalised the Muslim world to an unprecedented degree, many believe to the point where Sunni and Shi'ite hardliners are now putting aside their historic differences and preparing to join forces against...

Comment.(Editorial)
December 1, 2003... There is still debate about whether or not his election to the highest political office in the world was even legal. Three years on, political analysts are still emerging to insist that had all the votes been counted back in November 2000,...

A hotbed of ethnic tension: the multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq is a microcosm of Iraq today, with ethnic tensions in the city raising the spectre of civil war.(Iraq)
December 1, 2003... Free from the ironclad repression of Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime, Iraq's matrix of ethnic and sectarian groups ate clamouring to secure their position in the post-Saddam era. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the oil-rich city of...

US set to impose sanctions on Syria: in Washington legislation is expected which will impose economic rather than political restraints on Damascus.(Syria)
December 1, 2003... Following the US led invasion of Iraq, many feared that Iran or Syria could be next on the hit list. Increasingly inflammatory language carne out of Washington regarding Syria's alleged support for terrorist groups in Lebanon and the Occupied...

Small arms big money: from marriage feuds in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco to fundamentalist-inspired violence striking fear in the heart of the oil rich Gulf states, the weapons being employed are conventional and all-too-easily obtainable. The Arab world is suffering from a murderous plague of small arms fire.(Current Affairs)
December 1, 2003... It is a global phenomenon. According in the Genera based Graduate Institute of International Studies (GIIS), there are now some 639m weapons in global small arms stockpiles. Approximately 59% of this arsenal is in the hands of civilians--over...

The wheels of change: despite official calls for "a national dialogue" many Egyptians remain unconvinced that serious reforms will have made their way on to the statute books before the next presidential elections in 2005.(Egypt)
December 1, 2003... Closing the ruling National Democratic Party's (NDP) conference on 28 September, President Hosni Mubarak announced that he had decided to "abolish all military orders issued... under the emergency laws", in place since the assassination of his...

Hammering Hamas: the gloves are well and truly off as Israeli security forces continue with Operation Fine Tuning 1, intended to incapacitate and ultimately eliminate Hamas.(Palestine)
December 1, 2003... "The world will not help us; we must help ourselves. We must kill as many of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders as possible, as quickly as possible, while minimising collateral damage, but not letting the damage stop us. And we must kill...

GCC: a force to be reckoned with: the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have emerged into a powerful regional economic bloc.(Business & Finance)
December 1, 2003... The six member-states of the GCC share many common structural features: The hydrocarbons industry--the region's bedrock--contributes about 30%-50% of total gross domestic product (GDP) and three-quarters of annual government revenues and...

$1.3bn Bahrain Financial Harbour project.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Work is currently underway on Bahrain Financial Harbour (BFH), the $1.3bn development on a prime waterfront site in the heart of Manama set to consolidate Bahrain's status as the leading financial centre of the Middle East. The two...

Foreign investment.
December 1, 2003... The GCC countries are aggressively competing for a larger share of global foreign direct investment (FDI). The main objectives are attracting foreign managerial expertise and technological transfers into manufacturing and services industries,...

Emerson wins $3.4m oil field automation contract in Oman.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Emerson Process Management has been selected by Petroleum Development Oman to automate a new gas/oil separation plant at Barik Gharif field. Emerson's front-end engineering and design of the project is under way with start-up scheduled for...

BP signs LNG joint venture with Algeria Energy giant.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * BP has formed a joint venture with Algeria's state oil company Sonatrach to import 500m cubic feet of liquefied natural gas per day into the UK. Sonatrach is the second largest LNG producer in the world and the third largest exporter of...

ExxonMobil signs LNG supply contract with Qatar Petroleum.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Exxon Mobil Corporation and Qatar Petroleum have signed an agreement to supply Liquefied Natural Gas from Qatar to the United States for an expected period of 25 years. Total estimated investment including ships is about $12bn.

Algerian Energy Company hires US firm to build $205m desalination plant.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * The Algerian Energy Company has selected separations technology company Ionics for a 25-year sea water desalination build-own-operate project. Ionics and AEC will form a joint project company to finance, build and operate the plant, with...

USAID awards contract for agricultural reconstruction in Iraq.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * The US Agency for International Development has awarded an initial $5m to technical consulting firm Development Alternatives to carry out agricultural development in Iraq.

Saudi Amiantit wins 51% ownership in Russian wastewater projects.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Saudi Arabian Amiantit, through its group company AmiWater, is the leading partner in a joint venture contract for two projects in Russia with a total value of $30m. AmiWater's Austrian subsidiary InfraMan has 51% of the joint venture...

The Dinar-Zone.(Business & Finance)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The Gulf countries have achieved substantial progress toward regional integration over the past 20 years. Regulations permit freer movements of capital, national labour and goods/services. Corporations and individuals are granted national...

Orascom selects Motorola as GSM supplier for Iraqi network operator.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Orascom Telecom Iraq Corporation has chosen Motorola as its supplier of GSM base stations and transmission equipment for the network to provide communications services to Baghdad and the central region of Iraq.

Jordan's telecom regulator announces licensing procedures for new mobile operator.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * The Jordanian Telecommunications Regulatory Commission has issued a public notice containing the proposed terms and conditions for the of a further license for mobile services. Bidding will be open to all potential investors that meet the...

Alcatel selected for nation-wide ADSL deployment in Saudi Arabia.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * French telecom giant Alcatel has been selected by Saudi Telecom to supply equipment for a DSL that delivers high-speed services to 38 locations across the country. The deal is worth approximately $6m.

Egypt makes the most of its gas opportunities: with oil destined to play a reduced role in Egypt's economy, increased investment is being channelled into its burgeoning gas industry.(Egypt)
December 1, 2003... A string of gas discoveries and the development of the Idku LNG facilities are enabling Egypt to compensate for declining oil revenues. With an estimated 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves and a current reserves life ratio of 50...

Orbit Pay TV launches Al Riyadhiya sports channel.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Orbit Satellite Radio and Television is now offering Al Riyadhiya a new daily 12-hours sports channel. The new channel will provide viewers in the Middle East and North Africa with coverage of the most important regional and international...

BP Sharjah achieves 100% recovery at Sajaa plant.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * BP Sharjah has achieved 99.75% recovery of propane and essentially 100% recovery of butane and condensate at its plant in Sajaa, which it operates on behalf of a joint venture with the government of Sharjah.

Plan Azur forges ahead: Morocco has drawn countless numbers of foreign visitors to its fabulous imperial cities over the years but a new ambitious, multi-billion dollar plan to open up a series of coastal resorts by 2010, should see numbers--and revenues--soar.(Morocco)
December 1, 2003... Morocco is already one of the biggest tourist destinations in the Middle East and North Africa, drawing 2.25m visitors a year. Its varied attractions and good weather ensure that tourist spending makes a sizeable contribution to the local...

Block S-I Joint Venture Group applies for oil development license in Yemen.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * The Block S-I Joint Venture Group has submitted a Notice of Commercial Discovery, along with a Request for Conversion to a Development Area and a Development Plan to the Yemen Ministry of Oil and Minerals.

Fluor selected to consult on key Kuwait Oil company projects.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Kuwait Oil Company, a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has selected US-based Fluor Corporation, to provide comprehensive consulting services, specialising in project management, in support of KOC's capital-expenditure programme.

Qatar grants $15m to Iraq's higher education fund.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * A multi-million-dollar initiative to rebuild and revitalise Iraq's universities received its first donation from the State of Qatar, totalling $15m. The grant has been transferred to the international Fund for Higher Education in Iraq.

EU grants 7.14m [euro] for Sesame Street TV series in the Middle East.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Episodes of the popular Sesame Street television series for children are being produced in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories with the support of the European Commission within its EU partnership for Peace Programme The new...

Panasonic record 10% sales increase in the Middle East.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Panasonic achieved a sales target in the Middle East of over $1.1bn in fiscal year 2003, a 10% increase over last year's figures. In the next three years, the company intends to achieve a 50% increase in business volume in the region.

Middle East telecoms.(Special Survey)
December 1, 2003... Despite the sustained downturn in the global telecoms sector, a host of new tenders for mobile licences are in the process of being launched in the Middle East. Iran, Algeria, and Jordan all plan to issue their second or third GSM licences,...

A world industry.(Dubai Motor Show)
December 1, 2003... The motor car was the one of first major consumer products to be both mass produced and mass marketed, and was the basis of the West's economic growth and industrial preeminence. It could also be argued that the automotive sector was the first...

The irresistible rise of the SUV.(Dubai Motor Show)
December 1, 2003... Sales of large Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) in the Middle East, as a proportion of total sales, have been just as strong as sales in the US and Europe. Perhaps the only difference is that Middle East customers purchase them less as fashion...

Mid-size SUV battle heats up.(Dubai Motor Show)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... If anything, it is even more competitive in the mid-size SUV segment. BMW are launching the all new X3, and this, only the second SUV the company have brought to market, will be on show at the DMS. Delivery of the model to Middle East markers...

Iran goes it alone!(Dubai Motor Show)
December 1, 2003... Seemingly alone amongst Middle Eastern countries, Iran appears intent on developing its own automobile manufacturing industry. Since the 1960s, the Paykan car (a variant of the long defunct Hillman Hunter cal of the UK) has been the mainstay of...

Turkish football comes of age: a hundred years ago, the first Turkish club--Besiktas--had just entered the Christian-dominated Ottoman league. A century later the beautiful game is deeply rooted in the Turkish psyche.(Mosaic)
December 1, 2003... It was a night of high tension in the stadium, with a botched penalty, a string of other missed chances and a half-time punch-up in the dressing room tunnel just part of the night's entertainment. Around the ground, clouds of red smoke from...

The Orient in a Mirror.(Mosaic)
December 1, 2003... Plus ca change, plus ca reste la meme chose. The more it changes, the more it stays the same. And nothing could illustrate the point more poignantly than a new hook from the internationally renowned partnership of Roland and Sabrina Michaud,...

Islamic art at auction.(Mosaic)
December 1, 2003... Islamic art is never dull, having experienced some spectacular highs and a few depressing lows over the past three decades or so, and nor are the people involved in it. Some collectors dismiss the Islamic market as being too fickle and keep...

A Soldier's Story from Ottoman Rule to Independent Iraq.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... The Memoirs of Jafar Pasha Al Askari (1885-1936) Translated by Mustafa Tariq Al Askari Edited by William Facey and Najdat Fathi Safwat published by Arabian Publishing ISBN 0 9544 7920 3 price 25.00 [pounds sterling] hardback Born in Mosul...

Afghan Frontier Feuding and Fighting in Central Asia.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... By Victoria Schofield published by IB TAURIS ISBN 1 86064 895 9 price 12.99 [pounds sterling] paperback Beginning with the invasions of the Greeks under Alexander the Great, Victoria Schofield explores the strategic importance of a region,...

Culture and Resistance Conversations with Edward Said.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... Interviews by David Barsamian published by Pluto Press ISBN 0 7453 2017 1 price 11.99 [pounds sterling] paperback ISBN 0 7453 2018 x price 35.00 [pounds sterling] hardback Edward Said who died in New York in September was Professor of...

Law and Power in the Islamic World.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... By Sami Zubaida published by IB TAURIS ISBN 1860648657 price 35.00 [pounds sterling] hardback Islamic law (the Shari'a) and its application is a central issue in contemporary Islamic politics and culture. Starting from modern concerns,...

Dangerous Alliances Civil Society the Media and Democratic Transition in North Africa.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... By Lise Garon published by ZED books ISBN 1 84277 160 4 price 49.95 [pounds sterling] $69.95 hardback ISBN 1 84277 161 2 price 1595 [pounds sterling] $27.5.paperback This analytical volume of the Maghreb's highly erratic encounter with...

Modern Jihad Tracing the Dollars Behind the Terror Networks.(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... By Loretta Napoleoni published by Pluto Press ISBN 0 7453 2117 8 price 17.99 [pounds sterling] hardback Modern Jihad: Tracing the Dollars Behind the Terror Networks propels the reader into the nether world of illegal organisations. From...

The Paradoxical Kingdom Saudi Arabia and the Momentum of Reform.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... By Daryl Champion published by C Hurst & Co ISBN 1 85065 647 9 price 45.00 [pounds sterling] hardback ISBN 1 85065 668 1 price 16.95 [pounds sterling] paperback Saudi Arabia is the major player in the OPEC international oil industry...

Riyadh bombing provokes royal outrage.(The Last Word)
December 1, 2003... The terrorist attack on the Al Muhya housing compound in Riyadh on 9 November, killing 17 Muslims, including five children, and wounding over 100 was described by Sherard Cowper-Coles, the British ambassador to Sandi Arabia as "senseless". ...