The Middle East articles from January 2003

The Middle East archives from January 2003

Comment.(United States-Iraqi relations)
January 1, 2003... The United States now has the almost 12,000 page long Iraqi declaration on weapons of mass destruction and dual use equipment. Washington made clear from the outset that it would view the contents of the report with enormous scepticism although...

The wall this new obscenity: as international attention is focussed on Iraq and the prospect of an American attack there, Israel is forging ahead with the construction of a wall--costing $1.7 million a mile that will effectively turn the West Bank into the world's largest prison. (Israel)(Cover Story).
January 1, 2003... In a few short weeks the concrete foundations of a wall, eight metres high and more than 250 miles long, which will effectively imprison the Palestinians of the West Bank, will be in place. Preparations for construction of the wall began last...

Hunting Saddam: Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has survived covert efforts to eliminate him, but he may be facing the endgame. (Iraq).
January 1, 2003... On the evening of 27 February 1991, only hours before George W. Bush's father called a halt to Operation Desert Storm, two US Air Force F-111 bombers, callsigns Cardinal 1 and 2, dropped two 4,700-pound penetration bombs on an underground...

The New York Times: will anything stop Bush? (Newstand).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... It may be wishful thinking that Saddam can ever change or abandon his ambition to lead the Arab world. But the question that clings to the capital like the first snow of winter is whether anything will be enough for Bush. "Everyone in this town...

CNN Baghdad: an apology and a warning. (Newstand).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... With a possible military confrontation with the United States looming, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein apologised for invading Kuwait. "We apologize to you," Saddam said in a statement read by Information Minister Mohammad Said Al Sahhafa on...

Israeli elections 2003: does the election of a new Labor leader to the Israel Knesset herald signs of change or just more of the same? (Current Affairs).
January 1, 2003... Isn't it extraordinary how much damage a little budgetary turbulence caused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon? Not only did it collapse his unity government, force early elections, necessitate a cabinet reshuffle, and hasten the appointment...

Having the last laugh: the US Administration has devoted vast amounts of time and money to attempting to understand what goes on in the mind of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein but there are few indications so far that any of the research has paid off. (Current Affairs).
January 1, 2003... The US Administration's predictions of Saddam Hussein's reaction to pending aggression led American strategists to prepare impressive plans to deal with every conceivable scenario. All are means to the same end: unseating the Iraqi president....

Bahraini women stand up to be counted: participation in democratic elections heralded a new era for Bahraini women in all sectors of society. (Elections).
January 1, 2003... Women's rights in Bahrain received a major boost last year when they were allowed to vote and run for office for the first time in the municipal (May 2002) and national elections (October 2002). The new rights are now laid down in Article 1...

The end of an epoch? (Cyprus).
January 1, 2003... Of the world's sorry list of seemingly intractable international disputes, Cyprus must surely take the prize as the one that most regularly promises a solution, yet most consistently fails to come up with the goods. Yet, after more "years...

Arab stock lures foreign investors: Arab governments may soon make extensive use of depository receipts to lure foreign investors in their next round of privatisations. (Business & Finance).
January 1, 2003... Stalled privatisation plans in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco may get a boost next year, spinning off state enterprises in part by selling a special class of shares on money centre markets in the US and Europe. The sales, using American and Global...

Middle East power investments forcasted to top $8bn by 2022.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Privatisation is forecasted to bring drastic change to the Middle East's power and water industry over the next two decades, as governments strive to meet year on year energy demand growth rates of 6%, twice the world average.

Talisman Energy signs Qatari exploration sharing agreement.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Talisman Energy Qatar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Talisman Energy, has signed an exploration and production sharing agreement with the government of Qatar covering offshore Block 10 in Qatar.

UK's Cimac automates Kuwait's irrigation network.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * The Dubai-based Cimac Automation, an industrial systems integrating company, has been awarded a 5m Emirati dirham ($1.36m) contract by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Public Works. Under the deal, Cimac will set up a control system for the emirate's...

There may be trouble ahead: the new Turkish government has promised radical reforms and although early portents are good, achieving its stated goals will be no mean feat. (Reform).
January 1, 2003... Unveiling the Turkish government's new programme Prime Minister Abdullah Gul was upbeat. "We will overcome poverty and corruption and create a country in which people live freely in peace and welfare," he said, before delivering a 90 minute...

Seized Palestinian tax money covers debt to Israeli utilities.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Israel's finance ministry has appropriated $3.2 million of seized PA funds, to cover debts owed by the Palestinians to Israeli electricity, water and health service providers. The PA approved the move in order to ensure uninterrupted supply...

DCCI lifts certification fees for local manufacturers.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Dubai-based manufacturers participating in trade shows, fairs and exhibitions abroad will be exempted from paying certificate-of-origin fees and related certification expenses, according to a decision by the Executive Office of the Dubai...

Metito proposes treated water solution for Damascus water treatment and desalination operator.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Metito, has presented a plan to use treated wastewater as an interim solution to provide additional water resources for the Syrian capital of Damascus.

Oman economic report: Oman enters the new year with high expectations of further success in achieving its goals of diversification, privatisation and Omanisation. (Business & Finance).
January 1, 2003... The sultanate of Oman, an upper middle-income country endowed with relatively modest hydrocarbons resources has achieved impressive socio-economic advancements over the past three decades since Sultan Qaboos bin Said came to power. Today,...

Saudi traders criticise Prince Al Waleed's sheep deal with Sudan.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Cattle importers in Saudi Arabia are protesting the recent livestock deal signed between the Sudanese government and Saudi Arabia's billionaire Prince Al Waleed. The $300m agreement makes the Prince the exclusive exporter of Sudanese...

AFESD finances Dubai irrigation scheme.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development has awarded a 275,000 Kuwaiti dinars ($912,060) grant to the Dubai-based international Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA). The funds will be used to complete irrigation and drainage...

Cairo freezes agricultural ties with Israel on 25th anniversary Sadat's Jerusalem trip.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * On the quarter-century anniversary of President Anwar Sadat's journey to Jerusalem, the Egyptian government has decided to cut agricultural ties with Israel. Egyptians have grown increasingly sceptical about the economic benefits of peace as...

KFAED loans Egypt $236m for canal development.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has granted the government of Egypt a $236m loan for the construction of an inland waterway across the Suez Canal. The channel will be used to transport water from west of the Suez Canal to the...

Litani irrigation project construction commenced.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * The government of Lebanon has launched the first construction phase of the Litani River Irrigation project. The venture will supply drinking and irrigation water to the whole of Southern Lebanon.

Tunisia's mountainous communities receive $34m loan.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * The World Bank recently approved a $34m loan to the Government of Tunisia aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of the populations covering the mountainous and forested areas of the country's northwestern region, while ensuring...

Israel signs two franchise agreements for water desalination.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * The Israeli government has signed two franchise agreements with Via Marls Desalination and Carmel Desalination. The Build Own Operate contracts call for the desalination of 30m cubic metres of water annually.

China provides Morocco with $6.4m for three new dams.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * The Chinese government has allocated Morocco a $6.4m preferential loan for the construction of three dams to supply drinking water to the country's rural regions. The first dam, located in Ifrane will collect enough irrigated water for 670...

India's largest paint-maker acquires Egypt's SCIB.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * India's largest paint-maker, Asian Paints, officially announced its bid to acquire a controlling stake in SCIB Chemicals Company, a 50%-owned subsidiary of Orascom Construction Industries (OCI). SCIB is among the five largest paint companies...

Debt relief for Lebanon: the Paris II conference proved a victory for President Rafiq Hariri with a $4bn loan package agreed. (Loan).
January 1, 2003... The Lebanese like to stay ahead of the game, and Christmas came a whole month earlier for Lebanon than for the rest of the world. In the last week of November the Paris II conference on Lebanon's mountainous debt arrived at a $4bn loan package...

Saudi British Bank receives bulk-cash acceptance terminal.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Self-service technology provider Diebold has implemented the first bulk-cash acceptance terminal for the Saudi British Bank. SABB is now able to give its customers the option of depositing stacks of bank notes into their accounts without...

Algeria's hydrocarbons sector headed for reform.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Algeria's hydrocarbons draft law, which proposes to open the sector to foreign investment, will be reviewed without delay by the government, the Energy Minister stated. The new law will introduce free competition in both upstream and...

Apache discovers Miocene deepwater oil in Nile Delta.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * The Apache Corporation found significant gas reserves in both the primary objective Miocene-age formation and the secondary Pliocene objective but also the first Miocene deepwater oil in the Nile Delta.

Iran in the middle: the revival of a north-south trade corridor linking Europe with southern Asia will enhance Iran's influence in the Middle East. (Business & Finance).
January 1, 2003... Iran appears set to enjoy growing influence in a trade axis that spans India in the south up to the Caspian states and Russia in the north. This corridor will splay outwards to western Europe and southern Asia and Iran is key to its success....

Acer's PC shipments in EMEA grew 19% in 3rd quarter 2002.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Acer Computer recorded a 19% increase in PC shipments in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region for the third quarter of 2002 compared to the same period last year.

Bond Communications promotes IT education opportunities for the blind.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Technology integrator Bond Communications has donated Waynamakan, Arabic for `anywhere', a GPRS/GSM wireless laptop to the Lebanese Institution for the Blind (LIB). The donation is an attempt by Bond to develop the blind's information...

Sage appoints new partner in Saudi Arabia.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Sage Software has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Riyadh based Spenty Advanced Business Systems to market its mid-market customer relationship management software SalesLogix in Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries.

Greening Egypt's desert: a key plank of the Egyptian government's plans for economic development will be to increase the proportion of inhabitable land in the country. (Business & Finance).
January 1, 2003... It is well known that over 96% of Egypt's population lives on just 4% of the land--almost exclusively situated along the Nile Valley and in the Delta. But the growing Egyptian population is going to require more agricultural and industrial land...

Moody's places debt rating of Ras Laffan on review for downgrade.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Moody's Investors Service has placed the Baa2 debt rating of Qatar Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company under review for downgrade. The action is due to the increased possibility of war in the region as well as the recent increase in...

Union Fenosa signs supply agreement with OLNG.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Spain's Union Fenosa Gas has signed a contract for the short-term supply of liquefied natural gas with Oman LNG. The contract is included in the framework agreement that was subscribed by the Spanish company and the Sultanate of Oman in May

Gulf states to invest $130b by 2023 to meet energy demand.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Arab Gulf states will have to invest in excess of $130bn over the next 20 years to meet expanding residential and industrial demand for electricity. Saudi Arabia, which has seen an 18-fold increase in energy demand since 1974, will lead the...

South African firm acquires 35% of Safewater Chemicals.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * South Africa's Specialist Mechanical Engineers is acquiring a 35% equity stake in Safewater Chemicals, a chloralkali plant in Abu Dhabi's Mussafah industrial area. Valued at 60m Emirati dirhams, the plant is part of the United Arab Emirates...

TotalFinaElf and ExxonMobil to construct QP-operated condensate refinery.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Qatar Petroleum, TotalFinaElf and ExxonMobil have signed an agreement for the design, construction and operation of a condensate refinery in Ras Laffan Industrial City. The refinery will be operated by Qatargas and is expected to start up by...

Narrowing the economic Gulf: efforts to introduce a single currency within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are being stepped up. (Currency).
January 1, 2003... GCC member states are seeking to put into practice an ambitious timetable for implementing the single currency plan, agreed in Muscat in 2001. At a meeting of GCC central bankers held last October in Riyadh, the six countries decided to...

Jordan's Internet penetration rate to double by 2006.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * The number of Internet subscribers in Jordan is forecasted to reach 71,000 by early 2003, end, a penetration of 1.33%. Despite enjoying a liberalised Internet and data provisions market, Jordan is still facing a number of obstacles that are...

Batelco and Omantel sign services MoU.
January 1, 2003... * Batelco and Omantel are teaming up to explore opportunities to provide specialist services to business customers. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the two companies to signal the start of a process that could lead to a joint...

IMF: Islamic risk management requires new instruments.
January 1, 2003... * The provision and use of financial services and products that conform to Islamic principles pose special challenges for the identification, measurement, monitoring, and control of underlying risks, asserts a report recently released by the...

China's Mid-East oil diplomacy: increasingly dependent on Middle Eastern oil, Beijing is courting Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states for energy security. (Asia).
January 1, 2003... Last November, China's first Middle East peace envoy, Wang Shijie, wrapped up a groundbreaking swing through Israel, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine, underlining a shift toward a more robust, hands-on policy in a region that has...

Moody's upgrades Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait's financial strength ratings.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Moody's Investors Service has upgraded the financial strength rating of Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait to D- from E+. The upgrade concludes a rating review that was prompted by changes in the bank's management and strategy that have occurred over the...

Investcorp issues 400 million share offering.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Bahrain's Investcorp offered 400 million fresh shares to the firm's shareholders at an issue price of 6.42 Emirati dirhams ($1.75) per share. Subscription began on 30 November and closed on 15 December.

Mashreq Investments offers new investment fund.
January 1, 2003... * Mashreqbank has launched a new investment fund, which offers returns starting at a guaranteed 3.75% per annum in the first six months period. This is over three times the current deposit rate.

Moody's downgrades VakifBank's financial strength rating.
January 1, 2003... * Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the financial strength rating of Turkiye Vakiflar Bankasi to E+ stable from D. The downgrade follows a review that stems from the recent failure to privatise the bank within the time frame agreed...

Court confiscates assets of Egyptian businessmen charged with loan fraud.
January 1, 2003... * Egypt's High State Security Court has confiscated the property of 21 businessmen and two bankers after being charged with expediting and receiving improper loans valued at approximately $170 million.

CIIB launches first Capital Protected Global Equity Portfolio.
January 1, 2003... * Bahrain's, Citi Islamic Investment Bank (CIIB), a member of Citigroup has launched its first Capital Protected Global Equity Portfolio product in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The minimum investment into the fund is $5,000.

Rakbank records 25% net profit rise in 2002.
January 1, 2003... * The National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah (Rakbank) posted a 25% net profit increase in the first nine months of 2002, reaching 55.9 million Emirati dirhams ($15.2 million) compared with Dh 44.5 million during the same period last year.

Oil potential could provide catalyst for change: the thorny issue of sovereignty has hampered the development of the Western Sahara for decades. But the possibility of large untapped oil reserves could force imminent change. (Western Sahara).
January 1, 2003... The fate of the Western Sahara has reappeared on the international agenda over the past year, following the signing of offshore oil exploration agreements and United Nations' proclamations on the subject. The Moroccan government has decided to...

Saudi budget deficit set lower for 2003.
January 1, 2003... * A Saudi cabinet meeting concluded the kingdom's budget would carry a 39 billion Saudi riyal ($10.39 billion) deficit for the fiscal year 2003. The budget is based on the typically conservative oil price projection of $17 a barrel.

Bahrain still region's most economically free nation.
January 1, 2003... * Bahrain is still the most economically free nation in the MENA region, according to the 2003 Index of Economic Freedom. The tiny Gulf monarchy is ranked 16th most free economy among 161 countries in the world. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait,...

Arab League wins lawsuit against New York landlord.
January 1, 2003... * The League of Arab States was exempt from paying $243,000 to its New York City landlord for additional security provided after the 11 September terrorist attacks of 2001, a Manhattan court ruled.

Alexandria Library: the original Alexandria Library was destroyed more than 1,600 years ago. Now a new $200 million facility has replaced the ancient centre of learning. (Culture).
January 1, 2003... Egypt has officially reopened one of the first and most celebrated centres of learning in human history, the library of Alexandria, which saw its demise in an era of religious zealotry similar to the one that meets its revival. An institution...

Driving through cultural barriers: a 22 year old Bahraini women achieves success in The Desert Challenge. (Sport).
January 1, 2003... The speed of electoral reform in Bahrain has been matched by one young woman's driving career. Bahrain's Yasmin Al Hilli fulfilled a dream by completing the UAE Marlboro Desert Challenge, one of the world's toughest motorsport events. The...

Arab City grows up in the shadow of Disneyland: the southern Californian town of Anaheim is home to 25,000 Arab Americans and more are on the way. (Community).
January 1, 2003... Los Angeles has earned a reputation as the melting pot of the world. So much so that it is home to ethnic groups that no longer exist in the land they originated. There are neighbourhoods designated as Little Tokyo, China Town, Little Armenia...

The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: Seventh Edition.(Book Review)
January 1, 2003... By Martin Gilbert published by Routledge ISBN 0 415 28117 2 price 14.99 [pounds sterling] paperback A powerful visual history of the Arab-Israeli conflict The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict traces not only the tangled and...

Iran's Rivalry with Saudi Arabia between the Gulf Wars.(Book Review)
January 1, 2003... By Henner Furtig published by Ithaca Press ISBN 0 86372 287 3 price 35.00 [pounds sterling] hardback With the ongoing international dependence on the Gulf region for oil supplies, information about the roots of the bitter rivalry between...

Bright Levant.(Book Review)
January 1, 2003... By Laurence Grafftey-Smith published by Stacey International ISBN1 900988 42 9 price 22.50 [pounds sterling] hardback Bright Levant is an autobiography of a British diplomat with an absorbing story to tell. Laurence Grafftey-Smith's career...

The Iraqi Marshlands: a Human and Environmental Study.(Book Review)
January 1, 2003... Edited by Emma Nicholson and Peter Clark published by Politico's ISBN 1 84275 042 9 price 40.00 [pounds sterling] hardback During the 1980s and 1990s the Marsh Dwellers of Iraq were subjected to a sustained attack by Saddam Hussein's...

Islamic Art and Architecture: from Isfahan to the Taj Mahal.(Book Review)
January 1, 2003... By Henri Stierlin published by Thames & Hudson ISBN 0 500 51100 4 price 32.00 [pounds sterling] hardback From Isfahan through Samarkand to the Taj Mahal, the luxurious `Persian style' took Islamic art to new aesthetic heights. In this...

Barbarians & Civilization: in International Relations.(Book Review)
January 1, 2003... By Mark B Salter published by Pluto Press ISBN 7453 1901 7 price 15.99 [pounds sterling] paperback Unsatisfied with critical responses to Samuel Huntington's Clash of Civilizations argument, Mark Salter engages two central elements of his...

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town.(Book Review)
January 1, 2003... By Paul Theroux published by Hamish Hamilton ISBN 0 241 14048 x price 17.99 [pounds sterling] hardback Setting off from Cairo to Cape Town, Theroux takes us back to the continent where he worked over 40 years ago in the Peace Corps and...

Bring Down the Walls: Lebanon's Post-War Challenge.(Book Review)
January 1, 2003... By Carole H Dagher published by Palgrave ISBN 0 312 29336 4 price 14.99 [pounds sterling]paperback "Lebanon in more than a country, it is a message": these words of Pope John Paul II illustrate Lebanon's post-war endeavour to preserve its...

Shooting fish in a barrel. (The Last Word).(Israeli-Palestinian relations)
January 1, 2003... As the new year progresses, so will the building of an eight metre high, 250 mile long wall to cordon off the Palestinians of the West Bank from Israel. The Israelis have called the wall a "security fence" and say it will stop the suicide...