The Middle East articles from July 2003

The Middle East archives from July 2003

Road map to peace: destination unknown. (Current Affairs).
July 1, 2003... For the first time in more than two and a half years there is a glimmer of hope for a Middle East peace process and the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005, following the successful meeting in Aqaba, Jordan, between US President George...

Sharon's real programme: Uri Avnery talked to Chris Kutschera about his friendship with the Israeli Prime Minister. (Israel).
July 1, 2003... Uri Avnery is no ordinary Israeli. Born in Germany in 1923, this son of a Jewish banker who emigrated to Palestine in 1933, became a member of the Irgun, an extremist Jewish underground organisation that fought a bitter war against the British...

The new Afghanistan: a year and a half after the first US air raids on Afghanistan, a better picture of what the war did--or did not--achieve has emerged. (Current Affairs).
July 1, 2003... In October 2001, the United States and its allies fired their first shot in what promised to be a prolonged War on Terror, by launching air attacks on the ancient nation of Afghanistan. The country's Taliban leadership collapsed and fled....

Friend or foe? Americans face a dilemma over what to do with Iran's Mujahedeen rebels in Iraq. (Iran).
July 1, 2003... As the Bush administration's denunciations of Iran grow more strident, with accusations of Tehran aiding Al Qaeda and pursuing weapons of mass destruction, it is interesting to speculate on what all this demonisation, so familiar from the...

Will Iraq quit OPEC? Iraq's position in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is in the balance following the American take over of the country. (Current Affairs).
July 1, 2003... The US conquest and occupation of Iraq has given the Americans control of one of the world's major oil producers, a country many believe has untapped reserves that could rival Saudi Arabia and Russia. US control could also weaken the grip of...

Healing the breech? After several years of severely strained relations and, in some instances, open hostility between the US and Sudan, an exchange of diplomats could herald a new era of cooperation. (Washington & Khartoum).
July 1, 2003... If the United States had only listened to Sudan back in the mid-1990s, the tragedy of 11 September might have been avoided. So says Khidir Haroun Ahmed, the country's top diplomat in Washington. Ahmed, in an interview with The Middle East,...

It's not over yet: Saddam Hussein has been removed from power but the war with Iraq is not over yet and the costs of the conflict continue to rise, much to the consternation of the American taxpayer. (Iraq).
July 1, 2003... The war in Iraq will be difficult, peace will be easy' was the premise; but with the latest developments, including plans for an interim Iraqi government being put on hold and ethnic killings between Kurds and Arabs in Kirkuk on an upward...

Comment.
July 1, 2003... A dossier intended to rally the support of the British public for the invasion of Iraq has been exposed by a British newspaper, and confirmed by a Downing Street spokesman, as being largely based on the work of an American student who published...

The 'bounty' of the Golden Crescent: the illegal drugs trade that has wreaked havoc across the western hemisphere for decades will gain a strong foothold in the Middle East, unless immediate action is taken by regional governments. (Afghanistan).
July 1, 2003... Overlapping Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan and characterised by the mountain range that spans those three countries, the Golden Crescent, along with Asia's Golden Triangle, is at the hub of the worldwide fight against the trade in illicit...

Africa's model economy: Tunisia has been hailed as the model for other African and Middle Eastern countries to follow in their quest for modernisation and growth. But, as Anver Versi reports, the country's road to success has been long and arduous. (Tunisia: Africa's bridge to the world).
July 1, 2003... In a recent article, Newsweek describes Tunisia thus: "Alone among Arab states, Tunisia has made real progress building an economy based on resources other than oil". The article goes on to quote the US Ambassador to Tunis, Rust Deming who...

Tunisia's African dimension: Tunisia has been intimately involved in the affairs of the rest of the continent from the era of the fight for independence to the current thrust for economic development. (Tunisia: Africa's bridge to the world).
July 1, 2003... Tunisia's relationship with the rest of Africa is deeper and more intimate than is generally known. Study the history of African liberation movements during the dramatic decades between 1950 and 1970 and the name of Tunisia crops up in...

How solidarity can beat poverty. (Tunisia: Africa's bridge to the world).
July 1, 2003... Earlier this year, the United Nations established a World Solidarity Fund (WSF) modelled on Tunisia's pioneering programme of poverty elimination, the National Solidarity Fund. Speaking at the launch of the WSF, Mark Malloch Brown,...

Saudi Arabia woos investors; despite recent terrorist attacks Saudi Arabia is open for new business and a huge media campaign aimed at attracting international investment is underway. (Business & Finance).
July 1, 2003... Undaunted by the recent terrorist attacks in the kingdom, the Saudi government is going ahead with a huge media campaign this summer aimed at convincing foreign investors that the country is not only safe and stable but potentially a very...

US exports to Saudi Arabia increase 12.3% in first quarter 2003.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * Total US exports to Saudi Arabia increased to more than $1.1bn in the first quarter of 2003, from $985m in the first quarter of 2002, according to the latest statistics from the Foreign Trade Division of the US Census Bureau. This represents...

GM opens $40m regional parts centre in Jebel Ali.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * General Motors (GM) officially opened its $40m parts distribution centre at Jebel Ali Free Zone. The centre will dramatically speed up the delivery of spare parts to GM retailers throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Levant.

Trade boom for Iraq's nearneighbours: in the wake of the lifting of UN sanctions, and the onset of the multi-billion dollar US-led reconstruction effort, regional trade is expected to soar. (Iraq).
July 1, 2003... Over the next five years, ports, pipelines and land routes serving Iraq are expected to experience exponential growth, as they are employed to facilitate the US-led reconstruction effort. The ripple effect of the $100bn reconstruction programme...

Old-fashioned cash losing out to plastic in the Middle East.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * The number of transactions made by Middle East debit and credit cardholders increased by 33% from 130m transactions in 2001 to nearly 175m transactions last year, representing an average of six transactions made every second, revealed Visa...

Iraq oil trade: through which pipelines? A transport bottleneck is looming as existing pipeline and port facilities are not equipped to handle the anticipated increases of oil and gas production. (Business & Finance).
July 1, 2003... As the Iraqi oil fields are brought back online, after 12 years of sanctions-enforced idleness, there are questions about what routes should be used to move the petroleum to world markets. At first, oil will flow through two main routes: A...

Iraq trade: post-sanction glow. (Business & Finance).
July 1, 2003... The passage of UN Resolution 1483, lifting sanctions on Iraq, does more than permit sale of Iraqi oil in world markets. It re-opens a vast potential market for western goods and services, and provides suggestions for how the international...

World Bank contributes $5m to herbal conservation in Jordan.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * The World Bank's Board of Directors approved a $5m grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to help the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan improve the conservation of medicinal and herbal (M/H) plants and the livelihood of rural communities....

Stability and reform--the key to economic growth: Iran's economy has performed briskly over the past three years, more impressively, non-oil activities grew by 6% in real terms, reflecting increased manufacturing, construction and agricultural output, and buoyant domestic demand. (Iran Economic Report).
July 1, 2003... Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer and the second most populous nation in the Middle East region after Egypt, is slowly integrating into the global economy and financial markets. The path to sustainable growth, independent of crude...

Sonatrach, Anadarko get green light to develop four Algeria fields.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * The Algerian government has given its approval to Sonatrach, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and joint venture partners Maersk Olie Algeriet AS and Eni Oil Algeria Ltd to develop four fields in Block 208 of the Berkine Basin.

Avenue Energy encounters oil in its first Turkish exploration well.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * Avenue Energy was informed by its Joint Venture partner and drilling operator in Turkey, Aladdin Middle East that its first exploration well, the Tosun-I Well in the Gaziantep petroleum district of Southeast Turkey, has encountered oil....

Centurion's first quarter 2003 earnings up on Tunisian, Egyptian operations.(Centurion Energy)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * Canada's Centurion Energy has reported earnings for the first quarter this year at $4.17m, compared to $500,000 for same period last year. Contributing factors were the continued high levels of production from the Al-Manzah field in Tunisia...

BG Group signs Barca power project agreement.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * BG Group plc has signed a Memorandum of Undertaking (MoU) with the government of Tunisia in relation to the development of the $250m Barca Power Project in Sfax, Tunisia.

TYK signs oil development block deal in Syria.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * Canada's Tanganyika Oil Company has signed a Production Sharing Agreement with the Syrian Petroleum Company over the giant Oudeh oil field in north-eastern Syria. The Oudeh Block covers 192 sq km.

Vintage Petroleum announces successful well in Yemen.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * Oklahoma-based Vintage Petroleum, Inc. (VPI) announced last week that the An Nagyah #4, the second appraisal well to the An Nagyah #2 discovery well in the Republic of Yemen, has tested light (45 degree API) oil from the sub-salt Upper Lam...

Commercial operations go on stream at PSEG.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * Global's Omani power plant US-based PSEG Global has recently started commercial operations at its Salalah Power System plant in Oman. The plant is a 240 Megawatt simple cycle, gas turbine facility located in the southern Omani city of Salalah...

OPEC fund lends $15m to Lebanese highway rehabilitation project.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * OPEC Fund for International Development signed a $15m loan agreement with the Republic of Lebanon to co-finance an extensive scheme to rehabilitate and construct new sections of a major artery linking the capital city Beirut to the Syrian...

Who needs economic reform? Diversification and reduced dependance on oil are the cornerstones of Kuwait's new economic reform programme. Its centrepiece is the plan to begin selling of up-stream parastatals from 2005. (Kuwait).
July 1, 2003... The Kuwaiti economy has successfully ridden out the war in Iraq and the emirate can look forward to continued prosperity, with or without any serious economic restructuring. The government has drawn up a series of well publicised plans to...

Shurgard forms a $173m joint venture with Bahrain's First Islamic.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * Shurgard Self Storage Europe has formed a development joint venture with Crescent Euro Self Storage Investments SARL, an investment vehicle controlled by First Islamic Investment Bank, based in Manama, Bahrain.

First Industrial forms $425m net lease fund.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * First Industrial Realty Trust, the US' largest provider of diversified industrial real estate, has formed a net lease fund with the Kuwait Finance House (KFH), a publicly-traded financial institution with over $8bn in assets and a global...

Dubai government closes inaugural bond issue 1.5 times oversubscribed.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * The government of Dubai has announced the successful closing of its Dh 1.5bn bond issue. The issue is the first ever by the government of Dubai and the first ever fixed interest rate bond to be listed in the UAE.

On the verge of success: a failed coup attempt in June focussed international attention on Mauritania, an ancient country striving to take its place in the 21st century. (Mauritania).
July 1, 2003... A coup attempt in Mauritania in June was foiled within hours. Now, it's back to business as usual and business is unusually brisk. The discovery of offshore oil and gas reserves promises to revolutionise the economy of Mauritania. The...

One man's vision: almost 40 years ago the President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed, embarked upon a environmental project many rejected as a waste of time and money. The passing of time has proved the cynics wrong. (Mosaic).
July 1, 2003... In his youth, during journeys into the desert, Sheikh Zayed became fascinated by the relationship between man and his environment--in particular how necessary it was to make sustainable use of available resources Much has changed in the...

The same but different: Jessica McCallin reports on the plight of the Palestinian Christian population, which has declined dramatically since 1948. (Mosaic).
July 1, 2003... On Mother's Day, a group of Palestinian Christian children from the village of Zababdeh paid a visit to the women of the Jenin refugee camp to give them candles in honour of the occasion. Dressed in their best clothes and each sporting a...

A delicacy of war. (Dubai Dates).
July 1, 2003... The purchase of a box of Iraqi dates still comes fairly high on the shopping list of most Gulf families; blame it on nostalgia or simply the great taste. The Iraqi date industry mirrors its country's turbulent history. The war years,...

Ruling Shaikhs and Her Majesty's Government 1960-1969.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... By Miriam Joyce published by Frank Cass ISBN 071465413 Price 39.50 [pounds sterling] hardback This volume discusses the evolution of the British-protected Gulf states, the seven Sheikhdoms known as the Trucial states, Abu Dhabi, Dubai,...

Constantinople and Istanbul: Old and New.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... By H. G. Dwight published by Kegan Paul ISBN 0 710 30721 7 price 95.00 [pounds sterling] hardback This substantial account of Constantinople--or Istanbul as it is known today--is both a history and a guide to that magnificent and fabled...

Zones of Conflict: US Foreign Policy in the Balkans and the Greater Middle East.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... By Vassilis K. Fouskas published by Pluto Press ISBN 0 7453 2029 5 price 14.99 [pounds sterling] paperback The US has several major interests in the Balkans, the Greater Middle East and the wide Eurasian zone, which determine its political...

Early Ottoman Art: the Legacy of the Emirates Curated By Gonul Oney.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... Published by Art books International ISBN 1 874044 45 7 price 14.95 [pounds sterling] paperback Anatolia forms a bridge between the Orient and the Occident, it has long been mosaic of cultures, combining to form a great picture of...

Masterminds of Terror: the Truth Behind the Most Devastating Terrorist Attack the World Has Ever Seen.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... By Yosri Fouda and Nick Fielding published by Mainstream Publishing ISBN 1 84018 724 7price 9.99 [pounds sterling] paperback Based on the only interviews ever carried out with the two of the main conspirators of the 11 September attacks,...

Doing Business with Libya.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... Consultant Editors Marat Terterov and Jonathan Wallace Published by Kogan Page ISBN 0 7494 3596 8 price 40.00 [pounds sterling] paperback Doing Business with Libya is a comprehensive and authoritative guide that will take the reader through...

Iraq's Economic Predicament.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... Edited by Kamil A. Mahdi published by Ithaca press ISBN 0 86372 276 8 price 35.00 [pounds sterling] hardback This volume contains 12 papers written by authorities in their respective fields, in which they address the major aspects of...

Creating an Islamic State: Khomeini and the Making of a New Iran.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... By Vanessa Martin published by IB TAURIS ISBN 1 86064 900 0 price 14.95 [pounds sterling] paperback How did the Ayatollah Khomeini create his Islamic state? What were the ideas, which drove him and his movement? What organisation and...

Standing up to be counted: the Arab media has come a long way ... but it still has a long way to go. (The Last Word).
July 1, 2003... They came from the four corners of the Arabic speaking region, glamorous television presenters in their stilettos, editors of Gulf newspapers and magazines in their Armani suits, academics, politicians and former ministers of information...