The Middle East articles from June 2002

The Middle East archives from June 2002

The Abdullah plan ...: the prince and the president: positive indicators are emerging that some of the proposals for peace, put forward by Crown Prince Abdullah, have found favour with US President Bush. Milan Vesely was in Crawford, Texas when the two statesmen met. (Current Affairs)(Cover Story).
June 1, 2002... The visit was short. Five hours, some believed, was barely long enough to get through the introductions, but then Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah hadn't travelled to President George Bush's western White House in Crawford, Texas, to sample...

Report from the Gaza Strip. (Current Affairs).
June 1, 2002... As certain Arab leaders bowed to pressure from the United States, and called on Palestinians to stop the violence, the struggle to liberate the West Bank and Gaza Strip was dealt another blow. By not contextually linking the demands made of...

With friends like these ...: Ed Blanche reports on allegations of Israeli espionage on its closest ally, the United States. (Current Affairs).
June 1, 2002... Over the years there have been persistent reports of Israeli espionage in the United States, Israel's closest ally, provider of some $90 billion in aid and the country on which it has relied more than once for its very survival. With the...

Down but by no means out: Adel Darwish looks at the predicament President Bush and Prime minister Blair could face if they choose to pursue their aim to launch an offensive against Iraq. (Current Affairs).
June 1, 2002... Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein clearly anticipates a war with the United States, by mid-May he had instructed his people to begin storing food and supplies and placed his elite Republican Guard tanks around key installations. New surface-to-air...

Sharon and the generals: the battle within. (Current Affairs).
June 1, 2002... Ariel Sharon has been having trouble with his generals, just like several of his predecessors. But the line between Israel's military commanders and its government has rarely been so pronounced as now--and never so critical both to the state...

Kabul's voice in Washington: Afghanistan's most vocal diplomat in the United States, Haron Amin, talked to Larry Luxner in Washington. (Current Affairs).(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Haron Amin is an important figure these days. Only 32 years old, Amin is the voice of the new Afghanistan, an articulate, passionate former resistance fighter who speaks fluent English and knows the value of a sound bite. "I've been...

Oil exports to Syria help keep Baghdad afloat; Ed Blanche reports on Iraq's clandestine oil deal with Damascus. (Business & Finance).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Syria continues to defy United Nations Security Council sanctions on Iraq by importing at least 150,000 barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil from its neighbour, which US officials say makes Damascus Iraq's single largest source of revenue outside...

A 21st century success story: things are looking good for Qatar and, if the analysts are to be believed, they are about to get even better. (Qatar Special Report).(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... During the past two decades, Qatar has invested tens of billions of dollars into building a `first-world' physical and economic infrastructure to sustain long-term growth and development. The average income of the 170,000 or so Qatari nationals...

Oman establishes its LNG credentials. (Business & Finance).
June 1, 2002... Oman LNG is gearing up to add a long-awaited third train to its plant at Sur. The third train will deliver impressive economies of scale--up to 40% cheaper than train one--and establish Oman as a serious player in the LNG market. This should...

Safety first. (Business & Finance).
June 1, 2002... Post 11 September, security--whether in the real world of suicide bombers and rumbling tanks in a refugee camp or in its information technology cyberpart--has become one of the hottest topics. Hacking, or breaking into another person's or...

Revitalising Turkey's banking sector; Jon Gorvett reports from Istanbul on Turkey's attempts to revitalise its ailing banking sector by returning confidence to the markets. (Business & Finance).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... When Turkey's economy went into meltdown back in February 2001, analysts and politicians pointed the finger of blame at a wide variety of different people and institutions. Yet one place they all agreed on as having a major responsibility for...

Iraqi oil stoppage rattles Wall Street. (Business & Finance).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Wall Street stockbrokers awoke late April in an irritated mood. Oil prices were on the rise, their daily commute costing some 15% more at an average of $1.60 per gallon for their behemoth-like Chevy Surburbans, Ford Windstars and Pontiac Grand...

Optimistic outlook for regional oil and gas. (Special Report).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Oil literally forms the bedrock of the Middle East. It fuels the economy of the region, dominates global geopolitical thinking and to a large degree governs perceptions of the region in the rest of the world. When you think of oil, you think of...

The Middle East and North Africa 2002.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Published by EUROPA publications ISBN 1 85743 1022 price 285.00 [pounds sterling] hardback The Middle East and North Africa 2002 is a complete reference guide to the region. Thoroughly revised, expanded and updated, this 48th edition...

Egypt: the Business Travellers' Handbook.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... By James Lawday published by Gorilla Guides ISBN 11 903185 00 9 price 12.50 [pounds sterling] paperback Site of the most ancient civilisation in the world, Egypt today is by far the most populous country in the Arab-speaking world and is...

The Road from Damascus: a Journey Through Syria.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... By Scott C Davis published by Cune Press distributed by Gazelle in the UK ISBN 1 885942 53 2 price 11.99 [pounds sterling] paperback ISBN 1 885942 84 2 price 19.99 [pounds sterling] hardback It was a rough few years in the Middle East:...

Islam: Faith, Culture, History.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... By Paul Lunde published by Dorling Kindersley ISBN 0 7513 7341 9 price 16.99 [pounds sterling] hardback The tragic events of 11 September thrust the Islamic faith directly under the world's spotlight, but despite all the media attention...

Jerusalem.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... By Colin Osman published by Garnet Publishing ISBN I 85964 1200 price 19.95 [pounds sterling] hardback A fascinating volume of archive photographs, capturing everyday life in Jerusalem from the middle of the last century until World War I....

Culture and Conquest in Mongol Eurasia.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... By Thomas T Allsen published by Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 80335 7 price 40.00 [pounds sterling] hardback In the 13th century the Mongols created a vast transcontinental empire that functioned as a cultural `clearing house' for...

Islamic Banking and finance: New Perspectives on Profit-Sharing And Risk.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Edited by Munawar Iqbal and David T Llewellyn Published by Edward Elgar publishing ISBN 1 84064787 6 272 price 59.95 [pounds sterling] hardback It is a well-known fact that conventional commercial banks provide financial intermediation...

The rebirth of Islam in Russia. (Mosaic).(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... "Our faith lives in our blood and in our bones... One can strip a man of his clothes but not of a faith practised for over 1,000 years," says Gousman Iskhakov, the mufti of Tatarstan. After living for three generations under the Soviet...

New museum honours diva of Arabic music. (Mosaic).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... More than 25 years since her death, the haunting voice of Umm Kulthoum still brings tears to the eyes of her millions of admirers. The diva of Arabic music, known as the Kawkab al-Sharq (Star of the East), brought Egypt to a standstill on the...

War games: the US market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts global revenue from online games will reach $2.3 billion by 2005. Carl Gibeily looks at the region's new generation of gamers. (Mosaic).(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... During his longest run as a terrorist, a six-hour stretch, Johnny Diab killed hundreds of men. He also smoked almost a pack of cigarettes, drank half a dozen sodas and developed some seriously dry eyes during that stint a few months ago. ...

Ancient Egyptian life displayed at the Louvre: an exhibition on the everyday life of Egyptian artists under the pharaohs, has opened at the Louvre. (Mosaic).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Guillemette Andreu-Lanoe is a 53-year old commissioner at the Musee du Louvre, with responsibility for the current exhibition The Artists of the Pharaohs: Deir-el-Medineh and the Valley of the Kings. With the increasing popularity of the...