The Middle East articles from May 2005

The Middle East archives from May 2005

Comment: more than 20 years ago I shared an office with a man called John Christie. I was just getting started in Middle East journalism and he was approaching the end of his career.
May 1, 2005... HE HAD COME INTO THE PROFESSION LATE, RECRUITED LARGELY because of his encyclopaedic knowledge of the region, gained during long years in the diplomatic service, including, I later learned, a spell in MI6, the British foreign secret service. He...

Iraq: brave new beginnings?(president Jalal Talabani)(Cover Story)
May 1, 2005... THE SITUATION IN IRAQ IS SHIFTING ON a daily basis. The appointments of the country's first Kurdish president, Jalal Talabani, and the urbane but conservative Shi'ite, Ibrahim Jaafari, as prime minister, brings the concept of democratic...

A man for all seasons?(Interview: Jalal Talabani )(Interview)
May 1, 2005... In the run up to the elections, the newly appointed leader of Iraq President Jalal Talabani spoke to Chris Kutschera in this exclusive interview for The Middle East magazine. Although the interview was conducted before President Talabani was...

The first steps? Mariam Shahin reports from the occupied territories on the progress of Israeli "withdrawal".(PALESTINE)
May 1, 2005... THE "WITHDRAWAL" OR "DISENGAGEMENT" of some 8,000 Israeli settlers began last month (April) with some 60 of the 1,600 Israeli settler families agreeing on what is believed to be "substantial compensation" to quit their virtually free homes on...

Syria's retreat provides a silver lining for some: for almost three decades property sequestered by Syrian troops during the Lebanese civil war has remained out of bounds to its legal owners. Now, following the soldiers departure, the Lebanese are finally reclaiming their property.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
May 1, 2005... FOR 15 YEARS WALID RIACHI COULD only wonder what his hotel looked like, since barbed wire and skull and crossbones warning signs kept him away from the property he inherited when his father died in 1983. But now he and his brother have claimed...

Back at the crossroads: following the series of momentous events beginning with the assassination of Rafiq Hariri in February and culminating with the departure of the last Syrian troops in April, ending a military presence that lasted almost 30 years, Lebanon anticipates holding elections by the end of the month. Nicholas Blanford reports from Beirut.(Lebanon)
May 1, 2005... AT THE TIME OF WRITING, THE Lebanese authorities were still struggling to put together a new government to end a six-week political paralysis and pave the way for parliamentary elections scheduled to be held by 31 May, when the mandate of the...

Moscow muscles its way back into the Middle East: Russian arms salesmen are achieving impressive sales results in some Middle Eastern states, much to the consternation of the region's traditional arms suppliers in the United States and Europe, who believe this could be just the tip of the iceberg.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
May 1, 2005... MOSCOW HAS BEEN STRONGLY reasserting itself in the Middle East in recent months, particularly through arms sales to Iran and Syria, which is causing increasing concern in the United States and Israel about President Vladimir Putin's long term...

Dicing with democracy: President George W. Bush's crusade to transform the Middle East--and the law of unintended consequences. Ed Blanche reports from Beirut.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
May 1, 2005... ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISTS SEIZING power in an Arab state or indeed in the wider Muslim world, has long been one of Washington's nightmares. But, according to some the threat may be heightened because of President Bush's crusade to spread...

Learning to live together: the winds of change that are sweeping through the region bring with them testing--and, for some, frightening--times in which the old orders will be challenged. Nicholas Blanford reports from Kuwait on growing Shi'ite influences and how the Sunnis are accommodating change.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
May 1, 2005... POLITICALLY SIDELINED, KUWAIT'S minority Shi'ites are taking heart from the empowerment of their coreligionists in neighbouring Iraq to press for greater recognition. "What's happening in Iraq will be positive for the Shi'ites in Kuwait...

E.U. ups the ante in "neighbourhood" expansion: with the European Union's frontiers expanding both east and south in recent months, Brussels has now moved into position as a potential major Middle Eastern player. Jon Gorvett reports from Istanbul.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
May 1, 2005... WITH CYPRUS AND MALTA joining the EU last year, North Africa and the Levant have become far more part of the EU's neighbourhood than before, a fact now crystalised in the EU's Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). Under its remit, European...

World Economic Forum 2005: meeting 21st century challenges.(JORDAN)
May 1, 2005... "Committed to improving the state of the world" is the World Economic Forum's proud assertion. Something of a tall order, one may be forgiven for thinking. But when the 2005 World Economic Forum kicks off in Jordan on 20 May, participants and...

The big bounce back: record numbers of tourists are expected to visit the Middle East in 2005, boosting employment and yielding vast sums of hard currency for Arab governments. But can the growth be sustained?(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
May 1, 2005... LIKE DELICATE FLOWERS THRIVING on the fertile soil found on the slopes of a volcano, Middle East tourism is thriving, despite the ever-present threats of war and terrorism. Tourists are pouring into the region in record numbers, to view its...

Kuwait's MTC in $ multibillion takeover: Kuwait's MTC has executed one of the biggest telecom deals ever to be seen in Africa.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
May 1, 2005... MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY (MTC) of Kuwait, which operates in Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Bahrain with 3.4m subscribers in the Middle East region, has announced that it will take-over Celtel International, one of Africa's premier...

Massive Qatari participation at ATM.(Arabian Travel Market )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... * The Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is beefing up its participation at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2005, the Middle East's premier travel and tourism show. Currently, exhibitors from 60 countries, including 52 national and regional tourism...

Algerian gas goes from strength to strength.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
May 1, 2005... NEW PIPELINES TO SOUTHERN EUROPE AND liquefied natural gas (LNG) deals with northern Europe are putting Algeria in an excellent position to make the most of its gas reserves. Russia is still the European Union's (EU's) biggest gas supplier but...

Fujitsu Siemens Computers appoints new distributor for multi $m Gulf markets.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... * Fujitsu Siemens Computers has appointed Logicom, one of the leading distributors in the Gulf and Levant IT markets, as a new distributor for its range of desktops, laptops, servers and accessories in the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar. ...

$1.4bn to be invested in Iran's largest aluminium factory.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... * Iran's Mining House has declared $1.4bn will be invested in the construction of Iran's largest aluminium factory in the western city of Nahavand, Hamedan province. The huge water reserves in the western city, as well as easy access to raw...

The outlook for Arab offshore investments: Moin A. Siddiqi analyses the situation of the global stock and bonds market; where Arab investors are putting their money and where they are not.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
May 1, 2005... THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAS SEEN EVER-INCREASING volatility in global bond and equity markets and Arab private and official investors, notably the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the Kuwait Investment Authority, Qatar Investment Office and the...

Privatisation earns Morocco $8.75bn in 11 years.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... * Morocco's finance ministry has revealed that 66 Moroccan companies were fully or partly privatised between 1993 and 2005. Among companies included were Ittissalat Al Maghrib (Morocco Telecom) and Regie des Tabacs (The tobacco distribution...

Oman signs $688m agreement to finance third gas liquefaction train.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... * Qalhat LNG has signed an agreement worth $688m with 13 local and international banks and investment authorities to finance the third gas liquefaction train. The goal of the Omani government over the next 15-years is to achieve a diversified...

IFC invests in Iraq's banking sector.(International Finance Corporation)(Credit Bank of Iraq)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... * The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, with a portfolio of $17.9bn, has signed an agreement to acquire a minority stake in Credit Bank of Iraq. IFC's investment will be undertaken in...

World Bank will put together multi million package for ailing ports.(EGYPT)
May 1, 2005... AFTER A LONG PROCESS OF DISCUSSION AND debate, Egypt's government has decided ports will play a fundamental role in the country's next stage of economic development. Strengthening port operations would enhance economic competitiveness and...

JBIC supports airport modernisation in Egypt.(Japan Bank for International Cooperation )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... * The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has agreed an ODA loan totalling 5.732bn yen ($52.847m) with Egypt, for the Borg El Arab International Airport Modernisation Project. The development consists of the construction of an air...

Egypt: striking a balance; Egypt's growing population and an upturn in economic growth have resulted in new environmental concerns.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
May 1, 2005... IN COMMON WITH MANY other developing countries, Egypt is struggling to cope with the effects of a rapidly growing population and a steady rise in industrialisation. The rewards of economic growth are filtering through to improve the living...

"Energy City" $bn-project in Qatar.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Qatar-based Al Addiyar Real Estate Investment Company, with capital of $1bn, has signed an agreement with Gulf Energy, a global consortium of leading energy consultants, researchers and academics, to develop an "Energy City" in Qatar that...

Bactrian gold: through invasion and conflict some of Afghanistan's most important and valuable treasures lay undisturbed and safe thanks to the bravery of a number of patriots--most of whom will never be known--who risked their lives to save Afghanistan's national treasures.(MOSAIC)
May 1, 2005... SCARCELY ANY TV VIEWER IN THE WORLD IS unaware of the looting of priceless antiquitives from Iraq's historical museum while US troops benignly observed the theft of a nation's historical heritage. It was presumed the same thing happened to...

Attempting to cross the invisible divide: Peter Willems reports from the Yemeni capital of Sana'a on the most impoverished and vulnerable members of that society and recent attempts to integrate them into the mainstream.
May 1, 2005... "MY HUSBAND CAN'T FIND work, so I have to go out and beg," said Fatima, sitting in her tiny shack surrounded by nearly a dozen children. "Most of my children have to go out to earn money also. This is the best we can do." Fatima is a...

The essence of Arabia: one of Britain's most highly regarded contemporary orientalist painters, , talked to Pat Lancaster.(MOSAIC)(Interview)
May 1, 2005... GROWING UP, JUNE BARTLETT frequently contemplated becoming a professional artist, "I don't remember a time when I wasn't drawing or painting something," she recalls. Her first professional sale was of a work displayed on the railings in...

International Law in the Middle East.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... INTERNATIONAL LAW IN THE MIDDLE EAST Closer to Power than Justice By Jean Allain published by Ashgate ISBN 0 7546 2436 6 price 65.00 [pounds sterling] hardback Examining international law through the lens of the Middle East, this study...

British Pro-Consuls in Egypt, 1914-1929.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... BRITISH PRO-CONSULS IN EGYPT, 1914-1929 The Challenge of Nationalism By C.W.R. Long published by Routledge Curzon ISBN 0 415 35033 6 price 65.00 [pounds sterling] hardback With World War I and Egypt's colourful politics as background, CWR....

Suicide in Palestine.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... SUICIDE IN PALESTINE Narratives of Despair By Nadia Dabbagh published by C Hurst & Co ISBN 1 85065 790 4 price 14.95 [pounds sterling] paperback This book is a pioneering anthropological study of suicide in the contemporary Arab world. It...

Addicted to Oil.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... ADDICTED TO OIL America's Relentless Drive for Energy Security By Ian Rutledge published by IB TAURIS ISBN 1 85043674 6 price 19.99 [pounds sterling] hardback It has long been acknowledged that in America the car is king. However,...

The Secret of Laughter.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... THE SECRET OF LAUGHTER Magical Tales from Classical Persia By Shusha Guppy published by IB TAURIS ISBN 1 85043 427 1 price 18.95 [pounds sterling] hardback This magical collection of stories, gathered from the rich treasury of Persian folk...

Options for Lebanon.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... OPTIONS FOR LEBANON Edited by Nawaf A. Salam Published by IB TAURIS in association with The Centre for Lebanese Studies ISBN 1 85043 928 1 price 39.50 [pounds sterling] hardback Options for Lebanon aims at an in-depth examination of the...

The Middle East and North Africa 2005.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA 2005 51st Edition Published by Europa Publications ISBN 1 85743 270 3 price 350 [pounds sterling] hardback Europa's The Middle East and North Africa has become one of the most respected books of its genre....

Egypt's Black Tiger.(THE LAST WORD)(Ahmed Zaki)(Biography)
May 1, 2005... AHMED ZAKI ACTOR BORN ZAQAZIQ, Egypt 18 November 1949, died Cairo 27 March 2005. Portraying President Anwar Sadat on the silver screen was the pinnacle of Ahmed Zaki's acting career, one which spanned over three decades. The...