The Middle East articles from October 2002

The Middle East archives from October 2002

Comment.(UN weapons inspectors in Iraq)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Only when it appeared war was just around the corner, did Saddam Hussein announce he would allow UN weapons inspectors back into Iraq, thus pre-empting an attack by the US. But, make no mistake, war remains just around the corner unless the...

Countdown: a war against Iraq looks increasingly inevitable. Various ideas have been floated as to how the end of Saddam Hussein might best be achieved. But after the fall of the Iraqi despot, then what? (Iraq).
October 1, 2002... In a flashback to August 1990, the American President stood beside his guest, the British Prime Minister, at his Camp David retreat last month to announce "a determined joint British-American strategy to deal with the Iraqi dictator Saddam...

Do as we say, not as we do: the decision not to extend further aid to Egypt was part of the US administration's effort to expand free speech and democracy to Islamic countries, says the White House and not a retaliatory move for Egypt's lack of support for American plans to attack Iraq. (Egypt).
October 1, 2002... In a surprising shift, the Bush administration announced that it would oppose any additional aid to Egypt in protest at its persecution of human rights campaigner Saad Eddin Ibrahim (see TME September 2002). By linking the suspension of an...

Leader in waiting or dead man walking? Palestinian activist Marwan Barghouti is in prison awaiting trial. The Israelis accuse him of being a terrorist but Barghouti has vowed his trial will reveal exactly where the real terror emanates from. (Trial).
October 1, 2002... Only in the 21st century could political prisoners have their own web-sites. Only in the age of Information Technology could it possible for people around the globe to rally in support of a person they had never met face to face, hear him speak...

Where is public enemy number one? A year after the tragedy that changed the world forever, one man and his fate remains a mystery. (Current Affairs).(Osama bin Laden)
October 1, 2002... Osama bin Laden remains elusive. It has been reported that the British SAS came close to capturing him but were thwarted by American troops seeking the glory for themselves, giving him the chance to flee. But failure to display his corpse or...

A Turkish Cornucopia: if parliamentary elections take place as planned in November, Turks will go to the polls with close to 50 different political parties on the ballot form. (Current Affairs).
October 1, 2002... With Turkey's parliament decision in late July to call an early general election for 3 November, it seemed that a government of quite awe-inspiring unpopularity might finally be nearing its end. Yet despite the fact that opinion polls have...

Getting smart: Gulf states go for US `wonder weapons': after debate and delay, the US has agreed a multi-million arms package for the Gulf. (Arms).
October 1, 2002... Kuwait recently signed an $868 million contract with the United States for 16 Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters equipped with advanced electronics and fire-control systems. Once the weapons package is decided, the contract value...

Ahmad Massood's assassination remains a mystery: as feuding warlords compete for dominance in post-Taliban Afghanistan, a Belgian court prepares to put suspected Al Qaeda members on trial. (Afghanistan).
October 1, 2002... Belgian judicial authorities have announced they will put suspected Al Qaeda activists on trial in December on charges of planning the assassination of Ahmad Shah Massood, the legendary Afghan Mujahedin commander, murdered two days before Osama...

Israel's submarine menace: Israel's three Dolphin Type 800 submarines--considered the most advanced conventional submarines in the world--are reported to have been equipped with cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. (Military).
October 1, 2002... Reports that Israel has armed its new German-built Dolphin submarines with cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads seem to have barely raised a ripple of concern in the region, preoccupied as it is with the carnage in Israel and...

Tunisia: relationship with the European Union: the fruits of strategic foresight. (Tunisia-EU).
October 1, 2002... Tunisia was the first country to sign an Association Agreement with the European Union. According to the terms of the Agreement, the EU and its Association partners will introduce a Free Trade Zone in 2010. This will mean that tariffs and other...

Tunisia is a model, says the EC. (Tunisia-EU).(European Commission)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Sitting in his spanking new offices in the heart of one of Tunis's new prestige development areas, Manfredo Fanti, the acting head of the European Commission delegation in Tunisia is quite emphatic. "Tunisia," he says, "is a model for other...

Reaching for excellence. (Tunisia-EU).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... At the heart of Tunisia's preparations for entering the EU free trade zone in 2010 lies the mise a niveau programme. In context, the term mise a niveau can be roughly translated as meaning `upgrading competitiveness'. Thus, when the programme...

Ready for the world: Anver Versi visits a major Tunisian manufacturing company and learns how adhering to the mise a niveau programme has brought spectacular international success to the firm. (Tunisia-EU).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Whenever somebody offers you tea and biscuits anywhere in Tunisia, the chances are that the biscuits will carry the brand name Saida and will have been made in the factories of Sotubi, in Tunis. "Sotubi is one of the finest examples of how...

US woos Kazakhstan: can the vast hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian region provide an alternative to energy from the Middle East? Some of America's leading business brains seem to think so. (Kazakhstan).
October 1, 2002... While the world waited anxiously in September for a likely US attack on Baghdad, American troops were quietly taking up positions 1,800 miles to the north-east, in Kazakhstan. Based at Almaty International Airport, they are officially...

Heineken makes public offer for Egypt's Al-Ahram Beverages Company.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Netherlands' Heineken has obtained the approval of the Egyptian Capital Market Authority to make a public offer for up to 100% of the issued shares of Al-Ahram Beverages Company (ABC), Egypt's sole brewery group. The offer price is $14 per...

Saudi Al-Rajhi group selects Sage ERP.(Al-Rajhi Holding Company)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Saudi Arabia Al-Rajhi Holding Company has chosen Sage Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to manage its businesses in Saudi Arabia, aiming to improve operational efficiency across the group's business units. The entire implementation...

KFAED lends $49 million to Bahrain power plant expansion.(Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development; Al-Hidd power plant)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) approved a $49 million loan to the Kingdom of Bahrain, in a bid to help finance the expansion of an electrical power plant at Al-Hidd.

The BBC in Cairo: why the Arabs are worried. (Newstand).(Egypt)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Arab states fear that Saddam Hussein's regime might not be the only one which is changed if there's a US-led assault on Iraq. That is what is behind the head of the Arab League Amr Moussa's statement that war against Iraq would "open the gates...

CNN in Baghdad: inspections won't end crisis. (Newstand).(Iraq-US relations, UN inspectors)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Speaking for the first time since Iraq agreed to allow the return of UN weapons inspectors "without conditions," Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz predicted the move would not end the crisis. "America... wants to control the oil in Iraq," Aziz...

Middle East thinks green: the price tag for cleaning and then maintaining the sensitive environment of the Middle East region stands at an estimated $85 billion, according to the World Bank but, so far, no one seems especially keen to foot the bill. (Summit).
October 1, 2002... Last month's 2002 Earth Summit may have fallen short of global goals, but it has boosted environmental awareness throughout the Middle East and created an unusual channel for the stalled Arab-Israeli talks to resume. Any visitor to Cairo who...

The Banker names NBK Middle East's Bank of the Year.(National Bank of Kuwait)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * The National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) was named the Bank of the Year for 2002 in the Middle East for the second consecutive year by The Banker, an international Financial Times. Business magazine. NBK was also awarded the `Best Bank in Kuwait'...

Suez Cement confirms no intention of acquiring Torah Cement.(Egypt)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Egypt's Suez Cement has confirmed no current intention of acquiring the remaining available shares in its 66%-owned subsidiary Torah Cement. Suez purchased a 34% stake in the firm in 2000.

Oman's Detergent Company records 26% net profit increase.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Oman's National Detergent Company (NDC) posted a 26% net profit increase in the first half of 2002 reaching 402,929 Omani rials. Revenues increased by 4.8% during the same period reaching OR 5.5 million.

Saudi Arabian Mining Company slated for privatisation.(Maadan)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * The Saudi government is planning to privatise the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maadan) by the year 2004. The company's sale will be facilitated by any new mining law, anticipated to come into effect by year's end.

Russian packaging firm to expand UAE operations.(United Arab Emirates; Termopak)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Russian packaging technology company, Termopak, which currently runs a service centre in Sharjah, announced it is planning to expand its United Arab Emirates (UAE) operations with a dedicated machinery showroom in the emirate.

Turkish beer bottling factory to open in Russia next month.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Turkey's Bottle and Glass Factories' new beer bottling plant is scheduled to go on stream by September. Located in Vladmir, Russia the $26 million factory will produce 300 million bottles of beer annually during its first year of operation.

Private solutions to public problems: the countries of the Maghreb have been plagued by drought for the past several years. As water supplies decrease, demand continues to rise. Morocco and Algeria are committed to meeting the shortfall with the help of the private sector. (Water).
October 1, 2002... The process of transferring the provision of water and wastewater services from the State to private companies within the Middle East is forging ahead in Algeria and Morocco. Population growth and increasing industrialisation are boosting water...

DHL-Dnata Cargo sign cooperation deal.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Middle East supplier of travel and cargo services Dnata, has signed an agreement with DHL World-Wide Express, an international air express company and business logistics solution provider. Under the agreement, Dnata Cargo will-for the first...

Middle East airport development projects total $8 billion.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Airports throughout the Middle East are in for a boom over the next few years with an investment inflow of nearly $8 billion headed their way. Nearly 70% of that total will be invested in the GCC region. Projects include construction of new...

Iran and China build $180 million road tunnel.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Iran and China have agreed to collaborate on the construction of a 32-kilometre road tunnel. The $180 million venture is part of a planned route that would link Tehran to the Caspian Sea shores.

Poised for take off? Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Mauritania has been working to establish a better way of life for its population and a place on the world stage. Now, it appears, this previously "quiet" country might have something to shout about. Mauritania's ambassador to London HE Dr Youssouf Diagana talks to The Middle East. (Mauritania).
October 1, 2002... Iron ore and fish have been the mainstays of Mauritania's export industry for as far back as most people can remember. But, following the issue of exploration licences for oil, gas, uranium and gold last year, hopes are high the country is on...

Naos investment fund project.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Naos, an investment fund whose purpose is to invest in real estate projects in Morocco has been established by two founding partners: (i) Saham Group, a diversified Moroccan company focusing on sectors with strong growth potential and;...

OPEC backs Mauritania.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * The OPEC Fund for International Development has signed a $3.5 million loan agreement with Mauritania to help finance a multi-pronged scheme to combat poverty by providing under-served communities with access to potable water, safe sanitation...

Libya opens doors to investors: a survey of the world's biggest oil companies earlier this year, ranked Libya as the most attractive oil exploration location in the world. Now, it is up to the Libyans to capitalise on their considerable assets. (Oil And Gas).
October 1, 2002... The Libyan political leadership continues to encourage foreign investment in the oil and gas sector. However, efforts by the country to maintain and increase its share of the Opec pie will require steady increases in production capacity over...

Lebanon steps up water diversion in defiance of Israeli war threats.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Lebanon has stepped up construction works on a pumping station that would divert the waters of the Wazzani River from its flow into Israel to villages in South Lebanon. Israel PM Sharon warned that Israel would regard the diversion as "casus...

STM Wireless receives follow-on order from Etisalat.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * STM Wireless announced that its local agent has signed a contract valued at $600,000 with Etisalat, for the supply of a broadband VSAT network to be used for offering high-speed connectivity to customers in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Egypt's Al-Watany Bank posts 38% drop in net income.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... * Al-Watany Bank Of Egypt (AWB) reported a 38% plunge in its net profits for the first half of financial year 2002, reaching EP38.44 million. Earlier this month, AWB management announced that its director has resigned and stepped clown from the...

Islamic art at auction: the art of the Islamic world has fascinated people around the globe for centuries and interest has never been higher. As in all things trends change but, according to the experts, prices have remained consistent. It seems that even in these uncertain times investment in Islamic art is likely to pay dividends. (Mosaic).
October 1, 2002... Islamic art aficionados from around the world will gather in London in the third week of October for the second of the twice yearly Islamic Art weeks celebrated by the city's two best known fine arts auctioneers Christie's and Sotheby's. The...

Schindler's lift: the oldest working lift in Cairo is more than a hundred years old and still going strong. (Antique).(Egyptian elevators)
October 1, 2002... Cairo is a sprawling museum of early elevator technology. Thousands of the city's colonial era buildings contain their original wooden elevators, which are usually open-shaft designs encircled by the building's central staircase. While it is...

Al Kasaba goes stateside: the Ramallah-based Al Kasaba theatre company recently took an original stage play to the United States with encouraging results. (Theatre).
October 1, 2002... The odds were against it: a 10-member troupe from a land not yet recognised as a State, performing a play in a foreign language. But Al Kasaba Theatre garnered favourable headlines in The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times for its...

Secularism and the Arab World.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... By Nazik Saba Yared Published By Saqi Books ISBN: 0 86356 393 7 Price: 35.00 [pounds sterling] hardback Secular Arabic thought is not a novel tradition. Saba Yared demonstrates that the beginnings of secularism can be traced back to the...

The Road to Jerusalem: Glubb Pasha, Palestine and the Jews.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... By Benny Morris published by IB TAURIS ISBN 11 86064 812 6 price 24.50 [pounds sterling] hardback General Sir John Glubb, the last British pro-Consul in the region, could be seen as midwife to the birth of the modern Middle East--a birth...

The Sultan's Yemen: Nineteenth-Century Challenges to Ottoman Rule.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... By Caesar E Farah published by IB TAURIS ISBN 1 86064 767 7 price 39.50 [pounds sterling] hardback Yemen, witness to the rise of the earliest civilisations, has long been the setting of struggles for power and dominance. Greeks and Romans,...

Unfolding the Orient: Travellers in Egypt and the Near East.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... Edited by Paul and Janet Starkey published by Ithaca Press ISBN 0 86 372 257 1 price 35.00 [pounds sterling] hardback Egypt and the Near East have enchanted many people both from within the region and from outside it. Travellers from the...

Celestial Nights: Vsions of an Ancient Land.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... Photographs by Neil Folberg Introduction by Timothy Ferris Published by APERTURE ISBN 0 89381 945 x price 27.50 [pounds sterling] hardback The world depicted in Celestial Nights is composed of a delicately constructed order where earthly...

Middle Eastern Minorities and Diasporas.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... Edited by Moshe Ma'oz and Gabriel Sheffer published by Sussex Acedemic Press ISBN 1 902210 84 0 price 49.50 [pounds sterling] hardback The Arab countries and the Arab Middle East have been projected as homogeneous and united social and...

A Fury for God: the Islamist Attack on America.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... By Malise Ruthven published by Granta books ISBN 1 86207 540 9 price: 15.00 [pounds sterling] The shocking events of 11 September 2001 in New York and Washington will never be forgotten. The images of smoke and flames billowing out of the...

Civil and Uncivil Violence in Lebanon: a History of the Internationalisation of Communal Conflict in Lebanon.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... By Samir Khalaf published by Columbia University Press ISBN 0 231 12476 7 price 22.50 [pounds sterling] hardback In this highly anticipated work Samir Khalaf analyses the history of civil strife and political violence in his native Lebanon,...

Islam's ambassador to the West. (The Last Word).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... There were sniggers and more than a few sarcastic jibes from media commentators when Jemima Khan, the wife of former Pakistan cricketer, Imran Khan announced she was pondering a new challenge, that of taking on the role of Islam's ambassador to...