APS Diplomat News Service articles from May 2008

APS Diplomat News Service archives from May 2008

Syria-Israel Bargaining, Via Turkey, Promises Hot Summer In Lebanon & Iran.
May 5, 2008... *** Much Is Awaited From Bush's May 13-18 Tour, Which Will Feature His Participation In Israel's 60th Anniversary, And Visits To Egypt And Saudi Arabia *** But Those Who Are Not Expecting To Get What They Want Include The Palestinian...

Assad's Price.(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... Assad, however, will have to wait until "the right government" in Israel and "the right administration" in the US are in place to pay his price: "Greater Syria", to be preceded by a derailing of a UN court set try the killers of former...

What Erdogan Is Doing.(Recep Tayyip Erdogan)
May 5, 2008... Erdogan on April 27 spent five hours in Damascus meeting with Assad on Turkish efforts to mediate a deal. On his return to Ankara, he said: "There was a request from Syria and Israel for this kind of an effort, and Turkey will do its best in...

Baku Releases Iran-Bound Nuke Equipment.
May 5, 2008... Azerbaijan on May 1 released a Russian shipment of nuclear equipment bound for Iran, which had been blocked at its border for three weeks. The shipment was destined for a Russian-built nuclear reactor in the southern Iranian port city of...

Iran With Its Gas Seeks Energy Integration With Pakistan & India; But USA Is Opposed:.
May 12, 2008... *** Under Putin, Gazprom Will Become A Main Foreign Policy Tool For Russia And Will Expand Across The Globe; It Will Be A Leading Player In The LNG Business In The Next Decade, And GazpromNeft Aims To Grow As One Of The World's Biggest Oil...

The IPI Pipeline Project.
May 12, 2008... The IPI project has been under discussion since 1994 and is not likely to materialise in the near future. Its actual cost may exceed $10 bn even if the proposed pipeline's construction is to begin in 2009. While paper WTI crude oil's price has...

The Iran-Swiss Gas Deal.(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... The US and its allies are worried that the sanctions regime against Tehran is under threat from a possible new wave of European investment in Iran's gas sector. Tehran has already concluded gas deals with Chinese and Malaysian companies -...

Turkey Offers Crude Oil Lifeline To India Via Israel.
May 12, 2008... During a February visit to New Delhi, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan offered to facilitate the supply of crude oil to India from Central Asia via Israel through a combination of overland pipelines and super-tankers. Under the plan, crude...

EU Close To Iraq Energy Pact; Wins Gas Pledge.
May 12, 2008... The European Union on April 16 said it was close to signing a preliminary energy pact with Iraq as part of the bloc's efforts to reduce its heavy dependence on Russian oil and gas. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said after...

Lebanon Accord In Qatar Freezes One War Front As The US Sees Its GME Role May Change.(Greater Middle East)
May 26, 2008... *** The Lebanon Deal Was More The Result Of A Regional Change Than A Product Of A Lebanese Compromise; And Qatar Is Yet To Mediate A Peace Between Syria And Sunni Arab Rulers, Led By King Abdullah Of Saudi Arabia, Whom Pres. Assad On Aug. 15,...

The Lebanon Deal.
May 26, 2008... No sooner was the Lebanon deal announced in Doha than a tented city the March 8 opposition had erected in central Beirut to pressure the government began to be dismantled. Politicians who had spent days sniping at each other suddenly adopted a...

The Doha Text.
May 26, 2008... "Under the auspices of Qatari Emir Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa...and in continuation of the efforts of the Arab Ministerial Committee, headed by Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaikh Hamad bin Jassem...and the efforts of Arab League...

The Saudi Role.(Saudi Arabia)
May 26, 2008... Hariri told the pan-Arab, Saudi-owned daily ash-Sharq al-Awsat that the March 14 Forces had granted the March 8 demand for veto power in the new cabinet because the opposition could no longer block the formation of the UN tribunal to try...

Qatar's Peace-Making Position.
May 26, 2008... Qatar is a small fish stuck between giants - Iran and Saudi Arabia - as well as between conflicting sectarian ideologies and geo-political ambitions like the Shi'ite Ja'farism and Turko-Persian background of the Iranian theocracy and the Sunni...

US-Iraq Security Pact - Bush's Last ME Tour.(George W. Bush, Middle East )
May 26, 2008... The US and Iraqi governments are to sign a long-term military co-operation agreement within a framework of strategic friendship and co-operation which will be finalised in about two months. But the negotiations are difficult for Iraqis because...

US Hits Report On Hitting Iran.
May 26, 2008... Amid indications of quiet US-Iranian diplomacy, the White House on May 20 sharply criticised The Jerusalem Post for the second time in two days over reports about policy towards Tehran, dismissing the Post's report that President George W. Bush...

GCC Leaders Emphasise Commitment To Arab Peace Plan.(Gulf Cooperation Council)
May 26, 2008... The six GCC rulers on May 20 held a consultative meeting in Dammam and emphasised their commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative. The plan, originally proposed by Saudi King Abdullah, offers Israel normal ties with Arab states in exchange for...

Iran Theocrats Tell Ahmadi-Nehad To Leave Theology To Them.(Mahmoud Ahmadinejad)(Brief article)
May 26, 2008... Iranian theocrats in Qom were on May 20 reported as criticising President Ahmadi-Nejad for using religion to distract attention from his failure to deliver on promises of prosperity and political freedoms. The tensions surround al-Mahdi, the...