APS Diplomat Recorder articles from July 2007

APS Diplomat Recorder archives from July 2007

ARAB AFFAIRS - July 3 - GCC To Confront Iraq Security Fallout.
July 7, 2007... GCC defense and foreign ministers hold a joint meeting, emphasising the need for greater co-operation among member countries to confront the fallout from the worsening security situation in neighboring Iraq. "Our meeting was held today on the...

ARAB AFFAIRS - July 6 - Solve Iran Crisis Peacefully, Saud Says.
July 7, 2007... FM Prince Saud Al-Faisal reiterates Saudi Arabia's call for a peaceful solution to the international standoff over Iran's nuclear energy program and downplayed the idea of Tehran targeting GCC countries in the wake of a possible US strike...

ARABS-ISRAEL - July 1 - Israel To Begin Transferring Frozen Funds To Abbas.
July 7, 2007... The Israeli government agrees to restore full financial ties with the new, non-Hamas PA. Israel will now resume monthly transfers of taxes to the new authority, as well as unfreeze, in installments, the $600m or so withheld from the...

ARABS-ISRAEL - July 3 - Israel And Palestinians Hold First Security Talks In Years.
July 7, 2007... Israeli and Palestinian security officials resume meetings after nearly two years, officials on both sides confirmed, the latest sign of warming ties between the sides in the wake of Hamas' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip. The officials met...

ARABS-ISRAEL - July 5 - Israeli Attacks In Gaza Kill Seven Militants.
July 7, 2007... Israeli soldiers backed by tanks and air support launched fresh raids inside the Gaza Strip, killing at least seven Palestinian militants. Six of those killed were members of Hamas, the Islamist movement that took control of Gaza last month. A...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - July 2 - US Accuses Iran Over Deadly Iraq Raid.
July 7, 2007... The US military says that Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Lebanon's Hizbullah had assisted Iraqi militants to abduct and murder five US soldiers in January, an unusually direct accusation of Iranian complicity in a specific attack in Iraq. A...

AFGHANISTAN - July 3 - Suspected Rebels Die In Afghanistan Clashes.
July 7, 2007... Afghan and NATO forces clash with Taliban militants in a dangerous southern region overnight, leaving 33 suspected insurgents dead. The joint forces carried out the nighttime operation in the Zhari district of Kandahar, said the provincial...

AFGHANISTAN - July 5 - 33 Taliban Killed In Southern Afghan Battle, Afghan Military Says.
July 7, 2007... Fierce fighting breaks out around Afghanistan, with battles in three separate regions killing more than 100 militants, part of a cycle of rapidly rising violence five years into the US-led effort to defeat the Taliban. The governor of...

IRAN - July 3 - Critical Reform Paper Closed By Iran.
July 7, 2007... Iran's judiciary closes down one of the main reformist newspapers, Ham-Mihan, which printed biting comments about the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad. The closure - justified on technical and legal grounds - follows Iran's recent...

LEBANON - July 2 - Hamas And Fatah Split Over Nahr Al-Bared Crisis.
July 7, 2007... Relative calm prevails around the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, with the exception of periodic but minor clashes between Fatah al-Islam militants and the Lebanese Army, which fortified its positions around the camp. Meanwhile, sharp differences...

PALESTINE - July 2 - Hamas Arrests Spokesman For Group Behind Kidnapping.
July 7, 2007... Hamas officials in Gaza arrest a spokesman for the Army of Islam, the shadowy group that claims to have kidnapped Alan Johnston, the BBC Gaza correspondent, on March 12. The arrest of Abu Khatab Maqdisi and two other men was believed to be an...

PALESTINE - July 4 - Palestinians Get First Full Wages In 17 Months.
July 7, 2007... President Mahmoud Abbas's emergency government paid PA workers, excluding some 19,000 who report to Hamas, their first full wages in 17 months on Wednesday. It was able to make the payments because Israel, and the US and other Western powers...

YEMEN - July 2 - Suspected Al Qaeda Bombing Kills 5 In Yemen.
July 7, 2007... At least four Spanish tourists and one Yemeni are killed in a suspected al Qaeda car bomb attack in Yemen's eastern province of Marib. Security sources said the "terrorist attack" followed an al Qaeda statement demanding the release of some of...

ARAB AFFAIRS - July 8 - Abdullah, Moussa Discuss Lebanon.
July 14, 2007... Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah hold talks with Arab League Secretary-General AMoussa on major issues and developments in the region. The Arab League chief was in the Kingdom on the first leg of a tour that will also take him to...

ARAB AFFAIRS - July 9 - Moussa Cites 'Signs Of Progress' In Mediation Effort.
July 14, 2007... Arab League chief AMoussa says after a meeting with Syrian Pres Bashar Assad that efforts to broker a resolution to Lebanon's longstanding political crisis had "gained momentum". "There are signs of progress on the reconciliation efforts in...

ARAB AFFAIRS - July 10 - Olmert Signals Readiness For Syria Talks.
July 14, 2007... Israel's PM Ehud Olmert, says he is ready for direct peace talks with Syria's president Bashar al-Assad. Olmert told the Arabic-language al-Arabiya satellite channel he would be "happy" if he could make peace with Syria. "Bashar al-Assad, you...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - July 9 - Bush Defiant Despite Iraq Pressure.
July 14, 2007... Bush is not contemplating a change of strategy in Iraq, in spite of intensifying bipartisan pressure on the president to start reducing US troop numbers in the country. The defiant message came amid rapidly eroding support for the war within...

IRAN - July 13 - Iran Agrees To Un Inspection Of Disputed Nuclear Reactor.
July 14, 2007... UN nuclear inspectors who were banned earlier this year by Iran from visiting a heavy-water reactor will now be allowed to inspect it before the end of July, says the International Atomic Energy Agency. In a further sign of compromise, the IAEA...

IRAQ - July 8 - Iraqis Dig For Bodies After Bomb Kills 150.
July 14, 2007... The toll continues to mount from one the deadliest blasts in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion, which officials say may have killed more than 150 people and injured several hundred more in the village of Amirli, in north-east Iraq. Iraqi...

IRAQ - July 9 - Iraqis Warn Of Civil War If Us Troops Pull Out.
July 14, 2007... Iraqi officials warns that an early withdrawal of US troops could tip the country into civil war after the New York Times said debate was growing inside the White House over a drawdown. The comments followed a wave of bombings and shootings...

IRAQ - July 9 - Al Sadr Is Back In Iran, Say US Military Officials.
July 14, 2007... Fiery Iraqi Shi'ite theologian Muqtada Al Sadr has gone back to neighbouring Iran. Earlier this year, US officials said the anti-American theologian was hiding in Iran to avoid a major security crackdown in Baghdad, although his aides say he...

ISRAEL - July 12 - Israeli Soldier Killed In Gaza.
July 14, 2007... An Israeli soldier is killed in clashes with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, the first Israeli combat death since November. The Israeli military has been launching almost daily raids into Gaza since May in pursuit of wanted men, to look for...

PALESTINE - July 11 - Hamas To Boycott Parliament Session.
July 14, 2007... Hamas says it will boycott a Palestinian Parliament session called by President Mahmoud Abbas, a tactical move that could consolidate the leader's power over the sidelined chamber. "We will boycott this session that we consider illegal", the...

PALESTINE - July 13 - Fayyad's Govt Assumes Transitional Status.
July 14, 2007... Three Palestinian ministers are sworn into the emergency government of Salam Fayyad hours before it resigned and is reappointed by President Mahmoud Abbas as a transitional government, which can rule indefinitely. The resignation of the...

YEMEN - July 12 - Yemen Ceasefire With Rebels Strained Over Arms Handover.
July 14, 2007... A deal that ended six months of fighting between Yemeni government forces and Shi'ite rebels last month is close to collapse amid disagreements over the handover of weapons and prisoners. Rebels loyal to Abdul Malek Al Houthi accepted a truce...

ARAB AFFAIRS - July 16 - Olmert, Abbas To Discuss Help For W Bank.
July 21, 2007... Israeli PM Ehud Olmert is due to present Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with security amnesties designed to shore up his West Bank administration against rival Hamas Islamists. Israel has described its decisions to free 250 low-level...

ARAB-ISRAELI RELATIONS - July 20 - Israel Frees 250 Palestinian Prisoners.
July 21, 2007... Israel frees more than 250 Palestinian prisoners as part of a US-backed deal to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after Hamas Islamists took over the Gaza Strip last month. The prisoners, mostly members of Abbas's secular Fatah...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - July 16 - Bush In New Push For Mideast Peace.
July 21, 2007... President George W. Bush launches a fresh push to revive the stalled Middle East peace process, offering US leadership of efforts to find a two-state solution to the conflict. Bush said Palestinians faced a moment of choice between peace and...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - July 18 - Senior Iraqi Al-Qaeda Man Held, Claims US.
July 21, 2007... US military officials says they have caught a top Iraqi operative in al-Qaeda's Iraq network. Brigadier General Kevin Bergner said troops had captured Khaled al-Mashhadani, also known as "Abu Shahid", in the northern city of Mosul on July 4....

AFGHANISTAN - July 15 - Bin Laden Videotape Released Praising Martyrdom.
July 21, 2007... A Qaeda videotape posted on a militant Web site features a short, undated clip of a weary-looking Osama bin Laden praising martyrdom. The bin Laden clip, which lasted less than a minute, was part of a 40-minute video featuring purported Qaeda...

AFGHANISTAN - July 18 - 6 Afghan Police Officers Killed In Ambush.
July 21, 2007... Six Afghan police officers are killed when their convoy is ambushed with machine-gun fire and rockets on a dangerous section of the nation's main highway. "It happened at a place called Azatak, between two main highway posts", said the...

EGYPT - July 15 - Egypt's Chief Of Intelligence Flies To Washington For Talks Following Spat.
July 21, 2007... Egypt's powerful chief of intelligence, who acts as a key diplomatic link with the US and Israel, flew to Washington for talks with administration officials on bilateral ties and Mideast issues. The visit by Omar Suleiman came amid friction...

IRAN - July 16 - Iranian-US Detainees Shown On TV.(Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh)
July 21, 2007... The Iranian state television news channel IRINN broadcasts the first footage of two imprisoned Iranian-Americans, Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh. The station trailed a programme called "In the Name of Democracy", which it said it would air...

IRAQ - July 16 - Kurds Seek Public Execution Of 'Chemical Ali'.
July 21, 2007... Kurds in the self-governing Iraqi Kurdistan, especially in Sulaimaniya, are calling for Ali Hassan Al Majid's execution in a public square in the Kurdish town of Halabja and in front of its inhabitants. Iraq's Deputy PM Barham Saleh said that...

IRAQ - July 16 - Attacks In Kirkuk And Diyala Kill More Than 100 Iraqis.
July 21, 2007... A suicide bomber in the volatile northern city of Kirkuk crashes his truck into a compound that includes offices of a major Kurdish political party, killing 85 people. Many victims were women and children, shopping in the busy market next to...

IRAQ - July 17 - Sadr's Political Bloc To Resume Participation In Iraqi Politics.(Muqtada Al Sadr)
July 21, 2007... The political bloc loyal to the Shi'ite theologian Muqtada Al Sadr announces that it had decided to resume participation in the Iraqi Parliament. The group, which holds 30 of the 275 seats in Parliament, walked out in protest on June 13 after...

LEBANON - July 15 - Lebanese Troops Storm Camp.
July 21, 2007... Lebanese troops advance for the first time into a Palestinian refugee camp where they have been battling Al Qaida-inspired militants, security sources said. Lebanese and army flags were seen flying over a few destroyed buildings inside Nahr Al...

LIBYA - July 17 - Death Sentence Lifted For Libya's Jailed Medics.
July 21, 2007... Libya's highest judicial body says it had commuted the death sentences against six foreign medics to life imprisonment. "The High Judicial Council decided to commute the death sentences against the five Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian...

PALESTINE - July 15 - Fatah Militants And Israel Sign Truce.
July 21, 2007... Scores of Fatah militants in the West Bank sign a pledge renouncing attacks against Israel in return for an Israeli promise to stop pursuing them. The deal would grant amnesty to 178 Fatah gunmen who would join the official Palestinian security...

PALESTINE - July 18 - Abbas Asks Plo For Early Elections.
July 21, 2007... Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asks the PLO's Central Council to call for early presidential and parliamentary elections. "We will call the council to decide early elections without waiting for those (leaders) of Hamas who are staying...

SAUDI ARABIA - July 19 - Saudi Reformer Arrested Over Protest.
July 21, 2007... Saudi reform advocates say the authorities arrested a prominent activist, Abdullah Al Hamed, along with his brother and five women, after a protest to call for the release of family members detained for several years without charge. Fifteen...

ARAB AFFAIRS - July 25 - Israelis Pressed On Peace Talks Timetable.
July 28, 2007... The Egyptian and Jordanian FMs urge Israel to adopt a speedy timetable for talks as part of an Arab League peace plan towards Palestinian statehood. Neither the ministers nor Israel gave details of how they might make progress towards...

ARAB AFFAIRS - July 25 - Arab League Delegation Arrives In Israel To Extend 'Hand Of Peace'.
July 28, 2007... In the first time that a delegation from the Arab League has been sent to Israel, the FMs of Egypt and Jordan visited here Wednesday to promote the league's peace initiative. The schedule of the two Arab FMs included meetings with Israeli...

ARAB-ISRAELI RELATIONS - July 27 - Israeli Official Advocates Partial Withdrawal From West Bank.
July 28, 2007... A senior member of the Israeli government advocates partial withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from the West Bank, and Israeli officials raised the prospect of an initial pullback of forces from the quiet town of Jericho. Haim Ramon, a...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - July 24 - Iran Joins Iraq Security Committee.
July 28, 2007... The US and Iran will set up a joint committee with Iraq to discuss Iraqi security issues, opening the way for a continuous dialogue between two countries whose contacts have been limited since the 1979 Iranian revolution. US and Iraqi officials...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - July 24 - Bush Rejects Criticism That War Is Distraction From Battle Against Al-Qaeda.
July 28, 2007... President Bush rejects criticism that the Iraq war was a distraction from the "war on terror" and urged Americans to be patient with US military efforts in Iraq. "For the security of our citizens and the peace of the world, we must give General...

AFGHANISTAN - July 25 - Hostage's Body Found In Afghanistan.
July 28, 2007... Authorities recover the bullet-riddled body of a South Korean hostage in central Afghanistan night. The male victim was discovered in the Mushaki area of Qarabagh district in Ghazni province, said the officer, close to where the 23 Korean...

IRAN - July 25 - Iran Slows Deportation Of Afghans.
July 28, 2007... Iran slows down the deportation of illegal Afghan immigrants after protests from Kabul that the Afghan economy could not cope with more hungry people or provide them with shelter and jobs. Iran, which is host to 2m Afghans, had stepped up...

IRAN - July 25 - Iran Says It Would Consider Higher-Level Talks With US.
July 28, 2007... Iran is ready to consider high-level talks with the US regarding security in Iraq. The report comes a day after the American and Iranian ambassadors to Iraq met in Baghdad and agreed to set up a security subcommittee to carry forward talks on...

IRAQ - July 23 - Wave Of Car Bombings Hammers Baghdad.
July 28, 2007... At least 17 people are killed and dozens are wounded by a wave of car bombings in Baghdad on Monday, most of them in a predominantly Shi'ite district. Iran's ambassador to Baghdad, meanwhile, confirmed that the US and Iran would discuss the...

IRAQ - July 25 - Sunni Threaten To Quit Iraqi Government.
July 28, 2007... Iraq's main Sunni Arab political coalition threatens to quit its membership of Iraq's Shi'ite-led national unity government, in an indication of a widening Sunni-Shi'ite rift that complicates efforts to secure national reconciliation. The Iraqi...

LEBANON - July 23 - Hizbullah Leader Claims His Rockets Can Hit All Corners Of Israel.
July 28, 2007... Hizbullah guerrillas possess an arsenal of rockets that can reach "any corner" of the state of Israel, including Tel Aviv. "We could absolutely reach any corner and any point in Occupied Palestine", Shaikh Hassan Nasrallah said in an...

LIBYA - July 25 - French Deals Boost Libya's Hopes Of Co-Operation.
July 28, 2007... Libya takes another big step towards reintegrating itself back into the international community after it signed a series of wide-ranging co-operation agreements with France in areas that included defence, health, education and civilian nuclear...

PALESTINE - July 22 - Palestinian Parliament Fails To Meet Again.
July 28, 2007... For the third time in two weeks, the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) fails to convene in Ramallah and Gaza as a result of the Hamas-Fatah disagreement, and the boycott of other Palestinian parliamentary blocs. Acting PLC Speaker of Hamas...

PALESTINE - July 25 - Abbas Says Close To Calling New Polls.(Mahmoud Abbas )
July 28, 2007... Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says that he is close to calling new legislative and presidential elections. Abbas said last week that he wanted to hold a new vote following Hamas' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip. Hamas has said it will...

TURKEY - July 22 - Landslide Victory For Erdogan.
July 28, 2007... Turkey's Islamist-rooted government is poised for a return to office last night after a landslide victory in a general election that amounted to a blow for the country's secular establishment and powerful military. With almost all votes...