APS Diplomat Recorder articles from March 2002

APS Diplomat Recorder archives from March 2002

ARAB AFFAIRS - Feb. 26 - Cairo & Amman Call On Israel To Support Saudi Plan.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... Egyptian Information Minister Safwat Al Sherif says Egyptian Pres. Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah have called on Israel to "react positively" to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's Middle East peace proposal (see last week's Recorder and...

ARABS-ISRAEL - Feb. 24 - Israel Keeps Arafat Under Siege.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... Israel's 14-member security cabinet decides to pull the tanks back from Arafat's compound in Ramallah but keep him confined in the city pending further action against suspected Palestinian militants. (Last week, the PA made a gesture to Israel...

ARABS-ISRAEL - Feb. 25 - Violence Continues.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... Maysoun Hayek and Tamar Lifshitz - Palestinian and Israeli pregnant women - give birth to healthy baby girls after they are shot without provocation in separate incidents. Hayek's husband, Mohammad, is shot to death, and her father-in-law,...

ARABS-ISRAEL - Feb. 28 - Sharon 'Ready To Talk' Over Saudi Peace Proposal.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... A report in The FT says: "PM Sharon has indicated he would be prepared to meet Saudi officials face to face to discuss Crown Prince Abdullah's Middle East peace initiative". Analysts say it is unlikely to herald such a meeting on the...

ARABS-ISRAEL - Feb. 28 - Arafat Urges Washington To Back Saudi Peace Initiative.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... Speaking at his compound in Ramallah, Arafat calls the Saudi peace initiative a "very strong platform" for a comprehensive Middle East peace. He says how quickly the goals of the Saudi proposal can be gained "depends no doubt on the...

ARABS-ISRAEL - Feb. 28 - Refugee Camps Raided.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... Israeli troops battle their way into the Balata Refugee Camp and into another camp in Jenin, killing at least 11 Palestinians, including Kayed Abu Mustafa, leader of the Al Aqsa Brigades. One Israeli soldier is also killed in the clashes....

ARAB-US RELATIONS - Feb. 26 - Muslims At Odds With US.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... According to a Gallup poll of the Islamic world, Muslims feel sympathy for the US after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but feel even more strongly that the West's military action in Afghanistan was wrong. (In the first study of its kind,...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - Feb. 26 - Bush Endorses Prince's Plan.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... White House spokesman Ari Fleischer says: "The president this morning spoke with Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The president praised the crown prince's ideas regarding the full Arab-Israeli normalisation once a comprehensive peace...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - March 1 - Washington To Finance Radio Transmitter For Iraqi Opposition.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... A report in The IHT, quoting senior US officials, says: "The Bush administration is prepared to finance the construction of a radio transmitter in the Kurdish enclave in Iraq or in neighboring Iran so that the Iraqi opposition can begin...

AFGHANISTAN - Feb. 24 - Special Envoy Warns On 'Warlordism'.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... Speaking at a press conference in Kabul, US special envoy to Kabul Zalamai Khalilzad warns about a revival of "warlordism", saying it represents the single greatest threat to western efforts to stabilise the country. He says: "We believe the...

AFGHANISTAN - Feb. 26 - UK May Have To Lead ISAF Beyond April.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... UK officials say British troops will be forced to remain in charge of the security force beyond the end-April deadline if a deal is not reached to hand over to Ankara within two weeks. (This comes after British PM Tony Blair discussed the issue...

AFGHANISTAN - Feb. 27 - Zahir Shah To Return On March 21.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... Addressing a joint news conference in New Delhi with Indian PM Vajpayee on the second and final day of his visit to India, Interim PM Hamid Karzai says the former king Zahir Shah will return to the country on March 21, adding: "He is coming as...

IRAN - Feb. 26 - Police Raid On Student Reform Lobby.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... Akbar Atri, leader of reformist students belonging to the nation-wide Office to Foster Unity, says the police has closed their Tehran headquarters late on Feb. 25, detained more than 40 students overnight and severely beaten several activists....

IRAQ - Feb. 24 - Rumsfeld Calls For Extensive Weapons Inspectors.(Donald Rumsfeld)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says on CBS-TV that only the most intrusive and extensive weapons inspections, and not simply a return to the previous inspections regime, will satisfy US requirements. He says since UN inspectors left Iraq...

IRAQ - Feb. 25 - Annan Will Meet Sabri.(Kofi Annan)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric says UN Sec-Gen. Kofi Annan will meet FM Naji Sabri in New York for a new "dialogue" on March 7. Dujarric says: "The secretary-general expects to have a focused discussion on the implementation of relevant...

JORDAN - Feb. 28 - Bomb Blasts.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... A car bomb apparently aimed at anti-terror investigator Lt. Col. Ali Burjak explodes in central Amman, demolishing the car of his wife and killing an Egyptian and an Iraqi who were nearby. (Burjak was a key investigator in the case brought...

RUSSIA - Feb. 26 - Venediktov Quits.(Alexei Venediktov)(Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... Alexei Venediktov, a 46-year-old editor-in-chief of the most influential private radio station Ekho Moskvy, says he and dozens of other journalists are quitting rather than work for a news outlet, which is becoming another voice of the state....

RUSSIA - Feb. 27 - Moscow Ambiguous About US Plans In Georgia.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... FM Igor Ivanov protests at US plans to train and equip soldiers in the neighbouring state of Georgia for counter-terrorist operations. (The move follows reports that the US is to send up to 200 special forces personnel to Georgia as part of the...

RUSSIA - March 1 - Putin Supports Anti-Terror Operation In Georgia.(Vladimir Putin)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... Speaking in Almaty, Kazakhstan, at a summit of the CIS, Pres. Putin says Moscow will support the anti-terrorist operation in neighbouring Georgia "no matter who took part in it - American partners, European ones, or our Georgian colleagues". He...

YEMEN - March 1 - US May Send Troops.(Brief Article)
March 2, 2002... A senior government official says about 100 US military advisers will come to the country to train soldiers hunting remnants of Al Qaida. He adds: "Besides training, they are going to advise our military and security forces". US soldiers will...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 3 - Palestinian Sniper Attacks West Bank Checkpoint.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... A Palestinian sniper fires at a checkpoint in Wadi Al Haramiya north of Ramallah, killing one by one seven Israeli soldiers and three settlers. Three Israelis are wounded. The sniper escaped after the assault. (The shooting follows by less...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 4 - Violence Continues.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Four Palestinians - a mother and three children - are killed by shrapnel in a pickup truck in Ramallah. Shrapnel kills two other children in a passing car. Army officials said the killings were a "mistake" and "expressed deep regret". A...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 4 - Washington Doubts Sharon's Policy, Zinni To Go To The Region.(Ariel Sharon)(Anthony Zinni)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... The US casts doubt on the wisdom of the policy of Sharon, with US State Secretary Powell saying: "Prime Minister Sharon has to take a hard look at his policies to see whether they will work". (The criticism is one of the strongest US attacks on...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 7 - Israel Rejects US Criticism.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Israeli Pres. Moshe Katzav dismisses US criticism of Sharon's hardline policy against the PA, saying no one has the right to condemn a nation for defending its own people. (Katzav is speaking after a meeting with the Canadian FM Bill Graham,...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 7 - Tulkarm Sealed Off.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... The Army seals off the town of Tulkarm. The operation began late at night on March 6 when a force of several hundred Israeli soldiers backed by tanks seized control of the town and two refugee camps, calling on residents through loudspeakers to...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 7 - Bethlehem Raided.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... With attack helicopters providing cover, Israeli tanks and troops roll into Bethlehem from two directions early in the morning, targeting refugee camps that harbour Palestinian militants. Four Palestinians are killed and 20 wounded. One dies...

AFGHANISTAN - March 4 - Rumsfeld Says 9 US Soldiers Killed.(Donald Rumsfeld)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says at the Pentagon that nine US soldiers have been killed since the US-led offensive code-named Operation Anaconda began on March 2. He says enemy forces have sustained "much larger numbers of killed and...

AFGHANISTAN - March 6 - Missiles Explode In Kabul, Killing 5.(Afghanistan)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Two Russian-made SA-3 ground-to-air missiles that peacekeepers in Kabul are trying to defuse explode, killing two German and three Danish soldiers and wounding seven, three of them seriously. The Inspector-General of the German armed forces...

AFGHANISTAN - March 7 - US Continues Bombing.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... US B-52 bombers launch heavy bombing attacks in the east of the country, killing an estimated 100 anti-government militants. Abdul Muteen, an Afghan commander with about 135 fighters in the pro-US force of about 800, says rebel reinforcement...

ALGERIA - March 4 - Berbers To Disrupt Parliamentary Election.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Berber activists vow to disrupt the parliamentary election in Kabylie on May 30 to step up pressure on the government to meet their demands for better social, economic and cultural conditions, with the leader of the Co-ordination of Berber...

ALGERIA - March 7 - Six People Killed.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Suspected Islamic rebels kill six people when they stop their car 50 km south of Algiers. The attackers then set the car ablaze.

EGYPT - March 5 - Mubarak Meets Bush.(Hosni Mubarak)(George W. Bush)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... In a speech before meeting US Pres. Bush at the White House, Pres. Mubarak appeals for peace between Israel and the PA, calling for greater US involvement in seeking solutions and urging an immediate meeting of Israeli PM Sharon and Arafat...

IRAN - March 8 - US Attack Unlikely.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... In a sermon to thousands of worshipers at the Tehran University campus, former president Hashemi Rafsanjani says Tehran does not seek war with Washington and a US attack is unlikely. He says he does not believe Washington would "be stupid...

IRAQ - March 7 - Talks With UN.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... The delegation headed by FM Naji Sabri and UN officials hold talks in New York. (This is the first talks between the parties in more than one year). UN officials raise the issues of the return of arms inspectors, accounting for prisoners still...

LIBYA - March 3 - Moussa Visits After Qadhafi Threatened To Quit Arab League.(Muammar Qadhafi)(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Arab League Sec-Gen. Amr Moussa flies to Tripoli for unscheduled talks with Qadhafi who said Tripoli should withdraw from the 22-nation organisation. (The aim of Qadhafi's move was to protest Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz' Middle...

RUSSIA - March 6 - Trade Feud With US.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... Health Minister Yuri Shevchenko says the poultry imported from the US cause "excessive weight, high blood pressure and other health complaints". (His comments come amidst wide-spread speculation that the import of the US poultry should be...

SYRIA - March 7 - Damascus Supports Saudi Peace Plan.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2002... A report in The IHT says: "Syria expressed its satisfaction with the position of Saudi Arabia... which calls for a full normalization of relations between Arab countries and Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal from all land occupied in...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 11 - Sharon Allows Arafat To Leave Ramallah.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... PM Sharon says Arafat is free to leave the confines of Ramallah. Analysts say US State Secretary Colin Powell have urged Sharon to abandon the siege of Arafat and to drop his demand for seven days of quiet before the resumption of peace...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 12 - Israel Hits Ramallah & Gaza Camps Ahead Of Zinni's Mission.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... In the deadliest offensive in 20 years, thousands of Israeli troops and over 150 tanks and armoured vehicles roar into Ramallah and attack two Gaza refugee camps, killing about 30 Palestinians. The fighting began late at night on March 11 and...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 12 - Annan Urges To Stop Violence.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... At a brief open meeting of the UN Security Council in New York, UN Sec-Gen. Kofi Annan urges Palestinians to halt all acts of terror and Israelis to stop using excessive force and end their "illegal occupation" of Palestinian territories. He...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 12 - UN Backs Palestinian State.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... The UN Security Council adopts a US-backed resolution, calling for "the immediate cessation of all acts of violence" and affirms "a vision of a region where two states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side within secure and recognised...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 14 - Israel Pulls Out Of Ramallah As Zinni Pursues Peace Deal.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... Late at night, the Israeli Army begins withdrawing its tanks from Ramallah, as US envoy Gen. Zinni arrives in Israel to meet Sharon to secure a ceasefire. According to the Israeli government, the Army pulled out completely by dawn on March 15....

ARAB-US RELATIONS - March 10 - Rice Warns Iraq, Iran & N. Korea Of Nuclear Hits.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice says on NBC the only way to deter Iraq, Iran and North Korea from using weapons of mass destruction "is to be clear that it would be met with a devastating response". (Analysts say this is a...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - March 11 - Bush Urges Unity Over Next Phase Of War On Terror.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... At a White House ceremony marking six months since Sept. 11, Bush urges US allies to stand behind him in "the second stage of the war on terror". (The ceremony is flanked by flags from 175 nations and diplomats from more than 150 countries)....

AFGHANISTAN - March 10 - US Withdraws 400 Troops But Battle Is Not Over.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... The US withdraws 400 troops from the east of the country, with US army spokesman Maj. Bryan Hilferty saying: "We are obviously repositioning our forces, but the operation has not ended. This phase is over, but we will continue the war on...

AFGHANISTAN - March 12 - US Claims Shahikot Victory After Day Of Bombing.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... Taliban and Al Qaida units are routed from the Shahikot valley by a combined assault of Afghan and US troops. US aircraft bombed and strafed the valley all day, and US aircraft were also bombing the border with Pakistan to stop enemy from...

EGYPT - March 13 - Mubarak To Press Saddam To Accept UN Arms Inspectors.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... After meeting US Vice President Cheney in Sharm El Shaikh, Pres. Mubarak tells a news conference: "We'll try hard with Saddam Hussein to accept the UN [weapons] inspectors... and we are going to meet with some of his special envoys and tell...

IRAN - March 10 - Involvement In Afghanistan Rejected.(Iranians arrested for arms smuggling)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... Government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh rejects reports that 12 Iranians, including a general, were arrested in Afghanistan as they tried to smuggle arms and money to Afghan warlords. He says: "According to the Foreign Ministry's report...

IRAN - March 15 - Former Journalist Goes On Trial.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... A report in The IHT says Siamak Pourzand, a 73-year-old former journalist and head of the Artistic and Cultural Complex in Tehran, has gone on trial behind closed doors, charged with espionage and threatening national security. He was arrested...

IRAQ - March 11 - Blair Favours Tough Stance On Baghdad.(Prime Minister Tony Blair speaks of the threat of Saddam Hussein's use of nuclear weapons)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... At a joint news conference with visiting US Vice President Dick Cheney, British PM Tony Blair says in London: "Saddam Hussein has acquired weapons of mass destruction over a long period of time. He's the only leader in the world that's actually...

IRAQ - March 12 - Baghdad Steps Up Diplomatic Offensive.(Iraq's anti-US military campaign)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... A report in The FT says "Saddam Hussein is stepping up a diplomatic offensive aimed at countering the threat of possible US military action to overthrow his regime". He dispatches his own envoy to Arab capitals to urge opposition to US military...

JORDAN - March 12 - Abdullah Opposes US Plans To Oust Saddam.(King of Jordan Abdullah II)(Saddam Hussein)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... King Abdullah meets visiting US Vice-President Dick Cheney in Amman. They discuss the deteriorating cycle of violence between Israel and the PA and the policy towards Iraq. An official close to Abdullah says: "What the King will tell him...

LIBYA - March 14 - Megrahi's Conviction Upheld.(Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi convicted of airline bombing)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... A Scottish appeals court upholds the conviction of Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi, a 49-year-old Libyan former intelligence agent, for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people over Lockerbie, Scotland. The five-judge panel...

RUSSIA - March 11 - Ivanov Warns Washington.(Sergei Ivanov)(nuclear arms reduction may increase nuclear proliferation)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... In written answers to questions from The New York Times on the way to Washington for talks on arms control, terrorism and other issues, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov warns that the US proposal in arms-reduction talks to "warehouse" excess...

RUSSIA - March 12 - Robinson Hits Kremlin.(United Nations Human Rights Chief Mary Robinson)(investigation of human rights violations in Chechnya)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... UN Human Rights Chief Mary Robinson accuses Moscow of failing to meet international demands for "credible" investigations of possible killings, torture and looting by its forces in Chechnya. Her report, due to be examined by the UN Commission...

RUSSIA - March 15 - Putin To Dismiss Gerashchenko.(Vladimir Putin)(Viktor Gerashchenko)(banking system reform)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... Putin sends a letter to Duma's speaker Gennadi Seleznyov asking to dismiss Central Bank Chairman Viktor Gerashchenko, 64, and appoint First Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Ignatiev to succeed him. The Duma is to schedule a debate on...

TURKEY - March 12 - Talks On The Aegean.(peace negotiations between Turkey and Greece)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... Foreign Ministry officials meet their Greek counterparts in Ankara to start a new round of negotiations aimed at cementing a rapprochement between the Turkey and Greece. Foreign Ministry undersecretary Ugur Ziyal says: "We had a wide and...

YEMEN - March 14 - Cheney Visits.(Vice President Dick Cheney meets with Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... Amid extensive security measures, US Vice President Cheney arrives in Sanaa and meets Pres. Saleh at the airport to press him for joint efforts against remnants of Al Qaida and to urge him to support US campaign against Iraq. (Cheney's visit...

YEMEN - March 15 - Grenade Thrown At US Embassy.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2002... University student Samir Yahya Awadh tosses two grenades outside the US Embassy in Sanaa. No one is hurt. Awadh was later arrested by the local authorities. (The incident came as another sign of Arab resentment of the US because of its open...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 17 - Peace Efforts Continue Amidst Violence.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... A Palestinian gunman opens fire in the central Israeli town of Kfar Saba, killing an 18-year-old student and wounding several other people before he is killed. Less than two hours later, a suicide bomber detonated his charge near a bus stop in...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 18 - Israel Withdraws.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... The Army withdraws from Bethlehem, Beit Jala and from parts of the Gaza Strip. Israeli television reported that the withdrawal from Bethlehem was accompanied by a Palestinian assurance that its police would stop gunmen firing from Beit Jala at...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 18 - 34 New Settlements In West Bank.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... A survey by the Peace Now movement, which opposes settlement construction, says 34 new Israeli settlements have been built in the West Bank since PM Sharon was elected in Feb. 2001. The survey, based on aerial photographs, says the new sites...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 19 - Cheney To Meet Arafat.(Vice President Dick Cheney, Chairman Yasir Arafat)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... US Vice President Dick Cheney says: "In order to help General Zinni's mission as the Tenet work plan is being implemented, I told the prime minister [Sharon] that I would be ready to meet with Chairman Arafat in the period ahead at a site in...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 20 - Suicide Bombing.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates his explosives in a Tel Aviv-to-Nazareth intercity bus in the Arab town of Umm Al Fahm, killing seven Israelis, including four soldiers and two Arabs with Israeli citizenship. The bomber boarded at the...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 21 - Suicide Bomber Kills 3 In Jerusalem.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Mohammad Hashaika - a 22-year-old member of the Tanzim, the military wing of Arafat's Fatah faction - blows himself up in the centre of Jerusalem, killing three people. Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a group connected to Fatah, took responsibility....

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 21 - Arafat Condemns Suicide Bombing.(Yasir Arafat)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Arafat tells reporters in Ramallah: "We strongly condemn this military operation that took place in West Jerusalem today, especially since it was against innocent Israeli civilians. We will take immediate and required steps to put an end to...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 22 - Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades To Carry Out More Bombings.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... The political leader of Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Naser Badawi says the US decision to include the group in the list of terrorist organisations will prompt them to carry out more suicide bombings, adding: "We have tens of people who are ready...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 22 - Ceasefire Deadlocked.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... US envoy Anthony Zinni meets in Tel Aviv for 5 hours with Israeli and PA security officials without overcoming deep differences about the first steps towards ending the violence. He also visits Arafat in Ramallah, pressing him to curb suicide...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - March 19 - Tenet Warns Of Possible Al Qaida, Iraq & Iran Links.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... CIA Director George Tenet tells the Senate armed services committee that the administration is still investigating whether Iraq and Iran sponsored the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He warns that the traditional animosity between Sunni Muslims of...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - March 21 - New Military Tribunal Regulations.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... The administration announces new military tribunal regulations, which require a unanimous vote of judges to impose the death penalty on convicted terrorists. The new regulations are more advantageous to Al Qaida and Taliban defendants than the...

AFGHANISTAN - March 19 - UK To Send Troops.(United Kingdom)(combat troops deployed)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... A report in The FT says the UK is to send 1,700 troops to help root out hardcore Al Qaida and Taliban fighters in an operation known as Jacana. The force - based around 45 Royal Marine Commando - will be under US command and will form a...

AFGHANISTAN - March 20 - Allied Troops Attacked.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... US and interim government's troops come under fire in eastern Paktia Province, with one US soldier wounded. Three US-allied Afghan fighters are killed in a raid on a checkpoint near the Khost airport. The Operation Anaconda commander Maj. Gen....

AFGHANISTAN - March 22 - EU Aid Depends On Peace Agreement.(European Union)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... EU special envoy Klaus-Peter Klaiber says EU aid worth E200m may depend on Kabul's adherence to the peace agreement negotiated in Bonn in Dec. 2001. He says the EU is at last signing contracts for the first E83m worth of aid, but it will wait...

IRAQ - March 18 - Baghdad Softens Its Position On Inspectors' Return.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Vice-President Yassin Ramadan tells the London-based Saudi newspaper Asharq Al Awsat: "Iraq rejects the return of international inspectors unless the locations to be searched are identified and a timetable is set up and respected". (Last week...

IRAQ - March 19 - Moscow Says Action On Baghdad Must Not Bypass UN.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... After talks in London with UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Russian FM Igor Ivanov warns that any military action against Baghdad must not bypass the UN, but agrees to keep up pressure on Saddam Hussein to allow a full weapons inspection....

IRAQ - March 22 - Annan Releases Sabri's Questions To UN Security Council.(United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... A report in The IHT says UN Sec-Gen. Kofi Annan has released to the Security Council about 20 questions, received from FM Naji Sabri on March 7, who asked whether "threats to invade Iraq and to change the national government by force violate...

ISRAEL - March 17 - Govt. To Set Up Council To Determine Monetary Policy.(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... Seventeen ministers vote in favour of a plan to establish a 7-member council to determine monetary policy, with Finance Ministry Director-General Ohad Marani saying: "This will strengthen the economy of Israel. This will strengthen the...

RUSSIA - March 20 - Ivanov Protests At US Anti-Terror Plans In Georgia.(Igor Ivanov )(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... FM Igor Ivanov says the arrival of US forces in Georgia to train and equip local soldiers for counter-terrorist operations "could further complicate the already complex situation in the region". He says Moscow wants "joint efforts" between...

SUDAN - March 20 - Libyan Suspected In US Embassy Attacks Captured.(terrorist Abu Anas Liby captured)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... A report in The IHT, quoting senior US officials, says: "A senior associate of Osama bin Laden who is on the US most-wanted list of international terrorists for allegedly helping to plan the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in East...

TURKEY - March 20 - Cheney Visits.(Vice President Dick Cheney)(Turkey to receive foreign aid)(Brief Article)
March 23, 2002... US Vice President Dick Cheney ends his 11-nation Mideast tour by visiting Ankara and meeting PM Ecevit. Cheney says the US administration is sending the Congress a $228m aid package to help Turkey defray peacekeeping costs in Afghanistan....

ARAB AFFAIRS - March 27 - Arab League Summit In Beirut.(Brief Article)
March 30, 2002... In opening remarks at the 2-day Arab League summit meeting in Beirut, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz says Arab states are ready to offer "normal relations and the security of Israel" in return to the Israeli withdrawal from land...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 25 - US & Israel Allege PA-Iran Alliance.(Brief Article)
March 30, 2002... A report in The IHT says: "American and Israeli intelligence officials have concluded that Yasser Arafat has forged a new alliance with Iran that involves Iranian shipments of heavy weapons and millions of dollars to Palestinian groups that...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 25 - Israel Bans Arafat's Trip To Beirut.(Brief Article)
March 30, 2002... Justice Minister Meir Shitrit says: "I think if Arafat does not implement and give an unequivocal order to stop the terror, something he has not done so far, despite his promises, he should not be allowed to go" to the Arab League summit...

ARABS-ISRAEL - March 27 - Bush Urges Arafat To Stop Terrorism After Suicide Bombing In Netanya.(Brief Article)
March 30, 2002... Speaking in Atlanta, US Pres. Bush says: "I call upon Mr. Arafat and the Palestinian Authority to do everything in their power to stop the terrorist killing, because there are people in the Middle East who would rather kill than have peace......