APS Diplomat Recorder articles from May 2004

APS Diplomat Recorder archives from May 2004

ARABS-ISRAEL - Apr 28 - Bomber Killed.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Israeli troops blow up a jeep packed with explosives and kill a Palestinian bomber disguised as an Israeli civilian in the southern Gaza Strip. Later Hamas claimed responsibility for the blast. (Hamas has vowed to carry out large-scale...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - Apr 28 - Falluja Effort & UN Warning.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Pres. Bush says US forces will do what is necessary to take full control of Iraq's Sunni town Falluja, while maintaining that most of the city is "returning to normal". He says: "Our military commanders will take whatever actions necessary to...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - Apr 29 - Deal To End Falluja Standoff.
May 1, 2004... US Marine commanders agree to a plan, worked out with Sunni mediators, to deploy a new Iraqi force led by former Iraqi Army officers in Falluja and to ease their three-week siege by pulling back from some positions inside the city. The Iraqi...

AFGHANISTAN - Apr 27 - 1st Post-Taliban Execution.
May 1, 2004... in an e-mailed protest letter, Amnesty International reports Kabul's first execution since the fall of the Taliban. This took place on Apr 20, with a bullet shot to the head of a former military commander convicted of more than 20 murders,...

IRAQ - Apr 26 - IGC Approves New Flag, Emblem.(Iraq's Government Council )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The IGC approves a new flag and an emblem for the country, and introduces symbols of the Tigris and Euphrates. The new flag is white, with two parallel blue stripes across the bottom representing the rivers and a yellow stripe between them...

IRAQ - Apr 27 - US Forces Fight On 2 Fronts As Spanish Troops Begin To League.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... US forces battle with Muqtada Sadr's Shiite rebels near Najaf and with Sunni fighters in Falluja, using gunships and aircraft and killing scores of militiamen. Buildings used by Sadr's forces are destroyed. Speaking on Al Jazeera, Sadr's...

IRAQ - Apr 28 - Sex Abuse At Abu Ghraib.
May 1, 2004... The CBS News programme "60 Minutes II" reveals acts of sexual humiliation and other abuses on Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison just west of Baghdad. (The charges, first announced by the US military in March, were...

IRAQ - Apr 30 - Former Saddam General Given Falluja Role.
May 1, 2004... Former Baath Party Gen. Jassim Mohammed Saleh takes command of a US-backed Iraqi security force in Falluja. (A member of the powerful Dulaimi tribe whose base is in and around the town, Gen Saleh wore his Saddam-era uniform as a major-general...

ISRAEL - Apr 27 - Sharon Plan Draws Huge Protest.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Tens of thousands of Israelis descend on the main Jewish settlement block in the Gaza Strip for Independence Day, in the largest public outpouring to date against PM Sharon's plan to withdraw from the coastal territory. Since Sharon floated the...

LIBYA - Apr 27 - Qadhafi In Brussels.
May 1, 2004... Qadhafi ends a visit to the EU in Brussels (his first trip outside the Arab world in 15 years) by exhorting Europe to get more involved in "the tragedy in Iraq" and criticises Western democracies as phony for having gone to war there in 2003....

PALESTINE - Apr 26 - Israel Says Zahar Is New Hamas Chief.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Israeli military officials identify Mahmoud Zahar, the former personal physician of Shaikh Ahmed Yassin and prominent hardliner, as the new leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has refused to reveal the name of the man chosen to replace...

RUSSIA - Apr 28 - De-privatisation Fear.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... In a letter, Deputy PM Alexander Zhukov, who has a strong reputation as a liberal reformer, asks Economics Minister German Gref to implement a court order handing the giant Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric station in eastern Siberia to the...

UES says: "This decision is unexpected for us, it is not clear what the government is doing, after it has asked us to defend its interests.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... UES says: "This decision is unexpected for us, it is not clear what the government is doing, after it has asked us to defend its interests. It represents the start of de-privatisation". (But in an indication of government divisions), Gref's...

SAUDI ARABIA - May 1 - Wahhabi Militants Hit Yanbu' Plants; Kill Westerners.
May 1, 2004... Wahhabi extremists suspected to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda go on a shooting spree, killing five expatriates at the giant SABIC/ExxonMobil petrochemicals complex (Yanpet) at the Yanbu' industrial complex on the Red Sea coast. The victims are...

SYRIA - Apr 27 - Damascus Explosions.
May 1, 2004... Grenade attacks and gun battles rock the Mazze part of Damascus as four gunmen detonate a bomb placed under a car, which damaged an uninhabited building. Later security forces surrounded the group and exchanged gun fire. Two of the attackers, a...

SYRIA - May 1 - Assad Says The US Failed In Iraq.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Pres. Bashar Al Assad, in a long interview the Al-Jazeera, says the US has failed in Iraq. He says the insurgency against the US-led occupation of the neighbouring country is a legitimate Iraqi resistance movement dedicated to the liberation of...

ARAB-AFFAIRS - May 4 - GCC Sign Counter-Terrorism Pact.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... The six GCC interior ministers sign a landmark counter-terrorism pact calling for concerted efforts to combat terrorists. Interior Minister Prince Nayef says the "comprehensive pact" will help security officers in the member states to carry out...

ARAB-EUROPEAN - May 4 - More Iraq Abuse Allegations.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... The UK government says more than 30 cases of alleged ill-treatment and killing of Iraqi civilians by its soldiers are under investigation, with six prosecutions being considered. (The figures - higher than previously disclosed - suggest claims...

ARAB-EUROPEAN - May 6 - Troops Won't Return.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Speaking in his first interview with a foreign journalist, Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero says he will never send Spanish troops back to Iraq, even if foreign troops there were put under the authority of the UN or NATO. He says:...

ARAB-EUROPEAN - May 7 - Iraq Handover In January.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Dublin's "Euro-Mediterranean" meeting of EU governments concludes that the most important handover date in Iraq will be January 2005, the timetable set for elections and is more significant than June in terms of passing genuine legitimacy to an...

ARAB ISLAMIC AFFAIRS - May 6 - Bin Laden Offers Gold To Kill Bremer, Annan.
May 8, 2004... Two sites of Ansar Islam Forum and the Islamic Research Centre nown for militant Islamic messages air a -minute audio recording attributed to Osama Bin Laden offering rewards in gold for the killing of top US and UN officials in Iraq or of the...

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 5 - Top Hamas Man Killed.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Israel releases a co-founder of Hamas, 68-year-old Mohammad Taha but kills another leader of the militant group in the West Bank. Taha was freed at the Erez crossing in northern Gaza and then driven by supporters to Bureij, in central Gaza....

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 7 - Israel-Hizbollah Clash.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas exchange shellfire in the area of Shebaa Farms (an Israeli military strongpoint in territory that Hizbollah claims is part of Lebanon), killing a soldier and wounding 5. Tension has increased in the area since...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 3 - Officers Reprimanded Over Iraq Abuse.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... The US military punishes six senior officers in connection with the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. Six other soldiers are already being criminally investigated for their involvement in the alleged abuse. News of...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 4 - Deaths Of Iraqi & Afghan Prisoners.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... The Pentagon reveals the deaths of no fewer than 25 prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. US provost marshal general, the supervisor of the military police, Maj Gen Donald Ryder, says 12 of the deaths were "undetermined" or "natural causes" and 2...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 4 - Plan Abandoned To Reduce Iraq Force.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Pentagon intends to keep about 138,000 troops in Iraq until the end of 2005 and reneges on plan to reduce the number of forces over the coming months. The Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, said the US faces an upsurge of violence in the run-up...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 5 - Jail Chief Apologises.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Maj Gen Geoffrey Miller offers his own and his nation's apologies for the prisoner abuse scandal to the people of Iraq. He says: "I would like to apologise for our nation and for our military for the small number of leaders and soldiers that...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 5 - Bush Vows Justice.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... In a major unprecedented display of contrition, Bush and his military commanders humble themselves before the Arab world, addressing what the US president called the "abhorrent" treatment of some Iraqi prisoners. In a couple of interviews with...

AFGHANISTAN - May 4 - Prisoners End Hunger Strike.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... The Director of Shiberghan jail Abdul Khalil says more than 800 prisoners accused of fighting for the Taliban call an end to a 5-day hunger strike after the government began transferring them from the infamous northern prison. About 270...

AFGHANISTAN - May 5 - Taliban Commander Threatens Suicide Attacks.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... In an interview carried by Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV, Taliban's top military commander Mulla Dadullah tells his plans to disrupt forthcoming national elections by launching suicide attacks and forging alliances with likeminded Islamic groups....

AFGHANISTAN - May 4 - Taliban Kills 14.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Taliban guerrillas kill 9 government troops and 5 policemen as violence intensifies in Kandahar province's remote district of Meya Nishin. 4 government soldiers were killed on May 3 in Zabul in a mine blast. Commanders of NATO forces in Kabul...

AFGHANISTAN - May 5 - Taliban Strikes Again.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... UK-based Global Risk Strategies say 2 Britons and an Afghan interpreter working on a programme to support the country's elections were killed in the eastern province of Nuristan. The 3 men, whose names were not released, were on a field mission...

IRAN - May 3 - Khatami Defends Reform.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Pres. Khatami publishes a "letter for tomorrow" defending the reforms, saying the Islamic Revolution had veered away from "freedom, independence and progress" towards "historical mental habits and prejudices" from Iran's tyrannical past. He...

IRAQ - May 5 - US Launches Iron Saber.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... The US military launches its 1st major operation, Iron Saber, against insurgents led by anti-US Shiite theologian Muqtada Al Sadr, striking at militia enclaves in Karbala and in Diwaniya in the south in an effort to retake control of those...

IRAQ - May 6 - Car Bomb Kills 6.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... A suicide bomber kills 5 Iraqis and an US soldier at an entrance to the US Baghdad headquarters. The car bomb blew one victim's leg 200 metres, wounded 23 Iraqis, including 3 policemen, and 2 US soldiers at an entry checkpoint to the so-called...

PALESTINE - May 6 - Arafat Fortifies HQ.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... The Palestinian leader Arafat fortifies his Ramallah HQ with hundreds of cement-filled barrels and wrecked cars fearing that Israel will try to seize him. Israel, which has repeatedly threatened him, said it had no immediate plan to seize him....

RUSSIA - May 7 - Putin Calls For A Strong Civil Society.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Speaking in the Kremlin at the inauguration of his 2nd 4-year term Putin stresses the need for a multi-party political system and a strong civil society in Russia. Emphasising the importance of Russia's 10-year-old constitution, Putin said he...

SAUDI ARABIA - May 2 - Small Firms Banned From Recruiting Foreign Staff.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Small companies are banned from recruiting foreign staff in a bid to create jobs for Saudis and scale down the kingdom's unemployment rate. Emphasising the need to rationalise recruitment of foreign workers to balance the labour market, Labour...

SYRIA - May 6 - Israeli Assassins Caught.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2004... Damascus claims it has foiled an Israeli assassination attempt on a Palestinian resistance leader living in exile. The London-based Asharq Al Awsat quoted an unidentified Syrian source who said security forces had arrested a cell of Israeli...

TURKEY - May 3 - NATO Summit Bomb Plot Foiled.
May 8, 2004... The security forces say they foiled a terrorist plot aimed at the June 28-29 NATO summit in Istanbul, which is due to be attended by Pres. Bush and its 26 member countries. At least 24 people were arrested in a joint operation between the...

ARAB-AFFAIRS - May 10 - Next Arab League Summit Set.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... The three day meeting of Arab FM's in Cairo concludes setting - again - the date for the next Arab League summit on May 22 and 23 in Tunisia. Several issues to be placed on the summit agenda were raised in the meeting. Among them, Arab League...

ARAB-EUROPEAN - May 8 - Blair Apologises Over Iraq Abuse Allegations.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Speaking on French TV, UK PM Blair apologises to any Iraqi prisoners found to have been mistreated by UK soldiers. He says: "We apologise deeply to anyone who has been mistreated by any of our soldiers. That is absolutely and totally...

ARAB-EUROPEAN - May 13 - Daily Mirror Photos Not Taken In Iraq.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Addressing the Commons, the armed forces minister Adam Ingram tells that Daily Mirror photographs purporting to show UK troops abusing an Iraqi detainee, are "categorically not taken in Iraq". He said a Royal Military Police investigation found...

ARAB-ISLAMIC AFFAIRS - May 12 - United Islamic World To Confront Iraq's Occupiers.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Iran and Saudi Arabia's parliamentarians stress on need for the Islamic world's unity to confront the occupiers of Iraq. Majlis Speaker Hojjatoleslam Karrubi says: "The only way to confront the enemies of Islam effectively is to achieve Islamic...

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 9 - IDF Kills 2 Palestinians.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Israel Defense Forces fire tank shells and kill 2 Palestinian militants who opened fire earlier on individuals attending a memorial service in the Gaza Strip for Tali Hatuel and her 4 daughters, who were killed in a shooting attack in the...

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 11 - Mine Blast Kills 6.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... In one of the Israeli army's single worst losses in more than 31/2 years of violence, a Palestinian mine blows up their explosives-laden armoured personnel carrier and kills 6 Israeli soldiers during a raid on a suburb of Gaza City. As PM...

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 13 - Missile Strikes Kill 12.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Israeli helicopters fire missiles in 2 separate strikes in the refugee camp in the southern town of Rafah, on the border with Egypt and kill 12 Palestinians. The Israeli military said the airstrikes were aimed at militants. Palestinian hospital...

ARAB-UN - May 14 - Not Ready To Clear Iran.
May 15, 2004... The Dir Gen of IAEA ElBaradei, says it is not ready to clear Iran over whether or not its nuclear program is weaponized citing that the issues are technical and not political. ElBaradei said Tehran "had the know how" to enrich uranium but he...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - First Court Martial For Abuse.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... In an effort to cool down outrage at home and in the Arab world at the treatment of Iraqi detainees, US military announces that the first court martial of a soldier accused in the affair will be held this month in Baghdad. Jeremy Sivits, a...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 11 - Sanctions On Syria.
May 15, 2004... Pres. Bush signs the executive order imposing sweeping economic sanctions on Syria, banning almost all exports to the country in response for Syria's alleged pursuit of chemical and biological weapons and its support for terrorism. Pres. Bush...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 13 - I'm A Survivor.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... The US Defence Secretary Rumsfeld visits Baghdad to lift the morale of US forces in Iraq while admitting the recent Abu Ghraib prison scandal had been a "body blow". Amid reports of a rift between the Pentagon's political leadership and some...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 14 - Pentagon Curbs Interrogation Tactics.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... The US military bans interrogation tactics such as forcing prisoners into "stress positions" in an effort to repair damage done by the images of US soldiers abusing Iraqi detainees. Iraq's top military officer Gen Sanchez decides those...

AFGHANISTAN - May 9 - 2 Foreigners Stoned To Death.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Interior Ministry spokesman Lutfullah Mashal says 2 foreign men, one Swiss, are stabbed and stoned to death in Kabul. He says: "An investigation was under way to determine who stoned these to death, and why. One of them holds a Swiss passport...

IRAQ - May 9 - Sadr Seizes Control.
May 15, 2004... Radical Shiite Muslim theologian Muqtada Al Sadr's loyal gunmen and commanders takes control over the giant Sadr City slum in Baghdad seizing police forces, municipal administration and schools and blocks freedom of movement in an area just 5...

IRAQ - May 12 - Sadr Vows To Fight On.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Rebel Shiite theologian Muqtada Al Sadr vows to carry on fighting the US-led occupying forces and die a martyr, saying he will not disband his Mehdi Army militia unless religious authorities demanded it. Addressing a press conference in the...

PALESTINE - May 15 - Arafat.
May 15, 2004... Right of Return a Sacred, Inalienable Right In a speech broadcast live on Palestine TV marking 56th anniversary of "NAKBA", PA Pres. Arafat says that no power in the entire world has the right to make concessions on the right to return of...

SAUDI ARABIA - May 9 - No Letup In Fight Against Terror.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Addressing top officials and a group of citizens at Al Salam Palace, Crown Prince Abdullah reiterates the government's resolve to stamp out terrorism. He says: "We will show no mercy to this deviant group. We are after them and God willing...

SAUDI ARABIA - May 14 - Al Qaeda Claims Yanbu Attack.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2004... Al Qaeda claims responsibility for the attack on a petrochemical facility in Yanbu that killed 5 Western engineers and a National Guard officer. A statement purporting to be from the Al Qaeda chief in the Kingdom said the attack on May 1 was...

SYRIA - May 15 - Al Mezza Attackers Extremists.
May 15, 2004... In a statement to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), an official source at the Ministry of Interior says that the relevant authorities complete their investigations into the "criminal sabotage" act which took place on the evening of Apr 27 in...

ARAB-AFFAIRS - May 16 - US Urged To Review Syria Sanctions.
May 22, 2004... In a one-day consultative Jeddah summit, GCC leaders urge US to review its decision to slap new sanctions on Syria and to pursue "constructive dialogue" instead to settle any dispute with Damascus. They also pledged joint steps to combat...

ARAB-AFFAIRS - May 17 - Arab Countries Rule Out Sending Security Forces Into Iraq While US In Charge.
May 22, 2004... The Arab League's Chief Amr Moussa, rules out idea of sending security troops to Iraq saying it's "stupid" to call on Arabs to separate Arabs and that Arab troops will never go to Iraq while Americans are in charge. And Jordan's King Abdullah...

ARAB-AFFAIRS - May 22 - 16th League Summit Condemns Targeting Civilians.
May 22, 2004... Attending the 16th League summit, Arab leaders make a joint pledge to embrace reforms and fight terrorism and also for the 1st time condemn attacks against Palestinian and Israeli civilians alike. 13 heads of state and 3 PMs from the 22 member...

ARAB-EUROPEAN - May 17 - EU Demands Tougher WMD Clause In Syria Trade Deal.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... A unique trade accord between the EU and Syria fails to gain support from 3 member states that said they will continue to block it until references to WMD are toughened up. The accord, clinched last December after years of negotiations, is...

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 16 - Israeli Missiles Cut Power In Gaza City.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... Israeli helicopters fire missiles at targets in Gaza City, knocking out power for about 40,000 people. The attack occurs a day after more than 100,000 Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv to call on Israel PM Sharon to carry out his plan to...

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 17 - Big Gaza Offensive.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... Israeli tanks seal off the Rafah refugee camp from the rest of the Gaza Strip as thousands of Palestinians flee their homes in anticipation of a big military offensive. Early May 17 morning, Israeli bulldozers tore up the road linking Rafah -...

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 19 - Israel Kills 12 Palestinians.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... In one of the most sweeping in Gaza since a Palestinian uprising began in 2000, Israeli forces kill 12 Palestinians in southern Gaza's Rafah refugee camp as the army launches a large raid into a militant stronghold in defiance of an...

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 20 - Operation Rainbow Death Toll Reaches 40.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... Hours after the UN Security Council condemned the army's operations in the southern Gaza Strip, Israel pours hundreds more soldiers into Rafah killing 5 Palestinians. May 20 killings takes the Palestinian death toll in 3 days of Israel's...

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 20 - Court Convicts Arafat Aide In Killings.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... An Israeli court convicts one of the most senior Palestinian officials, Marwan Barghouti on murder charges relating to attacks that killed 5 Israelis, brushing aside his protestations that Israel had no right to try him. Barghouti had been...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 16 - US Troops To Stay A Long Time.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... In a series of interviews with NBC and Fox TVs, US Secretary of State Colin Powell says US-led forces will remain in Iraq "for a considerable period". Powell defended the planned handover on June 30 and said the US would respect the wishes of...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 18 - Bremer Says Transfer Of Power Must Go Ahead.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... In spite of the murder of the head of the US-appointed IGC Izzedin Salim, the US administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer, says the transfer of sovereignty must go ahead as planned. He says: "The terrorists are trying to stop Iraq's march to...

ARAB-US RELATIONS - May 21 - More Allegations Of Iraq Torture.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... Based on the testimony of 13 former Iraqi prisoners published along with photographs, in the Washington Post, the US faces fresh allegations of torture in Iraq, further undermining confidence in Pres Bush's handling of the postwar situation in...

AFGHANISTAN - May 22 - Insurgents Fire Rockets.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... Insurgents fire 2 rockets at US military base in a troubled border zone of Afghanistan, injuring 4 US soldiers with a hail of shrapnel. The military's spokesman Lt Col Tucker Mansager said the rockets were fired at Camp Salerno, main base in...

IRAQ - May 17 - IGC President Killed.
May 22, 2004... Insurgents assasinate IGC Pres Izzedin Salim, at the heavily guarded entrance to coalition headquarters in Baghdad. Salim, a Shiite member of the IGC and the holder of its rotating presidency, was killed with 7 other Iraqis as his convoy waited...

IRAQ - May 19 - Debt Talks To Speed Up.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... A prominent member of IGC and a leading contender for the presidency in the next caretaker government, Adnan Pachachi, says rescheduling of the estimated $120bn debt through the Paris Club of creditors shall not wait for an elected government....

IRAQ - May 21 - Heavy Fighting In Karbala.
May 22, 2004... Iraq American tanks and AC-130 gunships pound insurgent positions near 2 shrines of Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas, in the center of the holy city of Karbala killing 18 fighters loyal to rebel theologian Muqtada Al Sadr. The fighting began after...

RUSSIA - May 21 - Kyoto Paves Way To Join WTO.
May 22, 2004... Pres Putin recommits to the Kyoto treaty after months of mixed signals characterizing it as a tradeoff for the economic agreement, in exchange for European support for its bid to join the WTO, a breakthrough that can revive the long-stalled...

SAUDI ARABIA - May 19 - 'No' To Foreign Manpower.
May 22, 2004... In a meeting with the Directors of 37 labor offices, Labor Minister Dr Ghazi Al-Gosaibi urges them to give priority to Saudi jobseekers and also emphasizes the need to reduce the recruitment of foreign manpower to a minimum. Saudi Press Agency...

SYRIA - May 19 - Al Assad Confers With Kuwait's FM.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2004... Pres Bashar Al Assad on receives Kuwaiti FM Shaikh Mohammad Al Sabah and an accompanying delegation at Al Rawda Palace. Talks during the meeting dealt with the Arab situation, particularly in Iraq and the bilateral coordination between the 2...

ARAB-AFFAIRS - May 23 - Tunis Summit.
May 29, 2004... At the end of a two-day Arab summit in Tunis, Arab League Sec-Gen. Amr Moussa says Arabs will not send troops to Iraq unless specifically asked by the UN Security Council and Iraqis themselves. He says it is unlikely that any Arab government...

ARAB-AFFAIRS - May 25 - GCC Plan For Unified ID Cards.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2004... Commemorating the GCC's 23rd anniversary, the six Gulf states finalise a plan for unified ID cards for their nationals. The main feature of the cards, which will bear both the GCC's and the member state's logo, is "inter-operability" - making...

ARAB-EUROPEAN RELATIONS - May 25 - Blair: Iraq Can Veto Some Military Operations.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2004... At a news conference at No. 10 Downing Street, PM Blair says handover of sovereignty in Iraq before June 30 will give Iraqi leaders veto authority over controversial US military operations, like those aimed at subduing insurgents in Falluja,...

ARAB-EUROPEAN RELATIONS - May 27 - UK To Send More Troops.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2004... Defence Sec Geoff Hoon says UK will send another 370 troops to Iraq, increasing its military strength to about 8,900. Hoon insisted no decision was taken on the speculation that UK will send up to 3,000 more troops. May 27 additional deployment...

ARABS-ISRAEL - May 24 - Media Attack Gaza Siege.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2004... Israeli media reflect on growing public doubt over the army's operations in the Gaza Strip as forces end their 6 day siege of 2 districts in the Rafah refugee camp. The army's "Operation Rainbow" generated the worst violence in the Gaza Strip...

ARAB-UN - May 26 - UN Envoy Not Ready To Name Iraq Leaders.
May 29, 2004... Special Advisor on Iraq to the UN Sec Gen Brahimi's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi, acknowledges that the release of a full slate of names of Iraq leaders may be delayed into the 1st week of June, but insists the delay will have little effect on the...