BBC Monitoring Weekly Prospects (Middle East & N Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America) for 28 January-8 February.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

MIDDLE EAST

23-31

MIDEAST: Japanese envoy for Middle Eastern affairs Tatsuo Arima visits Egypt, Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan and Syria to meet officials and discuss regional peace process (Japanese news agency Kyodo)

27-28

IRAN: First meeting of industry ministers of the countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is held in Tehran. The two-day meeting will focus on issues relating to enhancement of industrial cooperation in the ECO region (Iranian news agency IRNA)

28

JORDAN: **POSTPONED** Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom visits on invitation of his Jordanian counterpart who will object to the construction of the barrier. Shalom will also tell Jordanian officials Israel is ready to release Jordanian prisoners. [Jordanian newspaper Jordan Times, Israel radio]

29

LEBANON/ISRAEL: Hezbollah and Israel to exchange prisoners under German-mediated deal. An Israeli plane will fly released Arab prisoners to Germany and a German plane will simultaneously fly an Israeli colonel and the bodies of three kidnapped Israeli soldiers held by Hezbollah from Beirut. The soldiers' bodies will be received with a full-fledged military ceremony at Ben-Gurion Airport. (Israel radio)

29

IRAN: The Iranian reformist organization Islamic Revolution Mojahedin holds conference (Iranian Shargh, web site, Tehran)

29

ISRAEL: Israeli Labour Central Committee convention takes place (Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post web site)

29

EGYPT: Chinese President Hu Jintao visits from France to meet counterpart Husni Mubarak for talks on bilateral relations, cooperation in Middle East; expected to sign economic, media agreements, will …