April/May 1997 pgs. 38-41

Issues In The News

Compiled by Shawn L. Twing

ARABIAN PENINSULA

Oman

Oman Ready to Resume Ties to Israel:

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yousef bin Alawi Abdullah announced Jan. 20 that Oman is ready to re-establish low-level diplomatic ties with Israel following the Jan. 16 Israeli-Palestinian agreement on Hebron. The foreign minister told the Oman News Agency he hoped the Hebron agreement “will be a turning point which will allow our Palestinian brothers to pursue the negotiations with Israel,” and “we must continue to try to convince the Israeli side of the importance of peace, not only on the Palestinian track but also on the Lebanese and Syrian tracks.” Oman had frozen its nascent relations with Israel in December.

Saudi Arabia

1.75 Million Gather in Mecca to Perform Umrah:

Nearly two million Muslims from around the world gathered in Mecca in January to perform Umrah (minor pilgrimage) during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi English-language daily Arab News reported on Jan. 31. Millions of Muslims visit Saudi Arabia annually to perform Umrah and for the Hajj, Islam’s major pilgrimage required of all Muslims who are financially and physically able to make the trip.

GCC Panel Discusses Bahrain-Qatar Border Dispute:

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal chaired a January meeting of senior Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministers in Riyadh to help solve a territorial dispute between GCC members Bahrain and Qatar. The Ministerial Committee, comprising Prince Saud, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahayan, Omani Foreign Minister Yousef bin Alawi Abdullah, and Kuwait’s Cabinet Affairs Minister Abdul Aziz Al Dakheel, also discussed a draft framework for settling similar disputes in the future.

Saudi Arabia Will Invest $36.5 Billion in Power Projects:

Saudi officials announced Feb. 16 that the Kingdom will invest nearly $36.5 billion in the next five years for urgently needed production, transportation, and distribution power projects as part of its 25-year development plan, according to the English-language daily Saudi Gazette. Minister of Electricity and Industry Hashim bin Abdullah Yamani said Saudi plans include increasing the country’s overall production to 70,000 megawatts by the year 2020.

United Arab Emirates

Iran Accused of Violating UAE Territorial Waters:

The UAE accused Iran of violating its territorial waters on Jan. 28 after an alleged incident on Jan. 19 when an Iranian naval vessel approached the Emirates coastline to tow a cargo ship back to Iran. Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Saif Saeed summoned Iran’s ambassador to the UAE, Hussein Sadeki, to receive an official complaint about the incident. The UAE’s official news agency, WAM, reported that the protest letter demanded that such behavior “not be repeated as it adversely affects relations between the two Muslim neighbors.”

UAE Minister Urges Russia To Play Greater Role in Middle East Peace:

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan urged Russia to play a more active role in the Middle East peace process, particularly in opposing Israel’s settlement policies in East Jerusalem. During a March 2 meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Ignatenko in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Hamdan said, “Israel’s settlement policies are destroying peace opportunities and disturbing the security and stability in the Middle East.” He urged Russia, as a co-sponsor of the Arab-Israeli peace process, to assert a more active role in opposing Israel’s settlement plans.

Yemen

Yemen Links Ties With Israel to Middle East Peace:

During March talks with UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh denied that Yemen had established clandestine diplomatic ties with Israel. President Abdullah said that Yemen would establish diplomatic relations with Israel if and when Arabs regain their occupied territories, and only within the framework of an Arab-led group initiative. He added that “Israel is not serious about the peace process, particularly as it enjoys the support of the United States.”

Yemeni Tribesmen Kidnap American Engineer:

Tribesmen in eastern Yemen kidnapped an American oil engineer in February and demanded that the government pay them $2 million in compensation for seized land, Agence France Press news service reported Feb. 16. The unnamed American reportedly works for Hunt oil company. He was abducted by members of the Murad tribe in Yemen’s Maarib region, 280 kilometers east of the capital Sana’a. President Saleh’s General People’s Congress sent a negotiating team to discuss the tribesmen’s demands.

Kuwait

Kuwait to Buy British Missiles:

Kuwait will purchase 80 Sea Skua anti-ship missiles from Britain to outfit its eight French-made fast patrol naval vessels, according to a Feb. 2 report in the English-language daily Khaleej Times of Dubai. The decision, first reached last year, created a controversy when it was discovered that France offered its Aerospatiale MM-15 missiles for less than Britain’s estimated $90 million asking price. Kuwaiti Defense Minister Sheikh Salem Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah explained, however, that the more expensive British contract included 20 “free” missiles and a pledge by London to honor a $11 million debt owed to Kuwait, while the French offer included only eight “free” missiles and an undisclosed commission that the French company reportedly wanted used to promote the missiles.

An additional factor, according to the defense minister, is that Britain’s Sea Skua was proven in battle against Iraqi naval units during Operation Desert Storm. The French missiles have not been tested or used by the French navy.

FERTILE CRESCENT

Jordan

Crown Prince Disputes Israeli Annexation:

Crown Prince Hassan of Jordan told journalists in Paris Feb. 12 that Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem was null and void, according to Agence France Presse. He said, “Arab East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Arab Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967. International law does not permit the acquisition of territory by war. It also pronounces unilateral annexation inadmissible. Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem is therefore null and void.”

Hassan also expressed Jordan’s support for an independent Palestinian state. “We are mindful of the fact that sovereignty [in East Jerusalem] can only be assumed by a sovereign state,” he said.

King Hussein Undergoes Knee Surgery:

King Hussein underwent knee surgery Jan. 26 in Amman, the Arab News of Jeddah reported. Dr. Samir Farraj, the King’s personal physician, told reporters that a piece of cartilage “which caused intense pain” was removed. King Hussein has gone home, Farraj said. He is in excellent health and will resume his activities very shortly.

Turkey

100,000 Turks Demonstrate Against Corruption:

Approximately 100,000 Turks marched in Ankara in January calling for strict government measures to combat corruption, the Associated Press reported. The demonstration illustrated growing concern about ties between the Turkish government and the criminal underworld which peaked following a November traffic accident involving a car carrying, among others, a legislator, a police chief and a wanted hit man. The hit man, Abdullah Catli, allegedly provided a gun and false passport to Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turk who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981. By February, Turkey’s interior minister and several police chiefs had been fired as a result of the government-sponsored inquiry.

Jordan, Israel To Build Joint Airport:

Israeli and Jordanian officials signed a draft agreement to build a jointly-operated commercial airport in Aqaba, Israel’s Hebrew-language newspaper Ha’aretz reported in March. Although outstanding issues remain, including responsibility for security and air traffic control, a final agreement is expected to be signed within months, according to Israeli Transportation Ministry Director General Nahum Legental.

Warships Sent to Cyprus:

Several Turkish warships docked in Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus in January and February amid growing tensions between Greece and Turkey over sovereignty on the divided Mediterranean island. Following reports that Greek-controlled southern Cyprus plans to buy a sophisticated air defense missile system from Russia which would negate Turkey’s air dominance over the island, tensions flared anew in this perennial flashpoint. Prior to the visit by Turkish warships, Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and Turkish President Suleiman Demirel issued a joint statement that read, “Any attack against the Turkish-Cypriot state will be considered an attack against Turkey.”

IRAN/IRAQ

Iran

Iran Refuses to Hand Over Suspects in Uday Hussain Shooting:

Iran announced in January that it would not turn over to Iraq or put on trial in Iran persons suspected of involvement in the Dec. 12 assassination attempt against the eldest son of Iraqi President Saddam Hussain. In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Iraqi Foreign Minister Muhammad Said Al-Sahhaf denounced Iran’s refusal to “hand over or try criminals who committed this odious act” against Uday Saddam Hussain. Al-Sahhaf asked the secretary-general to “help push the Iranian government to respect its international commitments by trying criminals or handing them over to the Iraqi authorities for trial.”

CIA Chief Warns of Iranian Missile Program:

Acting U.S. Central Intelligence Agency director George Tenet told Congress Feb. 5 that Iran is building ballistic missiles capable of striking most of Saudi Arabia and Israel, Agence France Presse reported. “Iran is building its capacity to produce and deliver weapons of mass destruction…and in less than 10 years probably will have longer-range missiles that will enable it to target most of Saudi Arabia and Israel,” Tenet told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

U.S. Warns Russia Against Aiding Iran:

U.S. Vice President Al Gore warned Russian officials during February bilateral talks in Moscow that the United States will not tolerate Russia’s sale of sophisticated missiles to Iran. One week prior to the talks several Israeli delegations converged on the White House, State Department and the Pentagon charging that Russia had transferred the SS-4 missile and related missile development technology to Iran, in violation of U.S.-Russian agreements on arms sales to the Islamic Republic. U.S. administration officials believe that the acquisition of the SS-4, with a range of more than 1,250 miles, is a clear indicator that Iran is pursuing aggressively a nuclear weapons program.

Iran Signs Defense Agreement With Mozambique:

Iran has signed an agreement with Mozambique allowing the Iranian navy access to ports in the southern African nation, Jane’s Defence Weekly reported in February. Iran hopes to use the ports as a safe-haven for its three Russian-built Kilo-class submarines in the event that conflict breaks out in the Gulf region. Western military analysts agree that the submarines likely will be the first target of any military confrontation in the area because of their ability to lay mines and harass shipping in the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

Iranians Vote in By-Elections:

Iranians voted Feb. 7 to fill 22 seats in Iran’s 270-member parliament, Reuters reported. Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, said that more than 3,000 polling booths were set up in 15 constituencies for the elections. Competing were 181 nominees, divided primarily between conservatives and centrist supporters of Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Iraq

Iraq Says 93 Scuds Fired in Gulf War:

Iraq’s official Qadissiya newspaper reported for the first time in February that the “commander of the Iraqi ground-to-ground missile unit, Lt. Gen. Hazim Abdulrazaq Ayaub, confirmed that the number of Iraqi [Scuds] missiles fired during [the Gulf war] was 93.” Lt. Gen. Ayaub said 43 were fired against military targets in Israel and 50 against multinational troops in Saudi Arabia.

Saddam Creates Elite Security Unit:

Iraqi President Saddam Hussain created a special committee to oversee the establishment of an elite security force, Agence France Presse reported in February. The unit, scheduled to be complete in three months, will be formed from the best in Iraq’s numerous military organizations and will be led by Saddam’s youngest son, Qussay. The new unit will be named the “army of Qadissiyeh and Umm Al Maarek.” Qadisseyeh, the site of a decisive 7th century Muslim Arab victory against the Persians, also was Iraq’s name for its 1980-88 war with Iran. Umm Al Maarek, the mother of battles, was Iraq’s name for the 1991 Gulf war.

Iraq Hiding Scuds, Developing Long-Range Missile Technology:

There is new evidence that Iraq is developing long-range missile technology, TheWashington Post reported in February. The Post said U.N. investigators copied a software program in Iraqi computers that was obtained illegally after the Gulf war and which is able, among other things, to simulate missile launches and trajectories. It is thought that the software could be used to develop missiles with ranges up to 985 miles. U.N. officials added, however, that there was no evidence that Iraq was building long-range missiles.

In a related story, the Pentagon accused Iraq on Feb. 4 of hiding 25 Scud missiles in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 986, which calls for the complete dismantling of Iraq’s chemical, biological, and missile delivery systems.

ISRAEL/PALESTINE

Israel

Knesset Rejects Ban On Arabs From Israeli Premiership:

A draft law barring Israeli Arabs from running for prime minister was rejected by the Israeli Knesset in February. Speaker Dan Tichon (Likud) and five of the Knesset’s seven deputy speakers ruled that the proposed bill would violate Israeli laws against racist legislation, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Voting in favor of the bill sponsored by MK Michael Kleiner (Gesher) were David Tal (Shas) and Chaim Dayan (Tsomet). In December 1996, Azmi Beshara, an Israeli Arab Knesset member, announced his intention to run for prime minister in the next Israeli elections. “It is unlikely that an Arab would ever become prime minister, but the right to run and to vote in elections is a fundamental one,” Shlomo Ben-Ami of the Labor party told Israel Radio.

Yigal Amir’s Former Girlfriend Indicted:

Bar-Ilan University student Margalit Har-Shefi was indicted in Tel Aviv in February for failing to prevent the November 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the Jerusalem Post reported. Har-Shefi, a former girlfriend of Rabin’s convicted assassin, Yigal Amir, allegedly knew of Amir’s plans to shoot the prime minister on several occasions, but never reported him to Israeli security officials. She faces a maximum five-year sentence if convicted.

Israel Signs Deal With European Space Agency:

The Israeli Space Agency has signed a cooperation agreement with the European Space Agency, the third largest such organization in the world with a $25 billion annual budget. According to the Jerusalem Post, the agreement allows Israel to be among 25 countries which receive ESA satellite transmissions that can aid weather forecasting, sea and coastal research, agriculture and archeology. ISA director Aby Har-Even told the Post that he hopes the agreement will be a breakthrough toward additional cooperation with the ESA.

Molcho Will Lead Final Status Negotiations:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s friend and attorney, Yitzhak Molcho, will lead the Israeli delegation in final status talks with the Palestinians, the Jerusalem Post reported in February. Molcho, who headed talks on Hebron, began negotiations with his Palestinian counterparts in March. A final status agreement is slated for completion by May 1999.

Palestine

First Hamas Newspaper in a Year Hits Stands in Palestine:

A new Palestinian newspaper linked to the Islamist Hamas opposition organization published its first issue Feb. 13. The first Hamas publication allowed by the Palestinian Authority in more than a year, Al Risala (the message) is based in Gaza City and run by Hamas leaders including editor-in-chief Salah Bardawil and managing editor Ghazi Hamad. “We will not seek to please any leader,” the paper’s opening editorial said. “Our word will not be bought or sold. We hope to adhere in our path to what Almighty God wills.”

Palestinian Stock Market Opens in Nablus:

The Palestinian stock market in Nablus opened in February with 23 Palestinian companies trading shares. The bourse, which will be open one day per week for trading, is expected to add shares of another 20 companies. Reactions to the stock market were mixed, with pessimists concerned that instability will undermine its success, and optimists hoping it eventually will supersede a planned second bourse in Tel Aviv.

President Clinton Says PLO In Compliance with Oslo Accords:

President Bill Clinton affirmed to Congress in February that the Palestine Liberation Organization is complying with the Oslo accords. The president’s semi-annual affirmation is required for congressional funding to the Palestinian Authority and for the continued operation of the PLO office in Washington, DC.

Israel Accused of Placing Cameras in Arafat’s Office:

Palestinian officials in January accused Israel’s Shin Bet security service of placing tiny remote video cameras in PNA President Yasser Arafat’s Gaza City offices, Israel’s mass-circulation daily Yediot Ahronot reported. The devices apparently were buried in the walls of offices vacated by the Israeli military and taken over by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo accords. Referring to the cameras, one Palestinian accused Israel of “not understanding that we are now living in a time of peace and not struggle.”

The revelation followed an earlier discovery of five wiretaps placed on PNA phone lines, presumably by Israeli intelligence agents. These devices were found accidentally after a suspicious explosion in the back yard of the PNA government headquarters.

THE NILE VALLEY

Egypt

Mahfouz Urges Dialogue Between Arabs and Israelis:

Egyptian Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz called for a dialogue between Arab and Israeli intellectuals in a Feb. 13 column in the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram. Mahfouz, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, wrote: “I am in favor of contacts between the supporters of peace in the Arab world and in Israel in order to reach an accord on the foundation of peace, because that will represent a means of pressuring the extremists.” Mahfouz survived an assassination attempt by Egyptian militants two years ago.

Sony Signs Deal for Hollywood on the Nile :

Egypt signed a $314 million contract in March with a British-based international consortium led by Sony Broadcast and Professional Europe to build a massive complex of digital film studios on the outskirts of Cairo. The three-year deal with the Egyptian broadcasting authority ERTU will involve the construction of a 45-million-square-foot complex of work areas, administrative buildings, television editing studios and broadcast and support vehicles. “Unofficially dubbed Hollywood on the Nile, Media Production City will be one of the world’s largest production studio complexes ever built,” a Sony statement read.

Sudan

Israel Accused of Supplying Weapons to Sudan Rebels:

A senior Sudanese army officer has accused Israel of supplying weapons used in fighting along the Sudanese-Ethiopian border earlier this year. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Kamel Abdullah told Sudan’s independent daily newspaper Akhbar Al Yom that Sudanese forces “had seized large quantities of Israeli-made weapons belonging to the Ethiopian army.” Sudan repeatedly has accused Ethiopia of sending troops to support rebel groups against the Islamist government in Khartoum.

NORTH AFRICA

Algeria

Severe Violence Paralyzes Algeria:

Hundreds were killed in violence between Islamists and government forces that paralyzed Algeria in the first part of 1997. Partially in response to President Liamine Zeroual’s assertion last year that violence in Algeria was only residual, militant opposition organizations including the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) began a massive campaign of car bombings and assassinations aimed at destabilizing the Algerian government. State security forces and local militias responded by killing hundreds of suspected militants. The total number of deaths was expected to exceed one thousand by the end of March.

Libya

Libya Will Allow Return of Palestinians:

Libya announced in January that it would allow the return of some 200 Palestinians stranded since 1995 on its border with Egypt.Early in 1995 Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi expelled some 30,000 Palestinians in a self-proclaimed effort to demonstrate the failure of the Oslo accords. He later allowed for their return, but approximately 200 had stayed in the border tent camp hoping to be allowed into Egypt or into Palestinian self-rule areas.

Libya Defies Travel Ban, Plane Flies to Ghana:

A Libyan aircraft defied a U.N. travel ban and flew a Foreign Ministry delegation to Accra, Ghana in January, Reuters news service reported. Ghanaian government officials confirmed the trip, which reportedly was part of a Libyan Foreign Ministry tour of West Africa. International flights from Libya are banned by U.N. Security Council resolution because of the North African country’s refusal to turn over two suspects in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Tunisia

President Ben Ali Mediates Libya-Mauritania Dispute:

Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali successfully mediated a border dispute between Libya and Mauritania, Agence France Presse reported March 3. The year-old dispute was resolved during a visit to Tunisia by Mauritanian President Mouaoua Ould Sidi Ahmed Taya. Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi sent his special envoy and Cabinet Director Ibrahim Bechari to negotiations held under the auspices of the Tunisian Foreign Ministry. Following their discussions, Libya and Mauritania announced that they had “opened a new chapter in bilateral relations.”

THE SUBCONTINENT

Pakistan

Iranian Diplomat, Six Others Gunned Down:

An Iranian diplomat and six Pakistanis were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked an Iranian cultural center in Multan, Pakistan Feb. 20. The incident followed by one month a bombing attack against an Iranian cultural center in Lahore that killed 30 people and injured 100 more, and preceded by one week a state visit to Pakistan by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati.