Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, July 2001, page 38

Issues in the News

Compiled by Homayra Ziad

ARABIAN PENINSULA

GCC Calls on U.S. to Stop Israeli Aggression:

Leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries called on the international community and the United States in particular to exert more effort to halt Israeli aggression, murder and destruction in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and to work for the resumption of peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. The appeal was made on May 14 by GCC Secretary-General Jamil Al-Hujeilan at the conclusion of a one-day summit in Manama, Bahrain. According to the Arab News of May 15, Al-Hujeilan’s statement stressed the gravity of the situation and severely criticized Israeli policies and practices. The Gulf leaders also supported a move by Qatar to hold an urgent meeting of foreign ministers of Muslim states to discuss the escalating violence in the West Bank and Gaza.

Arab League Ministers Urge Severance of Ties to Israel:

An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers and delegates, convened after Israel used F-16 fighters to quell the Palestinian resistance to the occupation, has recommended that Arab countries sever all ties with Israel. While Arab League recommendations are not binding, the Jordan Times of May 20 pointed out that this particular suggestion was made by a committee which included the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan, the only two Arab countries that have signed peace agreements with Israel. The statement, read by Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and Jordan’s foreign minister, Abdul Ilah Khatib, called for an end to all contact with Israel as long as it maintains its aggression and siege against the Palestinian people, and until it expresses a credible desire for peace.

Saudi Stamps Honor Intifada:

Saudi Arabia’s King Fahad, Custodian of the Two Mosques, issued a decree ordering that the Palestinian intifada be commemorated on a stamp and a postcard, the April 23 Saudi Gazette reported. “Copies of the stamp and postcard printed in Arabic and other languages will be distributed all over the world,” the article said. Additionally, Dec. 9 will be observed as Solidarity Day with the intifada by the Arab information media.

Riyadh Smelting Plant Wins GCC Environmental Prize:

Riyadh’s National Lead Smelting Co. (Rassass) has won the coveted Gulf Cooperation Council prize for the best industry that complies with strict environmental guidelines, the April 21 Arab News reported. Rassass, an affiliate of the National Industrialization Company (NIC), recycles scrap car batteries in an environmentally responsible manner, reducing the sulfuric acid in the batteries to sodium sulfate, a useful substance. The company has recycled over 12.5 million units of lead acid batteries so far, thereby greatly reducing the treatment of hazardous material by small smelters who endanger public life and the environment, according to Rassass’ executive manager, Anas Suleiman Hafiz. The Arab News of May 2 adds that, unless properly recycled, used car batteries contaminate ground water with acid, and release pollutants like lead, arsenic, chromium, zinc, nickel and copper into the environment. In addition to preserving the environment, Rassass has been able to meet 100 percent of the demand for lead in Saudi Arabia, and has been exporting lead to Gulf countries, Jordan, Syria, India and Pakistan.

Aramco Achieves Highest Water Reclamation:

Saudi Aramco announced on April 24 that its water conservation program is now reclaiming 10 million gallons of water per day. A Saudi Gazette story on the Fourth Annual Workshop on Water Conservation in Saudi Arabia reported that this was the most successful such program in the Kingdom. Aramco officials said the company is working to double its current conservation output, which provides water and waste-water services to six communities in the Eastern Province, where groundwater in populated areas is dropping by approximately 1.5 feet per year. The reclaimed water is used in landscaping, parks, playing fields and sod farming.

Six-year-old Saudi Wins Major Arts Prize:

Khalid Fahmi Siraj Byari was awarded first prize by the Hyago Center for Children in Japan for his painting, “My Beautiful Dream,” the Saudi Gazette of May 16 reported. Byari won over 70,787 other competitors from all parts of Asia who participated in the competition. He and five other children will be honored at an official ceremony on July 29.

Kuwait Threatened by Environmental Hazards:

Poisonous gas emissions from oil refineries and power and desalination plants in southern Kuwait are polluting the air to a degree that has led Meshal Al-Meshaan, chairman of Kuwait’s Environment Protection Society, to warn of an impending catastrophe. According to the May 9 Arab News, Al-Meshaan told the Arabic newspaper Al-Qabas that urgent steps need to be taken to remedy the authorities’ failure to act on air pollution, The gases, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide, are already affecting the city of Fahaheel, 20 miles south of Kuwait City. Residents have expressed concern over health risks, some of them desiring to move to cleaner environments. Local hospitals also reported many cases of asthma and allergy illnesses afflicting children.

Kuwaiti Court Rejects Vote for Women:

For the sixth time in nine months, Kuwait’s highest court rejected a petition to grant full political rights to the emirate’s female citizens, according to the April 22 Saudi Gazette. In this case the petition was submitted by two women activists, Lowlowa Al-Mulla and Hind Al-Shalfan, who sued the Interior Ministry for refusing to register them as voters in February 2000. The five-judge panel issued its ruling, dismissing the case on procedural ground in a one-minute session, much as they had dismissed five similar cases in recent months. The emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, had supported a draft bill granting women the right to vote and hold public office, but a strong parliamentary coalition rejected it in November 1999, as it had rejected a decree by the emir to the same effect. The government plans to submit the bill to parliament again “when the time is right.”

Kuwaiti Cabinet Approves Female Police:

Kuwait’s government announced May 6 that it is submitting a measure allowing for the creation of “a police task force comprising female security officers with a mandate of helping policemen nationwide,” the May 7 Arab News reported. The measure was due to go directly to Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah for signing after ratification the following week.

Israeli Staff Still in Qatar:

Despite official announcements last November that the Israeli trade office in Doha had been closed, the news agency Agence France-Presse was able to learn that the Israeli mission’s chief, Elie Avidar, and his deputy, Michael Aviv, were still in Doha. The supposed closure had been announced under threat from Saudi Arabia that it would boycott the Organization of the Islamic Council (OIC) summit, but according to a report in the Arab News of May 8, an Arab diplomat and the president of Yemen have independently indicated—the former more directly than the latter—that the Israelis had never left. On May 2, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad ibn Jasim Al Thani had met with his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres, in Washington and proposed that Doha host the next round of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks once those are resumed.

Castro Receives Royal Treatment in Qatar:

Qatar became the first Arab Gulf country to host Fidel Castro when the Cuban president arrived there on May 13. According to a Reuters report in the following day’s Arab News, Castro was given a ceremonious welcome by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The two leaders had talks focusing on trade. An AP report said that before leaving Qatar Castro called American statesmen “demagogues,” although he praised U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell as a good communicator. Qatar was Castro’s last scheduled stop on a tour that included Algeria, Iran and Malaysia, but the Cuban leader made unscheduled stops in Syria and Libya as well. In September 2000 Sheikh Hamad had become the first Gulf Arab leader to visit Cuba.

Arabs Performed Brain Surgery in 5200 BCE:

A Stone Age skull dating back to between 5200 and 4200 BCE, uncovered by German archeologists at Jebel Al Buhais in Sharjah, shows clear signs of having been operated on surgically, the Khaleej Times of April 16 reported. Archeologists from the University of TÙbingen excavating a graveyard at the site, in collaboration with the Sharjah Directorate of Antiquities, reported that the scalp was removed and a neat incision was made in the skull, probably with a freshly hewn sharp flint, in order to relieve pressure on the brain from a tumor. Bone growth indicated that the patient lived for two years after the surgery. The skull has been sent to Germany for further study, but a replica will be put on display and the site opened to the public. It is believed that the people who inhabited Eastern Arabia at that time may have migrated from a narrow belt around Palestine, Syria, Southern Turkey and Iraq, where the first human habitations were discovered.

Oman’s Sultan Qaboos Presents Grant for U.N. Arabic Teaching:

Sultan Qaboos bin Said made a sizeable grant to the United Nations International School in New York, the April 13 Khaleej Times reported. The grant was dedicated to the Arabic-language teaching program, and was presented to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan by Oman’s permanent representative at the U.N., Fuad bin Mubarak Al Hinai. The amount of the grant was not disclosed, but Mr. Annan in his speech of acknowledgement said that it would “considerably enhance” the Arabic-language teaching program at the school.

Omani Women May Drive Taxis:

Women in the Gulf sultanate of Oman will soon be driving taxis on the streets of Muscat and elsewhere. The official news agency ONA reported on May 15 that the inspector general of police and customs, Gen. Hilal ibn Khaled Al-Mawuli, has approved the measure as part of efforts to enlarge women’s share in the labor market. The following day’s Arab News wrote that Dubai had allowed women to drive taxis a year ago, but only to carry female and child passengers, whereas the Omani women may transport whomever they please. The paper noted that most taxi-drivers are Asian, and that Oman has launched a campaign to replace foreign workers with Omani nationals.

Yemen Explosion Kills 32:

A midday explosion in an arms section in the old market of Radaa in the province of Al-Baida killed 32 people and injured 50, hospital officials said in a report carried by the May 20 Saudi Gazette. The previous day’s explosion is believed to have been an accident caused by improperly stored gunpowder.

FERTILE CRESCENT

King Hussein Bridge Opened:

The new King Hussein Bridge linking Jordan with the West Bank was opened to traffic May 1. The Arab News reported the next day that the four-lane, two-way bridge has a five-mile approach road and was built by the Japanese construction firm Sumitomo with a $11.5 million grant from Japan. The bridge replaces the old wood and steel Allenby Bridge which was destroyed in the 1967 war.

Syria Calls for Revival of U.N. Resolution 3379:

The Syria Times newspaper of April 24 has called for the revival of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 3379 of 1975, the Arab News reported. The resolution equates Zionism, the Jewish nationalist ideology, with racism, and was passed in 1975 by a coalition of Arab states and Third World countries. It was repealed in 1991 after the end of the Cold War and the commencement of the Arab-Israeli peace process. “Israel is seen by the whole world as committing acts of aggression,” the Syria Times wrote, “launching a mass annihilation war against the Palestinian people, building settlements, blockading Palestinian cities and villages and refusing to implement U.N.-related resolutions. Therefore there is a need for an Arab and international move to revive Resolution 3379.”

Lebanon Objects to Cutting UNIFIL:

Lebanon’s ambassador to the United Nations objected to Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s proposal to cut the number of troops in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) down to 2,000 by July 2002. The troops numbered 5,800 in January and have already been reduced to 4,500. Ambassador Selim Tadmoury emphasized the need to maintain the number of troops at the previous level, saying that a reconfiguration of UNIFIL would create a “climate of instability,” particularly with the new dangerous and negative circumstances prevailing in the region.

IRAN/IRAQ

Castro in Iran:

Cuban President Fidel Castro paid an historic three-day visit to Iran earlier this month to bring Cuba closer to a country enduring similar U.S. sanctions and political pressure. Castro was given a warm welcome in Tehran, where he held talks with his Iranian counterpart, Muhammad Khatami, who visited Cuba last October, and with ex-president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Castro was also met by Iran’s supreme cleric, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a speech at Tehran University, reported the May 9 Arab News, Castro called on the Iranian people to continue fighting U.S. imperialism and technological domination, calling Iran a “pioneer on the road of independence and liberty.” The two countries have enjoyed close ties in the medical and farming sectors since the 1980s, but trade has been weak. As part of the visit, Khatami and Castro discussed several bilateral projects, including an oil-for-sugar deal and an Iran-Cuba biotechnological institute for the production of medicines that U.S. sanctions do not allow into the two countries. According to the May 11 Arab News, Castro described his visit as “unforgettable” and hoped it would deepen trade and cultural ties between the two nations.

300 Hopefuls Reduced to 10 in Iranian Elections:

Although some 300 citizens presented themselves as candidates for the June 8 Iranian presidential elections, only 10 were cleared by the Council of Guardians, the conservative body that screens such applications. Among the first batch of hopefuls were two women, bureaucrat Farah Khosravi and political unknown Touran Jamili, the first women to stand for president since the 1979 revolution. Other candidates who didn’t make the cut included a former revolutionary student, a well-known pop singer, a street peddler, and a “22-year-old farmer-philosopher,” reported Reuters. President Khatami is widely expected to win a second term in office, although he faces considerable opposition from former Labor Minister and conservative Ahmad Tavakoli.

Activists Protest Sanctions on Iraq:

Voices in the Wilderness activists dressed up as British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook \to protest economic sanctions against Iraq earlier this month, reported the May 1 Khaleej Times. The group, which has campaigned against sanctions since 1998, gathered outside the Foreign Office in London. The target of the protest was an article by Robin Cook entitled, “Why it is in the interest of the Iraqi people to bomb Saddam.” Activists maintain that, according to an increasing number of reports from non-governmental and human rights organizations, U.N. sanctions on Iraq prevent crucial medical supplies from reaching the Iraqi populace, and result in the deaths of 5,000 children every month. This, they say, belies Robin Cook’s claim that “Saddam alone is to blame for the suffering of his people.”

Iraqi Stolen Relics Found Abroad:

An ancient stone head stolen from Iraq is being sold at a London exhibition, reported the April 30 Khaleej Times. The head is said to date back to the Babylonian era, and is just one of 4,000 antique items that disappeared from Iraq in the aftermath of the Gulf war. According to the Iraq Antiquities Department, many of these stolen artifacts have already been sold abroad.

ISRAEL/PALESTINE

Graffiti Artists Record the Intifada:

Graffiti have become a crucial means of expression for supporters of the Palestinian intifada in Gaza City. A few years ago such artists would have risked arrest by the Palestinian Authority—and before that, being shot at by Israeli occupation troops—but today, as rival factions rally in support of Arafat, the PA ignores their handiwork. According to the April 28 Arab News, graffiti flourished in the first uprising, when Palestinian television did not exist and Israeli authorities censored Palestinian newspapers. “In those days, graffiti were like our own national media,” said a young student and graffiti artist from a local university. After the first intifada, however, the PA cracked down on artists and whitewashed the walls of Gaza. Now, there is increasing pressure on the Authority, as on all Palestinians, to encourage the new intifada in all its forms. Street art is one such form and graffiti run the gamut, from powerful political slogans to portraits of those killed in the recent violence.

Arab Journalist Shot by Israeli Soldier:

Abu Dhabi TV’s Jerusalem bureau chief, Laila Odeh, was wounded by Israeli rifle fire in early May as she filmed a report on the pitiful conditions at the Gaza Strip refugee camp of Rafah. The May 1 Khaleej Times reported that Israeli soldiers fired directly at Odeh without any prior warning, wounding her in the thigh. Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based organization, protested the incident by sending a letter to Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, and demanded a thorough investigation. The May 4 International Jerusalem Post said that, according to the organization, 20 reporters have been wounded in the area since the recent outbreak of violence.

ICRC Condemns Jewish Settlements as War Crimes:

René Kosirnik, head of the Red Cross delegation to Israel and the Palestinian territories, called the policy of Jewish settlement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip a war crime under humanitarian law. “The installation of a population of the occupying power in occupied territory is considered an illegal move,” said Kosirnik at a May 17 news conference, holding that the settlements violate the Fourth Geneva Convention. Close to 200,000 Israelis live in 145 settlements scattered throughout the land captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, a policy Israel justifies by naming the area “disputed territory” and thus not subject to the laws of the Geneva Convention. According to the Associated Press on May 17, the Israeli Foreign Ministry found Kosirnik’s remarks “inappropriate.” This latest incident follows in the wake of several tense encounters between the Red Cross and the Israeli government. The international agency has repeatedly accused Israel of violating Palestinian human rights.

Sontag Accepts Prize, Remains Critical of Israeli Policy:

Writer Susan Sontag became the 18th recipient of the prestigious Jerusalem Prize for literature at a ceremony held in Jerusalem. After accepting the prize, Sontag criticized Israel’s “disproportionate use of fire power” against the Palestinians. According to a May 10 Ha’aretz report, she said, “ I believe the doctrine of collective responsibility as a rationale for collective punishment is never justified, militarily or ethically. And I mean of course the disproportionate use of fire power against civilians, the demolition of their homes, the destruction of their orchards and groves, the deprivation of their livelihood and access to employment, to schooling, to medical services, or as a punishment for hostile, military activities in the vicinity of those civilians.”

Israel Printing Distorted Hebrew Translations of the Qur’an:

Israel has been producing false Hebrew translations of the Qur’an “as part of its nefarious designs,” according to a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report published in the April 19 Saudi Gazette. The defamatory act was discovered and disclosed by the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Egypt. This prompted the Muslim World League (MWL) to call on Muslims and Islamic institutions worldwide to defend the Holy Qur’an and confront Israeli attempts to malign Islam’s Holy Book.

Israel Detains Retired Military Scientist:

A former Israeli brigadier general and chief of research and development, Yitzhak Yaakov, 75, was arrested March 28, according to Israel Radio, on charges of leaking information to unauthorized parties. The station broadcast the story only after it had appeared in the London Sunday Times, causing a gag order to be partially lifted. Yaakov’s lawyer described the charges as baseless. Yaakov, who holds both Israeli and U.S. citizenship, is widely believed to have been involved with Israel’s nuclear weapons program. His arrest has invited comparison with the case of Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli technician who gave pictures of Israel’s nuclear reactor to The Sunday Times in 1986 and was sentenced to 18 years in prison for revealing the country’s nuclear capabilities, currently estimated by the CIA at between 200 and 400 nuclear weapons.

NORTH AFRICA

Alexandria Library to Reopen Next Spring:

Construction of the new Library of Alexandria is nearing completion, and its inauguration date has been set for April 23, 2002, the Saudi Gazette of May 17 reported. The new library will honor its Ptolemaic namesake, established nearly 2,300 years ago, and destroyed 700 years later in the 5th century CE. Located at the meeting point of Africa, Asia and Europe, the new library hopes to become a center for different cultures and civilizations as well as an important hub for learning and research, with conferences, lectures and exhibitions on all subjects in the arts and sciences. Construction of the library cost an estimated $200 million. It is to have the “largest reading hall in the world,” according to Ismail Serag Eddin, the library’s new director and former World Bank vice president. Egypt’s First Lady, Suzanne Mubarak, is chairperson of the library’s council of patrons and board of trustees.

Swimmer of the Century:

Egyptian swimmer Abdel Latif Abu Haif, 72, was named “Marathon Swimmer of the Century” by the International Swimmers Hall of Fame in Florida, the May 13 Saudi Gazette reported. Mr. Abu Haif crossed the Channel in 1951, 1953 and 1955, and is a four-time Capri-Napoli marathon champion.

Egypt, Sudan to Revive Ties:

Presidents Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Omar Bashir of Sudan met May 13 and agreed to revive a joint cooperation commission and all suspended bilateral agreements, the Arab News reported the following day. Relations between the two countries have been cool since 1995, but began to improve in December 1999, when Bashir actively resisted Sudan’s radical faction. The two leaders also discussed the Egyptian-Libyan initiative to end the civil war in Sudan.

Qaddafi Mediates Uganda, Sudan Reconciliation:

In addition to his joint efforts with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to reconcile the Sudanese government with all opposition and rebel groups, Libyan leader Muammar Al-Qaddafi visited both Khartoum and Kampala, persuading President Bashir of Sudan and Uganda’s new president, Yoweri Museveni, to pursue improved relations between their two countries. The May 13 Saudi Gazette reported that, while a deal had been made to restore diplomatic ties at the level of liaison officer, the Libyan leader convinced President Museveni “to restore diplomatic relations with Sudan at the chargé d’affaires level so as to try and resolve outstanding problems with Sudan,” in President Museveni’s words. Qaddafi had also persuaded Preseident Bashir to attend Museveni’s inauguration ceremony. Relations between the countries were severed when Khartoum accused Kampala of supporting the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), while Uganda accused Sudan of harboring the rebel Lords Resistance Army (LRA).

Famine Spreads in Sudan:

Drought has caused widespread famine in central, western and southern Sudan, affecting an estimated 6,000 people, the May 4 Saudi Gazette reported. Aid agencies warned that the situation was deteriorating, with increasing infant mortality, loss of livestock, and displacement of people. The United Nations in coordination with the government of Sudan is asking for $50 million in aid for the victims of the drought.

Israelis Attend Jewish Festival in Tunisia:

Despite widespread Arab anger at Israel’s military brutality and settlements policy, Tunisia welcomed an estimated 1,300 Jews, including dozens of Israeli pilgrims, to the festival of El Ghriba in Jerba, 210 miles south of Tunis, according to a May 11 Reuters report. Over 7,000 Jews came last year, but many stayed away this year because of the “gloomy news” from the Middle East. Most participants, however, were happy that the festival was not cancelled altogether. The pilgrimage and two-day festival commemorate the end of a plague 2,000 years ago.

CENTRAL ASIA

Court Gives Greek Cypriots Right of Return:

The European Court of Human Rights has found Turkey guilty of human rights abuses in its 27-year occupation of northern Cyprus. A May 10 BBC Online report says that the Strasbourg court ruled against Turkey by a vote of 16 to one, upholding 14 of the claims brought against Turkey by the Cypriot government. Turkey was found guilty of “failing to investigate the deaths of roughly 1,500 people who disappeared in the invasion; inhuman treatment of the families of missing Greek Cypriots; denying some 180,000 Greek Cypriots the right to return to their homes; failure to compensate for loss of property, and interference with freedom of religion.” Turkey is obligated to find ways of rectifying the human rights violations, but has failed to act on a previous binding European Court ruling regarding its 1974 invasion of Cyprus. Michalis Papapetrou, spokesman for Cyprus, said the decision “offered an excellent opportunity to Cyprus as well as to Turkey to overcome differences...and to seek a solution in Cyprus which will respect human rights… and be in line with international law.”

THE SUBCONTINENT

Israel and India Increase Military Cooperation:

Indian Defense Secretary Yogendra Narain recently met with senior Israeli government officials, one of several high-level visits aimed at enhancing defense cooperation between the two countries. The invitation was extended by Amos Yaron, director of the Israeli Defense Ministry, and followed on the heels of a recent visit to Israel by the Indian navy chief. As with all matters touching on defense ties between the two countries, the visit was “cloaked in secrecy,” said the Arab News of May 13. India is the second largest market for Israeli defense hardware, and in the past few years has purchased equipment ranging from ship defense systems to unmanned aerial vehicles.

Pakistan Strongly Opposes U.S. Military Defense Scheme:

Pakistan continues to criticize the controversial U.S. plan for a missile defense shield, reported the Arab News of May 13, Neighboring India, in contrast, supports the scheme. Pakistan faces a difficult balancing act: it must appease China, a close political and military ally of Islamabad and strongly opposed to the American plan, as well as guard against growing warmth in U.S.-India relations. Washington recently sent an envoy to India to assess the government’s reaction to the U.S. scheme but failed to send a representative to Islamabad, further adding to Pakistani discontent. The U.S. insisted, however, that “it had intended no snub to Pakistan,” according to the May 16 Arab News.

Conditions Worsen for Afghani Refugees:

Afghani refugees are being forced to live in holes in the ground due to lack of sufficient emergency aid from the international donor community, reports the Khaleej Times of April 25. More than 600,000 people have become displaced in the last year as a result of widespread drought and civil war, yet only a fraction of the U.N.’s annual Afghanistan appeal for $250 million has been pledged by the donor community. In a quarterly report to the Security Council, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan laid part of the blame for the current situation on member countries, stating that “the international community, having failed to remain engaged in Afghanistan following the departure of the U.S.S.R., bears a large share of responsibility for Afghanistan’s current plight.”