Issues in the News

Compiled by Laila Al-Arian

ARABIAN PENINSULA

GCC Protects Patent Rights:

The July 10 Arab News reported that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has developed a strategy to “protect intellectual and industrial property rights including patents, trade marks, industrial models and designs, designs of integrated circuits and geographical data.” Muhammad Al-Rasheed, the director of the GCC Patent Office, said that as part of the strategy, the GCC would work with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in organizing lectures and seminars on intellectual property rights. He said that protecting intellectual property “is important for technical and economic development. Al-Rasheed said that his office was working closely with foreign patent offices designated as international examination agencies for the grant of patents. He added that his office was closely scrutinizing patent applications to ensure that they fulfill regulations.

Arabs Make Plans to Reactivate Israeli Boycott:

Thirteen Arab countries, with the exception of Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Mauritania, Qatar and Oman, met in Syria on July 29 and 30 to discuss reviving an economic boycott of Israel which could cost the state $3 billion a year. “The boycott is a form of peaceful resistance, which conforms to international law since it is based on the right to self-defense and the freedom to choose one’s business partners,” the head of the Damascus-based central Office of the Boycott of Israel (OBI), Ahmed Khasaa told the Arab News on July 30. OBI plans to publish every six months a blacklist of Israeli firms, and foreign companies doing business with Israel. OBI will also reactivate boycott offices in all 22 member countries of the Arab League. A similar boycott ended after the start of Arab-Israeli peace negotiations in 1991 and third-party firms doing business in Israel like Coca-Cola, Ford Motors, fast-food and hotel chains gained a substantial foothold in important Arab markets.

Con Artists Target Gulf States:

A GCC report released on Aug. 17 says that over 1,000 international companies have conned the six GCC states. On Aug. 18, Arab News reported that these companies are not even registered as businesses in the countries in which they claim to operate. The GCC report also revealed that “GCC chambers recently discovered 70 cases of fraud involving 50 such companies based in Nigeria, Thailand and Ivory Coast.” These international swindlers compile the contact information of Saudi and other Gulf businessmen “with the sole objective of duping them,” the report warned. Gulf businessmen and banks have lost billions of dollars to these con artists. Since Saudi Arabia is the country most targeted by the tricksters, the Saudi Ministry of Interior has issued important guidelines for Saudi businessmen traveling abroad. They are warned to check carefully the credentials of their potential business partners.

OIC Calls on Members to Cut Ties With Israel:

At an Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) summit, foreign ministers of Islamic countries issued a fresh call for members to sever ties with Israel, reported the July 29 Khaleej Times. Held in Bamako, Mali, the meeting essentially focused on the Middle East crisis, although no new measures to put pressure on Israel were proposed. The conference emphasized the importance of ending Israel’s illegal occupation of Arab land in order to establish a just and comprehensive peace in the region. At the conclusion of the conference, the West African country of Ivory Coast was admitted as the 57th member of OIC.

Saudi Arabia Aids Ghana Victims:

After floods ravaged several towns and villages in Ghana, Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud ordered a Saudi relief plane to fly to the African state carrying relief supplies including 44 tons of food. On July 25, Arab News reported that Ghana is seeking more support from organizations in the Kingdom to reconstruct its bridges, roads and electricity networks. Ghana’s agricultural economy, which mainly produces cocoa, nuts, bananas, coffee, maize, rubber and timber, has been enormously affected by the summer floods.

Riyadh Paper Calls for Saddam War Crime Trial:

On Aug. 4, the Saudi Arabian newspaper, Al-Riyadh, asked for Saddam Hussain to be tried for war crimes against his own people. “The massacres and atrocities that Saddam and his regime have committed against the Iraqi people surpass in their scope those of war criminals from the former Yugoslavia and even in Palestine,” the newspaper is quoted as stating in the Aug. 5 Saudi Gazette. The editorial further warned countries in the region that unless they speak out against the Iraqi dictator’s brutal policies, the international community would no doubt interpret their silence as approval. Prince Turki Bin Mohammad Bin Saud Al-Kabeer, the Foreign Ministry Undersecretary of Political Affairs, was careful to differentiate between the Iraqi people and the Iraqi regime, which “has not yet shown any endeavors which reflect its desire to gain calm, security and stability.”

Arab League Calls Israel a “Rogue Government”:

Citing repeated targeted assassinations of Palestinians, house demolitions, and illegal settlement-building by Israel, Arab foreign ministers at an Arab League meeting on July 18 in Cairo declared that the state was being led by a “rogue government.” The ministers reaffirmed their continued solidarity with the Palestinian people and promised to continue to support them financially and politically. According to the July 19 Saudi Gazette, the ministers also discussed the issue of the occupied Golan Heights in Syria, calling on Israel to comply with international law by withdrawing to the pre-July 1967 borders.

Kuwait Backs Reform in Arab League:

After a meeting with Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah of Kuwait, Amr Moussa, the chief of the Arab League, said Kuwait promised to support reforming the 22-member organization. According to the July 17 Arab News, Moussa stated, “[Kuwait] has promised to furnish all kinds of aid to support efforts to reform and improve the functioning of the Arab League.” Moussa also discussed the “disastrous” situation in Palestine during his meeting with the Kuwaiti Emir.

Internet Divorce Stirs Debate:

According to Kuwaiti Muslim scholar Khaled Al-Mathkour, Muslim men are allowed to divorce their wives by sending email messages or text messages through their mobile phones. He told Al-Watan that this method was as valid as the Islamic law that allows men to divorce their wives by uttering the phrase “I divorce you,” three times. However, a prominent unnamed scholar disagreed, pointing out that so-called “remote divorce” is unacceptable because it does not entail a condition required under Islamic law, the presence of at least two witnesses. As the July 15 Arab News reported, a scholar in Malaysia echoed this ruling, saying that divorce through mobile messages is an “irresponsible act.”

Bahrain, Lebanon Economic Pact:

Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and National Economy, Abdulla Saif, and Lebanon’s Minister of Finance, Fuad Al-Senyoura, discussed the importance of signing economic agreements, avoiding double taxation, and encouraging investments, according to the July 17 Khaleej Times. They stressed the urgency of these pacts. A meeting between Bahrain’s and Lebanon’s prime ministers took place as well. Sheikh Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Bahrain’s prime minister asserted the “significance of economic cooperation and development of Arab economic blocs to face world economic changes and to enhance the region as a financial and business hub,” the Times reported. The Lebanese minister expressed his appreciation for Bahrain’s continued support for Lebanon’s rights and unity. He also praised Bahrain’s infrastructure, particularly in finance and banking.

Sharjah to Detect Water by Satellite:

Sharjah and Boston University recently signed an agreement for a three-year project to use satellite imaging to detect underground water resources in Sharjah and other Northern Emirates, the July 30 Arab News reported. The project additionally will create “a modern digital and geographical database to plan future underwater projects,” and will “promote economic and industrial development, utility management and identify priorities in developing underwater resources according to actual requirement.” Two nationals will be trained on fieldwork methods and techniques as part of the project, which will be supervised by Dr. Farouq Al-Baz, director of the Center of Remote Sensing at Boston University.

Oman grants 10,000 Amnesty:

On July 18, a labor ministry official in Oman announced the Gulf country’s decision to extend amnesty for over 10,000 illegal workers to leave without being fined. The amnesty states that the workers, mostly from the Indian subcontinent, can pay a $125 fine to the labor ministry, rather than the normal penalty of $25 a day. According to the July 19 Khaleej Times, government officials say that illegal workers take jobs away from citizens, which is especially problematic during times of high unemployment.

FERTILE CRESCENT

EU, Lebanon Ties Strong:

Following a trip to Lebanon and a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said, “I leave Lebanon with an impression that the relations between Lebanon and the European Union are moving in the right direction.” According to the July 25 Arab News, Solana promised the two sides would sign a “partnership agreement” by the end of the summer. Solana also met with President Emile Lahoud during his Lebanon trip to discuss the current volatile situation in Israel and the occupied territories. Solana stated that the EU “welcomes” U.S. monitors to help bring a truce between the Palestinians and Israelis, as long as both sides agree on the matter.

Lebanon On Death Penalty:

On July 26, the Lebanese parliament overruled President Lahoud’s objections, once again endorsing a bill “regulating the fundamentals of the penal code,” and virtually abolishing the death penalty, the July 28 Arab News reported. Members overwhelmingly supported the bill, voting 81-3 in favor of abolishing capital punishment. The bill was first introduced three months ago, but the president refused to pass it into law. He took it back to the parliament, with written objections. But, after parliament’s re-endorsement, the President had to sign and pass it into law. The law also prohibits the prosecutor general from filing lawsuits.

Syria Water Situation “Serious and Alarming”:

A senior government official described the water situation in Damascus as “serious and alarming,” after a spring that had supplied residents with water for thousands of years dried up. Residents in the Syrian capital are now supplied with water only four hours a day. The shortage came after three years of low rainfall and a steep increase in pumping, the official told the government newspaper Tishreen. The July 23 Arab News reported the official as saying, “75 artesian wells in the Damascus basin have also dried…our water supplies from other artesian wells around Damascus are declining gradually.” Officials have proposed to build desalination plants to increase water supply.

New Jordanian Political Party:

A new Jordanian political party was launched in mid-July by the General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions to “improve and develop the daily conditions of the Jordanian people particularly in the social services, in the fields of education, housing, economy, and insurance,” according to the organization’s president, Mazen Al Maayteh. The July 17 Khaleej Times reported that the new Worker’s Party hopes to represent the federation’s 1.2 million members. “We are very close to the pulse of the street and represent the largest sector of the Jordanian people,” Al Maayteh told AFP reporters. He disclosed that the federation decided to form a political party to have an opportunity to participate in the legislative process on the national level. While Maayteh expects the party to attract 10,000-15,000 members initially, he hopes the number will grow.

IRAN/IRAQ

Former Iranian President Urges Lawsuits:

In response to a U.S. federal judge’s decision ordering Tehran to pay more than $323 million in damages to an American professor held hostage by pro-Iranian militants in Lebanon and other U.S. lawsuits and charges against Iran, former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani urged the state to take legal action. According to the July 7 Khaleej Times, Rafsanjani “called on the conservative-run judiciary to respond to ‘baseless’ accusations and lawsuits by Washington against Tehran.” Addressing hundreds of worshippers at Tehran University, the former president pointed out the atrocities the U.S. has committed against Iran, such as shooting down the Iranian Airbus carrying nearly 300 passengers, keeping four Iranian nationals hostage in Lebanon, and blocking access to their foreign accounts. A bill passed by the parliament last November allows Iranian courts to “grant punitive damages to Iranians who have suffered as a result of U.S. ‘hostility,’” the Times reported. Rafsanjani wondered why Iran has not yet used this law to take measures against the U.S., which has imposed unilateral sanctions against Iran for the past 11 years.

Drug Problem a “National Crisis:”

Iran’s top justice pledged to take a more stringent approach in dealing with convicted drug dealers and traffickers, while another top official described the drug problem as a “national crisis.” But, as the July 13 Khaleej Times reported, a reformist newspaper called for a more moderate stance to curbing the spread of drug-related AIDS through a widespread distribution of syringes to drug users. The paper pointed out that 70 percent of AIDS cases in Iran were caused by contaminated needles. Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi stated on International Anti-Drug Day that “drug traffickers and sellers must no longer benefit from any amnesty—on the contrary they must be severely repressed.” Hashemi Sharudi, a conservative cleric, urged government officials to “isolate and exclude” drug dealers and users from society, specifically forbidding them from taking state jobs.

Iran-Iraq Relations, 13 years later:

On July 18, Iran’s Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi accused Iraq of lacking the political will to improve relations between the two nations since the conclusion of their deadly eight-year war. Launching the charges on state television, Kharrazi criticized the committees formed by both nations to solve problems remaining from the war, accusing them of “lack of activity.” Kharrazi further asserted that one of the major roadblocks to improving relations between the neighboring countries lies in Iraq’s refusal to release Iranian prisoners of war even after the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed their presence, the Khaleej Times reported on July 19. Baghdad accuses Teheran of holding 29,000 Iraqi prisoners, a charge Iran denies.

Kurdish Refugees File Charges:

Using a Belgian law that allows the prosecution of foreign citizens accused of war crimes, six Iraqi Kurdish refugees filed a complaint against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain. The refugees made the charges on July 1 in Belgium, accusing Hussain of targeting Iraq’s Kurdish minority in the 1980s and ’90s, using chemical weapons. The Belgian government is trying to make it more difficult for individuals to file complaints against foreign leaders, the July 1 Khaleej Times reported. This came as a response to a barrage of war crimes complaints recently lodged against notorious international officials, ranging from current Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet.

Teheran Opens “Best-Equipped” Middle East Hospital:

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami inaugurated what the IRNA official news agency called “the best-equipped hospital of the Middle East region” in Teheran on July 18. According to the Khaleej Times, Milad is a “1,000-bed hospital in northwestern Teheran…built on 70,000 square meters [over 753,000 square feet] of land and costing some $37.5 million” to build. It is also equipped with 24 operating theaters and has 32 wards, while employing 2,000 individuals. Plans for the hospital were drafted in 1977, but construction finally began in 1988.

Historic Find in Iraq:

An AFP piece published in the July 18 Khaleej Times reports that “Iraqi archeologists have discovered an Assyrian temple and two winged lions that date back nearly 3,000 years.” Archeologist Mizham Mahmoud Hassan said that the monuments were uncovered in early July in Nimrud, a city 450 kilometers north of Baghdad. “These two winged lions are important because their faces contain cuneiform texts which tell us they belonged to the era of Ashurnasirpal II,” a famous Assyrian conqueror, Mr. Hassan said. The temple was used for worshipping Ishtar, the deity of love and war, Jaber Khalid Ibrahim, the head of Iraq’s Antiquities and Heritage Department said.

ISRAEL/PALESTINE

Israel Readies for Global Recruitment:

The Israeli army has opened recruitment offices in nine major cities in order to expedite the calling-up of its reserves worldwide, wrote the July 22 Saudi Gazette. An Israeli army spokesperson announced that offices had been established in Johannesburg, Frankfurt, Bombay, Bangkok, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Los Angeles and New York to recruit reservists to serve “in the event of a real emergency situation.” Reservists residing outside Israel for over a year and those on holiday are eligible for recruitment.

Palestinians Wed in Tent:

Although Israeli bulldozers demolished their future home only two days before they planned to move in, Sami Yazouri and Lubna Adawi decided to keep their wedding date, holding a celebration in a huge tent. “Israeli occupation forces, its tanks and bulldozers, will never stop our right to live,” Yazouri said. Their home was one of 26 demolished by Israelis in the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza. Israel has demolished more than 100 homes in Rafah, reported the July 13 Arab News. Two-dozen other families whose homes were destroyed attended the wedding. As a token of goodwill,family and friends rented a house for the newlyweds. The Rafah refugee camp was established by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to house the nearly 150,000 Palestinians refugees in Rafah.

Israel Bans Husseini Memorial Ceremony:

Following the death of popular Palestinian leader Faisal Husseini, who was a principal figure in the struggle for Palestinian independence, Israel banned memorial ceremonies for him in east Jerusalem. Israeli authorities announced the ban at Orient House, originally the Husseini family home and currently the unofficial Palestinian headquarters in east Jerusalem which was subsequently occupied by Israel on Aug. 10. According to an AFP report in the July 18 Khaleej Times, “Israeli police swarmed around Orient House, blocking roads in the area, and several entered the complex, triggering scuffles with Palestinians at the scene before they left.” Israeli police spokesman Uzi Landau had issued an order prohibiting memorial ceremonies at Orient House or “any other place in the state of Israel.” Hanan Ashrawi, another prominent Palestinian figure, called Israel’s ban a “coercive measure.” A statement released by the Palestinian civil rights group MIFTAH said, “(the ban) is a glaring violation of the Palestinian people’s right to assemble in their own city, in memory of an outstanding leader and a remarkable man of peace.”

BBC Terminology Controversy:

A report by the British newspaper the Independent claimed that a BBC memo to staff members asked reporters to use the term “targeted killings,” instead of “assassinations,” when referring to Israeli killings of Palestinians. The BCC denied the charges in a statement released on Aug. 4, calling the Independent report “misleading and inaccurate.” The media giant “has not banned its staff from using ‘assassination’ when referring to Israeli killings of Palestinians,” the statement read. Producers felt that “assassination” should be used only when discussing prominent religious or political figures, such as former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, but apparently not Palestinian leaders. On Aug. 5, Arab News reported that Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo accused the BBC of hypocrisy and said “the media organization was playing down the killings of Palestinian leaders and children by Israeli forces.”

Israel, India Strike Arms Deal:

India and Israel signed an estimated $2 billion weapons contract, to increase cooperation between the two nuclear powers. The agreement, signed on July 16 between Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and India’s Defense Ministry, states that IAI will deliver aircraft, radar systems and surface-to-surface missiles to India. According to the July 18 Arab News, three Phalcon early-warning aircraft, which the U.S. had prevented Israel from supplying to China, will be among the weapons delivered to India.

Using a New Language

On July 11, Arab League chief Amr Moussa announced the appointment of respected Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi as the organization’s Arab media commissioner. She told reporters that Arabs must respond to the biased and bigoted language of the Western media with a new language. “The Arab world needs civilized speech and language to challenge this racism,” she said. Ashrawi also told reporters she would be based in Jerusalem because her “natural place is among the tormented Palestinian people and on Palestinian land that is subject to [Israeli] blockade, fragmentation and control.” The articulate 54-year-old first gained recognition during Arab-Israeli peace talks in Madrid, where she served as spokesperson for the Palestinian delegation.

NORTH AFRICA

Business as Usual in Algeria:

Despite over 750 killings this year alone, life in the capital city of Algeria is that of a typical busy Mediterranean city. Independent businessmen are open for business downtown and fish restaurants in the Djamila harbor are full to capacity every night, according to the July 25 Saudi Gazette. Open-air cafes and beach resorts are also popular venues for families. The Algiers representative of a major French company takes issue with those who say Algeria is completely ravaged and war-torn. “Algeria is not a country up in flames. One should stop conveying that image,” he said. Incidentally, on July 22, seven villagers were killed in Saida, in the Tipaza province, about 45 kilometers west of Algiers.

Moroccan King Calls for Modern Democratic State:

In a speech marking the second anniversary of his accession to the throne of Morocco, King Muhammad VI expressed his desire to see his country become “a modern, democratic state, based on civic freedoms and human rights,” according to the July 31 Arab News. The King also called for the creation of a political “elite free from any kind of pressure and networks of favoritism, nepotism, corruption and the abuse of power.” The king reminded his audience that plans had already been made to revise the Code of Public Liberties with a view to granting broader protection for human rights.

Diplomatic Gesture by Sudan:

The Sudanese government has lifted a ban imposed in 1998 preventing U.S. officials from entering the country. The decision came as a gesture to improve relations with the United States, which plays a pivotal role in Sudan’s civil war. Sudanese officials are worried that the U.S. supports secession of the southas the solution to the war. The three-year-old ban was imposed after President Clinton bombed a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, which the U.S. believed was producing chemical weapons. In the past years, some U.S. officials were allowed to visit Sudan using diplomatic visas, despite the ban.

THE SUBCONTINENT

Protesting Closure of Daily:

Mohasib, a daily Urdu newspaper was closed and four of its editors were arrested after Pakistani officials deemed a June 8 article “Beard and Islam” blasphemous. According to the July 29 Khaleej Times the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE), comprised of national and regional newspapers, strongly protested the move, calling it “illegal” and an act against freedom of speech and press. CPNE’s secretary-general, Zahid Malik, pointed out that the newspaper had been cleared by the Federal Ministries of Religious Affairs and Information, which declared the article was not sacrilegious. The arrested editors are observing a hunger strike until they are released.

Pakistan Combats Illegal Drugs:

The Pakistani government, in conjunction with the United Nations’ drug agency and other international organizations, has launched a program aimed at combating illegal drugs. The five-year projects serve to raise awareness about drug abuse and establish drug rehabilitation centers. The July 27 Khaleej Times quoted an anonymous source in the Pakistani government as saying, “Pakistan fully stands by its commitment to control drug abuse by the year 2008 as much as possible. All segments of society, particularly non-governmental agencies are being involved in this task.”

“Words” Rock Agra Summit:

A Pakistani government source claims that disputes over wording led to the collapse of the Agra summit between Pakistan and India, wrote the July 17 Khaleej Times. India reportedly objected to Pakistan’s use of the phrase “the settlement of the Kashmir issue,” while Pakistan rejected references to “narcotics and terrorism.” Pakistani officials also claim that India had agreed to drop any references to “cross-border terrorism,” while Pakistan dropped the phrase “aspirations of the people of Kashmir” from its terminology. Both nations agree that reaching a settlement on Kashmir would pave the way for the normalization of relations between them.

India, Pakistan Show Solidarity:

Neighboring adversaries Pakistan and India reached common ground on the issue of climate change during the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change on July 21. Indian delegate Vijai Sharma remarked, “We have had a smooth and friendly interaction with the Pakistani delegation and there are no differences in our position here.” The July 23 Arab News reports that this breakthrough is especially needed following the recent Indo-Pak summit fiasco at Agra.

CENTRAL ASIA

Turkey and Greece Mark Cyprus Anniversary:

Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots marked the 27th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus very differently on July 20, according to the next day’s Arab News. While Turkish-Cypriots held celebrations, a military parade, and an air display in northern Cyprus, Greek-Cypriots held more solemn displays, as church bells tolled and sirens wailed marking the exact time Turkish forces landed in Cyprus in 1974.

Turkish Officers Expelled:

Fifteen Turkish army officers accused of supporting Kurdish and anti-secularlist Islamic groups were expelled on Aug. 4. According to a statement released by the army, the officers were kicked out due to behavior problems. This term is the expression often used by the Turkish military to describe involvement in movements the government disagrees with, the Aug. 5 Arab News reported.

Israel-Turkey Cooperative Efforts:

Israeli chief of staff Shaul Mozal met with Turkish defense officials in Ankara on July 25. The visit underscored the amicable relations between the two nations, which signed a military cooperation pact in 1996. Turkish Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said their talks mainly focused on cooperative projects in the defense industry. Ankara also maintains diplomatic relations with the Palestinians and supports their demand for an independent state.