|
A WEEKLY e-NEWSLETTER
(Number 176)
INFORMATION AND INSIGHTS ON MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS
THE
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON U.S.-ARAB RELATIONS AND
THE U.S.-GCC CORPORATE COOPERATION
COMMITTEE
DECEMBER 23-29, 2002
o NEWS
· REGION
- GCC SUMMIT - DECEMBER 21-22
- GCC FMS CONCLUDE PREPARATORY MEETING FOR
SUMMIT IN DOHA
- DOWNGRADED GULF SUMMIT CONVENES TO THE BEAT
OF US WAR DRUMS
- WAR THREAT OVERSHADOWS GCC SUMMIT
- GCC SUMMIT - CUSTOMS UNION
- GCC SUMMIT - CHALLENGES
- GULF STATES AGREE TO DELAY
"PARTS" OF CUSTOMS UNION: REPORT
- GCC CAPABLE OF INTRODUCING SINGLE CURRENCY
BY 2010 - OFFICIAL
- ARAB GULF LEADERS TO DISCUSS
"RESPONSE" TO SADDAM SPEECH
- GULF ARABS URGE IRAQ TO WORK WITH UN TO
AVOID WAR
- GCC SECRETARY GENERAL CALLS FOR PEACEFUL
SOLUTION TO IRAQI ISSUE
- NO PROGRESS OVER THE ISLES ISSUE: GCC CHIEF
TELLS SUMMIT
- GCC FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS REBUFFING
FOREIGN MEDIA ATTACKS ON
SAUDI
- ARAB STATES EVADE IRAQ COMMITMENT
- JANUARY 27 TO BE MAKE-OR-BREAK POINT
- RAPID BUILDUP IN GULF ON HORIZON
- US ARMY STAGES BIGGEST DESERT DRILL SINCE
GULF WAR
- BLAIR TELLS TROOPS TO GET SET FOR WAR
- BRITISH SHIPS TO HEAD FOR GULF IN JANUARY
- INTERNATIONAL PARTIES AGREE ON KEY MIDEAST
PEACE PLAN
- NO MIDEAST PLAN UNTIL ISRAEL HOLDS
ELECTIONS, POWELL SAYS
- US VETOES SECURITY COUNCIL DRAFT RESOLUTION
CONDEMNING RECENT
ISRAELI ACTS
· BAHRAIN
- BAHRAIN'S KING TO STAY HOME FROM GCC SUMMIT
· KUWAIT
- KUWAIT OPENS TRIAL FOR 4 LINKED TO QAEDA
- KUWAITIS QUESTION US AMBITIONS
- IRAQ TO DISCUSS MISSING KUWAITIS
- IRAQ SURRENDERS KUWAITI WAR BOOTY
- FRANCE WILL DEFEND KUWAIT IF ATTACKED BY
IRAQ
- KUWAITIS SEND GIFTS TO U.S. TROOPS
- FRENCH JOURNALIST KILLED BY US TANK
· SAUDI ARABIA
- SAUDI CROWN PRINCE STAYS AWAY
- BUSH TELEPHONES PRINCE ABDULLAH
- ABDULLAH TELLS US TO AVOID WAR
- 'BROTHERHOOD IS TRYING TO DESTABILIZE'
SAUDI ARABIA
- SAUDI IDLERS ATTRACT RADICALS AND WORRY
ROYALS
- SAUDIS TOLD TO REGISTER IN AMERICA
- MOVE TO PROTECT GUANTANAMO DETAINEES'
INTERESTS
- KINGDOM DOING ITS BEST TO FIGHT DRUG MENACE
- THIRD SAUDI SATELLITE LAUNCHED
- JANADRIYA FESTIVAL TO OPEN ON JAN. 8
- SAUDI ARABIA TESTS WAR ALERT SIRENS
- WHO'S WHO IN THE HOUSE OF SAUD
· UAE
- JORDANIAN AIRLINER DELAY IN UAE AS BOMB
FOUND
- U.S. NAVY SAYS UAE FIRM SMUGGLING CHEMICALS
TO IRAQ
o LINK OF THE WEEK - GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR
U.S. POST-CONFLICT POLICY
IN IRAQ
o GULFWIRE FLASHBACK – OVER THREE YEARS OF
GULFWIRE
o BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS
· REGION
- ENERGY FUTURES – 12.20.02
- OPEC CRUDE PRICES INCH CLOSE TO $30 MARK
- GCC BANK PLAN TO BE TAKEN UP AT FORUM
- COME TOGETHER - GCC CUSTOMS UNION
- GULF MONETARY UNION: DOLLAR PEG VERSUS A
BASKET OF CURRENCIES
- GOLD AND OIL SOAR ON GULF WAR FEARS
- NEW CASH FOR GULF AIR
- AGGREGATE GDP OF ARAB COUNTRIES FELL TO
$712B IN 2001
- AL-ATTIYA: "DOLPHIN" CREATES HUGE
INTER-GCC INVESTMENTS
- GCC STATES MAY IMPORT DH1.5B MEDICAL
SUPPLIES
· BAHRAIN
- $20.7 MILLION CONTRACT SIGNED TO BOOST
POWER SUPPLY
· OMAN
- OMAN'S FOREIGN TRADE FALLS 8.6PC
· SAUDI ARABIA
- MINISTRY GETS TOUGH WITH INSIDER TRADING
- JAPAN INVESTMENTS LIKELY TO INCREASE, SAYS
CONSUL GENERAL
- OIL EXPORTS TO ASIA TO BE CUT
- SAUDI ARABIA: AVAILABLE
NATURAL GAS RESERVES – OUTLOOK
- SAUDI ARABIA: INTERNATIONAL OIL AND GAS
CONFERENCE NEXT MONTH
- SHAREHOLDERS 'WILL BE PAID 30-40% OF STC
PROFITS'
- SAUDI BANKS FULLY PROTECTED FROM
INFORMATION PIRACY
· UAE
- UAE TIGHTENS FEDERAL SPENDING TO CONTROL
DEFICIT
- SPECULATE TO ACCUMULATE
- UAE INVESTMENTS IN ARAB WORLD ESTIMATED AT
$16B
- ABU DHABI MULLS CNG FOR VEHICLES
- IRELAND TRADE BODY OFFICE IN DUBAI
- ZAYED UNIVERSITY MAKES PLANS FOR BILINGUAL
PORTAL
- ETISALAT TO INVEST $817 MILLION ON
EXPANSION OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS
- UAE BANS SALE OF ANTI-OZONE SPRAYS
- CONSTRUCTION WORK ON UAE'S LARGEST
CIGARETTE UNIT BEGINS
- DH550M ISLAMIC REAL ESTATE FUND SET UP
- TEN NEW TRADE CENTERS SET TO OPEN IN DUBAI
NEXT YEAR
o LAST LINES
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************************
NEWS
************************
· REGION
GCC SUMMIT - DECEMBER
21-22
GulfWire Publisher Dr. John Duke Anthony is presently in the GCC
region. He
attended the 23rd annual GCC Summit in Doha, Qatar, which concluded last
evening. A report on his observations and analyses of the summit's
deliberations and its results, as well as his meetings with the summiteers,
will be forthcoming.
GCC FMS CONCLUDE
PREPARATORY MEETING FOR SUMMIT IN DOHA
"The meeting 'has completed deliberation of all topics' and finalized
the
agenda of the summit, said the statement by GCC Secretary General Abdel
Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Atiyya at the close of the two-hour gathering. Cutting
customs tariff among the member states was a top priority during the
meeting, according to the GCC chief..." Source: Xinhua
DOWNGRADED GULF
SUMMIT CONVENES TO THE BEAT OF US WAR DRUMS
"The annual year-end summit of the six Gulf Arab monarchies is to open
here
Saturday without most of the heads of state from the oil-rich bloc, despite
mounting prospects of a US-led war against Iraq. Only outgoing Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) chairman Oman and host Qatar will be represented
at head of state level during the two-day meeting, whose agenda will be
topped by the Iraqi crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and an imminent
GCC customs union..." Source: AFP
WAR THREAT
OVERSHADOWS GCC SUMMIT
"Six Gulf Arab nations are holding a summit in Qatar amid fears of a
U.S.-led attack on Iraq and rifts within their pro-Western alliance..."
Complete
report...
GCC SUMMIT - CUSTOMS
UNION
"The setup of customs union is expected to top the agenda of the 23rd
summit
of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to be opened here [Dec. 21]...
...Local economic experts explained that the success of GCC economies in
reducing heavy reliance on oil depends on how effectively the member states
are able to remove the hurdles in the way of setting up a customs union.
They stressed that GCC common market and a single currency among six members
can be realized only when the customs union is set up... ...Although there
has been an agreement among member states to uniformly lower tariffs from 15
percent to 5 percent from Jan. 1, 2003, serious differences still remain
unresolved, sources close to the GCC warned..." Source: Xinhua
[Dec. 21]
GCC SUMMIT -
CHALLENGES
"...At the summit, members face their biggest challenge since the GCC's
establishment in 1981. If, as expected, the final communiqué rejects war on
Iraq, it would underscore the discord within the grouping, since Qatar, the
summit host, is the base for a big US military buildup..."
Source: Energy
Compass [Dec. 20]
GULF STATES AGREE TO
DELAY "PARTS" OF CUSTOMS UNION: REPORT
"Oil-rich Gulf Arab states, preparing to launch a customs union on
January
1, have decided to put off the implementation of parts of the pact, a senior
Gulf official said in remarks published [Dec. 19]. Finance ministers
of
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states who met in Doha, Qatar on [Dec. 16]
finalized procedures for the launch of the customs union without reporting
any obstacle. But GCC assistant undersecretary for economic affairs Mohammad
al-Mazroui said the ministers had in fact agreed to delay the application of
a number of steps for between one and three years. "The ministers
agreed
that member states will continue to charge customs duty on goods bought from
other states for a limited period," Mazroui told the London-based
Asharq
Al-Awsat newspaper. He denied that the delay of some points would hinder the
launch of the union which has been advanced from 2005. "The GCC states
have
already agreed to the main conditions for the union, including the
distribution of customs revenue," he said..." Source: AFP
Also:
PARTS OF CUSTOMS
UNION PUT ON HOLD
GCC CAPABLE OF
INTRODUCING SINGLE CURRENCY BY 2010 - OFFICIAL
Sultan bin Nasser Al Suweidi, Governor of the United Arab Emirates Central
Bank said [Dec. 16] that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have the
ability to introduce a single currency by the year 2010. "The GCC
countries
are quite capable of introducing a single currency by 2010, which could pave
the way for a single Arab currency," said Al Suweidi in remarks at the
inaugural session of a two-day symposium on Systems of Exchange Rates,
organized by Arab Monetary Fund. He added that the GCC had earlier taken a
political decision towards unifying the criteria of economic performance by
2005 and a Monetary Union by 2010..." Source: WAM
ARAB GULF LEADERS TO
DISCUSS "RESPONSE" TO SADDAM SPEECH
"The agenda of the 23rd Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit to be
held in
Doha includes response to the speech delivered by the Iraqi regime president
to the Kuwaiti people..." Source: KUNA
GULF ARABS URGE IRAQ
TO WORK WITH UN TO AVOID WAR
"The Gulf Arab alliance urged Iraq on [Dec. 20] to work with the United
Nations and spare the region from war after Washington said Baghdad was in
"material breach" of a U.N. resolution by failing to disclose
deadly
weapons. Abdul-Rahman al-Attiyah, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation
Council, said the Iraq crisis would be discussed at a GCC summit which
starts in Doha on [Dec. 21] amid heightened fears over a possible U.S.-led
attack on nearby Iraq..." Complete
report...
GCC SECRETARY
GENERAL CALLS FOR PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO IRAQI ISSUE
Abdelrahman Bin Hamad Al-Atiyya, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC), called for a peaceful solution to the Iraqi issue during the
Gulf foreign ministers meeting opened here [Dec 20]. "Our position has
been
very clear -- We reject any potential military action against Iraq," he
made
the remarks in an interview with official Qatari news agency QNA. Atiyya
also praised Iraq's acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 1441,
adding that Iraq should continue its cooperation with the international
weapons inspecting group to spare its peoples from war sufferings. Iraq's
implementation of international legitimacy resolutions is the only way to
end war threat and lift the sanctions imposed on the Iraqi people since the
1991 Gulf War, the chief stressed..." Source: Xinhua
NO PROGRESS OVER THE
ISLES ISSUE: GCC CHIEF TELLS SUMMIT
Despite high level visits by officials from the GCC states to Iran over the
last few months, the issue of the occupied UAE islands of Abu Moussa,
Greater and Lesser Tunbs has remained unresolved, GCC Secretary General
Abdul Rahman Al Attiya said [Dec. 21]. In a statement to the summit, Al
Attiya said the six-member council had hoped that these visits would yield
positive results, paving the way for direct talks between the UAE and Iran.
However, the council remains optimistic that sustained efforts by the GCC
and the UAE would lead to peaceful settlement of the issue, according to
informed sources here..." Complete
report...
GCC FOREIGN
MINISTERS DISCUSS REBUFFING FOREIGN MEDIA ATTACKS ON SAUDI
Kuwait's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Muhammad Sabah
Al-Salem Al-Sabah said on [Dec. 20] it was important to rebuff some foreign
media attacks on Saudi Arabia and the other GCC states. 'Some foreign
media
impugn Saudi Arabia for no good reason and it is up to us to explain the
facts to them and correct their jaundiced views...'" Source: KUNA
ARAB STATES EVADE
IRAQ COMMITMENT
"Six Gulf Arab states ended their meeting [Dec. 22] without declaring a
common stance on the threat of war against neighboring Iraq. Instead
they
concentrated on the launch of a customs union to give the bloc more trade
muscle..." Complete
report...
JANUARY 27 TO BE
MAKE-OR-BREAK POINT
The U.S. administration has set the last week in January as the make or
break point in the long standoff with Iraq, and is increasingly confident
that by then it will have marshaled the evidence to convince the UN Security
Council that Iraq is in violation of a UN resolution passed last month and
to call for the use of force, officials said..." Complete
report...
RAPID BUILDUP IN
GULF ON HORIZON
"The U.S. military is poised to begin a rapid and visible buildup of
forces
in the Persian Gulf early next month involving 50,000 combat troops,
aircraft, armor and tens of thousands of reservists, senior defense
officials said. The escalation would give President Bush the option of
beginning combat operations in late January or early February, after the
United Nations Security Council meets Jan. 27 to hear the first substantive
report from Hans Blix, the U.N.'s chief weapons inspector, on whether Iraq
possesses weapons of mass destruction..." Complete
report...
US ARMY STAGES
BIGGEST DESERT DRILL SINCE GULF WAR
"The US Army launched its biggest maneuver in the Kuwaiti desert since
the
Gulf War yesterday, throwing thousands of soldiers and hundreds of armored
vehicles into live-fire exercises to sharpen their skills ahead of a
possible new war with Iraq..." Complete
report...
BLAIR TELLS TROOPS
TO GET SET FOR WAR
"Prime Minister Tony Blair [Dec. 20] delivered a direct message to
British
forces Friday to be prepared for action against Iraq if Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein fails to comply with UN demands to disarm. "The key
thing at
the moment is to make all the preparations necessary, and to make sure that
we are building up the capacity in the region," Blair told the British
armed
forces radio and television service. "We will be prepared to use force
in
order to ensure that they (the Iraqi regime) are disarmed of all chemical,
biological and potentially nuclear weapons," he said..."
Source: Riyadh
Daily
~~GulfWire Link~~
UK
GEARING UP FOR IRAQ WAR ~ GulfWire Digest #175 - Dec. 16, 2002
BRITISH SHIPS TO
HEAD FOR GULF IN JANUARY
"A naval force led by the aircraft carrier Ark Royal will head for the
Gulf
next month, the British defense ministry said [Dec. 18], adding that it was
looking at "contingency measures" in case of possible military
action in
Iraq…" Source: Riyadh Daily
INTERNATIONAL
PARTIES AGREE ON KEY MIDEAST PEACE PLAN
"A draft "road map" drawn up by the so-called "Mideast
quartet" says the
ultimate goal for the troubled region is a "final and comprehensive
settlement of the Israel-Palestinian conflict by 2005" -- a process
that
must first begin with an immediate cease-fire..." Complete
report...
Related Info:
JOINT STATEMENT BY
THE QUARTET
~~GulfWire Link~~
US
FREEZES ITS NEW MIDDLE EAST PEACE PLAN ~ GulfWire Digest #175 - Dec. 16,
2002
NO MIDEAST PLAN
UNTIL ISRAEL HOLDS ELECTIONS, POWELL SAYS
"Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, rejecting another urgent appeal
from
European leaders, said [Dec. 18] that a negotiated 'road map' to create a
Palestinian state could not be adopted this week, as they wanted, but would
have to wait until after Israeli elections early next year..." Complete
report...
US VETOES SECURITY
COUNCIL DRAFT RESOLUTION CONDEMNING RECENT ISRAELI ACTS
"A draft resolution which would have had the Security Council condemn
recent
Israeli acts, including the killing of several United Nations aid workers,
was defeated [Dec. 20] by the United States, which in casting a no vote
effectively vetoed the text..." Complete
report...
Also:
US VETOES
ANTI-ISRAEL UN RESOLUTION
· BAHRAIN
BAHRAIN'S KING TO
STAY HOME FROM GCC SUMMIT
"Bahrain's King Hamad will not attend this weekend's Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) summit in Qatar, instead sending his foreign minister,
Mohammed bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, a Bahraini official said [Dec. 17].
"It is
not necessary for the monarch to attend the work of the summit," the
official said, without saying why. "Bahrain will participate in the
summit
and will work for the success of its business," the official said,
adding
that relations between the two countries are "normal." In
November, Bahraini
Information Minister Nabil al-Hamar vehemently denounced Qatari-based
Al-Jazeera television, calling it the "diabolical (network) in the pay
of
Zionism." A month earlier, GCC information ministers, with the
exception
of their Qatari counterpart, reproached Al-Jazeera for insulting and
defaming their countries, and called for an end to cooperation with the
network if it continued along the same lines..." Source: AFP
· KUWAIT
KUWAIT OPENS TRIAL
FOR 4 LINKED TO QAEDA
"Four men who are accused of being members of Al Qaeda, including one
accused of links to the attack on the United States destroyer Cole in Aden,
Yemen, and a plot to bomb a hotel in Yemen, pleaded not guilty to the
charges [Dec. 16] at the start of their trial here..." Complete
report...
KUWAITIS QUESTION US
AMBITIONS
"...there is genuine anger among Kuwaitis at Washington's perceived
failure
to resolve the festering conflict between Israel and Palestinians. Many also
harbor deep suspicions about Washington's long-term ambitions for the
region. Since October, that resentment has fueled a spate of shootings
targeting American troops…" Complete
report…
IRAQ TO DISCUSS
MISSING KUWAITIS
"Iraq has agreed to hold talks with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia next month
to
discuss the fate of hundreds of people who disappeared during the Gulf War.
The meeting, in Jordan, will be the first time in four years that Iraq has
discussed the issue…" Complete
report…
IRAQ SURRENDERS
KUWAITI WAR BOOTY
"Iraq, which has been trying to improve relations with Gulf War enemy
Kuwait, returned a batch of its stolen property on Sunday, the United
Nations said. The U.N. Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) said the
items, including four paintings and seven gifts originally given to the
Kuwaiti royal family by international dignitaries..." Complete
report...
FRANCE WILL DEFEND
KUWAIT IF ATTACKED BY IRAQ
"The French Defense Minister stated [Dec. 19] that France would defend
Kuwait if it was attacked by Iraq. The visit of the French Defense
Minister
was the first of its kind to Kuwait.
Source: KUNA [Dec. 19]
KUWAITIS SEND GIFTS
TO U.S. TROOPS
"U.S. troops stationed overseas are used to getting presents at
Christmas
but many of those currently in Kuwait are receiving gifts not from home but
from Kuwaitis. Operation Christmas is a Kuwait-based effort to give to the
troops, who are confined to bases after the recent shooting of two U.S.
soldiers..." Complete
report...
FRENCH JOURNALIST
KILLED BY US TANK
"One of the best-known television journalists in France, Patrick
Bourrat,
has died in hospital in Kuwait. He was injured on [Dec. 21] after being run
over by a tank while covering US military exercises in the desert..."
Complete
report...
· SAUDI
ARABIA
SAUDI CROWN PRINCE
STAYS AWAY
"Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Abdullah, is shunning the
Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Doha on Dec. 20, sending Foreign
Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal in his place, amid questions over the future
of the GCC as a political grouping projecting a unified position.
Relations
between Riyadh and Doha deteriorated this year over what Saudi rulers viewed
as Qatar's attempts to establish its own foreign policy, independent of the
position adopted by the other five GCC states. Programs on Saudi Arabia's
history aired by the Doha-based Al-Jazeera network, considered insulting by
the Saudis, prompted Riyadh to recall its ambassador in October..."
Source:
Energy Compass [Dec. 20]
BUSH TELEPHONES
PRINCE ABDULLAH
"US President George W. Bush [Dec. 18] telephoned Crown Prince
Abdullah...
discussed bilateral issues and global developments... Bush's call to the
crown prince came after the US Justice Department on Monday added the
Kingdom and Pakistan to a list of countries whose citizens will be required
to register with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, be
fingerprinted and present additional documentation explaining their presence
in the United States..." Complete
report...
ABDULLAH TELLS US TO
AVOID WAR
"Crown Prince Abdullah... has reiterated the Kingdom's calls for the
United
States to take a cautious stand on Iraq's weapons declaration... 'He said a
war should be avoided as it will not resolve the problem, but only have a
negative impact on the region as well as the world...'" Complete
report...
'BROTHERHOOD IS
TRYING TO DESTABILIZE' SAUDI ARABIA
"Saudi Arabia has deported several members of the Muslim Brotherhood
which
is trying to destabilize the Kingdom, Interior Minister Prince Naif said in
an interview published [Dec. 18]... 'They have politicized Islam to serve
their motives and many of them exploited Islam as a cover to destabilize and
disintegrate the nation...'" Complete
report...
SAUDI IDLERS ATTRACT
RADICALS AND WORRY ROYALS
"...He is one of millions of economically distraught, educated young
Saudis
who form a restive core in this oil-rich land. Their idle presence
represents a prime recruiting ground for radical Islamists and is a growing
source of anxiety for the ruling royal family. 'Unemployed young people
could turn into a huge problem affecting our security,' said Sultan bin
Saleh, a prominent Saudi businessman, during an interview at his office in
Riyadh. 'You don't want to create this terrible war between the haves and
the have-nots...'" Complete
report...
SAUDIS TOLD TO
REGISTER IN AMERICA
"Men in the United States who are from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will
be
required to register with the government under a program intended to
fingerprint and photograph those from countries considered high risk for
terrorists. The addition on Monday of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan brings to 20
the number of countries covered under the registration program, which has
drawn sharp criticism from Muslim activist groups as heavy-handed and
unlikely to identify any terrorists..." Complete
report...
MOVE TO PROTECT
GUANTANAMO DETAINEES' INTERESTS
"Efforts are under way to set up a society to protect the interests of
Saudi
detainees at the Guantanamo camp… …a formal application will be
submitted to
the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in two weeks for permission to set
up the society…" Complete
report…
KINGDOM DOING ITS
BEST TO FIGHT DRUG MENACE
"Heroin, hashish and narcotic pills are the most commonly used drugs in
Saudi Arabia where narcotics abuse is still prevalent despite the
government's efforts to contain the menace..." Complete
report...
THIRD SAUDI SATELLITE
LAUNCHED
"The Kingdom has launched a third communications satellite with the
help of
a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan. The new satellite 1-C was put into space
[Dec. 20] and was now orbiting 650 km (400 miles) above Earth, the Saudi
Press Agency said... The satellite, which will have purely commercial,
non-military activity, was designed and made by a team of Saudi scientists
at the Kingdom's institute of space research... The Kingdom launched two
satellites in September 2000 from Kazakhstan aboard a Russian military
rocket..." Complete
report...
JANADRIYA FESTIVAL
TO OPEN ON JAN. 8
"The National Culture and Heritage Festival — Janadriya — will be
opened on
Jan. 8 at Janadriya village, 45 kilometers north of Riyadh... this largest
annual cultural event is likely to attract more than one million visitors...
Folk dances and sword dances by troupes representing different Gulf states
and various cultural regions of the Kingdom will be the main attraction for
the visitors..." Complete
report...
SAUDI ARABIA TESTS
WAR ALERT SIRENS
"Sirens have rang out across Saudi Arabia for the first time in almost
a
decade amid fears of a possible U.S.-led war on neighboring Iraq..."
Complete
report...
WHO'S WHO IN THE
HOUSE OF SAUD
"In the past year, even as news of Al Qaeda's maneuvers and of Iraq's
possible harboring weapons of mass destruction have dominated headlines, the
Saudi royals have played a shadowy supporting role. Al Qaeda considers them
its enemies, but are they unwittingly (or not so unwittingly) supporting it?
Are they for toppling Saddam or not? Who are the Saudis,
exactly?..." Complete
report...
· UAE
JORDANIAN AIRLINER
DELAY IN UAE AS BOMB FOUND
"A Royal Jordanian passenger plane due to leave Abu Dhabi was delayed
when a
man tried to board the plane with a bomb, CNN reported on [Dec. 22]..."
Complete
report...
U.S. NAVY SAYS UAE
FIRM SMUGGLING CHEMICALS TO IRAQ
"The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet accused a Dubai-based ferry operator [Dec.
17]
of breaking U.N. sanctions by smuggling banned chemicals into Iraq that it
said could be used to make high-grade explosives… …Naif Marine Services
had
been caught shipping the chemicals aboard ferries it operates into Umm
Qasr… …the ferries, which operate a regular service between Dubai and
Iraq,
had been routinely boarded and searched and found to be carrying banned
chemicals in 50-gallon drums which did not have official U.N. approval or
documentation…" Complete
report…
===========================================================================
LINK OF THE WEEK
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR
U.S. POST-CONFLICT POLICY IN IRAQ
Printer Friendly Version
Report of an Independent Working Group
Cosponsored by the Council on Foreign
Relations and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy of Rice
University
"...the first intellectual road
map for thinking our way through a post-war
Iraq. The document is comprehensive, most thoughtful, and, above all,
practical and useful. It should be used to engage the administration,
Congress, the media, and the wider public on this critical and pressing
foreign policy issue, namely thinking about the dangers and opportunities
that lie ahead in the gulf, and the Arab and Islamic worlds."
===========================================================================
GULFWIRE FLASHBACK – FROM THE ARCHIVES OF GULFWIRE
<<ONE YEAR AGO – FROM GULFWIRE
DIGEST (#127) WEEK OF DECEMBER 24, 2001>>
GCC
SUMMIT TO TAKE FIRM ANTI-TERROR STAND
"GCC leaders holding their 21st summit in Oman next week are expected
to
issue a strong statement condemning terrorism, diplomats said yesterday.
"According to my information, the GCC leaders are going to their summit
with
terrorism high on their agenda," a UAE-based Arab diplomat said.
"I expect a
strong statement against terrorism and a pledge to do their best to support
anti-terror efforts... but they will also emphasize the need to deal with
terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism…"
<<TWO YEARS AGO – FROM GULFWIRE
DIGEST (#77) WEEK OF DECEMBER 25, 2000>>
REPORT:
SADDAM RESUMES WORK ON ATOMIC BOMB
"Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has asked his scientists to resume
their
work on building an atomic bomb. Salman Yassin Zweir, 39, was quoted by the
Sunday Times as saying that the work of the Iraqi scientists had resumed in
secret in August 1998, four months before Saddam expelled United Nations
inspectors from Iraq..."
<<THREE YEARS AGO – FROM
GULFWIRE DIGEST (#25) WEEK OF DECEMBER 27, 1999>>
SEA
LINK TO IRAQ
"A passenger vessel was to resume the Bahrain to Iraq route --
suspended in
1990 after Iraq invaded Kuwait -- on Sunday according to an Iraqi News
Agency report cited by Reuters last week. The UAE flag vessel "Jebel
Ali"
was scheduled to sail from the port of Salman to the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr,
following U.N. approval for the resumption last September. Ferry
service
between Jebel Ali, UAE and Umm Qasr resumed in November 1998..."
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*************************
BUSINESS AND FINANCE NEWS
*************************
· REGION
[GulfWire] ENERGY
FUTURES – 12.20.02
Light Crude (NYM) $30.34 bbl
UP from $28.39 bbl on 12.13.02
Brent Crude (IPE) $28.34 bbl
UP from $26.68 bbl on 12.13.02
Heating Oil (NYM) $.8562 gal
UP from $.816 gal on 12.13.02
Natural Gas (NYM) $5.203
mmbtu DOWN from $5.255 mmbtu on 12.13.02
Unleaded Gas (NYM) $.8698 gal UP
from $.83 gal on 12.13.02
Source: CNNfn
===========================================================================
ENERGY INFO RESOURCE - - > DOE/EIA
COUNTRY ANALYSIS BRIEFS
===========================================================================
OPEC CRUDE PRICES
INCH CLOSE TO $30 MARK
"OPEC'S basked price of seven crudes has inched ever closer to the $30
mark
($29.56) said a report issued [Dec. 20] by the organization... ...Attributed
to these price increased are the turbulence in Venezuela where a public
strike is still going on, and uncertainties over the fate of Iraq..."
Source: KUNA
GCC BANK PLAN TO BE
TAKEN UP AT FORUM
"A proposal to set up a transnational bank with all GCC states as
shareholders will be submitted to the UAE Central Bank. Such a financial
institution will present a common face to the outside world and integrate
closely the financial networks in the shareholder states…" Complete
report…
COME TOGETHER - GCC
CUSTOMS UNION
"The GCC is poised to take the boldest step in its 21-year history when
a
customs union is launched on January 1, 2003. Can it deliver real benefits
to the region, or is it just a symbolic gesture…" Complete
report…
GULF MONETARY UNION:
DOLLAR PEG VERSUS A BASKET OF CURRENCIES
"The GCC has lately assigned the preparation of the common Gulf
currency to
the European Central Bank (ECB) in what is considered a serious attempt to
speed up the process of the currency union... ...most Gulf currencies are
pegged mainly to the dollar — Oman directly pegs its riyal to the dollar,
while Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE peg their currencies to Special
Drawing Rights (SDRs) — but they also maintain a fixed exchange price for
their currencies against the dollar, Kuwait pegs its dinar to a basket of
currencies, and this linkage to a common currency should in turn facilitate
the convergence into a monetary union in the future..." Complete
report...
GOLD AND OIL SOAR ON
GULF WAR FEARS
"The growing risk of war in the Middle East has conspired with the
continuing strike-driven shutdown of Venezuela's crude oil production to
drive oil prices to a three-month high… …Gold markets were booming too,
as
the combination of falling stock markets, the weakening dollar and political
uncertainty came together to focus investors on more old-fashioned stores of
value…" Complete
report…
NEW CASH FOR GULF AIR
"Gulf Air, the Bahrain-based carrier, is to get another $240m (£150m)
in
emergency funding from the Middle Eastern countries that own it. Bahrain,
Oman and Abu Dhabi have already injected $81.7m this year to try to
stabilize Gulf Air after the state of Qatar abruptly decided to pull out of
the company…" Complete
report…
Also:
GULF
AIR MAY BREAK EVEN IN 2004, QATAR PULLS OUT
AGGREGATE GDP OF ARAB
COUNTRIES FELL TO $712B IN 2001
"The Arab Economic Unity Council released a report stating that
aggregate
Gross Domestic Product of all Arab countries fell to reach $712 billion in
2001 compared with $725.7 billion in 2000. According to the report,
Arab
exports in 2001 reached $236 billion, down from $ 257 billion a year
earlier. The European Union was the largest commercial partner of Arab
countries in 2001. Exports from the EU accounted for 27.9% of total Arab
imports..." Complete
report...
AL-ATTIYA:
"DOLPHIN" CREATES HUGE INTER-GCC INVESTMENTS
The Qatari Minister of Energy and Industry Abdulla Ben Hamad Al-Attiya
stated that the mega project "Dolphin" would create huge inter-GCC
investments and thousands of career opportunities... ...Commenting on the
prospects of GCC cooperation in the power field, Al-Attiya pointed out that
the power sector is different from other sectors, borders do not hinder or
restrict cooperation and coordination in this sector..." Source:
KUNA [Dec.
19]
GCC STATES MAY
IMPORT DH1.5B MEDICAL SUPPLIES
"Medicines, medical equipment and other hospital supplies worth nearly
Dh1.5
billion are projected to be purchased by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
states in the next financial year under a 25-year-old combined tendering
scheme designed to procure bulk of the needs of public hospitals and PHCs at
lower prices from regional and international companies..." Complete
report...
· BAHRAIN
$20.7 MILLION
CONTRACT SIGNED TO BOOST POWER SUPPLY
"...to lay 200 KM of new cabling in an attempt to improve connections
from
Hidd power station and others into the main power network. The
agreement
was signed by Bahrain's electricity and water minister and the chairman of
Saudi Cable Company, which will manufacture, supply, test, and commission
the cables..." Complete
report...
· OMAN
OMAN'S FOREIGN TRADE
FALLS 8.6PC
"The statistical bulletin issued by the National Economy Ministry has
shown
that the Sultanate's foreign trade witnessed an 8.6 per cent fall in the
total value of commodity exports during the first seven months of this year,
compared to that of same period in 2001. The total value of commodity
exports amounted to RO2,374.2 million as at the end of July 2002, against
RO2,597.5 million during the corresponding period in 2001..." Complete
report...
· SAUDI
ARABIA
MINISTRY GETS TOUGH
WITH INSIDER TRADING
"In a determined move to protect the interests of shareholders in joint
stock companies, the Ministry of Commerce has warned corporate officials in
a circular not to take advantage of inside information in a way detrimental
to the interests of shareholders… …The ministry swung into action
following
reports of some top executives trading in their company shares as soon as
certain key information about the company's status or performance is
announced…" Complete
report…
JAPAN INVESTMENTS
LIKELY TO INCREASE, SAYS CONSUL GENERAL
"Japan, with two new joint ventures in Jeddah… …remains Saudi
Arabia's
second largest investor country after the United States… …the consul
general
said the total amount of Japanese investment in the Kingdom amounted to $2.3
billion…" Complete
report…
OIL EXPORTS TO ASIA
TO BE CUT
"Saudi Arabia plans to cut its crude oil exports to Japan and other
Asian
countries by 22 percent in January… …If Saudi Arabia, Japan's second
largest
crude oil exporter, continues cutting shipments for 2003 by the same margin,
Tokyo's total oil imports would decline by five percent…" Complete
report…
SAUDI ARABIA:
AVAILABLE NATURAL GAS RESERVES – OUTLOOK
"According to Al-Hayat newspaper (Dec. 16), Saudi oil and gas
specialists
stated that Saudi Arabia possesses the fourth largest natural gas reserves
in the world. The same sources estimate the Saudi proved natural gas
reserves at 6,000 billion cubic barrels..." Complete
report...
SAUDI ARABIA:
INTERNATIONAL OIL AND GAS CONFERENCE NEXT MONTH
"Saudi expert representatives of the international oil and gas
companies
will discuss the available investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia during
the International Oil and Gas Conference, which will be organized in the
eastern Region of Saudi Arabia in January…" Complete
report…
SHAREHOLDERS 'WILL BE
PAID 30-40% OF STC PROFITS'
"...Saudi Telecom Company Chairman Khaled Al-Molhem made this tempting
promise in a meeting with businessmen and investors at the Jeddah Chamber of
Commerce and Industry on [Dec. 18]. Molhem did not say the expected
size of
the profit the company would make in the period, though..." Complete
report...
SAUDI BANKS FULLY
PROTECTED FROM INFORMATION PIRACY
"'Saudi banks have information security systems comparable to those of
banks
in Europe and the USA. The ComGuard statement that 95% of Saudi banks are
unprotected from information piracy attacks is totally false, an act of
sabotage and grounds for a libel action,' said Mirza Asrar Baig, CEO,
Information Technology Matrix, one of the Kingdom's leading information
security total solution providers. Baig was responding to a report carried
in the Financial Times, based on a story in Al-Watan newspaper attributed to
Amin Mahabliya, a senior consultant at ComGuard, a local IT company.
According to Mahabliya, Saudi banks, which usually use the Unix/Linux
operating system, apply traditional IT security systems, and thus, these
banks are exposed to piracy attacks. International network security experts
contacted by Arab News have asserted that the ComGuard statement is without
merit..." Complete
report...
· UAE
UAE TIGHTENS FEDERAL
SPENDING TO CONTROL DEFICIT
"The UAE has spent less than expected over the past five years in an
effort
to reduce federal expenditure and keep the budget deficit under control. The
ministry's figures showed spending cuts were the main factor in bridging the
budget gap as there were no major changes in public revenues..." Complete
report...
SPECULATE TO
ACCUMULATE
"Individually and collectively, the seven emirates of the UAE are
reaping
the rewards of bold investment strategies..." Complete
report...
UAE INVESTMENTS IN
ARAB WORLD ESTIMATED AT $16B
"The Federation of the UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry called for
preparing a generation of young businessmen and the establishment of a
specialized body responsible for the promotion of investments
opportunities..." Complete
report...
ABU DHABI MULLS CNG
FOR VEHICLES
"In a pioneering move, Abu Dhabi has embarked on a $1.5 million project
to
introduce compressed natural gas (CNG) for vehicles… …CNG will not
affect
the speed of the car and it reduces greenhouse gases by 20-24 per
cent."
Complete
report…
IRELAND TRADE BODY
OFFICE IN DUBAI
"Enterprise Ireland, the Irish governments trade development
organization is
setting up its regional office in Dubai to strengthen trade and economic
relations with the GCC countries. Trade between Ireland and the UAE
has
grown significantly over the past few years, with total two-way trade valued
at $250 million last year. The UAE is the second largest GCC market for
Ireland with exports amounting to $199.98 million last year..."
Source:
WAM
Also:
IRELAND
TO SET UP REGIONAL OFFICE TO PROMOTE GCC TRADE
ZAYED UNIVERSITY
MAKES PLANS FOR BILINGUAL PORTAL
"Zayed University has teamed up with Intel, local development house,
Sakhr
Software and Abu Dhabi speech recognition vendor, Emerging Technologies to
produce a bilingual voice portal..." Complete
report...
ETISALAT TO INVEST
$817 MILLION ON EXPANSION OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS
"UAE's Minister of Communications and chairman of Etisalat said the
company
plans to invest AED 3 billion ($817 million) over the next two years on
network development and new services to cope with robust growth in fixed
lines, mobile subscribers and Internet subscribers..." Complete
report...
UAE BANS SALE OF
ANTI-OZONE SPRAYS
"The UAE has decided to ban the sale of medical products containing
Chlorofluro Carbons (CFC), which affect the ozone layer, in line with an
international environment agreement. The Ministry of Health has given
dealers and producers one year to stop marketing sprays containing that
material..." Source: UAEInteract.com
CONSTRUCTION WORK ON
UAE'S LARGEST CIGARETTE UNIT BEGINS
"Work has started on the construction of the UAE's largest cigarette
manufacturing factory in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) [Dec. 21]...
...there were more than 2,300 local and international companies operating
out of the JAFZ which has been working to attract more foreign investments
to the emirate as it moves towards expansion..." Complete
report...
DH550M ISLAMIC REAL
ESTATE FUND SET UP
"The Government of Dubai and Citigroup Alternative Investments LLC
(Citigroup AI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Citigroup Inc., [Dec. 21]
announced in Dubai the launch of Estithmaar Islamic Real Estate Fund, which
is targeted to invest in European assets..." Complete
report...
TEN NEW TRADE
CENTERS SET TO OPEN IN DUBAI NEXT YEAR
"Ten new trade promotion centers are due to open in Dubai in 2003 as
several
countries look forward to enhance their exports to the fast-expanding
regional markets, especially after the 9/11 events, officials and diplomats
said yesterday. Among the countries planning to open trade centers in the
emirates are Vietnam, Ethiopia, Uganda, Turkey, Greece, Mozambique, Jordan,
Kazakhstan and The Netherlands..." Source: Emirates Bulletin No. 267,
December 22
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