In This Issue

News - Region

SHIITE CLERICS EMERGE AS KEY POWER BROKERS IN IRAQ
"..Before any election for a government, before any debate over a constitution, Najafi and the other senior Shiite clerics have emerged in the vacuum left by former president Saddam Hussein's destruction of civil society. They have become the most influential figures in the country today. In a process both abetted and opposed by the U.S. administration, the elderly clerics in Najaf have begun sketching out for the first time in decades the sharply contested role of Islam in the country's political life.."  Complete report..

U.S. FORCES KILL DOZENS AFTER IRAQ AMBUSHES
"U.S. forces killed 46 Iraqis in fierce fighting [Nov. 30] while repulsing a series of ambushes against two U.S. military convoys.."  Complete report..
Also:
IRAQIS KILL 7 SPANIARDS

SENATOR CLINTON VISITS US TROOPS IN KUWAIT
"U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has paid a brief visit to U.S. troops in Kuwait, following similar stops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The former first lady and senator from the state of New York told Reuters news agency that President Bush is moving too fast in planning a transfer of power to the Iraqis by July.." Complete report..

US, EUROPEANS AGREE ON IRAN NUCLEAR RESOLUTION
"The United States has reached agreement with Britain, France and Germany on a United Nations resolution to warn Iran over its nuclear program, diplomats said on [Nov 25]. The compromise, reached after five days of talks, was due to be presented to governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on [Nov 26].. " Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
US, UN LOCKED IN ROW OVER IRAN NUCLEAR PLANS - GWD Nov 17, 2003

U.N. AGENCY CENSURES IRAN OVER SECRECY
"The U.N. atomic agency censured Iran for 18 years of secrecy, issuing a resolution [Nov 26] that its director said gave him greater authority to monitor the country for evidence of nuclear weapons ambitions.. .. The resolution, adopted by consensus by the 35-nation IAEA board of governors, did not directly threaten Iran with U.N. sanctions, as the United States had initially sought. Key European powers opposed a direct threat; worried that Tehran would stop cooperating.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
IRAN WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY FURTHER IAEA DEMANDS ON ENRICHMENT - GWD Nov 24, 2003

GCC UPGRADES TRAINING, EXERCISES
"The Gulf Cooperation Council has agreed to upgrade military training and exercises. GCC officials said the six-member alliance has decided to invest additional resources in joint exercises by all arms of the military. They said the accelerated effort reflects lessons from the deployment of a 10,000-man GCC force in Kuwait in March to protect Kuwait against neighboring Iraq.." Complete report..

US CUTS ISRAELI LOAN GUARANTEES
"The United States is cutting nearly $290m from a loan guarantee package to Israel in response to its settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza.. ..The money comes from a $9bn package of loan guarantees and does not affect Washington's direct aid for Israel. But the move is seen as an important symbolic gesture and evidence of new efforts by the US to calm the conflict.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
ISRAEL, US TO WORK WITH QOREI GOVT - GWD Nov 17, 2003

ISLAMIST LEADERS FROM ARAB WORLD TO MEET IN KUWAIT
"Islamist leaders from around the Arab world are set to meet with officials and academics from the US and Europe in Kuwait next month to discuss regional political reforms and the participation of religious movements in the political process.. ..The meeting, to take place on three days from December 6 to 8, is sponsored and financed by Kuwait's leading independent daily newspaper Al Watan and the US-based the Dale Carnegie World Peace Foundation.." Complete report..

QOREI URGES SERIOUS MEASURES FROM ISRAELI PREMIER SHARON
"Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei said [Nov 24] that his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon must come up with serious proposals to kick start the peace process.. ..Qorei was responding to comments by Sharon at his weekly Cabinet meeting [Nov 23] that he 'does not rule out unilateral steps'. While Sharon has remained tight-lipped about the exact details of such measures, there have been widespread reports they would involve dismantling settlements on the Palestinian side of a controversial barrier being built by Israel across the West Bank.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
QOREI ASKED TO FORM NEW PALESTINIAN GOVT - GWD Nov 11, 2003

MEDIA BATTLE RAGES ON AIR TO WIN OVER ARAB MINDS
"Three foreign powers are engaged in an airwaves war in the UAE and the Arab world. BBC Arabic of the UK, Radio Sawa of the US and Radio Monte Carlo, France's Arabic radio station, are slugging it out to win over hearts and minds in the region. BBC Arabic and Radio Monte Carlo have been on the airwaves longer, mostly in low-quality AM and short-wave frequencies. But Radio Sawa's entry two years ago with clear digital radio technology has led to an industry shake-up.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
ARABIC STATIONS COMPETE FOR ATTENTION - GWD Mar 31, 2003

IRAQ BANS ARABIYA TV CHANNEL
"Iraq's interim Governing Council said [Nov 24] it was banning the Al-Arabiya satellite TV channel from working in Iraq for incitement to murder as a Sunni leader called for a week-long cease-fire to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr.. ..'We have decided to ban Al-Arabiya in Iraq for a certain period of time because it broadcast an invitation to murder, an incitement to murder by the voice of Saddam Hussein,' said the council's current Chairman Jalal Talabani.." Complete report..
Also:  
IRAQ SHUTS AL ARABIYA OFFICE
~~GulfWire Link~~
AL ARABIA 24-HOUR NEWS CHANNEL LAUNCHED - GWD Feb 24, 2003

JAZEERA, ARABIYA DENY US ACCUSATIONS
"Popular Arab channels Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya [Nov 26] denied US accusations that they have cooperated with Iraqi militants in taping attacks on coalition troops.. ..Al Jazeera spokesman Jihad Ballout said it is not the first time high-ranking US officials have made allegations against the station without ever giving proof.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
RUMSFELD SLAMS TWO ARAB TV STATIONS - GWD Nov 24, 2003

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News - Bahrain

GULFWIRE NOTE:
The State Department Background Note for Bahrain has been updated.  For more:

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News - Kuwait

DRAFT ACCORD ON TRANSFER OF WATER FROM IRAN
"With the official signing of the draft agreement on the transfer of Iran's water to Kuwait by officials from the two neighboring countries, the plan on Iran's water export to Kuwait entered a new phase.. ..According to the draft, 900,000 cubic meters of water will be exported to Kuwait on a daily basis. Based on one of the draft articles, the term of the contract is 30 years. The Kuwaiti government is obliged to pay the price for the water while the Iranian side has to guarantee the regular flow of water during this period.." Complete report..

BUS OVERTURNS IN S. IRAQ, KILLS 17 FROM KUWAIT
"Seventeen people were killed on [Nov 30] when their bus overturned in southern Iraq as they were returning to Kuwait from the funeral of a top Shi'ite Muslim cleric.. ..They were part of an original convoy of more than 25 buses that carried hundreds of Shiites from Kuwait on [Nov 28] for the funeral of religious authority Merza Abdulrasoul al-Haeri al-Ehqaqi.." Complete report..

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News - Oman

News - Qatar

QATAR'S REQUEST FOR SECRET SOFA WITH JAPAN REJECTED
"Qatar asked Japan that details of any agreement governing the conduct of Japanese troops to be stationed there be kept confidential when the two countries met for talks last month.. ..Japan rejected Qatar's request, saying it has no precedent for keeping SOFA details confidential.." Complete report..

COMMENT: HOW STRONG ARE RELATIONS BETWEEN US AND QATAR?
"Qatar is America's new 'best friend' in the Gulf region. A country with a small population that prides itself in intrinsic miracle-making capabilities, Qatar has much to offer, even if outsiders mostly see deep financial pockets. Investments in education and leisure are galore but little of what else is taking place on the promontory is noticed. Will Qataris succeed in shaping perceptions that others frame?"  Complete report..

GULFWIRE NOTE:
The State Department Background Note for Qatar has been updated.  For more:

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News - Saudi Arabia

UK FOREIGN OFFICE ISSUES NEW TRAVEL ADVISORY
"The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised British nationals against all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia. The embassy continues to function normally despite posting the security alert on its website in the last two days. According to Ken Neill, consul at the British Embassy, 'the discovery on Nov. 25 by the Saudi authorities of a terrorist plot showed the terrorist threat across Saudi Arabia remains high'.." Complete report..

SAUDI COUNCIL'S POWERS EXPANDED
"Saudi Arabia's King Fahd has granted wider powers to the country's consultative council, the Shura. King Fahd issued a decree empowering the council to propose new laws without seeking his permission first. Correspondents say the move will speed up the decision-making process in the conservative Islamic kingdom.. ..Saudi Arabia's rulers have recently come under increasing domestic and international pressure to introduce political reforms. In October, hundreds of people were arrested after staging civil rights demonstrations in several Saudi cities.." Complete report..

REGIONAL COUNCILS TO HAVE MORE POWERS: SULTAN
"Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, [Nov 27] yesterday announced government plans to bolster the powers of regional councils and allocate separate budgets for them. Prince Sultan called the planned partial municipal elections a 'practical step' which would support regional governors and councils as well as the people in all regions.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
ELECTIONS IN A YEAR - GWD Oct 20, 2003

SAUDI BLAST DETAILS REVEALED
"Saudi Arabia today revealed fresh details of the November 8 bombing of a residential compound in Riyadh and named two of those who carried out the attack, which killed 17 people and wounded more than 120.."  Complete report..

PETROLEUM COUNCIL RESHUFFLED
"King Fahd [Nov 29] issued a series of royal decrees to reshuffle the Supreme Petroleum Council, appoint new members to the Military Service Council and approve alterations to the Shoura Council system.. ..Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, is deputy chairman of the 12-member petroleum council chaired by the king.." Complete report..

BIN-HUMAID BLASTS DRIVE AGAINST CHARITIES
"The imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah [Nov 25] lambasted a 'Western campaign' against Islamic charitable organizations and emphasized the need for charity work to counter poverty and crime and promote better human relations.. ..A number of Western countries say that funds from some Islamic charities have ended up in the coffers of terrorist organizations, and commentators in parts of the Western media who are unfamiliar with the region have extrapolated that all Islamic charities finance terrorism.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
SAUDI ARABIAN MONETARY AGENCY IMPLEMENTS NEW REGULATIONS REGARDING CHARITIES - GWD Jun 16, 2003

GERMANY REITERATES SUPPORT FOR KING FAHD ACADEMY
"German Interior Minister Otto Schily has reaffirmed his government's support for the Bonn-based King Fahd Academy, which is funded by Saudi Arabia, and denounced a media campaign against it. Schily said the school, which faced closure recently because a member of the staff was found to have preached hatred, had a role in promoting inter-faith dialogue.. ..The King Fahd Academy is a non-profit Arab school funded by the Saudi government and designed mainly to teach children of Arab families with temporary residence in Germany. It follows the Saudi curriculum.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
SAUDI INSTALLATIONS UNDER SURVEILLANCE IN GERMANY, REPORT SAYS - GWD Aug 4, 2003

TIMES SAYS 'SORRY' TO HARAMAIN
"The Washington Times has retracted a report accusing the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, an Oregon-based non-profit organization, of Al-Qaeda links and apologized to the charity. A retraction by a reputed international newspaper like The Times is a major victory for Islamic charities worldwide, which have been accused of funding terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks.." Complete report.. 
~~GulfWire Link~~
AL-HARAMAIN SHUTS 3 OFFICES ABROAD; 4 MORE TO CLOSE - GWD May 19, 2003

NATIONAL STRATEGY TO COMBAT AIDS
"The Ministry of Health has announced the launch of a national strategy to combat AIDS to mark World AIDS Day [Dec 1].. ..According to recent Ministry of Health statistics, 6,787 AIDS cases have been reported in the Kingdom, with expatriates accounting for 78 percent of that number.." Complete report..

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News - UAE

PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN UAE EXCEEDED $7B LAST YEAR
"The UAE's private sector pumped at least Dh26 ($7.07) billion into the domestic economy last year to outpace the government in development spending and become the dominant player.. ..Investment by the private sector has steadily grown over the past years because of government encouragement and the sector is set to gain further momentum in the future within ongoing reform programs focusing on a stronger role by that sector.." Complete report..

ABU DHABI DEPUTY CROWN PRINCE APPOINTED
"Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates Shaikh Zayid bin Sultan Al Nahyan has appointed his son Shaikh Muhammad deputy crown prince of the emirate.."  Complete report..

DUBAI LIGHT RAIL TRAIN PROJECT TO START OPERATION IN 2009
"Dubai's light rail project which likely to start operation sometime in 2009-10 will need approximately Dh8 billion for the first phase that will see a 50 kilometre track being laid from Dubai International Airport to Jebel Ali. The project which would be 30 per cent underground and 70 per cent running on tracks elevated over the ground, also plans to carry some 400 million passengers by 2010. Nasser Saeed, chairman of the Light Rail Project Department of Dubai Municipality said the project which is still in the design phase is likely to have 30 stations that would be built at gaps of one to three kilometres. He also said that fares would be similar to bus service of the Municipality. Saeed also said that plans are being built around a minimum of 10,000 passenger every hour in each  direction to start with while capacity would be to carry 40,000 to 50,000 passenger every hour. Saeed said more information on the project would be available on the second edition of Gulf Traffic Exhibition which opens in Dubai on December 8.." Source: Emirates Bulletin No. 229, December 1

MASTER PLAN TO LURE TOURISTS TO CAPITAL
"Planners in Abu Dhabi have proposed that the capital city should have a national museum, a zoo, a marine museum, a national public library, and a public square with a landmark like London's Trafalgar Square and Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The planners at the Abu Dhabi Municipality and Town Planning Department said the proposed projects would boost the role of Abu Dhabi as a capital city and promote it as a tourist attraction.  The proposal was made in a report analysing the progress of work on the Comprehensive Development Plan for Abu Dhabi 1990-2010, which has been prepared by the department, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).." Source: Emirates Bulletin No. 229, December 1

GULFWIRE NOTE:
The State Department Background Note for UAE has been updated.  For more:

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Business - Region

The Best Energy Resource in the World:
Country Analysis Briefs
by DOE/EIA

GCC STATES TOP ARAB WORLD IN ECONOMIC FREEDOM
"Gulf Cooperation Council states have topped the Arab world in the latest index that rates economic freedom. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates topped the Arab world in the Economic Freedom Index. The annual 161-nation index has been issued annually by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal and seeks to monitor progress by developing states in transparency and other standards of economic freedom. The index is regarded as useful to foreign investors.." Complete report..

OPEC, RUSSIA ON VERGE OF A COLD WAR
"With Russia now exporting more oil than Saudi Arabia, the scene is set for a cold war between Moscow and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), industry experts say. The Russians are refusing to go along with OPEC demands for a concerted drop in production.. ..Russia is pumping some 8.6 million barrels of oil a day, compared to 7.96 million for Saudi Arabia.." Complete report..

UAE SAYS NO NEED FOR OPEC TO CHANGE OIL OUTPUT
"The UAE said [Nov 29] that it saw no need for OPEC to change its current production quota, but that next year's expected rise in Iraqi oil production would be a "crucial factor" in any future decision regarding quotas.. ..Most analysts believe that the 11-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which includes the United Arab Emirates, will extend its current production ceiling of 24.5 million barrels per day (bpd) when it meets in Vienna on [Dec 4] following its surprise cut in production by 900,000 bpd on Sept. 24.." Complete report..

ARAB STOCK MARKETS GAIN $133B IN NINE MONTHS
"Arab investors netted a staggering $133 billion in share profits in the first nine months of this year and most of the windfall was in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.. ..Most markets recorded increases in capitalization and economists attributed the improvement to strong oil prices and reforms in many regional countries.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
ARAB STOCK MARKETS PROVIDE PROFITABLE DIVERSIFICATION CHANNELS FOR INVESTORS - GWD Sep 15, 2003

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