ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.30.2010 EDITION

Saudi Contemporary Art In Istanbul: ARAB NEWS

Geoffery King | 12/29/10

“The Edge of Arabia Istanbul: Transition  is the latest international exhibition by Saudi Arabian artists… The Transition in the Edge of Arabia exhibition title reflects the complex effects of change that permeate the works of these Saudi artists.”

Is the Peak Oil Debate Really Dead?: SEEKING ALPHA

James Picerno | 12/30/10

“In 2005, John Tierney of The New York Times bet $5,000 with peak-oil supporter Matt Simmons (the late energy investment banker and author of Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy) on the future price of oil. Simmons predicted that the average price of oil this year would be $200 or higher; Tierney bet it would fall short.”

Saudi Arabia To Raise Water Price For Non Residential Users: STEEL GURU

12/30/10

“NCB Capital said in a report that Saudi Arabia wants to raise prices to encourage water conservation. The kingdom needs SAR 124.9 billion in investments in desalination and water recycling plants to meet water demand.”

Saudi Media Accused Of Fostering Specific Views: ARAB NEWS

Fatima Sidiya | 12/30/10

“Participants on the second day of a national dialogue forum in Jeddah on Wednesday spoke about how labeling people according to their ideological perspectives is improper, affects their image in society and could also prevent them from getting their national rights.”

No Side Deal On STL, Lebanon Claims: UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

12/30/10

“Reports that Saudi Arabia and Syria had persuaded Lebanese leaders to reject an assassination tribunal’s findings are baseless, a lawmaker said.”

New Look for Mecca: Gargantuan and Gaudy: NEW YORK TIMES

Nicolai Ouroussoff | 12/29/10

“Saudi officials say that the construction boom — and the demolition that comes with it — is necessary to accommodate the ever-growing numbers of people who make the pilgrimage to Mecca, a figure that has risen to almost three million this past year.”

Former President Moshe Katsav of Israel was “convicted of two counts of rape by a Tel Aviv court on Thursday, capping a four-year spectacle that began with accusations of sexual misconduct against him while he was still in office,” Isabel Kershner (NYT) reports.

Nearly 4,000 Iraqi civilians, police and soldiers died through violence in 2010, making it the least deadly year since the war began, the Web site Iraq Body Count said Thursday in its latest report. AFGHANISTAN: But in Afghanistan, deaths are on the rise, Dan Murphy (CSM) reports. “Almost as many Afghan civilians died in the first half of 2010 alone.”

As unrest continues in Tunisia, President Zine el Abidine ben Ali has shuffled cabinet members and warned protesters, Amro Hassan (Babylon and Beyond) reports.

In Iraq, the history textbooks in public schools “now abruptly end in 1958, making no mention of the revolutions in 1963 and 1968 that propelled Saddam’s Arab nationalist Baath party to power. In fact, teachers say, the words ‘Saddam’ and ‘Baath’ aren’t mentioned once,” Shashank Bengali (McClatchy) reports. But efforts are underway to open old relics from the Saddam era to the public in 2011.

Palestinians “plan to ask the U.N. Security Council in the coming days to declare Israeli settlements illegal and demand a halt to their construction, officials said Wednesday, in a high stakes gamble aimed at increasing pressure on Israel,” Josef Federman (AP) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.30.2010 EDITION

Saudi Contemporary Art In Istanbul: ARAB NEWS

Geoffery King | 12/29/10

“The Edge of Arabia Istanbul: Transition  is the latest international exhibition by Saudi Arabian artists… The Transition in the Edge of Arabia exhibition title reflects the complex effects of change that permeate the works of these Saudi artists.”

Is the Peak Oil Debate Really Dead?: SEEKING ALPHA

James Picerno | 12/30/10

“In 2005, John Tierney of The New York Times bet $5,000 with peak-oil supporter Matt Simmons (the late energy investment banker and author of Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy) on the future price of oil. Simmons predicted that the average price of oil this year would be $200 or higher; Tierney bet it would fall short.”

Saudi Arabia To Raise Water Price For Non Residential Users: STEEL GURU

12/30/10

“NCB Capital said in a report that Saudi Arabia wants to raise prices to encourage water conservation. The kingdom needs SAR 124.9 billion in investments in desalination and water recycling plants to meet water demand.”

Saudi Media Accused Of Fostering Specific Views: ARAB NEWS

Fatima Sidiya | 12/30/10

“Participants on the second day of a national dialogue forum in Jeddah on Wednesday spoke about how labeling people according to their ideological perspectives is improper, affects their image in society and could also prevent them from getting their national rights.”

No Side Deal On STL, Lebanon Claims: UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

12/30/10

“Reports that Saudi Arabia and Syria had persuaded Lebanese leaders to reject an assassination tribunal’s findings are baseless, a lawmaker said.”

New Look for Mecca: Gargantuan and Gaudy: NEW YORK TIMES

Nicolai Ouroussoff | 12/29/10

“Saudi officials say that the construction boom — and the demolition that comes with it — is necessary to accommodate the ever-growing numbers of people who make the pilgrimage to Mecca, a figure that has risen to almost three million this past year.”

Former President Moshe Katsav of Israel was “convicted of two counts of rape by a Tel Aviv court on Thursday, capping a four-year spectacle that began with accusations of sexual misconduct against him while he was still in office,” Isabel Kershner (NYT) reports.

Nearly 4,000 Iraqi civilians, police and soldiers died through violence in 2010, making it the least deadly year since the war began, the Web site Iraq Body Count said Thursday in its latest report. AFGHANISTAN: But in Afghanistan, deaths are on the rise, Dan Murphy (CSM) reports. “Almost as many Afghan civilians died in the first half of 2010 alone.”

As unrest continues in Tunisia, President Zine el Abidine ben Ali has shuffled cabinet members and warned protesters, Amro Hassan (Babylon and Beyond) reports.

In Iraq, the history textbooks in public schools “now abruptly end in 1958, making no mention of the revolutions in 1963 and 1968 that propelled Saddam’s Arab nationalist Baath party to power. In fact, teachers say, the words ‘Saddam’ and ‘Baath’ aren’t mentioned once,” Shashank Bengali (McClatchy) reports. But efforts are underway to open old relics from the Saddam era to the public in 2011.

Palestinians “plan to ask the U.N. Security Council in the coming days to declare Israeli settlements illegal and demand a halt to their construction, officials said Wednesday, in a high stakes gamble aimed at increasing pressure on Israel,” Josef Federman (AP) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.29.2010 EDITION

Conquering The Last Degree: ARAB NEWS

Roger Harrison | 12/29/10

“The flag of Saudi Arabia has been carried into outer space, unfurled on Mount Everest and now flies at one of the last milestone destinations reachable by human intrepidity, the South Pole. An expedition led by Waleed Yusuf Zahid, accompanied by his sons Haytham and Mohamed reached the geographic South Pole on Dec. 10, 2010, the conclusion of a grueling trek across the harshest environment on Earth. They are believed to be the first Saudi team to complete the challenge.”

National Dialogue Tackles Tribalism and Regionalism Impact on National Unity: SUSRIS BLOG

Pat Ryan | 12/28/10

“The National Dialogue process…has addressed a broad range of issues in the Kingdom apart from countering fanaticism. Among the topics of the national meetings have been: national unity; women’s rights; young people’s expectations; world cultures dialogue; education reform; work and employment; health services and, most recently, tribalism and regionalism.”

Oil Industry Cranks Up Spending: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Russell Gold | 12/29/10

“The global oil industry—far from chastened by the catastrophic U.S. Gulf of Mexico spill—is planning record spending next year, including a large amount for deep-water development.”

Saudi Money Supply Growth Steady: SAUDI GAZETTE

12/29/10

“Saudi money supply growth was steady at 3.7 percent on the year in November compared with the previous month, and the central bank’s foreign assets increased 11.5 percent year on year, data from the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) showed Tuesday.”

Saudi SABIC Unit Awards Deals To CTCI, Sinopec: REUTERS

Reem Shamseddine | 12/28/10

Arabian Industrial Fibers Co (Ibn Rushd), an affiliate of Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), signed contracts with Taiwan’s CTCI and China’s Sinopec Engineering to expand its capacity, SABIC said.

All Saudi Pilots Soon On National Carrier: SAUDI GAZETTE

Mohammed Al-Kinani | 12/29/10

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) expects that Saudis will soon fill all the pilot and co-pilot positions on its aircraft.

Energy: Can We Run Out of Oil and Other Natural Resources?: TIME BLOGS

Bryan Walsh | 12/28/10

“Even as the global economy and global population continues to grow, scientists and businesses find new sources of energy, new deposits of old energy and ways to make the resources we have stretch further…”

India has joined US and EU efforts to stifle international trade with Iran, Jay Solomon and Subhadip Sircar (Wall Street Journal) report. “The Reserve Bank of India instructed the country’s lenders Monday to stop processing current-account transactions with Iran using the ACU (Asian Clearing Union). Last Friday, the central bank said Indian firms can’t use the ACU mechanism when making payments for the import of oil or gas. While the earlier order didn’t explicitly mention Iran, the Islamic republic is the only major crude exporter in the ACU.”

The size of Israel’s ultra-orthodox population known in Hebrew as “heredim” stands at 10 percent but is growing rapidly, writes Isabel Kershner (New York Times) as many in the nation are questioning government benefits for them.

Denmark’s intelligence service on Wednesday arrested four people suspected of planning an “imminent” terror attack against a newspaper that printed the controversial Prophet Muhammad cartoons, Jan M. Olsen (AP) reports.

Huge gas fields discovered recently under the Mediterranean seabed have “raised high hopes in Israel, a small, high-consumption country seeking alternative energy resources and a greater degree of independence from imports,” Batsheva Sobelman (Los Angeles Times) reports, but Israel’s neighbors are “watching cautiously.”

Aid groups in Afghanistan are questioning the US assertion that military efforts there are dealing setbacks to the Taliban, Dion Nissenbaum (McClatchy) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINKDaily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.28.2010 EDITION

Saudi Petchem Exports Up 32% In Third Quarter: SAUDI GAZETTE

12/28/10

“Saudi Arabian petrochemical exports rose 32 percent in value in the third quarter from the year-ago period as prices rebounded amid strong demand from Asia and European Union, the Department of Statistics and Information said on its website Sunday.”

Saudi To Increase Number Of Industrial Cities To 30 In 5 Yrs: ZAWYA

12/28/10

Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s largest economy, plans to increase the number of its industrial cities to 30 from 14 in five years, state-run Saudi Press Agency, or SPA, reports Tuesday citing a senior official at the Saudi Industrial Property Authority, or Modon.

Saudi Cleric Blasts Al-Qaida Practices: UPI

12/27/10

“Dressing up like a woman to sneak past security in Saudi Arabia is what gives Muslims a bad name, a leading cleric said from Mecca following an al-Qaida raid. Security authorities last week killed an alleged member of al-Qaida disguised as a woman after he opened fire at a security checkpoint.”

Saudi Aramco’s 400,000 Barrel-a-Day Yanbu Refinery to Start Output in 2014: BLOOMBERG

Wael Mahdi | 12/28/10

“Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest state-owned oil company, said its planned refinery in the industrial city of Yanbu will start production in 2014.”

Muslim Women Gain Higher Profile in U.S.: NEW YORK TIMES

Brian Knowlton | 12/27/10

Soumaya Khalifa is “one of a type now found in most sizable U.S. cities: vocal Muslim women wary of the predominantly male leadership of their community and increasingly weary of suspicions of non-Muslims about Islam.”

UAE Asks For Action Over Saudi Loans: FINANCIAL TIMES

Simeon Kerr | 12/27/10

“United Arab Emirates’ central bank has asked banks to raise provisions against loans to the Saudi family owned groups Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi and Brothers (Ahab) and Saad Group from 50 per cent to 80 per cent.”

Maaden Steps Up Exploration To Boost Gold: REUTERS

Reem Shamseddine | 12/27/10

“Saudi Arabian Mining Co. (Maaden) will boost exploration in the vast Arabian Shield region and develop new mines in a bid to double gold resources to 20 million ounces by 2020, its chairman said.”

Saudi In Dire Need Of Mortgage Reform – Report: ARABIAN BUSINESS

Ed Attwood | 12/28/10

Saudi Arabia’s “growing population is in dire need of an active mortgage market, with $320m in financing demand expected over the next decade,” new research by NCB Capital has found.

Unrest has gripped parts of Tunisia as economic “frustration and despair” felt by the country’s youth continues to plague the nation, Lahcen Achy (Babylon and Beyond) writes.

Israel’s fences are not yet mended with Turkey as talks between the government of Israel and Turkey have fallen short, Reuters reports.

14 have been killed in a bombing at a government compound in Iraq’s Anbar Province, John Leland (NYT) reports.  ‘US MUST LEAVE ON TIME’: “Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ruled out the presence of any U.S. troops in Iraq after the end of 2011, saying his new government and the country’s security forces were capable of confronting any remaining threats to Iraq’s security, sovereignty and unity,” Sam Dagher (WSJ) reports.

Why is Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissing high-level officials in the Islamic Republic? Scott Peterson (CSM) writes that “many critics say a number of personnel changes by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have to do with the growing influence of one of his closest aides, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei.”

Iran has hanged a man convicted of spying for Israel, Nasser Karimi (Chicago Tribune) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.27.2010 EDITION

Obama Extends Well Wishes To Saudi King: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Associated Press | 12/26/10

“President Barack Obama called Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah on Sunday to wish him well as he recovers from two recent back surgeries…. The White House says the king congratulated Obama on the Senate’s recent ratification of the New START treaty with Russia.”

Saudi Identify Slain Man As Al-Qaida Operative: WASHINGTON POST

12/27/10

“A man killed in a shootout with Saudi police last week has been identified as al-Qaida operative.”

Saudi To Keep Dollar Peg In 2011: EMIRATES 24|7

Nadim Kawach | 12/27/10

“Saudi Arabia is set to keep its currency the riyal pegged to the US dollar as it is expected to remain on the same track as in 2010 while inflation will remain relatively high, a key investment centre in the Gulf Kingdom said on Monday.”

Saudi Arabia To Open Road Link With Oman In 2012: ARABIAN BUSINESS

Ed Attwood | 12/27/10

“Saudi Arabia has completed 89 percent of its first road link with Oman, according to the kingdom’s transport minister.”

Saudi Eyes Other Gulf States For Teaching Jobs: EMIRATES 24|7

12/27/10

“Saudi Arabia is urging its graduates seeking teaching jobs to head for neighbouring Gulf countries, saying it can no longer accommodate them…”

Saudi Electricity’s Clients to Increase to 7.9 Million by the End of 2016: BLOOMBERG

Zahraa Alkhalisi and Mourad Haroutunian | 12/27/10

“Saudi Electricity Co., a state- controlled utility, expects to have a customer base of 7.9 million by the end of 2016 as it seeks to meet rising demand for power in the Persian Gulf’s largest Arab country by population.”

Over 200 Firms Take Part In Jeddah Car Show: ARAB NEWS

Roger Harrison | 12/26/10

“Familiar names at the show include Nissan, Honda Hyundai and Kia with major distributors in the Kingdom adding to the mix. Significant by their absence are Toyota, Mercedes and BMW and most of the exotic cars, with the exception of Lotus.”

US missiles killed 18 in Pakistan today in the 110^th such attack this year in the country – twice last year’s total, the AP reports.

Eight Americans were killed in Egypt on Sunday morning in a bus crash that also left 21 injured, the New York Times reports.

Security in Afghanistan is worsening, according to internal United Nations maps, the Wall Street Journal reports. The maps show a “marked deterioration” despite President Obama’s “optimistic assessments of military progress since the surge of additional American forces began a year ago.”

Resentment is building in Iran over the recent hike in fuel prices, Thomas Erdbrink and Kay Armin Serjoie (Washington Post) report. “Nearly a week after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a plan to overhaul a long-standing system of state subsidies, Iranians are reeling from drastic government-ordered price increases for staples such as fuel and bread amid signs of growing frustration and anger.”

The Obama administration “acknowledged Sunday that it has no new timetable for closure of the prison camps at Guantánamo, while reiterating a White House talking point that the controversial detention center is an al Qaeda ‘recruiting tool,’” Carol Rosenberg (McClatchy) reports.

Ali Gharib (Lobelog) argues for a fuel-swap deal with Iran in the Turkey talks this month.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.24.2010 EDITION

U.S. Oks Return Of Diplomatic Families To Saudi Arabia: CNN

12/23/10

“Citing a continued improvement in the security climate in Saudi Arabia, the United States has authorized the return of all family members to U.S. diplomatic outposts” in Saudi Arabia. “

Travel Postcard: 48 hours in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: REUTERS

Asma Alsharif | 12/24/10

“Saudi Arabia’s second largest city, located on the Red Sea coast and dubbed the “bride of the Red Sea,” is a growing city of over 3 million and a gateway to Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina…Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most out of a visit. The weekend in Saudi Arabia is on Thursday and Friday. Shops close during prayer times, and on Friday only open after five in the afternoon.”

Prospects For Sukuk Market Brighter: SAUDI GAZETTE

Querubin Minas | 12/24/10

“Global total Sukuk issuance increased to $27.9 billion in the first nine months of 2010, 62.3 percent higher than the $17.2 billion raised in the same period last year and surpassed full issuance of $24.7 billion in 2009, KFH Research Ltd said in its latest report on the Islamic Sukuk market.”

Al Qaeda Sympathizers Threatening Saudi Imams: ASHARQ ALAWSAT

Turki Al-Saheil | 12/24/10

“Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs has reaffirmed that it takes all threats issued against its Imams by the Al Qaeda organization “seriously” and that it will pass on any such threats to the security authorities.”

Boosting Tourism: ARAB NEWS

Editorial | 12/23/10

“A couple of days ago, the governor of Makkah, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, unveiled plans to develop tourism in two port towns on the Red Sea, Qunfuda and Al-Lith. At the same time, Prince Sultan bin Salman, the chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, announced a new SR 120-million tourist project in the resort city of Taif.”

Saudi Oil Min: No Need For OPEC To Meet Again Before June: NASDAQ

Dow Jones Newswires | 12/24/10

“Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi reiterated Friday that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries doesn’t need to meet again before June.”

GCC Monetary Council To Create Executive Body: EMIRATES 24|7

12/23/10

“The central bank governors from six Gulf Arab nations ended their sixth meeting in Riyadh late Wednesday with an agreement to pursue plans to set up an executive body ahead of the creation of the region’s first central bank.”

Pakistan’s Prime Minister stated that he would not allow the head of the country’s powerful spy agency to obey a summons requesting his appearance before a court in the United States relating to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, Salman Masood (NYT) reports.

Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s former head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Council, made his first international appearance as Iran’s foreign minister on Wednesday at an economic summit meeting in Istanbul, Sebnem Arsu (NYT) reports.

“A potential attack against the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan appeared to be thwarted Friday as a joint Afghan and international military patrol killed two men during an operation in Kabul, according to an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) statement,” CNN reports. PAKISTAN: “Some 150 militants attacked five security posts in Pakistan’s tribal area near the Afghan border overnight, sparking a clash that killed 11 soldiers and 24 insurgents, officials said Friday,” MSNBC reports.

“Given the disastrous consequences of neoconservative foreign policy ideas regarding Iraq and other Middle Eastern issues in recent years, those ideas and the people who framed them should have been discredited and should now be marginalized—meaning, not taken seriously—in future policy debates,” write Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett (Race for Iran). “But that is clearly not the case.  The neoconservatives and their particular approach to American foreign policy in the Middle East are back in force, and the current focus of their advocacy and activism is pushing the United States into a military confrontation with Iran.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.23.2010 EDITION

All is Sunny in Saudi: KIPP REPORT

Eva Fernandes | 12/23/10

“With oil prices on the rise, a promising real estate market and an impressive budget, things are looking good for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Saudi Budget Reflects Focus On Long-Term Development: ARAB NEWS

12/23/10

“Expenditures hit a new record as the government continued its commitment to increase economic capacity through spending on social and physical infrastructure projects, according to the National Commercial Bank’s (NCB’s) special budget report “Fiscal Policy: Toward Sustainable Growth” released here on Tuesday.”

Saudi Mortgage Law To Take Time: EMIRATES 24/7

Nadim Kawach | 12/23/10

“A long-awaited mortgage law in Saudi Arabia is expected to be delayed further as it still faces obstacles in the appointed parliament after nearly two years of debate, a key bank in the Gulf Kingdom has said.”

Banks Seen Driving More Saudi Index Gains In 2011: REUTERS

Marwa Rashad | 12/22/10

“The Saudi stock market will see more gains in 2011 after outperforming most Gulf markets this year as companies benefit from high oil prices, a record budget and global recovery, analysts and investors said.”

Founder Of AQAP’s Media Arm Killed In Clash In Yemen: LONG WAR JOURNAL

Bill Roggio | 12/22/10

“Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announced the death of Nayef bin Mohammed bin Said al Kudri Qahtani, who is better known as Abu Hammam Qahtani, in a statement released on jihadist websites.”

Author Uses Saudi Experience To Fuel First Novel: EMC NEWS

Charelle Evelyn | 12/23/10

“The mystique and mystery surrounding a gem which disappeared in the Middle East has inspired one east-end man to make his dream of becoming a published author a reality.”

Saudi Royal Buys Landmark Crillon Hotel In Paris: BBC NEWS

12/23/10

The identity of the new buyer has not been disclosed although Groupe du Louvre, the Starwood subsidiary that runs the Crillon, said in a statement that it was an “eminent member of the Saudi royal family.”

Austerity measures by Iran’s government in the face of sanctions are “generating work stoppages and emboldening the political opposition,” Ramin Mostaghim and Borzou Daragahi (LAT) report. “Critics contend that the price increases hurt those with modest incomes while leaving the wealthy unscathed.” ‘NEW ARTERIES’ : As sanctions squeeze Iran, the country looks for different trade arteries, Peter Kenyon (NPR) reports. “The U.S. bans American companies from selling most products to Iran. But the United Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai, is a huge importer of American goods, and much gets redirected to Iran. But analysts are seeing signs that tougher sanctions and better enforcement are making inroads, even in this notoriously hard-to-police port.”

Settlement construction is “booming” in the West Bank after the end of Israel’s settlement construction freeze, Ethan Bronner (NYT) reports. The end of the freeze, which caused Palestinians to withdraw from peace talks, “means that if negotiations ever get back on track, there will be thousands more Israeli settlers who will have to relocate into Israel, posing new problems over how to accommodate them while creating a Palestinian state on the land where many of them are living now.”

Gaza militants fired 15 mortars or rockets into Israel on Monday and Tuesday in an unexpected flare-up two years after Israel’s devastating offensive on the Hamas-controlled coastal strip, Joshua Mitnick (CSM) reports.

There is “one institution in the Iraqi political system which will soon take on an unmistakably new look: the Council of Representatives,” writes Sean Kane (FP – Middle East Channel). “With some 213 out of 275 members losing their seats in March, Iraq’s Parliament now offers the best hope for political change and progress towards the consolidation of Iraq’s fledgling democracy.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.22.2010 EDITION

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Leaves NY Hospital in Good Health: AOL NEWS

Lisa Flam | 12/22/10

“Saudi Arabia’s 86-year-old King Abdullah has been discharged from a New York City hospital in good health after two back operations, according to an official statement.”

Ready to Roll: 2011 Saudi Budget – Sfakianakis: SUSRIS

12/21/10

The Saudi Arabian Council of Ministers endorsed the 2011 budget yesterday demonstrating a commitment to continued “stimulatory spending to develop the economy” according to Dr. John Sfakianakis of Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF). In an email discussing the budget he noted, “the government is committed to continue raising expenditures at a healthy pace while reducing its debt burden.”

Saudi Electricity Eyes More Private Participation: REUTERS

12/21/10

Saudi Electricity Company “may involve private firms in building more power plants to feed big consumers” such as Saudi Aramco, according to comments made by SEC’s chief executive on Tuesday. RELATED: “ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won a $39 million order from the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) for supply and installation of 13.8 kV capacitor banks,” Saudi Gazette reports.

Giant Projects To Woo SR1 Trillion Investments: ARAB NEWS

P.K. Abdul Ghafour | 12/21/10

“Saudi Arabia is expected to witness the implementation of a large number of giant economic, educational and industrial projects in 2011 following the announcement of a SR580-billion budget for the year, the largest in the Kingdom’s history.”

Saudi Democracy Group Cancels Public Sit-In After Permit Refused: BLOOMBERG

Glen Carey | 12/22/10

“A Saudi democracy advocate group canceled a sit-in planned for tomorrow to promote political change in the Middle East’s least democratic country after being denied a permit by the kingdom’s Interior Ministry.”

Political Activists Charged With Terror In Saudi Arabia: GLOBAL POST

Caryle Murphy | 12/22/10

“Saudi prosecutors have secretly filed charges of supporting terrorism and attempting to overthrow the government against 16 Jeddah residents widely known for peacefully demanding political reforms, most of whom remain detained nearly four years after their arrest, according to three sources familiar with the case.”

Iraq’s Parliament formally approved of a new government for the war-battered country after nearly a year of debate, Ned Parker (LAT) reports. “Prime Minister Nouri Maliki leaves some posts unfilled, including the ministers of interior and defense and the minister of state for national security.” STARK CHALLENGES: Maliki faces “stark challenges” in leading Iraq forward, Lara Jakes (AP) writes. “Despite tortuous negotiations that threatened to unravel the country’s tenuous democratic gains, the public face of the new government will look remarkably like the outgoing one. The prime minister, president and foreign minister will remain the same. The outcome was a huge victory for al-Maliki, who has made more than his share of enemies as prime minister since May 2006. Parliament originally tapped al-Maliki as a compromise candidate to lead Iraq following tumultuous elections in December 2005 during the height of the war.”

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel will officially and publicly appeal to President Obama in the coming days for the release of Jonathan Jay Pollard, the American serving a life term in a North Carolina prison for spying for Israel,” Isabel Kershner (NYT) reports.

“Over 20,000 camels and their owners from across the Gulf have converged on Abu-Dhabi’s Western Region to participate in the Al-Mazayin camel beauty competition in the desert town of Dhafra,” David E. Miller (Media Line) reports.

Lebanon is “bristling with nervous tension as it awaits the announcement by the UN special tribunal investigating the death of Rafik Hariri that could spark a new round of civil strife or even another war with Israel, but disaster may not be as imminent as many fear,” Meris Lutz and Borzou Daragahi (LAT) report.

The Obama administration yesterday imposed new sanctions on Iran, “serving notice that it will not ease the pressure on Tehran just because it has begun talking again with the West about its nuclear program,” Mark Landler (NYT) reports. SMOG: Iran’s government and citizens are reeling from a major smog problem, William Yong reports. “After initially issuing flat denials of a problem and then blaming a typical winter temperature inversion — despite above average temperatures throughout November and early December — the Iranian government has since resorted to drastic compensatory measures like sudden two-day public holidays and harsh traffic-control directives.”

Former US President Jimmy Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu write in an editorial for the USA Today that “we urge a renewed effort, firmly based in international law and respect for human rights that first aims to define boundaries between Israel and a new Palestinian state and address security issues. Without such focus, we will see the possibility of a two-state solution slipping even further away.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.21.2010 EDITION

High Oil Prices Underpin Strong Saudi Spending, Surplus: AFP

Paul Handley | 12/20/10

Higher salaries and huge infrastructure projects sent Saudi spending soaring in 2010 but high crude prices ensured a solid 17-percent surplus for the oil giant, the finance ministry said Monday. The government scored a 108.5 billion riyal (28.9 billion dollar) surplus in 2010 despite much higher expenditures than planned and an anticipated shortfall, the ministry said. ‘BIGGEST BUDGET EVER’: The Saudi Gazette has more on the budgetary figures, and notes that it is the biggest budget in Saudi history.

Saudi Trading Links Revived By US Groups: FINANCIAL TIMES

Abeer Allam | 12/20/10

“US companies have won a series of high-profile deals in Saudi Arabia during the past six months, underlining the confident return of US business to the kingdom.”

Saudi Arabia Says It’s Not Involved In NYC Ground Zero Mosque: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Summer Said | 12/20/10

“The kingdom ‘has no involvement, either directly or indirectly, with Park 51, formerly known as Cordoba House, in New York City, nor is it involved –in anyway–in talks that may be taking place to relocate the proposed community center,’ the country’s embassy in Washington said in an emailed statement.”

Saudi Girls’ Schools Probed Over Sports Meet: Report: AFP

12/21/10

Private Saudi girls’ high schools are being investigated by the education ministry for holding an “illegal” sports tournament, the Arab News reported Tuesday.

Saudi Retail Sector Seen Hitting $74bn By 2014: TRADE ARABIA

12/21/10

“The Saudi Arabian retail sector continues to be fuelled by favourable demographics, improving education and changing lifestyles, which will see the market reach SR276 billion ($74 billion) by 2014 from SR226 billion in 2009, said a report.”

Saudi Aramco LPG Exports To Fall 24% In 2011 To 6.5 Million Mt: PLATTS

12/21/10

“Saudi Aramco’s LPG export for 2011 will slump 23.5% to anywhere between 6 million mt and 6.5 million mt as it diverts product to meet local demand, term customers and trade sources said Tuesday. LPG — a major cracking feedstock — usage in the Arabian kingdom’s local petrochemical industry will rise to close to 11.5 million mt next year, or by 21% from the near 9.5 million mt that found use in the sector this year. “

Senators Drop Tax Item Affecting Foreign Companies: BLOOMBERG

Richard Rubin and Sophia Yan | 12/20/10

“One company that has lobbied Congress on the bill is SABIC Innovative Plastics LLC, according to congressional disclosure records. The petrochemical firm, which makes resins used in medical devices, automobiles and toys, is owned by Saudi Basic Industries Corp.”

Police in Israel are investigating the mysterious death of a US tourist, Batsheva Sobeman (Babylon and Beyond) reports. “Many people are convinced this was a terrorist attack; other people say things don’t add up. Police are investigating all options.”

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was sentenced to 6 years in prison after making a controversial film about Iran’s social problems, Borzou Daragahi (LAT) reports. He “is also barred from making films for 20 years.” EARTHQUAKE: At least 7 died yesterday after an earthquake shook Iran, Reuters reports.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki “set forward the skeleton of his new government on Monday night, proposing ministers to fill a majority of cabinet seats and bringing a bitter nine-month impasse one faltering step closer to resolution,” John Leland (NYT) reports.

Despite the soaring gas prices in Iran as a result of a dramatic cut in gas subsidies, drivers are “seemingly unaffected” by the sharp increase, William Yong (NYT) reports. “Government subsidies, which had kept the basic price of gas at about 38 cents a gallon, were drastically cut, quadrupling the rationed fuel price overnight and pushing the “free” price, at which motorists can purchase an unlimited amount, to $2.55 a gallon — a staggering price for Iranians, who on average make little more than one-fifth of what Americans earn. But Iranians took to the streets as if nothing had changed.”

PA President Mahmoud Abbas hosted “two busloads of Israeli parliament members and public figures for lunch in Ramallah,” Joshua Mitnick (CSM) reports. “Over a four-course banquet featuring lamb, stuffed grape leaves, and Hebrew-speaking waiters, he appealed directly to the Israeli public to back a peace treaty over the status quo of steady Israeli settlement expansion.” GAZA: “Despite recent moves by Israel to ease construction in the Gaza Strip, restrictions on building materials are hampering international humanitarian efforts while doing little to impede the Hamas-led government they are designed to weaken,” Janine Zacharia (Washington Post) reports, citing Aid groups.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.10.2010 EDITION

Looking East: THE ECONOMIST

12/9/10

China, the world’s second-largest consumer of oil, is poised to buy more Saudi oil than the United States does. Last year it actually did so, though this year’s figures suggest that the Americans may again be level-pegging as the biggest buyer. In the next two years, however, China looks set to become consistently the Saudis’ key customer. Moreover, the Saudis are also now buying more Chinese goods—mostly food, textiles, hardware and heavy industrial stuff—than American ones.

Saudi Arabia Monetary Indicators – December 2010: SUSRIS

12/9/10

Each month Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) takes a look at the latest monetary indicators provided by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) to produce its “Monetary Indicators” report. The key findings for today’s report, drawn from October 2010 SAMA data, include: a slowdown in the growth of broad money supply for October to 3.7% with the Kingdom poised for 2010 to show the slowest annual money supply growth since 1998; there is little impetus to indicate a 4th quarter credit recovery and that private sector credit growth gained only slightly and public sector credit dipped; new letters of credit surged in October, while consumer activity also showed a good comeback in the month before the Hajj pilgrimage; and that SAMA foreign assets jumped more than 10% for a second month as oil prices press above $80 a barrel.

Saudi Economy On Track For Robust Performance: ARAB NEWS

12/7/10

“Latest economic indicators show the Saudi economy on track for a solid growth performance for the year, driven by high oil prices, continued recovery in bank lending to the private sector and an easing in consumer price inflation. The primary remaining concern seems to be the stock market which has not taken off after the typical seasonal ‘summer doldrums.’”

Saudi’s Naimi Calls For Accord On Carbon Capture: REUTERS

12/9/10

“Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said negotiators at the U.N. global climate talks should agree to include ways to encourage carbon capture and storage in the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism.”

Saudi Arabia: What Challenges do Expats Face?: AMERICAN BEDU

Carol Fleming | Global Post | 12/8/10

“Most expatriates in the medical and teaching sector will be housed with other expatriates.  I say most for some of the smaller or lesser known schools or hospitals may offer an expat a contract but may not have all the full standard benefits as larger employers.  Some expats in these sectors may be responsible for finding their own housing rather than living on a compound.  If so, this can be problematic depending on the expat’s familiarity with the area, the ability to know some Arabic, the ability to negotiate a rental contract and budget constraints.”

Saudi Arabia Receives $1.2bn For Damage During Gulf War: TIMES OF INDIA

12/10/10

“Saudi Arabia has received USD 1.2 billion from the United Nations in compensation for the damage caused by the 1991 Gulf War to the environment in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom”

Saudi Female Writer Makes Booker Shortlist: SAUDI GAZETTE

Abdullah Abyan | 12/10/10

“Saudi writer Raja’ ‘Alim has been named on the shortlist for the Arabic Booker Prize 2011 for her novel “Collar of the Pigeons”, making her the only Saudi candidate for the prize after Maqboul Mousa Al-Alawi and his “The Charms of Jeddah” failed to make the final cut.”

Saudi Pro-Democracy Group Plans First Sit-In: WASHINGTON POST

Salah Nasrawi | 12/10/10

“A Saudi pro-democracy group is planning the kingdom’s first sit-in protest this month to demand radical political reforms, a constitution and elections, its leaders said Friday.”

“From the Saudi-Yemen border to lawless Somalia and the north-central African desert, the U.S. military is more engaged in armed conflicts in the Muslim world than the U.S. government openly acknowledges, according to cables released by the WikiLeaks website,” Shashank Bengali (McClatchy) reports.

“After dropping its bid to get an Israeli settlement freeze in order to rekindle talks, officials argue over what direction to take and how much effort should go into peace efforts,” Paul Richter (LAT) writes. GAZA BLOCKADE: The UN’s top representative in Gaza says that “building projects are being delayed because Israel is not allowing the free flow of construction materials into the territory,” Kristen Chick (CSM) reports. ‘INTERNATIONAL REBUKE’: The European Union, the United Nations and the Arab League “have rebuked Israel after its refusal to halt settlement construction forced Washington to drop efforts to relaunch Mideast peace talks, Karin Laub (AP) reports. OPINION: A declaration of statehood by the Palestinians “without Israeli approval could start a war in which the Palestinians themselves would pay the highest price,” writes Jonathan Schanzer (Foreign Policy). “If the Palestinian government unilaterally claims land where an estimated 400,000 Israeli settlers currently reside in the West Bank, don’t expect them simply to pull up and move, especially if they were not consulted on the matter. Expect them to fight.” OPINION: Juan Cole (Informed Comment) urges UN economic sanctions on Israel.

“Three dozen top Israeli rabbis threw their support Tuesday behind a religious ruling barring Jews from selling or renting homes to non-Jews – an indication of growing radicalism within the rabbinical community at a time of mounting friction between Israeli Arabs and Jews,” Amy Tiebel (Washington Post) reports.

US Federal agents “raided the Tennessee headquarters of a security contractor involved in Afghanistan and Iraq on Wednesday on warrants that officials said were related to alleged violations of defense-related export controls,” Karen De Young (Washington Post) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.9.2010 EDITION

Saudi Women Making Headway in Male-dominated Business World: MEDIA LINE

Rob L. Wagner | 12/9/10

“Radain and Aboulola, daughters of upper-middle class liberal parents, are the new face of the Saudi woman entrepreneur. They came into adulthood in the aftermath of 9/11 with a fistful of Saudi riyals and an ambition to chart their own destiny by trying to steer clear of traditional female employment, such as in education.”

Follow the Money: NEW YORK TIMES

EDITORIAL | 12/8/10

“Nine years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, there is still a seemingly limitless stream of cash flowing to terrorist groups from private charities and contributors in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. According to classified State Department cables recently released by WikiLeaks, governments in all three countries — all close American allies — are not doing enough to shut down that flow of money.”

Global Investment Forum Kicks Off In Riyadh: ARAB NEWS

Rodolfo C. Estimo | 12/9/10

“A two-day global investment forum kicked off on Wednesday, bringing together some 100 participants from 35 countries at the King Faisal Conference Hall of the Riyadh InterContinental Hotel.”

Broadside Fired at Al-Qaeda Leaders: ASIA TIMES

Syed Saleem Shahzad | 12/10/10

“A number of senior al-Qaeda members who had earlier opposed the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and some of whom were recently released from detention in Iran, have produced an electronic book critical of al-Qaeda’s leadership vision and strategy. The book, the first of its kind to publicly show collective dissent within al-Qaeda, was released last month.”

Budget Carriers Busy In Prosperous Region: THE NATIONAL

Ivan Gale | 12/9/10

“Budget airlines are increasing services between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, underscoring the demand for low-cost travel even in some of the world’s richest nations.”

Saudi Arabia Launches Its First-Ever Domestically Designed Car: MEDIA LINE

Arieh O’Sullivan | 12/9/10

“The four-passenger Aseela was revealed in Riyadh at the International Exhibition for Motor Vehicles this week. The Aseela was designed by King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), and officials said it was to serve as the basis for a domestic auto manufacturing industry that Saudi Arabia is trying to develop.”

Saudi Company to Invest $5 Billion in Sudan, SUNA Reports: BLOOMBERG

Maram Mazen | 12/9/10

“A company owned by Saudi Arabian Prince Bandar Bin Khaled Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud plans to invest $5 billion in Sudan, Sudan’s state-run SUNA news agency reported yesterday, citing the company’s undersecretary-general.”

The Obama Administration’s Quiet Approach To Reform In The Arab World: ARAB REFORM BULLETIN

Andrew Albertson | 12/8/10

“Ultimately domestic actors drive local political dynamics, but the United States contributes significantly to the international environment in which those actors make decisions, including the incentives or disincentives linked to reform or repression. Last week’s brazen rigging of Egyptian parliamentary elections provides an occasion to reexamine the Obama administration’s approach to supporting Arab political reform during its first two years.”

Rights Group Calls For Release Of Saudi Academic: REUTERS

12/9/10

“Saudi Arabia should release a university professor detained over an article that discussed a possible succession struggle within the ruling Al Saud family, a human rights group said on Thursday.”

“When it became clear a month ago that American and Israeli officials were negotiating a partial, one-time, 90-day Israeli settlement construction freeze in exchange for American military hardware and diplomatic guarantees, few analysts applauded,” writes Ethan Bronner (NYT). “It was a rare acknowledgment by the administration that the path it had chosen was failing and that another was needed. But it was also something else: an accusation against each side.”CLEMONS: “…The key at the moment is for the White House to step back and realize that it missed a bullet by this plan collapsing.  This now gives the President significantly more latitude in going back to a broad stakeholder approach to a deal — and to putting his own views out more directly. That’s the course the administration has been privately flirting with a long time — but has been too shy or too timid to offer.  Netanyahu’s failure to perform, his rejection of President Obama’s effort at seduction, now opens the door to better, healthier possibilities,” Steve Clemons (Washington Note) writes. STRIKES IN GAZA: Israel launched retaliatory air strikes on the Gaza Strip Thursday hours after its top soldier warned troops to be prepared for possible “wider action” on the enclave’s volatile border, MSNBC reports.  MITCHELL:  “U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell will head back to the region next week after Obama administration officials vowed Wednesday to continue the push for peace despite a breakdown in direct negotiations,” LAT reports.

“A diplomatic cable obtained by WikiLeaks and released exclusively by The Daily Star earlier this week helps illustrate the precariousness of Syria’s position, as it instructs its allies to push the Lebanese government to discuss the matter of ‘false witnesses,’” Michael Young (Daily Star) reports.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met with the United Arab Emirates’ defense chief, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayyed al Nuhayyan of Abu Dhabi, in talks that focused on security in the region and fears of a nuclear Iran, Elizabeth Bumuiller (NYT) reports.

“A teen-aged suicide bomber killed at least 18 people and wounded 33 others on board a bus Wednesday in northwest Pakistan, officials said,” CNN reports.

Despite weak demand in the U.S. and Europe, oil prices climbed this week to near $90 a barrel and gasoline prices have passed $3 a gallon on the West Coast and parts of the Northeast, writes Kevin G. Hall (McClatchy). “Wall Street speculators are driving up oil and gasoline prices again — just in time to dampen holiday cheer.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.8.2010 EDITION

Saudi Aramco Wants Five-Fold Rise in Gulf Petrochemical Sales by 2020: BLOOMBERG

Anthony Dipaola | 12/8/10

“Gulf petrochemicals producers should seek to raise their sales by as much as five-fold to $200 billion a year by 2020, Saudi Aramco’s chief executive officer said today.” TASNEE: Saudi Arabia’s National Industrialization Co. (Tasnee) “has begun talks with banks to secure financing for a $1.5 billion to $2 billion acrylic acid plant,” Shaheen Pasha (Reuters) reports.

Forum Seeks To Find Answers To Women’s Employment Hurdles: ARAB NEWS

Fatima Sadiya and Diana Al-Jassem | 12/7/10

“Only 15 percent of the Kingdom’s employed manpower is female and there are several questions about women’s employment that need answers, said Princess Lolowah Al-Faisal at the first day of the Women in Leadership Forum at the Park Hyatt Jeddah hotel on Tuesday.” RELATED: “Young female business students had a chance to meet and learn from some of the most successful businesspeople at the Young Female Entrepreneurs Forum Showcase held at the Effat University Hall in Jeddah on Monday. The event was organized by the Effat Business Student’s Association (EBSA),” Fouzia Khan (Saudi Gazette) reports.

Cables Belie Gulf States’ Backing for Strikes on Iran: LOBELOG

Gareth Porter and Jim Lobe | 12/6/10

The dominant theme that emerged in U.S. media coverage of the first round of Wikileaks diplomatic cables last week was that Arab regimes in the Gulf – led by Saudi Arabia – shared Israel’s view that Iran’s nuclear programme had to be stopped by military force, if necessary…But a careful reading of all the diplomatic cables reporting the views of Saudi and other Gulf Arab regimes on Iran shows that the Times’ account seriously distorted the content – and in the case of the Saudis, ignored the context – of the cables released by Wikileaks.

Frustration At Yemen Over Al-Qaeda: FINANCIAL TIMES

Roula Khalaf in London and Andrew England | 12/7/10

“Leaked US diplomatic cables have revealed the growing frustration at Yemen’s fight against al-Qaeda months before the terrorist network’s local group shot to the top of the global security agenda.”

Cessna Targets Middle East for Business Jets on Interest in Egypt, Iraq: BLOOMBERG

Stefania Bianchi and Andrea Rothman | 12/8/10

“Cessna, the Textron Inc. unit that makes the world’s fastest business jet, said the Middle East is set to be among the first markets to recover as customers from Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia order more aircraft.”

Saudi Arabia to host 32nd GCC Summit: GULF DAILY NEWS

12/8/10

The 32nd GCC Summit will be held in Saudi Arabia next year, instead of Bahrain.

Saudi November Cement Production Rises 6.7%; Exports Climb 15%: BLOOMBERG

Glen Carey | 12/8/10

“Cement production in Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s biggest economy, increased an annual 6.7 percent in November.”

The United States has dropped its effort to persuade the Israeli government to freeze construction of Jewish settlements for 90 days “After three weeks of fruitless haggling with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” Mark Landler (New York Times) reports. ‘PEACE PROCESS TO THE BRINK’: “The US admission that it has given up on securing an Israeli settlement freeze, coupled with Latin American’s growing support for Palestinian statehood – with or without a peace deal – has pushed the faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace process to the brink,” writes Joshua Mitnick (CSM). RELATED: A top Palestinian official is questioning Washington’s ability to forge Middle East peace after a new breakdown in American attempts to revive negotiations,” NPR reports.

A federal judge “threw out a lawsuit that had sought to block the American government from trying to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, a United States citizen and Muslim cleric in hiding overseas who is accused of helping to plan attacks by Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen,” Charlie Savage (NYT) reports.

“The majority of Muslims are not Islamists, who believe in a society based on Islamic law, and not all of the latter are seeking world domination or are willing to use violence,” writes Ian Johnston (MSNBC). “But fear of another Islamist-inspired atrocity after Madrid in 2004 — 191 dead — and London in 2005 — 53 dead — remains high.”

Kate Allen (FP – Middle East Channel) writes, “Ask almost any informed member of the public how things stand in Gaza right now and the probable answer will be something about how ‘Things seem to have improved a bit since Israel ‘eased’ the blockade.’ In a masterstroke of political rhetoric, Israel’s much-trumpeted ‘easing’ of the blockade has resonated around the world. The only problem? It largely belies the harsh reality on the ground for civilians trapped in this tiny enclave.”

“…While the U.S. political debate about Iraq has faded, the importance of Iraq to American interests has not. It’s therefore rather extraordinary that Congress has moved to cut $500 million from funding for the U.S. civilian mission in Iraq, leaving a shortfall of more than $1 billion,” writes Marc Lynch (FP – Abu Aardvark).

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.7.2010 EDITION

Saudi Non Oil Private Sector Climbs To Record High: ARABIAN BUSINESS

Ed Attwood | 12/7/10

“Activity in Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector reached a record high, according to a purchasing managers’ index (PMI) produced by the Saudi British Bank (SABB).”

U.S. Seeks Investments with Saudi Arabian Nuclear City: BLOOMBERG

Glen Carey | 12/7/10

“The U.S. is seeking nuclear-power opportunities in Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest oil supplier develops alternative energy to meet electricity demand.” ‘NUCLEAR IN 10 YEARS’ : Saudi Arabia is serious about developing civil nuclear energy within 10 years, which creates good opportunities for U.S. companies, U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez said, according to a Reuters report.

GCC Leaders United In The Stand Against Terror: EMIRATES 24|7

12.7.10

UAE President Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan “commended Saudi Arabia’s efforts to combat terrorism as he opened the 31st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit at the Emirates Palace on Monday.” IRAN CONCERN: The Gulf Cooperation Council said it is monitoring the development of Iran’s nuclear program with “extreme concern,” Zahraa Alkhalisi and Vivian Salama(Bloomberg) report, but “denounced any use of force against the Islamic republic.”

Saudi Small Car Market Growing Fast: SAUDI GAZETTE

Shahid Ali Khan | 12/7/10

The small car segment is the fastest growing market in Saudi Arabia automobile industry that accounted for 25 to 30 percent in 2010.

Boeing Inks Pact to Set Up Saudi Support Center: TRADE ARABIA

12/7/10

“Boeing and the King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST) have signed an agreement to establish a Decision Support Center (DSC) in Riyadh.”

A Wikileaks Disconnect: LOS ANGELES TIMES

Dalia Dassa Kaye | 12/6/10

Don’t believe all you read about the Wikileaks, the author writes. “The leaked cables reveal Arab states’ concerns about Iran. But a dislike of Iran does not suggest an affinity with the United States or Washington’s policies.” IRAQ: Who is more influential in Iraq, Saudi Arabia or Iran? Asks Blake Hounshell (FP). IRAN: “Coping with the Islamic Republic since it came into being with the 1979 Islamic revolution has been a top priority of Washington – but also one of its most challenging battles. Less than three months before the US Embassy in Tehran was overrun by militant students, taking 52 Americans hostage for 444 days, diplomats posted there crafted a “how-to” guide to negotiating,” Scott Peterson (CSM) reports. BAIL DENIED FOR ASSANGE: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was refused bail and jailed for a week by a British court Tuesday, pending an extradition hearing over alleged sex offenses in Sweden, MSNBC reports.

Regardless of what happens in the Dec. 5 runoff elections in Egypt, “the ruling establishment’s promise to hold free and pluralistic elections is no longer credible and its monopoly over the legislature is guaranteed,” writes Amr Hamzawy (Babylon and Beyond).

“In a sign of the Iranian authorities’ increasing concern about Iran’s shifting social landscape, Marriage Day, as it is usually known in Iran, this year was renamed No Divorce Day. Iran’s justice minister decreed that no divorce permits would be issued,” writes William Yong. Iran’s divorce rate has tripled over the last decade.

The four-day inferno in Israel has now been extinguished, and authorities believe the fire was started with a tobacco water pipe by a 14-year old boy, Isabel Kershner reports. The fire killed 42 people and charred 10,000 acres of forest in Israel.

Talks concluded today on Iran’s controversial nuclear program “and both sides agreed to meet again in Turkey next month,” CNN reports.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is in Afghanistan today to review the US war effort there, and “told US troops in Afghanistan their sacrifices were paying off,” the AFP reports.

Lost in the whole “charade” of the Wikileaks scandal “is the way that the American-Israeli courtship has completely sidelined the Palestinians,” writes Nadia Hijab (FP – Middle East Channel).

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.6.2010 EDITION

Saudi Business Activity Hits Record High: TRADE ARABIA

12/6/10

“Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector business activity climbed to its highest level to date on a record output increase, sharp rise in new orders and robust employment, a purchasing managers’ survey showed on Monday.”

A Conversation with Prince Turki Al-Faisal: SUSRIS

12/5/10

In addition to sharing his insights on the decades of intelligence and security cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia when we sat down with Prince Turki we were also fortunate to talk about his perspective on current issues in the relationship. RELATED: Prince Turki Al-Faisal “demanded on Sunday that the source of U.S. embassy cables published by WikiLeaks be “vigorously punished” and suggested the credibility of America’s diplomats had been hurt by the disclosures,” Reuters reports.

GCC Rail Project Top Of The Agenda, Says Mazroui: GULF NEWS

Zaher Bitar | 12/6/10

“Report about the rail network in the Gulf has been submitted to the GCC policy makers for further recommendation and approval to be announced at the summit closing on Tuesday.”

New Filmic Voices In Saudi Arabia: THE DAILY STAR

Jim Quilty | 10/6/10

“Haifaa al-Mansour is among a handful of women filmmakers who have managed to shrug off these obstacles. She is now on the verge of shooting her first feature film.”

Yemen Seeks Greater Aid to Expand Antiterror Fight: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Margaret Coker |12/6/10

“Yemen is seeking greater international assistance to fund and train more of its law-enforcement organizations to help it battle al Qaeda and other security problems, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi said.”

Cables Reflect Tensions over Terrorism Funding: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Keith Johnson | 12/5/10

“Leaked diplomatic cables show continued U.S. frustration with the lack of cooperation from Arab and Muslim countries in fighting terrorism financing, almost a decade after stopping the flow of funds to extremists became a central part of U.S. counterterrorism strategy.” PAKISTAN: The leaked cables also highlight the “major influence” that Saudi Arabia has in Pakistan, writes Ishaan Tharoor (TIME). “The Saudis are long accustomed to having a significant role in Pakistan’s affairs.” QATAR: Qatar is using the Arabic TV news channel Al-Jazeera as a bargaining chip in negotiations with other countries, US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks suggested on Monday, AFP reports. OPINION: “The Gulf Arabs want to forestall Iranian nuclear ambitions, but they are willing to defer to American judgment about how best to achieve that, and they certainly don’t want it to result in a war in their own neighborhood. Clearly, this is a very different position from the one held by Mr. Netanyahu.” writes Chas Freeman (New York Times).

Iran and key world powers have begun talks in the Swiss city of Geneva on Tehran’s disputed nuclear program, BBC News reports. URANIUM: Iran “delivered a resolute message Sunday on the eve of talks with six world powers: We’re mining our own uranium now, so forget about stopping our nuclear ambitions,” reports Ali Akbar Dareini and George Jahn (Washington Post) report.

As Turkey heads toward national elections next year, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) finds itself in a strong position. A major test for the AKP and opposition parties was the referendum in September — the results constituted a significant defeat for the opposition, Henri J. Barkey (Babylon and Beyond) reports.

As the United States leaves Iraq, many Iraqis who have served directly for American forces and contractors are suffering the economic toll, writes Jack Healy (NYT). “While the political and security consequences of the American withdrawal have yet to be fully resolved, its economic effects have already taken a sharp toll on the tens of thousands of Iraqis who earned their livelihoods, sometimes at great risk, working for the military and the legions of American civilian and defense contractors.” ‘MEDDLING NEIGHBORS’: Interference by neighbors of Iraq threaten to “aggravate the sectarian divisions in the country and undermine efforts by Iraq’s leaders to get beyond bitter rivalries and build a stable government,” Michael R. Gordon (NYT) reports.

“A murder mystery that has gripped Lebanon and much of the Middle East for nearly six years is nearing a climax. This month a Netherlands-based international tribunal is expected to issue the first set of indictments in its investigation into the 2005 murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a massive bomb blast that rattled Beirut and shook Middle East politics,” Nicholas Blanford (CSM) reports.

The Taliban “claimed responsibility Monday for two explosions targeting a government building in Pakistan’s tribal region,” CNN reports.

A new poll by the Pew Research Center finds that a “majority of Muslims around the world welcome a significant role for Islam in their countries’ political life,” Meris Lutz (Los Angeles Times) reports.

“For much of the last three years, Qatar has been an outsider in the contest to host the 2022 World Cup. In the closing stages of the race, British bookmakers slashed their odds and made it the favorite. Someone somewhere knew something, and they were right. Qatar, a small Persian Gulf country of just 1.7 million people, will be hosting football’s top tournament 12 years hence. This is an intriguing and important moment, for 2022 will be the first global sporting mega-event to be held in an Arabic-speaking or predominately Muslim country,” David Goldblatt (FP – Middle East Channel) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.3.2010 EDITION

Saudi King to Undergo 2nd Back Surgery in New York: WASHINGTON POST

AP | 12/3/10

Saudi King Abdullah will undergo a second back surgery in the United States, AP reports.  Saudi Press Agency says surgeons will “stabilize a number of vertebras” on Friday afternoon.

Saudi Inflation to Ease Even As Economic Activity Gathers Pace: SAUDI GAZETTE

12/3/10

“Inflation rate in Saudi Arabia will continue the downward momentum into 2011 even as economic activity picks up pace, Banque Saudi Fransi said in its latest report on Saudi economy entitled “Inflation strain subsides: Outlook highlights lower inflation amid steady economic upturn” released Thursday.”

Memos: US Pressing for Saudi Help In Pakistan: NPR

AP | 12/3/10

“The United States has been pushing its powerhouse ally Saudi Arabia to help stabilize Pakistan and Afghanistan, but it has struggled to overcome the kingdom’s deep mistrust of Pakistan’s president and doubts over U.S. strategy for reining in militants, leaked U.S. diplomatic memos show.”

Exciting Leaks, But Where Are The Secrets?: ASHARQ ALAWSAT

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid | 12/2/10

“A few days ago, I spent much time reading them, like a child in a sweet shop, for it was a real pleasure. However, having spent the whole day reading, or rather, having run out of steam, I wondered: Have I unearthed one significant secret in these documents? No, not yet.” MEDIA: “Revelations by the organization WikiLeaks have received blanket coverage this week on television, in newspapers and on Web sites around the globe. But in parts of the world where the leaks have some of the greatest potential to sow controversy, they have barely caused a ripple,” Keith B. Richburg and Leila Fadel (Washington Post) reports.  SILVER LINING? There might be a silver lining to the Wikileaks fallout, writes Glenn Kessler (Washington Post). “Arab angst about Iran’s nuclear ambitions has been exposed, perhaps giving the United States greater leverage in international talks scheduled for next week.”

Commercial Cinema Returns to Saudi Arabia: GULF TIMES

David Miller | The Media Line | 12/2/10

“A new cinema complex has just opened in a shopping mall in Dammam, the capital of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and the kingdom’s third largest city. The cinema will feature cartoons and action movies, with separate screenings for men, women, and families.”

Saudi Women Played A Marginal Role In Deviant Group’s Activities: ARAB NEWS

Muhammad Al-Sulaimi | 12/1/0

“The role of Saudi women in Al-Qaeda is, apparently, marginal; only 15 women have been established to have links with the terrorist organization.”

A World Cup Miracle: BBC SPORT

Matthias Krug | 12/2/10

“The whole of Qatar erupted into a bundle of flag-waving Middle Easterners when the nation performed a football miracle to bring the World Cup to the region for the first time in its history.” GULF CUP: Saudi Arabia beat the United Emirates and Kuwait defeated Iraq in the semifinals of the Gulf Cup, being played in Yemen, the AP reports.

With Ailing King, Questions of Succession In Saudi Arabia: GLOBAL POST

Caryle Murphy | 12/1/10

“Underlying these generational realities is the question of how a royal succession — inevitable in the not-so-distant future — will affect the tentative reforms launched by King Abdullah. Those reforms — in schools, courts, the job market and press freedom — are aimed at positioning Saudi Arabia to better cope with what is probably its biggest challenge: A fast-growing youth population that soon will need jobs, homes and more recreational outlets.”

Saudi And Alcoa JV Signs USD 2 Billion Financing Deals: STEEL GURU

12/3/10

“Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia Mining Company and US Alcoa signed financing deals worth USD 1.9 billion for the Phase I of their joint USD 10.8 billion aluminium project in the kingdom.”

“A raging forest fire in northern Israel killed at least 37 prison guards Thursday when their bus was engulfed by flames while they rushed to evacuate a detention facility. Nearby firefighters tried desperately to rescue them as some guards hugged the floor of the vehicle in search of shelter, witnesses said,” Edmund Sanders (LAT) reports.

Iran arrested “a number” of suspects in the assassination of a prominent nuclear scientist, AP reports.

Pakistan’s leaders are debating their response to the Wikileaks documents, Julie McCarthy (NPR) reports. “Pakistan’s leadership convened on Friday for a second day — reportedly to work out a strategy on the embarrassing WikiLeaks disclosures, which are being called ‘Cable-gate’ here. They portray deteriorating relations between the civilian government and the powerful army.”

“With the results of Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Egypt, the regime of President Hosni Mubarak sent a powerful message that it will brook no dissent as the country moves toward a potential presidential transition as early as next year,” Sarah A. Topol (Newsweek) reports.

“Arab-Iranian hostility is not uniform,” writes John Limbert (FP – Middle East Channel). “Iranians enjoy correct if not warm relations with their Qatari and Omani neighbors. Relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are icy, with the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait falling somewhere in the middle. When pushed to the wall, both sides have been capable of putting aside old prejudices and grievances (real and imagined) and can act in their own interest and maintain cordial state-to-state ties. Nevertheless, the big picture is negative, as the cables dramatically show.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.2.2010 EDITION

SABIC To Build New Plastics Applications Development Center: SAUDI GAZETTE

12/2/10

SABIC signed a construction contract Wednesday with El Seif Engineering Contracting Company to build a new SABIC Plastics Application Development Center (SPADC) at the Riyadh Techno Valley research complex inside the King Saud University (KSU) campus.

Saudi Students Enjoy An American Holiday: High School Girls Get To Celebrate Thanksgiving With All The Trimmings: KANSAS CITY STAR

Mindy Schauer | 12/2/10

“The Thanksgiving gathering at Linda Levine’s Laguna Niguel home seemed just like a moment out of the Norman Rockwell paintings she pointed out to her guests. Except the group enjoying Thursday’s feast together was an unlikely mixture of religions and cultures: 10 Muslim girls from an all-girls school in Saudi Arabia and their teacher, Neda Al-Shahwan, joined Levine, who is Jewish, and fellow Tustin High teacher David Waldram, who is Christian.”

Mobile Subscriptions In Middle East To Cross 300m: GULF NEWS

Naushad K. Cherrayil | 12/2/10

“Mobile subscriptions in the Middle East are on track to cross the 300-million mark in 2014 after crossing 200 million in third quarter of this year, an industry expert said.”

GE Launches Healthymagination Campaign In Saudi Arabia: PRESS RELEASE

12/2/10

“Further to the strategic cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Health aimed at supporting Saudi Arabia’s goal of building a healthy and sustainable society, GE is rolling out a nation-wide educational campaign under its healthymagination initiative.”

Scholarship Students Warned Against Joining Outlawed Groups: ARAB NEWS

Maher Abbas | 12/1/10

“Speaking to an audience of students who have qualified for the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program at the third day of the forum, which began on Monday, Muhammad Al-Bajad, a faculty member at Prince Naif University for Security Sciences, warned students about joining groups or parties that are banned in the countries where they go.”

Saudi Arabian Airlines On Path To Sky Team Alliance: ARABIAN AEROSPACE

12/2/10

“The move allows Air France to increase frequency to  both Riyadh and Jeddah to offer a daily service to and from Paris.  Both Saudi cities will be served three times weekly by an Air France A330 and by a Saudi Arabian Airlines A320 on the other four days.”

Saudi Arabian Billionaire Maan Al-Sanea Loses Challenge to Caymans Lawsuit: BLOOMBERG

Andrew Harris | 12/1/10

“Maan al-Sanea, a Saudi Arabian billionaire, has lost a jurisdictional challenge to a lawsuit filed against him in the Cayman Islands by Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi & Brothers Co., alleging he misappropriated money.”

Yemen: Think Things Are Bad Now? Don’t Let It Run Out Of Water. : CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

Halima Gellman | 11/30/10

With all of Yemen’s problems, “the most severe threat to Yemen’s future is its water crisis. Yemen is running out of water fast. Experts say that Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, is likely to run out of water by 2020. This kind of water scarcity breeds conflict and instability, in which Al Qaeda groups step in to fill the vacuum. If the US really wants to fight terror in Yemen, it must address its water shortage in meaningful ways.” DOCTOR RELEASED: Gunmen who kidnapped a Saudi doctor in northern Yemen demanding the release of nine jailed al-Qaeda suspects released the man on Monday after tribal mediation, Iscandar al-Mamari (Yemen Observer) reports. ‘SOCCER TOURISM’: At a time when the poorest Arab nation is torn by internal conflicts and escalating threats from Al Qaeda, soccer’s Gulf Cup is calming Yemen’s spirit and easing its financial woes,” Amro Hassan (Babylon and Beyond) report.

World Cititzen: Wikileaks Cables Highlight Arab-Iranian Divide: WORLD POLITICS REVIEW

Frida Ghitis| 12/2/10

“In a part of the world where ever-present conspiracy theories waft through the air, blending easily with the aroma from water pipes and the sounds of the Muslim call to prayer, the massive document release from Wikileaks was received with familiarity. It’s not easy to shock the people of the Middle East, certainly not with revelations about the conversations and machinations of the rich and the powerful.”

“Syrian President Assad described Hamas as an ‘uninvited guest’ in his country in confidential conversations with American lawmakers, and appeared to suggest he would be willing to give up the alliance in exchange for incentives, according to several documents contained in the trove of leaked diplomatic cables posted online by the website WikiLeaks,” Meris Lutz (Babylon and Beyond) reports. HAMAS: “The leader of the Hamas government in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, said Wednesday for the first time that any resolution of the Palestinian dispute with Israel should be put to a referendum of all Palestinians around the world, and that if one were held, Hamas would accept the results no matter what they were,” Fares Akram (NYT) reports.

Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup, ESPN reports.

A tightly controlled Egypt election “appears to have given President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling party its biggest share of the legislature in 15 years,” Kristen Chick (CSM) reports.

U.S. officials are “holding out promise of greater economic and energy assistance for Iran if it commits to begin constraining its nuclear program during a long-anticipated second round of international negotiations scheduled for next week in Switzerland,” Jay Solomon (WSJ) reports.

Money laundering is common in Dubai, but authorities in Dubai played down the extent of money laundering here and said there were laws to fight it, Angela Giuffrida (NYT) reports.

Salam Fayyad, prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, writes a piece in Foreign Policy magazine entitled, “Why I’m Building Palestine.” Soon, Fayyad concludes, “the only obstacle in our way will be the occupation itself.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

12.1.2010 EDITION

US Embassy Cables: Saudi King’s Advice For Barack Obama: GUARDIAN

11/28/10

“President Obama wants to listen,” White House Counterterrorism advisor told King Abdullah, and asked what advice the King would offer to President Obama. “Abdullah said his one piece of advice was that restoring U.S. credibility in the world was critically important.” AIRPORT REGULATIONS: The government of Saudi Arabia “expressed concerns about American security regulations that included Saudis in a list of nationalities that warranted additional screening at airports,” David de Sola (CNN) reports. PAKISTAN: King Abdullah and ruling princes “distrust Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s Shia president, and would prefer ‘another Musharraf,’” The Guardian reports. INTERPOL: Interpol has added Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to its most-wanted list as Swedish authorities have accused him of rape and other sex crimes, Raphael Satter (Chicago Tribune) reports. CLINTON: The leaks “will not hurt American diplomacy,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton declared Wednesday at a security summit, MSNBC reports. OPINION: The leaked cables often show US interests and Israeli security concerns as clashing, writes Josh Ruebner (Huffington Post). TOP 10: Juan Cole (Informed Comment) provides the “Top Ten Middle East Wikileaks Revelations So Far.”

Wireless Broadband Shows Strong Growth In Saudi Arabia: ZAWYA

Saudi Gazette | 12/1/10

“The number of broadband subscribers has grown 43-fold from 64,000 in 2005 to over 2.75 million at the end of 2009, according to data released by the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), representing a CAGR of around 156 percent annually over the period 2005-2009.”

Saudi Arabia: Combating Al-Qaeda Online: ASHARQ ALAWSAT

Khalid al-Awijan | 11/30/10

“Online blogs have become a phenomenon, yet they now serve as a means to broadcast extremist ideologies, a matter touched upon by the Saudi Interior Ministry last week. As a result, questions have been raised about how to access such websites and forums, and who is able to do so, particularly with regards to al-Qaeda and other radical organizations.”

Saudi Religious Cop Says ‘No Need’ For Women To Cover Up: AFP

11/30/10

A Saudi religious police commander, Sheikh Ahmed al-Ghamdi, criticized the kingdom’s ban on gender mixing on Tuesday and said women did not have to veil their faces to applause from his female audience. MORE WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE: “The number of Saudi women working is far too low, Eng. Adel Fakieh, Minister of Labor, said Tuesday in a speech at the Women’s Business Forum 2010,” Fouzia Khan (Saudi Gazette) reports.

Who Will Be The Next Generation Of Saudi Leaders?: FOREIGN POLICY

Hani Sabra and Willis Sparks | 11/30/10

“In most monarchies, including states like Morocco and Jordan, power is passed from king to son. In Saudi Arabia, it’s passed from king to brother. The crown moves from one generation to the next only when no viable same-generation brothers remain. As the current generation of Saudi leadership ages, the kingdom will likely soon undergo just such a generational change.”

Saudi Petrochemical Makers To Take Indian Duty Dispute To WTO: STEEL GURU

12/1/10

“Saudi Basic Industries Corporation plans to ask the World Trade Organization to pressure India to lift an anti dumping duty it imposed on Saudi polypropylene.”

Dar Al Arkan Struggles Despite Saudi Property Boom: THE NATIONAL

Farah Halime | 12/1/10

The Saudi property market is booming, but the kingdom’s largest company in the sector continues to struggle.

On the same day that Iran and the West agreed to meet next week for talks on Iran’s nuclear program, the U.S. announced a set of fresh sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s shipping lines, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said defiantly that his nation would not budge “one iota” on giving up what he described as its rights, Borzou Daragahi (LAT) reports. OPINION: “To be effective, diplomacy with Iran  must be sustained, not episodic. There will be no peaceful outcome absent negotiations with Iran. As such, the choice, more than ever, seems to be with Tehran.”

A group of 22 international human-rights and aid groups issued a report on Tuesday asserting that Israel’s easing of its blockade of Gaza five months ago had made little difference to the people living there, Ethan Bronner (NYT) reports. HAMAS: The Islamist Hamas movement, whose charter advocates the elimination of Israel, “would accept the outcome of a Palestinian referendum on a future peace treaty with the Jewish state,” Reuters reports.

Anxiety is growing on Iraq’s border with Iran, writes Ernesto Londono (Washington Post). “Along this dusty border crossing that links Iraq with erstwhile enemy Iran, there is growing evidence that it is Iran that holds the upper hand at the twilight of the U.S. military mission here.”

Spanish police have arrested seven terror suspects in Barcelona, the WSJ reports. The seven are “suspected of stealing passports for radical Islamic cells in Thailand and Pakistan, and collaborating with the group that carried out the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, the country’s Interior ministry said Wednesday.”

William Hartung (TPM Café) asks, “Was the assassination of a top Iranian nuclear scientist, Majid Shahriari, and the wounding of his colleague Fereydoon Abbasi, a case of ‘targeted non-proliferation?’

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.30.2010 EDITION

Cables Depict U.S. Haggling to Find Takers for Detainees: NEW YORK TIMES

Charlie Savage and Andrew Lehren | 11/30/10

An “unusual discussion in March 2009 was one of hundreds recounted in a cache of secret State Department cables obtained by WikiLeaks and made available to a number of news organizations that reveal the painstaking efforts by the United States to safely reduce the population of the Guantánamo Bay prison in Cuba so that it could eventually be closed.”SAUDI RESPONSE: Saudi Arabia has shrugged off newly leaked U.S. diplomatic memos that say King Abdullah urged a U.S. attack against Iran, AP reports. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: Federal authorities are “investigating whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange violated criminal laws in the group’s release of government documents, including possible charges under the Espionage Act, sources familiar with the inquiry said Monday,” Ellen Nakashima and Jerry Markon (Washington Post) report. OPINION: “There’s little of surprise in the documents released thus far, although they contain plenty of material to embarrass many key U.S. allies in the region simply by broadcasting things that are typically said discreetly, writes Tony Karon (TIME). “The art of concealing true intent and attitude while purporting to speak frankly is as old as diplomacy itself, and hardly confined to encounters between Iranians and Qataris. It would be naive to imagine that the same principle didn’t apply in conversations between the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East.” OPINION:  “The WikiLeaks revelations make clear that Arab officials believe Iran to be inherently dishonest and dangerous,” writes Karim Sadjadpour (Financial Times). “The feeling is probably mutual. But they hide perhaps a more interesting issue, namely what type of Iranian government would actually best serve Gulf Arab interests.”

In Arab states’ fears, Israel sees impetus for action against Iran: WASHINGTON POST

Janine Zacharia | 11/30/10

“Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed hope Monday that U.S. diplomatic cables revealing that several Arab states share his country’s concern about Iran’s nuclear weapons program could build momentum for tougher international action against the effort.”

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait Seek Gas to Supplant Use of Oil for Power:  BLOOMERG

Anthony DiPiola | 11/30/10

“‘We are picking up gas exploration,’ Ahmad Al-Sa’adi, vice president of gas operations at Saudi Aramco, said today at a conference in Doha, Qatar. “‘Any liquid fuel we are burning comes at the expense of our exports.’” RELATED: Gas demand in Saudi Arabia is rising 5-6 percent a year, according to Aramco.

Al-Qaeda’s Yemen Branch Spreads Its Reach For Recruits, Targets: WASHINGTON POST

Craig Whitlock | 11/30/10

“In mid-October, several days before authorities intercepted two bombs planted on cargo airliners bound for the United States, Saudi Arabian intelligence officials tipped off their French counterparts about another terrorist plot. An al-Qaeda affiliate dispatched a cell of North Africans, who crossed the Mediterranean by boat, to carry out an attack in France, according to an Arab intelligence official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.”

Ma’aden, Alcoa Venture Signs $1.9 Billion in Loans: BLOOMBERG

Inal Ersan and Glen Carey | 11/30/10

“A joint venture between Saudi Arabian Mining Co., a state-controlled metals producer, and Alcoa Inc. signed finance contracts valued at 7.1 billion riyals ($1.9 billion) to help pay for an aluminum project in the kingdom.”

Family Business Disputes Affect Economy: ARAB NEWS

Mohamed A. Ramady | 11/29/10

“Disputes between prominent Saudi commercial and family groups have serious implications to the well being of Saudi family businesses and to the wider economy and have caused some collateral damage to the Kingdom’s business reputation.”

Top Ten Twitter Users In Saudi Arabia: SAUDI JEANS

Ahmed Al Omran | 11/28/10

“Twitter is big in Saudi Arabia. There, I said it.”

Protesters gathered in Egypt, lighting cars and two polling stations ablaze “over allegations that the ruling National Democratic Party was guilty of widespread fraud in its sweep of Sunday’s parliamentary elections,” AP reports.

“Iran and the European Union agreed on Tuesday to a date and time for nuclear talks in Geneva next week, but President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted in a speech that Iran would not give ‘one iota’ in the discussions, William Yong and J. David Goodman (NYT) report.

Turkey’s “assertive foreign policy and increasing overtures to non-Western governments — most notably, Iran — have led to increasing concern in the United States and Europe. But its decisions are driven more by ambition and economic aspirations than a rejection of Western policies,” writes Henri J. Barkey (Babylon and Beyond).

“In November 2009, six years after the government of Libya first agreed to disarm its nuclear weapons program, Libyan nuclear workers wheeled the last of their country’s highly enriched uranium out in front of the Tajoura nuclear facility, just east of Tripoli. U.S. and Russian officials overseeing Libya’s disarmament began preparations to ship this final batch of weapons-grade nuclear material to Russia, where it would be treated and destroyed,” Max Fisher (Atlantic) writes.

There has been “little improvement” for people in Gaza since Israel announced it was easing its economic blockade of the territory six months ago, Jon Donnison (BBC News) reports. OPINION: Juan Cole (Informed Comment) writes that Israel is keeping “the Palestinians of Gaza in their metaphorical basement, dressed up for abuse, which they visit on them regularly. The Israeli blockade of Gaza is not a policy. Policies are rational, have bounds, have attainable goals. What has the blockade accomplished? When will it end? How can it be justified given it breaks about ten major international laws? How can it be justified given that it is contrary to everything in Jewish ethics (would Israelis like to have their children blockaded that way, is the question Rabbi Hillel would ask). It is not a policy. It is a piece of sadism on a mass scale.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.29.2010 EDITION

Sensitive U.S. Diplomatic Cables Disclosed, Published: SUSRIS

Patrick W. Ryan | 11/28/10

“Hundreds of thousands of sensitive U.S. Government documents, including many diplomatic cables, were released by Wikileaks, a whistle-blowing web site, to five news organizations in Europe and the United States according to press reports. Those news organizations, the Guardian of Great Britain, Der Spiegel of Germany, Le Monde of France, El Pais of Spain and the New York Times, began publishing reports and selected cables today. The leaked cables included diplomatic reports of candid, private discussions among Saudi leaders and American officials concerning relations with Iran, Iraq, China and other important bilateral and regional issues.” DAMAGE CONTROL:  “Bristling over the unauthorized release of more than a quarter million classified State Department documents, the Obama White House on Monday ordered a government-wide review of how agencies safeguard sensitive information,” AP reports.  FAQ: A Der Spiegel online FAQ “explains the origins of the diplomatic cables, their level of classification, the information they do and do not provide, and how to interpret the codes in the individual reports.”  THE ‘9 MOST SHOCKING SECRETS’: The Daily Beast provides 9 of the more important revelations in the Wikileaks document.  RELATED: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia “exhorted the United States to ‘cut off the head of the snake’ with regard to Iran’s nuclear program, according to leaked U.S. diplomatic cables,” Ross Colvin (Reuters) reports. IRAN RESPONSE: In Iran’s first official reaction to leaked State Department cables… President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “dismissed the documents as American psychological warfare that would not affect his country’s relations with other nations,” William Yong and Alan Cowell (NYT) report.  PAKISTANI FALLOUT: Wikileaks reports indicate that the US has mounted a secret effort to remove highly enriched uranium from a Pakistani reactor since 2007, reinforcing what until now had been a conspiracy theory, Issam Ahmed (Christian Science Monitor) reports. “According to security analyst Gen. (ret.) Talat Masood, the WikiLeaks revelations will prove a boon to hardliners in Pakistan.” ISRAELI CONCERNS?: One of the recently leaked Wikileaks cables sheds “light on the thinking of high Israeli officials about why Israel cannot, as many US analysts have suggested, just live with an Iranian bomb if one is achieved. They believe that such a development would create a psychological nervousness in the Israeli public that would likely doom it as a Jewish state,” Juan Cole (Informed Comment) writes

Saudi King’s Condition Very Reassuring After Operation – Health Minister: WALL STREET JOURNAL

11/28/10

Saudi Arabia’s elderly King Abdullah, who underwent back surgery in New York Wednesday, has started rehabilitation and his health is “very reassuring,” the kingdom’s health minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah told state-owned television.

Saudi Guards Foils Smuggling Attempts: FOX CHICAGO

11/28/10

Saudi border guards arrested five people trying to smuggle drugs and weapons into the country, the official SPA news agency reported Sunday.

Kingdom’s Anti-Terrorism Strategy Reaping Rich Rewards: ARAB NEWS

Md Al-Sulami | 11/28/10

“Saudi security forces have been waging a relentless war against terror and deviant radicalism since May 2003. The Interior Ministry has been following a strategy of prevention, caution and cure in dealing with terror.”

US-Saudi Educational Partnerships Flourish: SAUDI GAZETTE

Ambassador James Smith | 11/29/10

“This month marks the 11th annual International Education Week, an event celebrated in over 100 countries around the world. It is an opportunity for me to personally recognize the value of international educational exchange in developing mutual understanding and respect between countries and their people around the world, and to celebrate education as a means of empowering and enhancing not only the individual but the society as a whole.”

A Nail In The Coffin: ARAB NEWS

Editorial | 11/29/10

“By requiring a two-thirds Knesset majority to cede land in East Jerusalem to the Palestinians and the Golan Heights to Syria, a new Israeli law raises the bar for passage. Putting any such withdrawals to a national referendum will subject international law to the whims of Israeli public opinion.”

Saudi Women Sue Male Guardians Who Stop Marriage: ASSOCIATED PRESS

11/29/10

“Year after year, a 42-year-old Saudi surgeon remains single against her will. Her father keeps turning down marriage proposals, and her hefty salary keeps going into his bank account.”

The ruling party in Egypt, who has been in power for more than three decades, is expected to score a landslide victory against Islamists when the final results are announced on Tuesday, Ramadan Al Sherbini (Gulf News) reports.

“The recent revelations from Guardian reporter Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, that some Afghan émigrés in the UK and other western countries regularly return to fight with the Taliban against perceived western occupation of their homeland, signals that Afghan insurgency has become a partisan movement of the global age,” Scott Atran (The Guardian) writes. RELATED: Six US troops were killed in Afghanistan as a gunman wearing an Afghan border police uniform shot the troops dead during a training exercise, MSNBC reports.

No smoking gun cleanly identifies the author of Stuxnet virus, which attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities, but signs point to Russia, Chris Demchak (New Atlanticist) writes. “If the originating state was Russia, the pieces fit reasonably enough.  It is a state with a healthy cyber expert community on its territory especially found in its cybercrime networks, direct access to Russian-design nuclear facilities to use as a test bed, experience with success in achieving aims by wide distributions, and a strong national reason to slow, but not destroy, Iranian nuclear ambitions.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.26.2010 EDITION

In Saudi Arabia, Scores Of Arrests: CNN

11/26/10

“The arrests occurred over an eight-month period, and the people seized were dispersed among 19 active terrorist cells throughout the kingdom. Security forces found 2.4 million riyals (or about $600,000) among the cells.”

Women of Saudi Arabia Emerge on the Bosporus: NEW YORK TIMES

Susanne Fowler | 11/24/10

A quiet evolution is taking place in Istanbul inside a vast warehouse near the Bosporus and at an inland convention center where rarely seen Saudi Arabian art — including some with feminist themes — is on display.

A Saudi Curriculum: WALL STREET JOURNAL

11/26/10

“The BBC’s Panorama program reported Monday that more than 40 Saudi Students’ Schools and Clubs, a network of Muslim weekend schools in the U.K., are teaching the official Saudi curriculum to about 5,000 students. This means that six-year-old children in Britain are being asked to list the “reprehensible” qualities of Jews, who are said to be monkeys and pigs. A textbook for 15-year-olds revives the “Protocols of the Elder of Zion” about an alleged Jewish conspiracy for world domination.”

Honesty Of Royal Court Unsettles Saudis: FINANCIAL TIMES

Abeer Allam and Roula Khalaf | 11/25/10

“When the Saudi royal court delivered an unusually transparent statement about King Abdullah’s health, announcing he needed treatment in the US for a haematoma that resulted from a prolapsed disc, many Saudis were puzzled.”

Ma’aden and SABIC Starts Phosphate Production: GLOBAL ARAB NETWORK

Ammar Shikhani | 11/25/10

“Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) announced that the Project of Mine and Plant of Phosphate Concentrates in Hazm Al-Jalameed started the experimental operation of most of the units of its joint venture in collaboration with Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).”

Kingdom, Kuwait Share Spoils: SAUDI GAZETTE

Mohammed Al-Kinani

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait shared the spoils after playing out a goalless draw in Gulf Cup Tournament encounter at Al-Wehda Stadium in Abyan Thursday.

The United States is “about to push for so-called special inspections in Syria by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, a rarely used tool to seek access in a country that otherwise denies entry to sensitive sites, diplomats familiar with the issue say,” Julia Damianova (LAT) reports.

Israel has bulldozed a road linking Qarawat Bani Hassan, the small West Bank village, with a spring its residents consider the lifeline of the community, Maher Abukhater (Babylon and Beyond) reports. MOSQUE: A mosque and other structures were demolished by bulldozers in the Palestinian village of Khirbet Yarza in the West Bank early Thursday, according to village residents.

The rise of the GOP and the Tea Party in the American elections are a “mixed blessing” for Israel, writes Mark Landler and Jennifer Steinhauer (NYT). “While [Majority leader of the House Eric] Cantor and other newly empowered Republicans are eager to promote themselves as Israel’s staunchest defenders in Washington, the reconfigured American political landscape is a more complex and unpredictable backdrop for Middle East peacemaking.”

The Egyptian government is cracking down on critics ahead of Egypt’s parliamentary elections, Ernesto Londono (Washington Post) reports. “With a government crackdown on its main rival, the Muslim Brotherhood, there is little doubt that the ruling National Democratic Party will retain its grip on power.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.25.2010 EDITION

Saudi King’s Back Operation In US Successful: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Summer Said | 11/24/10

King Abdullah, “who traveled to the U.S. earlier this week to seek medical care after being hospitalized late last week, successfully underwent back surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital, the royal court said Wednesday.”

U.S. Forges $60B Deal With Saudi Arabia: UPI

11/24/10

“The U.S. Department of Defense presented the sale in late October, requiring 30 days for Congress to either block or change terms of the $60 billion transaction. The sale aims to bolster Saudi Arabia’s defenses from any prospect of an attack from Iran.”

Saudi Arabia To Award USD 86 Billion Construction Projects In 2011: STEEL GURU

11/25/10

“According to a newly released GCC Powers of Construction 2010 by Deloitte Middle East, Saudi Arabia which currently has 38% share of the total construction projects in the region is expected to award contracts worth USD 86 billion in 2011. Currently the Kingdom has USD 624 billion worth of projects planned or underway.”

Toronto Architects Honored For Turning Saudi Wasteland Into Parkland: GLOBE AND MAIL

Adrian Morrow | 11/25/10

“A Canadian planning and architecture firm has won an Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the sweeping transformation of a once-polluted Saudi waterway into a system of parks in the heart of the desert, using a system of bio-remediation.”

YEMEN: Civilians Flee Violence To Saudi Arabia: IRIN

11/25/10

“Escalating fighting between Houthi-led Shia rebels and pro-government militia in Yemen’s remote northwestern districts of Qutabir and Monabih has forced dozens of families across the border into Saudi Arabia, according to local officials.”

The Role Of Art In Portraying Jeddah Flood: ARAB NEWS

Diana Al-Jassem | 11/25/10

“Catastrophes always raise creativity.” This was the phrase that Saudi artists repeated almost a year after the Nov. 25 floods that ravaged east Jeddah.

Palestinian officials are funding schools and filling potholes in East Jerusalem, writes Joshua Mitnick (Christian Science Monitor), so are they building a state? Officially, Israel considers the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem as part of its “undivided and eternal” capital. But in practice, there’s been an erosion of Israeli sovereignty on Jerusalem’s eastern outskirts in recent months as the Palestinian Authority (PA) steps up a quiet campaign to fill a vacuum of municipal services – building new schools, filling potholes, and maintaining public order.

Tensions continue to rise sharply in Lebanon, amid indications that the international Special Tribunal set up to prosecute the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri may soon issue indictments of members of the militant Shia movement Hezbollah in connection with the case, Jim Muir (BBC News) reports.

Iraq’s president “formally asked Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Thursday to form a new government, giving him 30 days to choose a cabinet from among Iraq’s fractious Shi’ite, Kurdish and Sunni political factions,” Reuters reports.

“In a speech delivered in northern Lebanon on Wednesday, Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the tiny country’s neighbor Israel to embrace peace and stop ‘provocations,’ for its own good,” Alexandra Sandels (Babylon and Beyond) reports.

“Beset by sanctions and isolated internationally, Iran decides to test its system of checks and balances,” writes Jamsheed Choksy (FP). “Casual Iran observers tend to portray the country’s most prominent political division as that between fundamentalist hard-liners and secular moderates. In reality, however, the struggle for Iran’s future is a three-way fight waged by the different branches of conservatives that control the parliament, the presidency, and the theocracy.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.24.2010 EDITION

Obama Wishes Ailing Saudi King ‘Quick Recovery’: AFP

11/23/10

Obama called “to convey his best wishes for a full and quick recovery from medical treatment that the King is receiving in the United States,” the White House said in a brief statement. “Both leaders reaffirmed the importance of the US-Saudi bilateral relationship,” the statement read. STATE DEPARTMENT: “We hope for his speedy recovery,” the State Department said in a message from its official Twitter account late Monday, CNN reports.

Leadership in the Kingdom: A Conversation with Thomas Lippman: SUSRIS

Pat Ryan | 11/23/10

To help us pick through the questions that surround King Abdullah’s condition and prospects for transitions we called on author and journalist Thomas Lippman, an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who has regularly shared his insights on the Kingdom with SUSRIS.

High Public Spending Boosts Saudi Cement Demand: EMIRATES 24/7

11/24/10

“A surge in capital expenditure as part of high public spending prompted by the global fiscal crisis has kept cement demand in Saudi Arabia strong, with sales swelling by over 13 per cent in the first nine months of 2010.”

Saudi Inflation Easing: SAMA: SAUDI GAZETTE

Reuters | 11/23/10

Saudi Arabia’s high rate of inflation may ease further in the final quarter of 2010, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) said Monday.

UAE, Saudi Eye More Farmland Leasing Overseas: ARABIAN BUSINESS

Reuters | 11/23/10

The UAE and Saudi Arabia will continue to invest in acquiring farmland abroad as part of their strategy to secure food supplies, officials from the two Gulf states said on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia May Double Oil Use by 2023, Cut Exports, ACWA Says: BLOOMBERG

Anthony DiPiola | 11/23/10

“Saudi Arabia may double domestic oil use by 2023 as energy demand increases, cutting the amount of crude for export to less than half pumped volumes in two decades, the head of generator ACWA Power International said.”

Saudi Extends Govt Workers’ Inflation Allowance: KIPP REPORT

Reuters | 11/24/10

Saudi Arabia is extending a 15 percent inflation supplement for government workers to cushion the impact of fast-rising prices, the Finance Ministry said. Government employees saw their paychecks rise by 15 percent in the past three years due to an inflation aid program that paid an additional 5 percent on top of salaries each year.

‘Alarming’ Escalation In Yemen Fighting: AFP

11/23/10

“The UN refugee agency on Tuesday warned of an ‘alarming escalation’ in fighting in northern Yemen close to the border with Saudi Arabia despite a nine-month ceasefire.” EXPLOSION: An explosion in Northern Yemen has killed 12 rebels, MSNBC reports.

Saudi Arabian Mining Delays Plant on Financing: BLOOMBERG

Mourad Haroutunian | 11/24/10

Maaden “delayed production from its Ras al-Zour phosphate plant to the second quarter of 2011 from the fourth quarter of this year.”

Riyadh’s Property Sales Reached $16.1 Billion in 2009, SPA Says: BUSINESSWEEK

Zainab Fattah | 11/24/10

Property sales in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh in 2009 reached 60.3 billion riyals ($16.1 billion), the Saudi Press Agency reported, citing figures from Riyadh Chamber Of Commerce and Industry.

Kick-Off of First Community Football Pitch: SAUDI GAZETTE

Mohannad Sharawi | 11/23/10

“The first community football pitch built and funded by a local company was launched Monday by the Jeddah Municipality and District Council at Al-Naseem District.”

“The United States and its partners are making modest gains in some key areas of Afghanistan, but the insurgency is still strong and expanding across the country, a Pentagon report to Congress this month has concluded,” Elisabeth Bumiller (NYT) reports. ‘LONELY POSITION’: “If there is ever to be Middle East peace, here’s a knot that must somehow be undone,” the AP reports. “Hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have moved to sprawling Jewish areas in east Jerusalem believe they are ordinary residents of their capital who will never be asked to vacate their homes. It’s a sentiment shared by most of their countrymen and affirmed by lawmakers who voted this week to limit a government’s ability to ever pull out. But it’s a lonely position: no other government recognizes Israel’s 43-year-old annexation of east Jerusalem, and the Palestinians are increasingly vocal about insisting that what Israelis universally call ‘neighborhoods’ are in fact illegal ‘settlements.’” OPINION: Yesterday the Israeli Knesset voted 65-33 to approve the so-called referendum law, which requires a national referendum on any subsequent withdrawal from the Occupied Territories, writes Stephen Walt (FP). “In other words, you can kiss the two-state solution good-bye.”

A US jury is “deliberating its verdict in the trial of five Somali men charged with piracy and accused of attacking a US Navy ship on 1 April off the coast of east Africa,” BBC News reports.

“Iranian Parliament members recently sent a letter detailing a long list of complaints against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Iran’s powerful Guardian Council, Iranian news media have reported, marking a new phase in an effort by traditional conservatives to rein in the administration and reassert the powers of Iran’s legislative body,” William Yong (NYT) reports. RELATED: Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations said, “The charges against him are that he is attempting to centralise power in his hands. And that, in due course, will threaten Khamenei if he’s not careful.”

Details are still emerging on the exchange of artillery fire in the Yellow Sea following what has been described as a North Korean artillery attack on South Korea. However, this incident, combined with reports of Pyongyang’s highly enriched uranium (HEU) facility, has given new life to the eternally rehashed comparisons between North Korea and Iran, Eli Clifton (LobeLog) writes.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.23.2010 EDITION

Saudi King Arrives In US For Medical Tests: WASHINGTON POST

Abdullah Al-Shihri | 11/23/10

“Saudi King Abdullah arrived Tuesday in New York for medical treatment, the country’s official news agency reported, after he temporarily handed control of the world’s top oil producer and key American ally to his half brother and heir to the throne the day before.” RELATED: “Even by Saudi standards – where princes at the top of the hierarchy are all of advanced age – this is a highly unusual combination of events,” Magdi Abdelhadi (BBC News) reports, referring to the health conditions of the HRH King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, and Prince Salman.

We Don’t Need Another Middle East War: ASHARQ ALAWSAT

Bruce Reidel | 11/22/10

“If Iran becomes a nuclear weapons capable state in the next few years, as seems likely, Israel’s forty year old monopoly on nuclear weapons in the Middle East will end. But its military superiority over Iran will not. It will remain the dominant military power in the region for the foreseeable future, and it does not need to attack Iran to ensure its security.”

2010 Religious Freedom Report: Saudi Arabia: CROSSROADS ARABIA

John Burgess | 11/23/10

“The US Department of State has issued its 2010 Report on International Religious Freedom. As is to be expected, Saudi Arabia did not fare well. It did, however, show some marked changes for the better. On the other hand, discrimination continued against Shi’a and non-Muslims, both officially and unofficially.”

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the New Allies: ASHARQ ALAWSAT

Tariq Alhomayed | 11/23/10

“Whenever we look at the regional situation around us, we see Iran and its negative influence, and by contrast we see the Saudis and the Egyptians as firefighters. This is what is happening in Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine. The roles may vary, and increase or decrease, between Riyadh and Cairo, but these two countries represent the centre of gravity for Arab rationality in the region.”

Lessons Of Hate At Islamic Schools In Britain: NEW YORK TIMES

John F. Burns | 11/22/10

A British network of more than 40 part-time Islamic schools and clubs with 5,000 students has been teaching from a Saudi Arabian government curriculum that contains anti-Semitic and homophobic views, including a textbook that asks children to list the “reprehensible” qualities of Jews, according to a BBC documentary broadcast on Monday.

Saudi Billionaire Buys 1 Percent Stake In GM: MSNBC

Associated Press | 11/23/10

“Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal says he has invested $500 million in General Motors, the U.S. auto giant whose shares returned to trading last week after its bankruptcy and bailout by Washington.”

Official: Govt Mortgage Loan In Four Months Of Applying: SAUDI GAZETTE

Abdul Aziz Ghazzawi | 11/23/10

Authorities are working on a final draft defining a plan to allow Saudi citizens to obtain a interest-free government mortgage loan from the state-owned Real Estate Fund and another one from a private financing firm to buy houses within only a few months of filing an application.

Saudi Runner Takes Men’s 1,500 Asian Games Title: TAIWAN NEWS

Eric Talmadge | AP | 11/23/10

“Mohammed Othman Shaween came from behind to defend his title in the men’s 1,500 meters at the Asian Games on Tuesday, while a strong finish by Maryam Yusuf Jamal brought her the women’s gold with room to spare.”

“Israel’s right-leaning Parliament approved legislation late Monday that could hamper the leadership’s ability to seal future peace deals with the Palestinians or Syria,” Isabel Kershner (New York Times) reports. BORDER FENCE: “Israel began work Monday on a border fence along its frontier with Egypt that is meant to keep out Islamic militants and African migrants,” MSNBC reports. OPINION: “The reality is that if the President puts the weight of his office behind his approach — whether it is this clearly flawed 90-day plan or however he decides to proceed instead — he can achieve results,” writes Lara Friedman (FP).

“Iran’s nuclear program has experienced serious problems, including unexplained fluctuations in the performance of the thousands of centrifuges enriching uranium, leading to a rare but temporary shutdown, international inspectors are expected to reveal Tuesday,” Glenn Kessler (Washington Post) reports. “Even before the Stuxnet attack, the Natanz facility that houses the centrifuges had not been operating at full capacity, according to experts and U.S. officials.” GOVERNMENT LABOR CRACKDOWN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Iranians this month that “frugal” families have nothing to fear from impending economic pressures,” writes Meris Lutz (Babylon and Beyond). “But just in case, his government is cracking down on labor activists who may disagree.”DEEP DIVISIONS: “Iran’s parliament revealed it planned to impeach President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but refrained under orders from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, exposing a deepening division within the regime,” Wall Street Journal reports.

Ten terror suspects have been arrested “in two separate terrorism investigations in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, Belgian officials said Tuesday,” CNN reports.

“The announcement by the New York Times that one of the supposedly prominent Taliban with whom the Karzai government has been negotiating turns out to be an impostor is only the latest depressing indication that the whole Afghanistan boondoggle is shot through with flimflammery,” Juan Cole (Informed Comment) writes. “The incident demonstrates that US and Afghanistan intelligence on the Taliban is very poor, since they don’t even know what the leaders look like.” PREDATOR STRIKE: 5 Taliban have been killed in the latest Predator Strike in North Waziristan, Bill Roggio (Long War Journal) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.22.2010 EDITION

King Abdullah to U.S. Monday for Medical Care: SUSRIS

Special Report |11/21/10

“Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz will travel to the United States on Monday for medical evaluation and treatment of a back condition according to a statement by the Royal Court November 21, SPA said.” HEALTH MINISTER: Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah appeared on Saudi television to comment on the health of King Abdullah, Arab News reports. “I can confirm that his situation is stable and that he is healthy and will return to lead this proud nation.” COMMENTARY: An impending medical trip to the U.S. by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has renewed attention on the kingdom’s aging leadership and raised questions of succession, Jeffery Fleishman (LAT) reports.

Saudi Powers Ahead: KIPP REPORT

Samuel Potter | 11/22/10

“While the world fears another recession, Saudi’s economy continues to grow. It dominates the Gulf economy – as it would any single currency – but it has its problems, too.”

Saudi Ambassador To US Re-Appointed For 4 Years, Says SPA: ARABIAN BUSINESS

Bloomberg | 11/22/10

“Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, Adel bin Ahmed Al Jubeir, was re-appointed for a four year term by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the official Saudi Press Agency said today.”

Saudi-Syrian Efforts To Defuse Tension Increase: THE DAILY STAR

Hussein Dakroub | 11/22/10

“Saudi-Syrian attempts to break the Lebanese political deadlock over the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) appeared over the weekend to be in a race against time over the STL’s impending indictment into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.” EVIDENCE MOUNTS: “A Lebanese police officer and U.N. investigators unearthed extensive circumstantial evidence implicating the Syrian-backed Hezbollah movement in the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, according to an investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp,” Colum Lynch (Washington Post) reports.

Qaeda Branch Aimed for Broad Damage at Low Cost: NEW YORK TIMES

Scott Shane | 11/20/10

“In a detailed account of its failed parcel bomb plot last month, Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen said late Saturday that the operation cost only $4,200 to mount, was intended to disrupt global air cargo systems and reflected a new strategy of low-cost attacks designed to inflict broad economic damage.” OPINION: “In all the furor about the new TSA scanners and pat-downs at airports, what surprises me is that there is very little discussion of what exactly the inspectors are now looking for and why they are shifting tactics,” Juan Cole (Informed Comment) writes.

Saudi Prince Rebukes US Policy In Afghanistan: GLOBAL POST

Charles M. Sennott | 11/21/10

“In a wide-ranging interview with GlobalPost, Prince Turki, the longtime head of Saudi foreign intelligence, offered a bleak assessment of the Israeli-Palestinian talks, a firm rebuke of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan as ‘misguided’ and a grave warning that a U.S.-sponsored attack on Iran to take out its nuclear program would be “calamitous” for the Middle East and the world.” HARVARD: Prince Turki Al Faisal urged his country to assume a leadership role in mitigating Middle Eastern conflicts and maintaining regional stability during a speech at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics on Friday as part of Harvard Arab Weekend.

Saudi Airlines To Recruit Women Sales Staff: ARABIAN BUSINESS

11/21/10

“We will employ women as ticket sales ladies in all parts of the Kingdom from next year,” Saudi Airlines passenger services director, Saad Al Seuleiman, said in a statement to the local Saudi media.”

BBC’s Panorama Claims Islamic Schools Teach Antisemitism And Homophobia: GUARDIAN

Haroon Siddique | 11/22/10

“Children in Islamic schools are being taught antisemitic and homophobic views from textbooks, the BBC’s Panorama will claim tonight. A spokesman for the program said the pupils, aged six to 18, attend a network of more than 40 weekend schools across the country which teach the Saudi national curriculum to Muslim children.”

Indonesia’s Ban On Housemaids For Kingdom Not Yet Confirmed: ARAB NEWS

Walaa Hawari and Rodolfo Estimo | 11/22/10

“A source at the Indonesian Embassy said on Sunday no official action has been taken yet by Indonesian authorities regarding the proposal by the speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives to impose a moratorium on migrant workers to Saudi Arabia.”

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said Sunday that any American proposal for restarting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations must include East Jerusalem as part of a complete halt in Israeli settlement building,” Isabel Kershner (NYT) reports.  RELATED: Ariel, the fourth-largest Jewish settlement could prove to be one of the thorniest points of contention in border negotiations that the US hopes will boost stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, Joshua Mitnick (CSM) reports.

Iraq’s leaders met Sunday for only the fourth time since being elected in March and delayed for at least several more days the formation of a new government, Jack Healy and Yasir Ghazi (NYT) report.

CNN’s Barbara Starr sits down with General David Petraeus to discuss progress in Afghanistan. RELATED: Coalition and Afghan special operations forces killed a senior Taliban commander in western Afghanistan who was linked to both al Qaeda and Iran’s Qods Force, Bill Roggio (Long War Journal) reports.

Abu Dhabi’s hosting of the Formula 1 is an investment that “isn’t meant to make money, at least not now. It yields a reputational return that works in several ways,” writes Lara Setrakian (FP). “…More broadly, hosting a Grand Prix advances the city’s great ambition of developing high-end tourism and a sustainable economy based on more than oil.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.19.2010 EDITION

Saudis Acknowledge Their Role In Foiling Parcel-Bomb Plot: CNN

11/18/10

“Saudi Prince Khalid al Faisal acknowledged Thursday that Saudi Arabia alerted U.S. and European authorities to the presence of parcel bombs that were en route from Yemen.”

The Unifying Experience Of A Lifetime, Haj: The Poetry Of Prayers: ARAB NEWS

Syed Neaz Ahmad | 11/19/10

“Choked with emotion, drenched in devotion and drowned in supplication the artistry of a wordsmith fails to capture the beauty of the greatest congregational religious act of worship — the Haj.” PHOTOS: Foreign Policy magazine provides a photography slideshow: “The World Comes to Mecca.”

Mecca Development Promises Pilgrims Better Hajj: ASSOCIATED PRESS

11/19/10

“Saudi authorities have transformed the look of Mecca, Islam’s most sacred city, and are planning even more dramatic change in years to come. But much of the change has catered to high-end pilgrims, and critics say what is supposed to be an austere spiritual ritual bringing Muslims closer to God has turned into a luxury expedition for some.”

The Struggle over Religious Edicts in Saudi Arabia: BEGIN-SADAT CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES

Dr. Joshua Teitelbaum | 11/11/10

Recently, the Saudi Royals have moved to control the issuance of fatwas (religious edicts), restricting them to those appointed by the family as members of the Council of Senior Ulama. But the proliferation of media makes such control difficult, and it remains to be seen whether or not the regime can really stem the tide of independent, and very often problematic, fatwas.

U.S.’s $60 Billion Saudi Arms Sale Likely to Clear Congress, Berman Says: BLOOMBERG

Viola Gienger and Flavia Krause-Jackson | 11/18/10

“A proposed $60 billion U.S. weapons sale to Saudi Arabia will likely clear a congressional review, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman said.”

Saudi King Has More Medical Tests, Told To Rest: REUTERS

Ulf Laessing | 11/18/10

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz was admitted to hospital on Friday because of complications in a back condition he is suffering from and doctors have advised him to continue resting, the state news agency said.

Energy: The Pros and Cons of Shale Gas Drilling: CBS 60 MINUTES

11/14/10

“Natural gas has always been the ugly stepchild of our national energy debate, never enjoying the political muscle of oil and coal, and never capturing the imagination like solar panels and wind farms. And to top it all off, it was in short supply. But that is changing, and now this stepchild is being touted as the hope of the future – the answer to our energy problems.”

Hoax Threat At Texas Schools Linked To Saudi Youth: HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Associated Press | 11/19/10

Williamson County, Texas authorities believe a juvenile in Saudi Arabia randomly targeted an Austin-area school with an Internet-linked bomb hoax.

“Iran tested a new air-defense system and stepped up its anti-West rhetoric Thursday on the eve of NATO’s annual meeting in Lisbon,” Scott Peterson (Christian Science Monitor) reports. OBAMA IN PORTUGAL: President Barack Obama is “stepping back onto the world stage for two days of meetings in Europe, where his personal popularity hasn’t shielded him from skepticism over his policies,” AP reports. OPINION: Another four years of war in Afghanistan for NATO “is far too long, but at least the administration is talking about an end point,” Robert Dreyfuss (The Nation) writes.

The United States is “beefing up its firepower in Afghanistan by employing heavily armored tanks in Afghanistan for the first time in the nine-year war,” CNN reports.

Regarding the package of U.S. incentives likely to be offered Israel in exchange for a 90 day settlement moratorium, a U.S. official has said Secretary of State Clinton will request that East Jerusalem is not exempted from the deal, Tom Kutsch (FP) reports.

Paul Waldman (American Prospect) writes that despite the headlines in the major market newspapers, the conviction of Ahmed Ghailani, who was implicated in the 1998 Kenya embassy bombing, is nevertheless a victory for efforts to try terrorism suspects in US federal courts. “So to review: We caught this guy; we tortured him; we put him on trial; although we couldn’t use the evidence we got from torturing him, we still convicted him. Not only that, he’s one of nearly 400 suspects we’ve convicted of terrorism-related charges in civilian courts since September 11. And the lesson is supposed to be that we shouldn’t be putting suspected terrorists on trial?”RELATED: If you rely on headlines and partisan politicians for news, you’d be forgiven for believing that the just-concluded civilian trial of former Guantanamo detainee, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, was, as Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) described, “a total miscarriage of justice.” It wasn’t — certainly not in the way King and others may mean,” Daniel Freedman (Politico) writes.  RELATED: “For many on the right, though, [the one conviction] is not enough. In their eyes the case revealed the pitfalls of trying terrorism detainees in civilian courts….It is not apparent what was lost by inserting Mr Ghailani into the civilian justice system, or what would’ve been gained by sitting him before a military commission,” the Economist writes. RELATED: “The real problem was never that Mr. Ghailani was tried in civilian court but that so much of the evidence against him was tainted as a result of the CIA’s having held him in secret prisons around the world and torturing him for years after he was captured in Pakistan in 2004,” the Baltimore Sun writes.

“Few Americans cast their ballot in the recent mid-term elections on the basis of foreign policy. While it may be difficult for people around the world to comprehend this, given the global reach of the United States, it is an undeniable fact,” writes Richard N. Haass (Council on Foreign Relations). “But the fact that foreign policy did not materially affect the November elections does not mean that the results will not affect US foreign policy. They will, but in ways that are inconsistent and even surprising.” ARMS VOTE: “Just two weeks after an election that left him struggling to find his way forward, President Obama has decided to confront Senate Republicans in a make-or-break battle over arms control that could be an early test of his mettle heading into the final two years of his term.

“Iran tested a new air-defense system and stepped up its anti-West rhetoric Thursday on the eve of NATO’s annual meeting in Lisbon,” Scott Peterson (Christian Science Monitor) reports. OBAMA IN PORTUGAL: President Barack Obama is “stepping back onto the world stage for two days of meetings in Europe, where his personal popularity hasn’t shielded him from skepticism over his policies,” AP reports. OPINION: Another four years of war in Afghanistan for NATO “is far too long, but at least the administration is talking about an end point,” Robert Dreyfuss (The Nation) writes.

The United States is “beefing up its firepower in Afghanistan by employing heavily armored tanks in Afghanistan for the first time in the nine-year war,” CNN reports.

Regarding the package of U.S. incentives likely to be offered Israel in exchange for a 90 day settlement moratorium, a U.S. official has said Secretary of State Clinton will request that East Jerusalem is not exempted from the deal, Tom Kutsch (FP) reports.

Paul Waldman (American Prospect) writes that despite the headlines in the major market newspapers, the conviction of Ahmed Ghailani, who was implicated in the 1998 Kenya embassy bombing, is nevertheless a victory for efforts to try terrorism suspects in US federal courts. “So to review: We caught this guy; we tortured him; we put him on trial; although we couldn’t use the evidence we got from torturing him, we still convicted him. Not only that, he’s one of nearly 400 suspects we’ve convicted of terrorism-related charges in civilian courts since September 11. And the lesson is supposed to be that we shouldn’t be putting suspected terrorists on trial?”RELATED: If you rely on headlines and partisan politicians for news, you’d be forgiven for believing that the just-concluded civilian trial of former Guantanamo detainee, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, was, as Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) described, “a total miscarriage of justice.” It wasn’t — certainly not in the way King and others may mean,” Daniel Freedman (Politico) writes.  RELATED: “For many on the right, though, [the one conviction] is not enough. In their eyes the case revealed the pitfalls of trying terrorism detainees in civilian courts….It is not apparent what was lost by inserting Mr Ghailani into the civilian justice system, or what would’ve been gained by sitting him before a military commission,” the Economist writes. RELATED: “The real problem was never that Mr. Ghailani was tried in civilian court but that so much of the evidence against him was tainted as a result of the CIA’s having held him in secret prisons around the world and torturing him for years after he was captured in Pakistan in 2004,” the Baltimore Sun writes.

“Few Americans cast their ballot in the recent mid-term elections on the basis of foreign policy. While it may be difficult for people around the world to comprehend this, given the global reach of the United States, it is an undeniable fact,” writes Richard N. Haass (Council on Foreign Relations). “But the fact that foreign policy did not materially affect the November elections does not mean that the results will not affect US foreign policy. They will, but in ways that are inconsistent and even surprising.” ARMS VOTE: “Just two weeks after an election that left him struggling to find his way forward, President Obama has decided to confront Senate Republicans in a make-or-break battle over arms control that could be an early test of his mettle heading into the final two years of his term.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.18.10 EDITION

Extremists Represent No One But Themselves: King: ARAB NEWS

11/18/10

“The terror that threatens the world is attributed to Muslims while it is caused by extremists who are outside the scope of the tolerant religion of Islam. The perpetrators of terror represent none but themselves even though they appear in the guise of Islam, which is, in fact, far away from them.”

Saudi Arabia Less Rigid With Muslims During Hajj: REUTERS

Ulf Laessing | 11/18/10

“Saudi Arabia’s religious police keep such a low profile during the haj, it’s hard to imagine that you are in Islam’s holiest city.” RAIN: “Rain soaked crowds of Muslim pilgrims and lightning flashed Thursday as they performed some of the final rituals of the annual hajj, stoning symbols of the devil and circling the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site,” Sarah El Deeb (AP) reports. SUCESSFUL HAJJ: “By any standards it has been an extremely successful Haj. Unlike in previous years, there have been no tragedies — no stampedes, no fires, no accidents, no injuries — nothing untoward other than cases of pilgrim exhaustion. That is quite remarkable.” PHOTOGRAPHS: National Geographic shares pictures of the new “Mecca Metro.”

Saudi Aramco To Go Solo On Power: MEED

11/2010

“A Plan to build a series of power plants for itself in the kingdom will reduce burden on state utility.” VAST SOLAR POTENTIAL: “The vast potential for solar energy in the Kingdom was the subject of the Saudi Solar Energy Forum held recently at the Saudi Aramco Conference Center Plaza,” Saudi Gazette reports.

Saudi King Names Son National Guard Chief: AFP

11/17/10

“Saudi King Abdullah named his son Prince Mitaeb bin Abdullah a member of the council of ministers and head of the national guard on Wednesday, the kingdom’s second army commanded from the palace.”

Saudi King Jokes About His Ailment: EMIRATES 24/7

11/18/10

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia poured praise on women while joking about his ailment when he received local officials and citizens coming to wish him well. “Some people say it is a slipped disc and others says it is a women’s nerve……we have not seen but only good things from women…I have no idea where did this nerve come from but I think it is a bad one….thank you for coming here and for your concern about my health.”

US Religious Freedom Report Faults Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia: VOICE OF AMERICA

11/17/10

“A State Department report on religious freedom world-wide Wednesday listed Iran, North Korea and U.S. Gulf ally, Saudi Arabia, as among the worst violators of religious rights.”

Abusive Employer Will Be Punished, Saudi Ambassador Says: JAKARTA POST

Erwida Maulia | 11/18/10

“Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia Abdulrahman Al-Khayyat reiterated Thursday his country’s commitment to protecting Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, including ensuring that legal action would be taken against the employer of Sumiati, who allegedly tortured the Indonesian maid.”

A BBC News documentary about the killing of Rafiq Hariri has been pulled from the airwaves amid looming tensions in Beirut over expectations that Hezbollah operatives are about to be accused of involvement in the killing, Ian Black (Guardian).

After repeated attacks on Christians in Iraq, including last month’s siege on a church which left 58 dead, many followers of the faith are leaving Iraq because they do not feel safe, report Leila Fadel and Ali al-Qeisy (Washington Post). “Since the attack, Christian homes across the capital have been hit by bombs, two Christian men were killed in Mosul and Christian families have made their way out of the country or fled to the much safer northern Iraq, where Kurdish security forces control the area.”

An Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian militant and his brother in their car in Gaza on Wednesday, Fares Akram (NYT) reports.

Prominent Egyptian blogger and Activist Abdel Kareem Nabil has been released from prison after he was jailed for four years for writings deemed insulting to Islam and for calling President Hosni Mubarak ‘a symbol of tyranny,’ AP reports.

“Iran said Wednesday that unidentified foreign planes violated its airspace six times as the country began its biggest air-defense drill ever, but that the intruders were intercepted and forced back by Iranian jets,” AP reports.

Liam Stack (CSM) tells the story of one Palestinian man who turned the Gaza blockade into a business opportunity. “Ahmed Ramlawy’s plastics company survived Israel’s Gaza blockade by buying garbage at $395 a ton and turning it into products all Gazans need, like trash bags.”

“For the peace process to lead to a two-state solution, it must overcome two major obstacles. First, there is a deep division in the Palestinian ranks that makes it difficult for them to negotiate and impossible for them to carry out any agreement,” Nathan Brown (FP) writes. “Second, Israel is deeply entrenched in all aspects of the West Bank, making withdrawal politically extremely difficult.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.17.2010 EDITION

Hajj 2010: BOSTON GLOBE

11/16/10

An extraordinary collection of photos from the 2010 Hajj.

Technology Revolutionizes Communication In Haj: ARAB NEWS

Syed Faisal Ali | 11/17/10

“Here comes 2010, and today’s pilgrims needn’t worry about forgetting any of their prayer manuals. There’s an app for that. It covers everything from what pilgrims should pack to what they’re allowed to do while on the pilgrimage. And if you forget any of your prayers, don’t worry. The MP3 audio files have you covered.” RITUALS: “While more than a billion Muslims around the world celebrated Eid today, those gathered in the Al-Masha’er district of Saudi Arabia proceeded with their hajj rituals – throwing pebbles at vast pillars, shaving their heads and sacrificing animals,” writes Riazat Butt (Guardian). RECORD NUMBER: A “record number” of pilgrims preformed the Hajj in Saudi Arabia this year, totaling about 2.8 million individuals, Nasdaq/Zawya reports. JAMRAT BRIDGE: Many of the nearly three million pilgrims expressed their happiness at the spacious new Jamrat Bridge and expansion along the Masa’a area in the Grand Mosque,” Arab News reports.

Gulf States Aim To Go Beyond Oil – Which Sectors Have Real Economic Potential?: ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

11/16/10

“The Gulf Co-Operation Council – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE – is one of the most oil-dependent regions in the world. A new Economist Intelligence Unit report, sponsored by the Qatar Financial Centre Authority, presents a detailed and frank analysis of how the structure of the GCC economies is (and isn’t) likely to change over the next decade.” CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER.

For Saudis, Biggest Challenge Is Getting to Play at All: NEW YORK TIMES

Katherine Zoepf | 11/17/10

After the 18-year-old Saudi equestrian Dalma Malhas won a bronze medal in show jumping at the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in August, she was singled out for praise by Jacques Rogge, chairman of the International Olympic Committee, in a news conference at the Games’ conclusion…The reaction in Malhas’s conservative Muslim homeland —where athletics for women are seen in some quarters as immodest, even immoral — has been far more complicated.”

Saudi King ‘Fine’ After Slipped Disc: AFP

11/17/10

“Saudi Arabia’s 86-year-old King Abdullah said he is in good health in a television appearance on Wednesday, a week after doctors told him to rest due to a herniated disc.”

Boeing In The Middle East: GULF NEWS

Saifur Rahman | 11/17/10

“Today, the Middle East is home to an estimated 446 Boeing planes that represent every single type of jetliner it has built to date. Every month a few Boeing planes are joining the growing fleets of the Gulf carriers — Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, Qatar Airways, Oman Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines.”

HRW Deplores Lashing Sentence For Saudi Journalist: AFP

11/15/10

“Human Rights Watch on Monday urged Saudi Arabia to overturn a sentence of 50 lashes against a journalist who had reported on a protest against electricity cuts.”

In Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki “sat in a gilded chair Tuesday at the start of the three-day Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice,” writes Ned Parker as the writer notes that the imagery evokes memories of dictatorial rule. “Politicians came in their elegant dark suits; sheiks approached in their brown robes; generals marched in crisp uniforms, emblazoned with swords and epaulets. All kissed him twice on both cheeks. And Maliki smiled and whispered into their ears, or chuckled.”

Israel is reportedly planning to withdraw from a border town, eliminating a longstanding point of contention between the Israelis and Palestinians, Isabel Kershner (NYT) reports. “Ghajar, a far-flung village of pastel-colored houses, has had a complicated history, sitting at a volatile juncture where the borders of regional rivals Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet.”

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, “reiterating his long-standing opposition to a military attack on Iran, said Tuesday that new sanctions led by the Obama administration are causing divisions within the Iranian leadership,” Glenn Kessler (Washington Post) reports.

Syrian bloggers and reporters are “bracing for a fresh blow to Middle East press freedom,” writes Sarah Birke (CSM). “A Syrian law awaiting parliamentary approval is one of a raft of measures across the region to clamp down on a surge in Internet activity over the past decade.”

Germany said on Wednesday it had “firm evidence Islamist militants were planning attacks in the next two weeks and ordered increased security at potential targets including train stations and airports,” MSNBC reports.

Mickey Bergman and  Rafael D. Frankel (Middle East Channel) provide a “Plan B” for the Middle East. “The Obama administration must have a contingency plan in place that it can move to implement in the case peace talks breakdown. Such a plan should be based on the following principles: in consultation with the Quartet, the US should undertake dual bi-lateral negotiations with Israel and the Palestinians separately. The negotiations would aim to reach separate agreements between the US-Quartet and the respective parties on the core issues: permanent borders, security, Jerusalem and refugees. The parameters of each agreement will likely resemble those proposed by President Clinton following the 2000 Camp David summit.”

“When NATO allies volunteered military units to assist the United States in rooting out al-Qaida’s infrastructure in Afghanistan after 9/11, they figured they’d be home in a few months. Had their governments known that their troops would be in Afghanistan for a decade, they would have stayed home,” writes Arnaud de Borchgrave (Atlantic Council).

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.16.2010 EDITION

Saudi Arabia Modernizes Mecca for Muslim Pilgrims: NPR

Renee Montagne | 11/16/10

NPR interviews author Riazat Butt (Guardian) about how Saudi Arabia is modernizing Mecca for a better Hajj experience. RELATED: Butt writes in the Guardian that “The arid landscape hugging the Jeddah-Mecca highway used to hold little appeal. But now travellers can marvel at the fantastical structure rearing out of the otherwise unforgiving landscape, clearly visible from 25 miles away.” HAJJ SERMON: Grand Mufti of Saudi Arab Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh said on Monday that Islam is based on justice and equity, which admits of no terrorism, extremism and injustice, the Pakistan Times reports.  66K PASSENGERS: The newly built Mecca Metro carried 66,000 pilgrims on its first day of operation, Amjad Parkar (Arab News) reports. DIARY: Siraj Wahab (Arab News) provides a diary of Hajj experiences. RARE PHOTOS: “He was an adventurer, a scholar, and possibly a spy — but as Dutchman Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje proved with his rare 1885 photographs and sound recordings of Mecca, he was also a pioneering multimedia journalist,” Barry Neild (CNN) reports.

U.S. Pursues Wider Role in Yemen: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Adam Entous, Julian E. Barnes, and Margaret Coker | 11/16/10

“For now, the U.S. gets much of its on-the-ground intelligence from a growing partnership with Saudi Arabia, which shares a border with Yemen and has a fruitful informant network in Yemen’s tribal areas.”

Lawmakers Seek Conditions on Arms Sale To Saudis: LOS ANGELES TIMES

Paul Richter | 11/15/10

“House members aren’t likely to block the deal, officials said, but want conditions applied to try to prevent the weaponry from potentially being used against Israeli, U.S. or allied forces.”

Sri Lankan Maids Become Victims in Saudi Arabia: TIME

Amanda Perera | 11/16/10

The case of a Sri Lankan maid who sits on death row in Saudi Arabia illustrates the difficult time and widespread injustices that many foreign workers have in the Kingdom. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Human Rights Watch (HRW) is urging “Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to do more to protect domestic workers, citing fresh allegations that employers in the three Mideast nations abused their Sri Lankan maids,” Dale Gavlak (Washington Post) reports.

Spain, Saudi Arabia Talk Leopard Tanks: UPI

11/15/10

“Saudi Arabian designs to buy up to $7 billion worth of Spanish-made Leopard 2E tanks have yet to follow through despite the kingdom’s expressed interest.”

Hundreds Of Saudis To Study In Ireland In New Deal: ARABIAN BUSINESS

Shane McGinley | 11/16/10

“Hundreds of Saudi students are to be trained in colleges in Ireland as part of a new agreement between the Irish and Saudi government, an Irish minister has confirmed.”

Israelis Debate Swapping Settlements Freeze For U.S. Jets: MIAMI HERALD

Sheera Frenkel | McClatchy | 11/15/10

Israeli defense officials urged the government Monday to accept a new U.S.-drafted deal to freeze Jewish settlement building temporarily in exchange for a $3 billion military package, including a U.S. gift of 20 F-35 stealth fighter jets. ANALYSIS: “Call it a triumph of hope over experience,” writes Glenn Kessler (Washington Post). “The theory is that if the sides can establish the borders of a Palestinian state, and it is clear which settlements will become part of Israel and which will be dismantled, the issue of settlement expansion will fade in importance and the talks will keep going…This appears to be the last chance.” OPINION: “Any advance in the excruciatingly painful world of Arab-Israeli negotiations is significant,” writes Aaron David Miller (FP). “The Obama administration deserves much credit for keeping the Israelis, Palestinians, and key Arab states on board during some very tough times. The U.S. president has seized on this issue and isn’t giving up — a central requirement for success.”

“Afghan government officials sought Monday to contain damaging fallout from President Hamid Karzai’s criticism of the U.S. military’s use of special operation raids, insisting that the critique does not signal a deepening rift between strategic partners,” David Nakamura (Washington Post) reports. KANDAHAR: Kandahar is the “Taliban’s stronghold and target of an allied assault in Afghanistan,” writes Julius Cavendish (CSM), as he asks, Can NATO win hearts and minds as well as territory? OPINION: NATO’s effort to move the “sell by” date in Afghanistan to 2014 is, in policy terms, “called ‘kicking the can down the road,’” writes Stephen Walt (FP).

An Iranian shipment of weaponry disguised as building equipment was a “misunderstanding,” according to Iranian officials. The Associated Press reports that “Nigeria says the shipment of artillery rockets and other weapons, which were labeled as building supplies and found in Lagos, Nigeria, last month, may have been on the way to politicians who intend to use violence if they lose forthcoming elections.”

New research concludes that the Stuxnet computer worm that infiltrated industrial systems in Iran this fall may have been designed specifically to attack the country’s nuclear program, potentially crippling centrifuges used to enrich uranium gas,” Glenn Kessler (Washington Post) reports.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are “are in the market for some fancy new war toys” and plan to beef up missile capabilities to counter Iran, Meris Lutz (Babylon and Beyond).

A California woman has been arrested and “charged with conspiring to provide money and people to a Somali terrorist group to help carry out killings in the African nation, according to a federal indictment unsealed Monday,” Amy Forliti (AP) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.15.2010 EDITION

Millions Climb Mount Arafat In Hajj Pilgrimage: MSNBC

11/15/10

Nearly three million Muslims performing the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia began making their way up the rocky desert Mount Arafat on Monday, chanting that they have come to answer God’s call. PHOTOS: Scroll to the bottom of the MSNBC article for a photography slideshow of excellent pictures from the Hajj.  For more pictures, BBC News Middle East provides another excellent photography slideshow of the Hajj in pictures.  NEW TRAIN: Hoping to decrease accidents and boost tourism, “Saudi has built a railway line to improve transport for millions of Muslims who flock to the kingdom on the annual haj and moveen masse from one holy site to another,” Reuters reports.

King Abdullah Sidelined: SUSRIS

11/13/10

Doctors have recommended rest for King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz as treatment for a herniated disc according to a Royal Court statement yesterday. It said the announcement was consistent with the King’s “principle of transparency.”

Congressional Letter Questioning Saudi Arms Sales Gets 198 Signatures: FOREIGN POLICY

Josh Rogin | 11/12/10

A joint letter demanding more information about the Obama administration’s proposed $60 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia was sent to top administration officials on Friday with the signatures of 198 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.

Saudi Economists Call Fed Move ‘Golden Opportunity’ To De-Peg: ARAB NEWS

Sarah Abdullah | 11/12/10

With the US Federal Reserve’s recent decision to pump $600 billion into its economy as a stimulus to ward off increasing recessionary pressures, the question of whether Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states should keep their pegs to the US dollar has again taken center stage.

Saudis Support Stable Oil Price: VOICE OF AMERICA

Greg Flakus | 11/12/10

“While many energy analysts are predicting a sharp increase in oil prices in the coming months as a worldwide economic recovery takes hold and demand from China and India increases, Saudi Arabia says it will work to mitigate that rise. Saudi Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud says his country has the capacity to play that role for some decades to come.”

Saudi Arabia Defriends, Refriends Facebook: PC MAGAZINE

David Murphy | 11/13/10

“Officials in the country of Saudi Arabia officially blocked-and quickly restored-access to the world’s largest social network for its population of approximately 27 million people earlier today. According to officials, Facebook “crossed a line” against the country’s more conservative values.” ACCIDENTAL? Saudi Arabia’s Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has denied that Facebook was intentionally blocked in the Kingdom over the weekend,” Mark Sutton (ITP.net) reports.

Binladin Group Wins $7.2 Bln Jeddah Contract: AFP

11/15/10

“The Saudi Binladin Group has won a 27.1-billion-riyal (7.2-billion-dollar) deal to build a new terminal and infrastructure at Jeddah international airport, the Saudi airports authority announced on Sunday.”

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will ask cabinet ministers to support a U.S. proposal to extend restrictions on building in Jewish settlements for 90 days in exchange for a package of incentives from Washington,” Charles Levinson (WSJ) reports. “If approved by the Israeli government, the deal could help revive peace talks with the Palestinians, which collapsed at the end of September when a 10-month period of building restrictions expired and Israel refused to extend it.” RISKING CHAOS: Israel is “risking chaos” if peace talks fail because the Palestinian leadership could fall apart, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes (BBC News Middle East) reports, citing an Israeli intelligence official. 90-DAY BET: In an analysis, Ethan Bronner and Mark Landler (NYT) write that the “pledge by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to push for a new, one-time-only freeze of 90 days on settlement construction in the West Bank represents a bet by the Israelis and the Americans that enough can be accomplished so that the Palestinians will not abandon peace talks even after the freeze ends.”

In Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki now has until late December to form a cabinet, “a process expected to be nearly as difficult as agreeing on who would be prime minister,” Sahar Issa (CSM) reports.

At a recent round of the Doha Debates, audience members were asked whether they preferred democratic reforms or economic liberalization. Audience members voted overwhelmingly in favor of democratic reform before economic liberalization, Meris Lutz (Babylon and Beyond) reports.

At the 16th Asian Games in China, officials referred to the body of water separating Iran and Saudi Arabia as the “Arabian Gulf,” raising hackles of protest from Iran, Alexandra Sandels (LAT) reports.

The Obama administration has “developed a plan to begin transferring security duties in select areas of Afghanistan to that country’s forces over the next 18 to 24 months, with an eye toward ending the American combat mission there by 2014,” Peter Baker and Rod Nordland (NYT) report. DEADLY WEEKEND: “Nine security guards were killed and a Taliban rocket attack on a military base destroyed six armored vehicles in Afghanistan on Monday, after another deadly weekend for foreign forces and civilians,” AFP/Asharq Alawsat reports. CONTRACTOR LEAVES: “The failure of a construction company to finish six police stations in northern Afghanistan has created a swath of political and economic wreckage, undermining a central pillar of President Barack Obama’s plans for extracting America from a decade of war,” Dion Nissenbaum and Hashim Shukoor (McClatchy) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.12.2010 EDITION

Kingdom Can Play A Leading Role In G20: ARAB NEWS

John Sfakianakis | 11/11/10

“Having learned from the past, Saudi Arabia’s banking system weathered the crisis superbly, in many ways adopting liquidity and capital adequacy measures (18 percent as at 2009), non-performing loans at 3.3 percent which remains among the lowest in the world.”

Al-Qaida, Affiliates Show Greater Coordination: NPR

Dina Temple-Raston | 11/11/10

“As U.S. officials sift through the evidence — not just in the U.K. but in Dubai where a second package was discovered — they are becoming increasingly convinced that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen-based group known as AQAP that claimed responsibility for the plot, wasn’t working alone.”

Saudi Monetary Indicators – November 2010: SUSRIS

Pat Ryan | 11/12/10

The key findings for today’s report, drawn from September 2010 SAMA data, include: private sector credit growth made good month-on-month gains in September but lending momentum remained modest and public sector credit jumped almost 10% from August; the broad money supply growth rose to a seven-month high but it is not stoking inflation, which is likely to follow a downward course; SAMA foreign assets gained almost 11% year on year in September as oil prices above $75 support the Saudi fiscal position; and new letters of credit were the weakest of 2010 and consumer activity, represented by point-of-sale transactions and personal cheques, declined amid a slowdown partly linked to Ramadan and Eid.

Saudi Arabia Elected To UN Women’s Board: ARAB NEWS

11/12/10

Saudi Arabia has been elected to the board of a new UN agency to promote women’s welfare in the world. UN ABASSADOR SUSAN RICE: “I am not going to deny that there were several countries that are going to join the board of UN women that have less than stellar records on women’s rights, indeed human rights,” Rice said when asked about countries like the Saudi Arabia and Congo. The US was most focused on defeating Iran’s bid for the position.

Mecca Goes Upmarket But Commercialism Unnerves Some: REUTERS

Ulf Laessing | 11/12/10

“Millions have flocked to the city in Saudi Arabia for the annual haj pilgrimage, a duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it. But some can afford more than others, and a controversial construction boom is catering to their needs.” NO MORE SPACE: Most local Haj companies have stopped taking bookings because they have no more space for local pilgrims, Fouzia Khan (Saudi Gazette) reports. VIRTUAL HAJJ: It is now possible for “every Muslim to learn how to perform the Hajj or Umrah rituals correctly through the online virtual world of ‘Second Life’ before physically embarking on this spiritual journey in real life,” Mohamed Ajam (Asharq Alawsat) reports.

Saudis “Not Disturbed” by Dollar Drop – Saudi Royal: ABC NEWS

Bruce Nichols | 11/11/10

“Saudi Arabia is ‘not disturbed’ by the drop in the value of the dollar and remains satisfied with oil in the $70 to $80 range, Saudi prince Turki al-Faisal said on Thursday.”

Saudi Court Rejects Death For Lebanese ‘Sorcerer’ – Report: AFP

11/12/10

“Saudi Arabia’s high court has rejected the execution sentence of a Lebanese man convicted of sorcery and recommended that he be deported after a new trial, a newspaper reported Thursday.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met for seven hours to salvage stalled peace negotiations, Mark Landler (NYT) reports. “The length of the meetings — seven hours, including at least two hours in which Mr. Netanyahu and Mrs. Clinton met alone in a suite at the Loews Regency Hotel — suggested the two sides sensed an opportunity to break the deadlock that has stalled the negotiations since last month.” RELATED: “For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who yesterday rebutted Obama’s criticism of new building in E. Jerusalem, the debate may be a way of girding himself before agreeing to a new settlement freeze,” writes Joshua Mitnick (CSM). ISRAEL AND IRAN:  Jim Lobe comments that, “Less than a week after Republicans made major gains in the U.S. midterm elections, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has called on President Barack Obama to “create a credible threat of military action” against Iran.”

“Just a day after cutting a deal to end a lengthy impasse, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s main political rivals walked out of parliament Thursday, illustrating the perils facing a government being built despite a near-complete absence of trust,” report Ned Parker, Raheem Salman and Jaber Zeki (LAT).

A suicide car bomber has struck Kabul but no immediate casualties were reported, Patrick Quinn (AP) reports. “Although suicide bomb attacks are becoming commonplace in southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan, where NATO is fighting the Taliban, increased security has made them less frequent in the capital.”

“If the Obama administration is serious about confronting Iran, it must stand up for America’s allies in Lebanon,” writes Josh Block (Foreign Policy). “The risk of war is palpable, and if Hezbollah and its Iranian patrons — and their Syrian puppets — unseat the elected government and take control over Lebanon, it will be a grave blow to U.S. security and credibility around the world.” CLINTON WARNS HEZBOLLAH: “Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday warned Hezbollah against resorting to violence, saying the militant group cannot stop a UN court investigating the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister,” AP/JPost report.

“Ahead of President Obama’s December review of the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan, a new Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)-sponsored Independent Task Force report on U.S. Strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan finds that the current approach to the region is at a critical point…While the Task Force offers a qualified endorsement of the current U.S. effort in Afghanistan, including plans to begin a conditions-based military drawdown in July 2011, the Obama administration’s upcoming December 2010 review should be ‘a clear-eyed assessment of whether there is sufficient overall progress to conclude that the strategy is working.’”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.11.2010 EDITION

Saudi Arabia on Alert for Al-Qaida Attack on Hajj: ASSOCIATED PRESS

11/11/10

“Saudi Arabia is on alert for a possible al-Qaida attack next week during hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage that draws millions of worshippers to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the country’s interior minister said.” PRINCE NAIF: “We are ready for any act that might take place. God willing, none of that will happen, out of respect for these rites,” Arab News reports.

Transcript: Prince Sultan bin Salman: FINANCIAL TIMES

Abeer Allam | 11/11/10

“Abeer Allam, the Financial Times` Riyadh Correspondent interviewed HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, president of the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities, at his office in Riyadh.”

A Neo-Conservative Resurrection: ASHARQ ALAWSAT

Hussein Shobokshi | 11/11/10

“The extremist trend in the US right-wing includes dubious public figures who either strange or ridiculous, but they are all very influential and can guide people like a flock of sheep on their way to the slaughterhouse unconsciously.”

20,000 Health Officials Deployed To Serve Pilgrims: ARAB NEWS

MD Rasooldeen | 11/10/10

“The Ministry of Health has deployed over 17,000 health officials in Makkah, Madinah and ports of entry in western region to serve Haj pilgrims, ministry spokesman Khaled Al-Mirghalani told Arab News on Wednesday.”

Gulf to Keep Currency Peg to Dollar: Study: SAUDI GAZETTE

11/11/10

“Gulf currencies that are still pegged to the US dollar “are unlikely the currency regime”, Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank said in its latest study.”

Saudi Arabia Tests New Solar Cells Technology: SHORT NEWS

11/11/2010

KAUST “is testing new solar technology developed by BP which could potentially increase energy output from solar panels, especially in hot regions of the world.”

Obama Insists US Not at War With Islam: ARAB NEWS

REUTERS | 11/11/10

“President Barack Obama held up his boyhood home of Indonesia as an example to the Muslim world in a speech on Wednesday in which he said America was not at war with Islam but acknowledged it was hard to eradicate ‘years of mistrust.’”

Dazzling New Weapons Require New Rules For War: WASHINGTON POST

David Ignatius | 11/11/10

“The Saudis appealed to America for imagery from U.S. surveillance satellites in space, so they could target more precisely. Gen. David Petraeus, who was Centcom commander at the time, is said to have backed the Saudi request, but it was opposed by the State Department and others. They warned that intervening in this border conflict, even if only by providing targeting information, could violate the laws of war. So the Saudis turned elsewhere for help – to France, which has its own reconnaissance satellites.”

International Energy Agency says ‘peak oil’ has hit. Crisis averted?: CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

Stephen Kurczy | 11/11/10

“’Peak oil’ hit in 2006, and a future of declining oil production means that ‘the age of cheap oil is over,’ says the IEA’s chief economist.”

Saudi Women Conspicuous By Asiad Absence: AFP

11/11/10

“Saudi female athletes will again be conspicuous by their absence from the Asian Games that start on Saturday, having fallen foul of laws forbidding unrelated women and men mixing together.”

“Iraqi officials on Thursday welcomed a tentative agreement struck hours earlier to create a unity government embracing the country’s major ethnic and religious factions, ending an eight-month political impasse and returning Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to power for a second term as prime minister,” John Leland and Steven Lee Meyers (NYT) reports.

“The United States on Wednesday proved once again that it is a friend the Palestinian Authority can rely on in times of difficulty, at least economically. Politically, the Palestinians are not so sure,” Maher Abukhater (Babylon and Beyond) writes. “After a brief signing ceremony at Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s office in Ramallah, the U.S. forwarded to the Palestinian Authority $150 million for budget support.” STATEHOOD: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday “the United States does not support a unilateral move by Palestinians to declare a Palestinian state,” Jill Dougherty and Laurie Ure (CNN) report.

Nearly “75 percent of university graduates in the Emirates are women, according to research made public this month by Raja al-Gurg, a board member of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce,” reports Sara Hamdan (NYT). “Although this is one of the highest figures in the world, it was the same in 2007, and only 4 percent of local women were then employed in the private sector, according to government figures for that year, the latest available official data on women’s participation in the private work force. In contrast, the figures showed, women made up nearly 60 percent of the public sector work force.”

“Iran has failed to secure a seat on a board running a new United Nations women’s agency after the United States and its allies campaigned vigorously to make the Islamic Republic’s bid fail,” Al Jazeera reports. Saudi Arabia won a seat on the board.

Robert Dreyfuss (The Nation) notes that the November 2 elections giving Republicans control of the House is a boon for Netanyahu. “Noting that Netanyahu recently stepped up his rhetoric calling for a military attack on Iran, [Brookings Institution Vice President Martin] Indyk suggested that Netanyahu was sending an unsubtle signal to Republicans to start talking up the issue” of getting tough on Iran.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.10.2010 EDITION

Limited US Options in Yemen Raises Saudi Role: VOICE OF AMERICA

Elizabeth Arrott | 11/9/10

“The United States has been pursuing counterterrorist measures in Yemen for years, but extremists continue to find a safe haven in the impoverished Arab nation.  Their recent attempt to send bombs through air cargo packages was foiled reportedly with Saudi help, raising hope that Yemen’s neighbor to the north may be one of Washington’s best partners in tackling local terrorists.” RELATED: “Is Yemen the new Pakistan, which was the new Afghanistan, which was the new Saudi Arabia, which was the new Egypt for jihadists seeking to strike the West?” asks Rueul Marc Gerecht (The New Republic), in which he concludes that Pakistan “still has a clear jihadist edge—philosophically and operationally—over what’s developing in the land once called Arabia Felix.”

Remittance Flows to Developing Nations May Hit $440 Billion By Year End: ARAB NEWS

Walid Mazi | 11/10/10

“Saudi Arabia is among top five migrant destination countries from where remittance flows to developing countries are expected to reach $325 billion by this year end, a six percent increase over 2009, according to a report. Globally, remittances to developing countries, which have been a resilient source of external financing during the recent global financial crisis, are expected to hit $440 billion by the end of this year.”

12,000 American Muslims To Make Pilgrimage To Mecca: HUFFINGTON POST

Omar Sacirbey | 11/10/10

“Some 12,000 American Muslims are expected to join an estimated 2.5 million pilgrims in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca for the hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage that this year runs between Nov. 14 and 18.”

Obama: More Effort Needed To Improve Muslim Ties: YAHOO! NEWS

Olivia Rondonuwu and Sunanda Creagh | Reuters | 11/10/10

“President Barack Obama said on Wednesday much more needs to be done to repair frayed U.S. relations with the Muslim world in an acknowledgement of the difficulties in eradicating “years of mistrust.’”

China To Drive Energy Surge Through 2035: IEA: SAUDI GAZETTE

11/10/10

China will drive a surge in world energy demand over the next quarter century, as straining supply enhances OPEC’s oil market share and growing coal use undermines efforts to contain global warming, according to a report.

Kingdom’s Nonoil Exports Rise 15% In September: ARAB NEWS

Reuters | 11/7/10

The main exports were plastics and petrochemical products, which collectively amounted to 69 percent of all exports, bringing in 6.4 billion riyals, the data showed.

Saudi Women Eye Lingerie Shops In Battle Over Jobs: REUTERS

Asma Alsharif | 11/10/10

“The first thing Dalya does when entering a lingerie shop in Saudi Arabia is scan the area for men after an embarrassing encounter a year ago…”

Haqqani Network Facilitator Arrested On Plane Bound For Saudi Arabia: LONG WAR JOURNAL

Bill Roggio | 11/9/10

“Coalition and Afghan forces arrested a Haqqani Network weapons facilitator who was on an airplane destined for Saudi Arabia today.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “clashed publicly with President Obama on Tuesday over Israeli construction in disputed East Jerusalem, throwing a teetering Mideast peace effort deeper in doubt,” Christi Parsons and Paul Richter (LAT) report. “Responding to criticism from Obama, Netanyahu struck a defiant tone in commenting on plans to build 1,300 more Jewish housing units in East Jerusalem, saying his government had never agreed to limit construction in the city.” OPINION: “In the year and a half that Netanyahu has been in power, he has professed a keen desire to negotiate peace with the Palestinians,” writes Robert Danin (CFR/LAT), “but his vision for that peace remains a mystery.” GAZA: Is the easing of Israel’s Gaza blockade hurting Gaza businesses? “Israel’s lifting of the Gaza blockade allows Israeli goods into Gaza, but has not allowed Gazan manufacturers to import raw materials or export goods,” writes Kristen Chick (CSM).

“A White House review of the Afghan war will help President Barack Obama decide just how fast to withdraw U.S. troops and hand over responsibility to Afghan security forces,” Reuters/NYT reports.

Former President George W. Bush “confirms in his memoir that the target of a 2007 Israeli airstrike was a Syrian nuclear reactor and suggests he quietly approved — a revelation with special relevance at a time when Israel is calling for a ‘military option’ against Iran’s nuclear program,” AP reports. UN INVESTIGATIONS: “The head of the United Nations atomic watchdog said he is open to demanding intrusive new inspections of alleged Syrian nuclear sites, signaling a potential hardening of the international community’s position,” Jay Solomon (WSJ) reports.

“Major military campaigns mounted by the United States under the rubric of the ‘global war on terror’ have turned out to be grossly counter-productive for achieving the ostensible goals of those campaigns,” write Flynt and Hilllary Mann Leverett (Race for Iran Blog).

France has welcomed about three dozen survivors of last month’s brutal attack on a Baghdad church, and they have been given temporary status as asylum seekers, CNN reports.

“Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi has ordered the  release of 20 detained journalists working for media outlets affiliated with his reform-minded son amid apparent rising tensions between moderates and the nation’s old guard,” Alexandra Sandels (Babylon and Beyond) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.9.2010 EDITION

Saudi Arabia Seeks $500 Billion Investment in Energy, Transport, Education: BLOOMBERG

Arif Sharif | 11/8/10

“Saudi Arabia…has $500 billion in investment opportunities in energy, transportation and education, according to the state-run body that promotes investments.”

Saudi Mega Cities Challenge the Private Sector: ARAB NEWS

Mohamed Ramady | 11/8/10

“Compared with some other Arab economies hard hit by the global financial downturn, there is a mood of quiet optimism in Saudi Arabia and consumer confidence indexes reveal that Saudi citizens believe they will not be as badly affected as other countries worldwide.”

Saudi Arabia Awards $4.2 Billion in Water, Power Contracts, SPA Reports: BLOOMBERG

Mourad Haroutunian and Glen Carey | 11/9/10

“Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer, has awarded two contracts valued at 15.7 billion riyals ($4.2 billion) for construction of a power station and a desalination plant in Ras Al Zour…”

Saudi Arabia Halts Afghan Mediation: NEW YORK TIMES

Associated Press | 11/7/10

“Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister says Riyadh has halted mediation efforts between the Afghan government and the Taliban because the fundamentalist movement has refused to break ties with al-Qaida.” RELATED: “Saudi Arabia’s unexpected withdrawal from is role in peace talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Taliban has jeopardized prospects for an early end to the bloody fighting in Afghanistan,” reports Farhan Bokhari (CBS News).

Khaled Wins WTA’s ‘Leading Personality Of The Year’ Award: SAUDI GAZETTE

11/9/10

Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, has won the prestigious “Leading Personality of the Year” award by London-based World Travel Awards (WTA) for his “development of religious tourism in the Holy City of Makkah, and his pioneering philanthropic work for the King Faisal Foundation.”

Obama’s New Bid to Engage the Muslim World: BBC NEWS

Roger Hardy | 11/8/10

Since Obama’s speech in Cairo, “the mood has changed. Recent polls show that, in key parts of the Muslim world, his credibility has slumped. Now he has a second chance to return to some of the themes he set out in Cairo.”

Local Press: Housing Shortage is a Problem of Perception: ARAB NEWS

Abdullah Bajubair | 11/8/10

“The annual shortage of housing units in the Kingdom was put at 150,000. Despite ongoing efforts to build more housing units, the shortage shows no signs of abating but rather increasing. So, what is the actual underlying problem?” RELATED: Reuters reports on a Banque Saudi Fransi analysis that notes, “Housing and land prices in Saudi Arabia continue to rise as a growing population and expectations of a long-awaited mortgage law drive demand.”

Iran And Saudi Arabia Bid For Global Gender Policy Role: BBC NEWS

Barbara Plett | 11/9/10

“Iran and Saudi Arabia may get seats on the board of a new UN super-agency to promote women’s rights, prompting outrage from human rights and women’s activists.”

‘Cashiers’ Fatwa Seemingly Inconsistent With Previous Edicts: SAUDI GAZETTE

11/9/10

“Fatwas previously issued by the Permanent Committee of Iftaa and certified by the former Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz, appear to be inconsistent with a fatwa issued by the Committee last week deeming women working as cashiers impermissible in Shariah, Al-Hayat Arabic daily reported Sunday.”

“Israel has published plans for some 1,000 new housing units in a hotly contested area of Jerusalem, advancing the approval process at a delicate time when the United States is pressing Israel to renew a freeze in settlement construction and get stalled peace negotiations with the Palestinians back on track,” Isabel Kershner (NYT) reports. PALESTINIAN RESPONSE: “Raising the stakes in the deadlock over stalled peace talks, Saeb Erekat said it was clear from the latest announcement of building plans in East Jerusalem and Ariel that Israel wants settlements, not peace,” reports Reuters/Haaretz. Palestinian leaders are moving to declare immediate statehood. PRESIDENT OBAMA: The US President criticized Israel’s latest settlement activity, saying “this kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations.” OPINION: “Incredibly, last night Vice President Joe Biden again offered up the “no daylight” formulation in a major speech to a Jewish organization in New Orleans,” writes MJ Rosenberg (TPM Café). “And, guess what, the Netanyahu government responded a few hours later by insulting him and the United States in precisely the same way it did in March. It announced another thousand new settlement units in East Jerusalem.”

“In what is likely to be a boon for Gen. David Petraeus, commander of international forces in Afghanistan, a new survey shows that for the second year in a row an increasing number of Afghans believe the country is ‘moving in the right direction,’” Tom A. Peter (CSM) reports.  RELATED: Near Kandahar in Afghanistan, Army Capt. Davitt Broderick’s company of about 100 soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division “is being watched not only by the Taliban but by the U.S. military command up the ranks to Gen. David Petraeus” to measure its successes in one of the most violent areas of the nation, writes Tom Bowman (NPR).

“In his first major interview since leaving office, former president George W. Bush defended the most controversial aspects of his tenure – including the use of waterboarding against terrorism suspects and the invasion of Iraq,” Anne E. Kornblut (Washington Post) reports. OPINION: Foreign Policy’s Stephen Walt provides a critique of the Bush memoir, Decision Points. “George W. Bush’s presidency really was that bad — and the fact that Obama has largely followed the same course is less a measure of Bush’s wisdom than a reminder of the depth of the hole he dug his country into, as well as the institutionalized groupthink that dominates the U.S. foreign-policy establishment.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that the United States is “open to the idea of keeping troops in Iraq past a deadline to leave next year if Iraq asks for it,” Anne Gearan (AP) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.8.2010 EDITION

Saudi Arabia Urges Strengthening of Global Anti-Terrorism Cooperation: BLOOMBERG

Glen Carey | 11/6/10

“The latest success in halting ‘many terrorist attacks’ confirmed ‘effective cooperation’ in the fight against terrorism, Prince Saud al-Faisal, the kingdom’s foreign minister, said today in a press conference. This will ‘prompt us to strengthen it, especially in exchange of information among countries.’” RELATED: The United States received intelligence from Saudi Arabia early last month about a possible terror plot involving the use of at least one airplane, a U.S. counterterrorism official told CNN on Saturday.

U.S. Deploying Drones In Yemen To Hunt For Al-Qaeda, Has Yet To Fire Missiles: WASHINGTON POST

Greg Miller, Greg Jaffe and Karen DeYoung: 11/6/10

“The United States has deployed Predator drones to hunt for al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen for the first time in years but has not fired missiles from the unmanned aircraft because it lacks solid intelligence on the insurgents’ whereabouts, senior U.S. officials said.”

Saudi Airlines Buys Boeing Planes: YAHOO! NEWS

11/7/10

“Saudi Arabian Airlines ordered 12 Boeing 777-300 “Extended Range” (ER) planes for $3.3 billion, in addition to eight 787 Dreamliners, Boeing said on Sunday.”

Saudi Arabia Finds First Pharaoh Artifact Dating To Ramses III: ARABIAN BUSINESS

Bloomberg | 11/7/10

“The artifact had a hieroglyphic inscription of a signature from Ramses III, a king who ruled ancient Egypt between 1192 and about 1160 BC, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities said in statement on its website today. The object was found near Taima oasis in Tabuk province, it said.”

Saudi Inflation Rate Eases To 5.8%: ZAWYA

11/7/10

Saudi Arabia’s annual inflation rate slowed slightly to 5.8 percent in October even as food and beverages prices rose, but monthly inflation stayed at 0.5 percent for the third month in a row, the Central Department of Statistics said on its website Saturday.

The Saudi Women Labour Issue: ASHARQ ALAWSAT

Mshari Al-Zaydi | 7/11/10

“With regards to the issue of Saudi women and work, there are facts, opinions, and interpretations.”

Smokers Fined At Jeddah Airport:  ARAB NEWS

Diana Al-Jassem | 11/8/10

“Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation and chairman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), issued the ban. Airports across the Kingdom were asked to implement it starting Dul Hijjah 1 (Nov. 7).”

The Road To Victory In The War On Terror Passes Through Riyadh: ARAB NEWS

S. Rob Sobhani | 11/7/10

“The vital role Saudi Arabia played in saving American lives brings us full circle, one year before the 10th anniversary of the horrific Sept. 11 terrorist attack.”

Saudi Oil Policy Still $70 To $80 Barrel – Official: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Zawya | 11/8/10

“Saudi Arabia’s view that $70 to $80 a barrel is a good price range for consumers and producers is still unchanged, and the country is not worried about a weaker U.S. dollar, Ali Al Naimi said Monday.”

Iran has “agreed to talks with the United States and other world powers on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, provided negotiations take place in neighboring Turkey,” Bouzou Daragahi (LAT) reports.  RELATED: Thomas Erdbrink (Washington Post) writes that “Members of Iran’s middle class are already bearing the brunt of U.S. and European sanctions intended to curtail the country’s nuclear weapons program. But in the coming weeks they expect to be hit again, when the cost of gasoline, bread, electricity and other staples are set to increase to market levels, with some prices possibly rising as much as tenfold. While the rural poor will be partly compensated by direct cash handouts from the state, many in Iran’s cities will have to fend for themselves.” RELATED: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says the sanctions are working. “We know that they are concerned about the impact of the sanctions. The sanctions are biting more deeply than they anticipated, and we are working very hard at this,” CNN reports.

“In a place as volatile as Lebanon, it can be hard to say what particular event or accusation will be the spark needed to ignite existing tensions and send the whole country and possibly the region up in flames,” Meris Lutz (Babylon and Beyond) reports. “As the anticipated indictments of some of its members draw closer, Hezbollah has drawn a clear line in the sand for its political rivals in government: civil peace or the tribunal investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.”

Interest in serving in Israel’s military is waning among young Israelis. “Now, the Israel Defense Forces’ position as the country’s most venerated institution appears to be slipping,” writes Janine Zacharia (Washington Post). “While service is compulsory for most young men and women, a growing minority is avoiding conscription, leaving planners to worry the military won’t have the troops it says it needs.”

President Obama has endorsed a permanent Security Council seat for India, Christi Parsons (Chicago Tribune) writes.

Iraqi political leaders “met Monday for the first time since March elections in a new push to break the eight-month deadlock over forming a new government,” Yahya Barzanji (AP) reports.

“As part of the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, a federal judge in New Orleans recently created a security zone around the collapsed rig, the legal equivalent of taking yellow police tape and draping it around the watery crime scene,” Carrie Johnson (NPR) reports. The Justice department considers investigating the oil spill a “top priority.”
/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.5.2010 EDITION

The Most Powerful People On Earth: FORBES

HRH King Abdullah ranks 3^rd in the world in Forbes’ powerful people index.

Saudi Help Averted Bombing Disaster: DALLAS MORNING NEWS

11/4/10

“What’s indisputable is that extensive cooperation between U.S. and Saudi Arabian intelligence agencies led to the bombs’ interception…Even with expensive new measures, nothing can substitute for the active, ongoing participation from Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-world countries in fighting the radicals in their midst.”

Saudi Prince Rules Out Engagement With Israel Until Arab Land Is Returned: WASHINGTON POST

Glenn Kessler | 11/4/10

“Saudi Arabia will refuse to ‘directly or indirectly engage Israel’ until it leaves all land captured during the 1967 Six-Day War, a leading member of the Saudi royal family said Thursday, dashing any hopes the Obama administration might have had for rapprochement before a final peace deal.”

The Shifting Sands of Saudi Real Estate: BLOOMBERG

Zainab Fattah | 11/4/10

“New rules may loosen the country’s mortgage market and bring homeownership to the masses.”

Saudi Business Reform: Not There Yet: FINANCIAL TIMES

Abeer Allam | 11/4/10

“Saudi Arabia is the easiest place to do business in the Arab world, according to the World Bank’s latest rankings. Globally, the kingdom is now ranked 11th out of 183 countries – two places up from last year, and 57 places up since 2004. That’s a source of pride for the country’s General Investment Authority (Sagia). Yet the World Bank’s criteria focus on local business, not foreign investment. Multinational companies must still meet licensing requirements before they can even enter Saudi Arabia. And legal processes still need further reform.”

Arms for the King and His Family: The U.S. Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia: JERUSALEM CENTER FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS

11/4/10

JCPA analyzes the US arms sale to Saudi Arabia. “SANG, headed by King Abdullah and his sons, is slated to be particularly blessed with 156 new helicopters, significantly increasing its mobility and attack capabilities. Abdullah has significantly upgraded the SANG, which amounts to the personal militia of his family faction.”

No Quick Fixes: THE ECONOMIST

11/4/10

“Just as mist often cloaks its spiky mountain peaks, Yemen tends to fade from outsiders’ view until an alarming event there commands sudden interest. The foiling of al-Qaeda’s Halloween plot to sneak two parcel bombs onto aircraft bound for America is just such an attention-grabber.” AUDIO DISCUSSION: NPR’s Talk of the Nation program discusses AQAP in Yemen.

Oil Eases From 6-Month Highs: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Sarah Kent |11/5/10

Crude-oil futures were slightly off the six-month highs reached Thursday, as pressure on the U.S. dollar eased and stock markets faltered. However, traders continued to targeting $90 a barrel, set as an upper range by the Saudi oil minister earlier in the week, and any further dollar weakness could push prices higher still.

“Worried that the administration is moving toward an endgame in Afghanistan – through troop withdrawals, negotiations or both – other countries in the region have stepped up efforts to protect security and economic interests that might conflict with those of the United States,” Karen DeYoung (Washington Post) reports. RELATED: “Scribbled notes from Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar have surfaced in mosques all over Afghanistan’s ethnic Pashtun heartland, threatening death to anyone who takes up a government offer to negotiate for peace,” AP reports.

Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) interviews Iyad Allawi, a secular politician who is Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s main rival for power in Iraq. Allawi “warned in an interview with The Times this week that the country’s security situation is likely to worsen after coordinated bombings killed 113 people in the capital Tuesday and extremists massacred 58 people in a siege of a Baghdad church two days earlier.” RELATED: Could the Baghdad carnage actually end Iraq’s impasse? Charles Mcdermid (TIME) explores Iraq’s near-term future prospects.

Joshua Mitnick (CSM) asks, Did the Rabin assassination mark decline of Israel’s peace camp? “At the time of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination, his Labor party controlled more than one-third of parliament. Today, it’s barely 10 percent – and slipping.”

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a deadly mosque attack in Pakistan Friday, which killed 50, and said it was targeting a local anti-Taliban group, reports Reza Sayah (CNN).  RELATED: “President Obama is likely to get a friendly but subdued welcome when he begins his visit to India on Saturday” because US-Pakistan ties overshadow the visit, Corey Flintoff (NPR) reports.

Robert Dreyfuss (The Nation) urges Obama to acknowledge Iran’s right to enrich. “Years of behind-the-scenes Track II, off-the-record discussions between senior Iranian officials and a number of retired US diplomats of the highest rank have shown that only a win-win outcome can resolve the crisis. The ‘win’ that Iran needs is recognition that it has the right to enrich, while the ‘win’ that the United States, the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency needs is Iran’s agreement to abide by iron-clad oversight of its work by IAEA inspectors under strict, intrusive new protocols.”
/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

LATEST HEADLINES

The Most Powerful People On Earth: FORBES

HRH King Abdullah ranks 3^rd in the world in Forbes’ powerful people index.

Saudi Business Reform: Not There Yet: FINANCIAL TIMES

Abeer Allam | 11/4/10

“Saudi Arabia is the easiest place to do business in the Arab world, according to the World Bank’s latest rankings. Globally, the kingdom is now ranked 11th out of 183 countries – two places up from last year, and 57 places up since 2004. That’s a source of pride for the country’s General Investment Authority (Sagia). Yet the World Bank’s criteria focus on local business, not foreign investment. Multinational companies must still meet licensing requirements before they can even enter Saudi Arabia. And legal processes still need further reform.”

11.4.2010 EDITION

Yemen Branch Of Al Qaeda Avoids Mistakes Made In Iraq, Report Says: LOS ANGELES TIMES

Borzou Daragahi | 11/4/10

“Whereas the group in Iraq has been led by foreigners, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is led by locals. Instead of alienating tribes, the group’s Yemeni offshoot is cultivating them, an analyst says.”

Saudi Arms Sale Prompts Questions From U.S. House Panel Leaders: BLOOMBERG

Viola Gienger | 11/4/10

“California Democrat Howard Berman and Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen are seeking support from other members of the U.S. House of Representatives for a letter outlining concerns and questions to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The letter stops short of opposing the sale…”

Oil Market Has $90 A Barrel In Sight After Fed Easing: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Dan Strumpf | 11/3/10

“Oil prices have a clearer path to $90 a barrel now that the Federal Reserve has outlined plans for monetary easing, despite a tepid initial reaction from the market Wednesday.”

Change Of Heart Among Key Iraqi Figures On Saudi Initiative: MEMRI

11/3/10

After an initial rejection of the Saudi initiative to invite Iraqi leaders for a meeting in Riyadh, there is a significant change of heart among two leading Iraqi leaders. Kurdish Regional Government President Masood Barazani, and, most surprisingly, Muqtada al-Sadr, distanced themselves from Nouri al-Maliki’s rejection of the initiative.

Official: 1 Yemen Bomb 17 Mins. From Exploding: WASHINGTON POST

Elaine Ganley | Associated Press | 11/4/10

“One of two mail bombs sent from Yemen last week was disarmed just 17 minutes Before it was set to go off, the French interior minister said Thursday.”

Mecca Hopes To Revive Pilgrim Tourism During Haj: REUTERS

Ulf Laessing | 11/3/10

“Business has picked up in Islam’s holiest city since Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month which fell in August and September when many visit Mecca. In 2009, the number of pilgrims fell to about 2.5 million but a record 4 million are expected next week when the haj begins.”

Alwaleed Tells CNBC He May Invest In GM: MARKETWATCH

Alistair Barr | 11/3/10

“Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud told CNBC Wednesday that his Kingdom Holding Company may invest in General Motors Co. before the U.S. automaker’s public offering.” RELATED: Alwaleed and Prince Charles unveil new hotel in London, Kerry Dolan (Forbes) reports.

Saudi Aramco Aims to Reduce Carbon Footprint: USSABC

11/3/10

Saudi Aramco announced a pilot project to reduce carbon emissions by capturing and storing carbon dioxide emitted from its oil and gas plants.

“Under pressure from American and British officials, YouTube on Wednesday removed from its site some of the hundreds of videos featuring calls to jihad by Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born, Yemen-based cleric who has played an increasingly public role in inspiring violence directed at the West,” John F. Burns and Miguel Helft (NYT) reports.

Israeli officials said Wednesday that their forces “killed a senior Palestinian commander from an Al Qaeda-affiliated Islamist group in the Gaza Strip as he was planning a terrorist attack against Israeli and American targets in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula,” Edmund Sanders (LAT) reports.

The BBC News reports that Iran says it has “arrested four men allegedly paid by a man based in Britain to carry out assassinations,” an official state TV station reports. “In London, the UK government dismissed the story as the latest in a line of “baseless Iranian allegations.”

Following the bombings in Baghdad this yesterday, Iraqis have harsh words for security forces, Jane Arraf (CSM) reports. “Security in the Iraqi capital was heightened and city streets almost empty Wednesday as many Iraqis stayed home after a series of bombings sparked fears that security forces are overwhelmed by the violence,” and many are blaming the government.

Yesim Comert (CNN) reports that a “splinter nationalist group from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s suicide bombing in Istanbul, Turkey,” citing the group’s statement on its website.
/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.3.2010 EDITION

Saudi Arabia Has Plenty Of Oil: UPI

11/3/10

Saudi Arabia can maintain its current crude oil production levels for at least 80 years, the country’s oil minister said at a Singapore energy conference.

Five Key Members Of Al Qaeda In Yemen (AQAP): CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

Stephen Kurczy |  11/3/10

“AQAP has hatched a series of attacks against the West and is suspected of being behind the recent UPS and FedEx cargo bombing attempts. Though foiled, the incidents underscore the Al Qaeda offshoot’s potential threat beyond the Arabian Peninsula. Here are five of its leaders and key members.”

Saudi Arabia: Key to Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Palestine? Maybe: THE NATION

Robert Dreyfuss | 11/2/10

“Saudi Arabia is trying the equivalent of a diplomatic hat trick—a bad metaphor, to say the least, since there are few ice rinks in the Arabian peninsula—by seeking deals, talks, and peacemaking with all parties in all those conflicts.”

Terrorist Rehab In Saudi Arabia: A Success?: CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

Francine Keifer | 11/2/10

“Saudi officials say 80 percent of former Guantanamo Bay detainees successfully complete their terrorist rehabilitation program. Indeed, the man who provided the tip on the Yemen cargo bombs had been in the program.”

Saudi Arabia’s Transport Investments To Reach $100bn By 2020: AME INFO

11/3/10

“Saudi Arabia remains one of the most lucrative markets for consultants, contractors, suppliers and solution providers in the global transport industry, driven by the Saudi Government’s aggressive development program for large-scale port, airport, rail, road and logistics projects across the country.”

Saudi Fatwa Against Women Cashiers Sparks Outrage: AFP

Paul Handley | 11/2/10

“Saudi women activists expressed outrage and confusion on Tuesday at a new fatwa challenging a government initiative to allow women to work as cashiers in supermarkets and department stores.”

Yemen Investigating Pipeline Blast – Oil Min: REUTERS

11/3/10

“Yemen is investigating Tuesday’s blast at a pipeline run by Korea National Oil Corp and working to protect international firms from any security threat, Oil Minister Amir al-Aidarous saidon Wednesday.”

Saudi CMA Fines Four Firms For Breaking Bourse Rules: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Dow Jones | 11/2/10

“In recent months, the kingdom’s market regulator has asserted more control over the stock market in an attempt to eradicate manipulative and speculative trading and attract more stable institutional and foreign investors.”

Syria, Saudi, Iran Envoys Bid To Ease Lebanon Tensions: AFP

11/2/10

“The Syrian, Saudi and Iranian ambassadors to Lebanon met on Tuesday in a bid to contain rising tensions over the fate of a UN-backed probe into the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.”

Saudi Arabia, Spain Enhance Defence, Military Cooperation: GLOBAL ARAB NETWORK

Asmaa Malik | 11/3/10

“Saudi Arabia Assistant Minister of Defence and Aviation for Military Affairs Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, discussed on Tuesday with the Spanish Defence Minister Carme Chacon ways of boosting Saudi-Spanish relations and cooperation in the defence and military fields.”

World capitals on Wednesday “braced for a new political order in Washington, as policymakers and analysts tried to assess the impact on foreign policy of a new Republican-led U.S. House, a diminished Democratic majority in the Senate and an American president many fear has been left weakened,” Keith Richburg and Will Englund (Washington Post) reports.  RELATED: At least on Middle East issues, the election last night matters, writes Marc Lynch (Abu Aardvark). When the “GOP takes Congress, it might overwhelmingly approve an Iran sanctions bill which ties the hands of President Barack Obama’s administration and undermines its efforts to construct an effective negotiation strategy.” RELATED: The Senate loses its left-wing leader on Foreign Policy in Russ Feingold, Josh Rogin (FP) writes.

Despite “months of American prodding, the Afghan government has failed to fill dozens of key positions in Kandahar, leaving an ineffectual local administration that U.S. officials fear will cripple the battlefield progress the military says it is making in the Taliban stronghold,” Joshua Partlow and Karen DeYoung (Washington Post) reports.

At least 113 people were killed in a series of Baghdad attacks, a total of 17 coordinated explosions in Shiite neighborhoods, Ned Parker and Jaber Zeki (Los Angeles Times) reports.

“Prime Minister Salam Fayyad of the Palestinian Authority said Tuesday that the authority had helped renovate 14 schools in East Jerusalem, in defiance of Israeli claims of sovereignty over the area and its ban on Palestinian political activity there,” Ethan Bronner (NYT) reports.

“Israel is postponing ‘strategic dialogue’ with Britain over defense and security issues, as UK’s Foreign Secretary  William Hague arrives in Israel for an official visit,” BBC News reports.
/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/

11.2.2010 EDITION

What We Can Learn From Saudi Intelligence: THE ATLANTIC

Max Fisher | 11/1/10

“This Saudi methodology has proven so much more effective at counterterrorism than the American system because it understands terrorism as a permanent phenomenon–something to be monitored rather than eradicated–and because it prioritizes infiltrating terrorist networks above seizing individual terrorists.” RELATED: The Saudis’ source was “a man called Jabr al-Faifi, a Saudi national from the mountainous south west of the country who spent time as an inmate in Guantanamo Bay,” Frank Gardner (BBC News) writes.  RELATED: “The likely involvement of a Saudi national in a plot to mail parcel bombs on U.S.-bound planes shows Saudi Arabia’s battle against al Qaeda is far from over,” writes Ulf Laessing (Reuters) in an analysis. RELATED: Citing a US Official, Pam Benson (CNN) reports that “the United States intercepted a shipment of packages a few weeks ago that was headed for Chicago, Illinois, and might have been a ‘dry run’ by al Qaeda in Yemen.”

Raytheon Interested In Saudi Market: UPI

11/1/10

“Among its new markets, Raytheon, the world’s largest missile maker, is interested in providing U.S. Middle East allies with advanced anti-ballistic missile systems.”

Foundation for Change: ARABIAN BUSINESS

11/1/10

“Since separating from Kingdom Holding three years ago, the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation has grown into a stand-alone organisation run like a business. At the helm is Muna AbuSulayman, one of HRH Prince Alwaleed’s most trusted advisors. Charged with spending up to $100m a year on good causes, she has one of the most important jobs in Saudi society today.”

OPEC Talks and Oil Prices Jump: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Max Lin, Benoit Faucon, Dan Strumpf

“Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi suggested Monday that the oil market could tolerate prices as high as $90 a barrel, increasing his previous estimate from as much as $80 and signaling to the market that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries would let the price drift higher.”

Saudi King’s Iraq Initiative Reflects Sincere Concerns: KUWAIT TIMES

11/2/10

“The cabinet yesterday reaffirmed Kuwait’s support for the call issued by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, to Iraqi leaders to hold reconciliation talks in Riyadh under the umbrella of the Arab League.”

Saudi Fatwa On Female Cashiers: SALON

Tracy Clark Floury | 11/1/10

“Interestingly enough, some of the businesses that brought in female cashiers in recent months were careful to create separate checkout lines for men and women — but it seems even that is considered too much of a threat.”

“Large discoveries of natural gas off the coast of Israel and Lebanon, where the international border is yet to be delineated, have spurred both countries to accelerate exploration efforts,” Nicholas Blanford (CSM) reports.

Turkey has reportedly added Israel to its “Red Book,” the top-secret security document that lists the country’s threats and enemies, Meris Lutz (Babylon and Beyond) reports.

Jeffery Feltman, the US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, said that “Syria needs to pressure Iran and Hezbollah to rein in their activities in Lebanon if it wants to rebuild relations with the United States,” Glenn Kessler (Washington Post) reports.

The Canadian government “has agreed to accept Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr after he finishes a year of incarceration in U.S. custody, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said,” CNN reports.

“The U.S. has long favored reintegration—an effort to win over low- and mid-level insurgents with incentives such as jobs and cash—over the more controversial attempts to cut a deal with senior Taliban leaders, known as ‘reconciliation,’ which the U.S. has more recently facilitated,” writes Yaroslav Trofimov (WSJ). “The reintegration drive, however, has been slow to take off, in part because potential defectors fear the coalition won’t be able to protect them against Taliban retribution.”

“Morocco has shut down Al-Jazeera’s operations in the country, accusing the Qatar-based news organization of not conducting ‘responsible journalism,’” Matt Peterson (WPR) reports.

Taking aim at what he believes is an “ill informed and morally bankrupt” political voice, Stephen Walt (FP) blasts David Broder’s op-ed column in the Washington Post, in which Broder argues that President Obama should spend the second half of his first term confronting Iran. “…The sheer callousness of Broder’s prescription is mind-boggling. Although he says he’s ‘not suggesting… that the president incite a war to get reelected,’ he’s actually doing precisely that.”

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./

Mideast Banks, Funds Seek to Tap Women’s Wealth: ASHARQ ALAWSAT

10/27/10

“Many affluent Muslim women …are increasingly turning to Islamic banks to manage their money. These women are looking beyond basic banking services to sophisticated products to grow their wealth while complying with Islamic principles that include a ban on interest.”

Analysis: Saudi Seen Edging Cautiously Into Afghan Talks: REUTERS

Ulf Laessing | 10/28/10

“Saudi Arabia is being drawn into efforts to reach a settlement to the Afghan war, despite its reluctance to become too embroiled with Islamist militants it once backed, diplomats and analysts say.”

Saudi Prince Backs Moving Planned NYC Mosque: ASSOCIATED PRESS

10/28/10

“A Saudi prince who has aided the imam spearheading a proposed Islamic center near New York’s ground zero is appealing for another site not associated with the ‘wound’ of the Sept. 11 attacks, a report said Thursday.” RELATED: “The imam co-leading a drive to build an Islamic community center near the World Trade Center has politely brushed aside a suggestion by one of his past benefactors that the project be moved to a different spot,” David B. Carouso (Washington Post) reports.

Kingdom Breaks World Record: SAUDI GAZETTE

Fouzia Kahn | 10/29/10

“Saudi Arabia entered the Guinness Book of World Records by forming the world’s largest human pink ribbon chain at the Ministry of Education Sports Stadium in Al-Rawdah Thursday.”

Saudis Welcome First Woman Ambassador: UPI

10/27/10

“Saudi Arabia has accepted a new ambassador from Georgia — the first female ambassador to the Middle Eastern country.”

Concentrated Photovoltaic Plant Would Be Region’s Biggest: CLEAN ENERGY AUTHORITY

Ben Dayton | 10/29/10

“SolFocus, a developer of concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar power systems, announced Monday that Vision Electro Mechanical Company will be using SolFocus’ CPV technology to build the largest CPV solar power plant in Saudi Arabia. The plant will be installed in Bahra, using the solar systems from the California-based SolFocus.”

“The FBI decided to end its sting and arrest a Northern Virginia man now charged with plotting to blow up D.C. -area subway stations because it was concerned he was about to leave the country to go on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, according to a court document and law enforcement sources,” Allan Lengel.

On Wednesday Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, presented her new book “Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East” at an event sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Middle East and Environmental Change and Security Programs. Coleman “began by explaining that after studying the Middle East for years through the prism of development economics she came to realize that the expansion of women’s rights and role in society is critical to economic growth and political stability in the region.”

Iran said Friday that it was “ready to resume talks with the European Union about its nuclear program next month,” Stephen Castle (NYT) reports.

Egypt is experiencing “tensions, arrests and threats of boycott” ahead of its Parliamentary elections, Amro Hassan (Babylon and Beyond) reports. “The boycott threat, issued by Al Wafd’s spokesman this week, came after state television blocked the broadcasting of the party’s advertisements. “Al Wafd would boycott the elections if the government’s obstinacy towards the party and the refusal of its right to air its political advertisements continues,” spokesman Mohamed Sherdi said at a news conference.”

“Iran, where a woman convicted of adultery has been sentenced to death by stoning, is likely to become a member of the board of the new U.N. agency to promote equality for women, prompting outrage from the U.S. and human rights groups,” the AP reports.

“A recently released al Qaeda martyrdom videotape identifies five foreign commanders who have fought and died in Afghanistan within the past few years,” writes Bill Roggio (Long War Journal). “The profiles of these commanders reveal that, in sharp contrast to the current, official assessment of top US intelligence officials, al Qaeda has an extensive network in Afghanistan as well as a deep bench of experienced leaders. Also, the martyrdom statement shows how al Qaeda rotates its cadre of leaders to ensure that seasoned commanders are on hand in critical areas.” RELATED: Almost $56 million worth of “high-quality heroin has been seized in a series of drug busts in Afghanistan, according to senior Drug Enforcement Administration officials,” Jeanne Meserve (CNN) reports.

/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./