Middle East News
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 26, 2007, 22:39 GMT
Cairo - During dinner talks with Saudi's King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak reiterated his calls to the Palestinian factions to end their rift, according to overnight editions of Wednesday's newspapers.
Mubarak and Abdullah held dinner talks late Tuesday and were expected to continue discussion in a working breakfast on Wednesday morning.
The agenda of discussions included so far issues like the Iranian nuclear programme and the continuous blood spilling in Iraq, according to state-owned press.
But in the wake of a key summit that brought Palestinian and Israeli leaders to the meeting table, the Palestinian infighting and the Arab- Israeli dossier dominated the discussions.
The two leaders discussed the developments in the Palestinian territories, now split between the two power factions Hamas and Fatah, and the results of Monday's controversial four-way summit that took place in Sharm el-Sheikh.
The summit, also attended by Jordan, was said to have contributed in splitting the camps of the Palestinians by giving unconditional support to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Two weeks earlier and following intense squabbling, Hamas succeeded in a forcible military takeover of the Gaza strip, with members of its militia posing to the cameras as they tramped through government quarters.
Abbas immediately dissolved the Hamas-led cabinet and installed a more moderate emergency government in place.
It was no secret that one of the aims of the summit was to rally round Abbas, according to Egyptian officials. By supporting his legitimacy, the gathering naturally closed ranks against Hamas or at least increased its isolation.
Arab skepticism nevertheless surfaced especially since Israel failed to deliver on issues such as releasing the full funds of Palestinian tax revenue which are estimated at 700 million dollars, in giving Palestinians more freedom of traffic in Israeli areas or lifting military checkpoints across the West Bank.
Many Arab commentators said on Tuesday that the Israeli leadership had succeeded to 'wriggle out' of larger commitments by distracting its counterparts with the decision of freeing 250 Fatah prisoners whose hands are not stained by Israeli blood - a phrase which Israel uses to refer to militants who performed acts of terrorism against the Jewish state.
Singling out Fatah members from an estimated 10,000 Palestinian political prisoners was meant to drive a wedge between Palestinians, said observers, and was highly questioned by Palestinian leaders.
'Two-hundrred-and-fifty are probably less than the number of Palestinians which Israel arrests every month,' Mostafa al-Barghouty, a prominent Palestinian democracy activist, told the BBC Arabic service on Tuesday.
He dismissed the whole matter as a 'joke' adding that 'it is not beyond Israel to release those with minor crimes and misdemeanours.'
According to independent observers in Egypt, the Israeli 'goodwill' gesture and the so-called 'Arab disappointment' that followed are to be discussed by Mubarak and the Saudi king who is scheduled to proceed to Amman on Wednesday for talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II.
Saudi officials floated the possibility of a meeting between the Saudi King and Abbas. Clearly, the King wants to hold talks with all the Arab leaders who attended the summit.
Observers believe that the Saudis are keen -especially in this timing- on revisiting the Arab-hailed, Saudi-backed peace initiative and bring it back on the table of negotiations.
The Saudis, who are major US allies and regional power brokers, are also expected to okay the Arab position concerning the new emergency government.
Egypt and Jordan were quick to huddle around Abbas. But since the summit, Egypt has been toning down its harsh statements regarding Hamas, and has begun to take a more reconciliatory stance -even if it's only in words.
Mubarak surprised many by sending an open invitation to Fatah and Hamas to negotiate, even though Abbas had earlier termed Hamas' revolt 'a bloody coup.'
On Tuesday, Mubarak even told Israeli television's Channel 1 that in his 'personal opinion' Hamas did not intend to take over Gaza, but rather things got 'out of control,' ending in the assumption of power.
In the Egyptian press, he attempted to reassure the Egyptian people - and perhaps his own regime - that Hamas' control of Gaza is not a direct threat to the national security of Egypt, and that its conflicts with Fatah are strictly 'internal matters' to the Palestinians.
Mubarak was indeed cautious, since the Islamist power that is Hamas arguably poses a threat to his own homeland that suffers the influence of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, from which Hamas draws its spiritual guidance.
Mubarak clearly said the events in Gaza have 'regional' implications, and Egypt would not allow radical Islamic groups to stabilize themselves in his country.
Still, he also insisted on unifying the Palestinian front.
Mubarak's call was warmly received by Hamas.
Sacked Palestinian Premier Ismail Haniyeh told reporters on Tuesday that the Egyptian invitation shows 'awareness and consideration of the nature of the political complications on the Palestinian arena.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
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Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1322851.php/ANALYSIS_Saudi_King_Mubarak_insist_on_"Palestinian_unity"
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
NEWS ANALYSIS: Four-way summit serves as a show of support for Abbas (dpa)
Middle East News
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 25, 2007, 20:39 GMT
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt - A four-way summit at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh ended without a breakthrough, and according to independent observers, none was intended.
In their eyes, the summit was merely 'an exercise in public relations' aiming at hailing support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his new emergency government.
Egypt's President Hosny Mubarak called for the summit in the wake of the recent dramatic developments in Gaza, where in five days of savage fighting Hamas gunmen routed their opposite numbers from Abbas' Fatah party.
The summit had been officially aimed at discussing ways of accelerating the peace process in addition to 'giving hope to the Palestinian people in forming an independent Palestinian state,' as summit organizers put it.
But the Israeli leadership did not make any strong commitments to a set of steps that were seen as essential for Israel to boost Abbas and his new cabinet: security cooperation, release of full Palestinian tax revenue funds, ease of transportation of humanitarian aid and the lifting of military checkpoints around the West Bank.
The summit clearly focused on bringing Abbas and Olmert together, in the presence of Arab states. And as much as the Egyptians wanted to seem impartial in the struggle between Hamas and Fatah, their efforts were futile.
It is true that the Egyptian leadership were not quick to denounce Hamas or even use the term 'terrorist' that Israel and other Western states use to describe the militant Islamic group, which has recently taken over the Gaza Strip.
But in a press conference at the end of Monday's summit, presidential spokesman Suleiman Awwad refused to address the question of 'Hamas legitimacy' when cornered by a reporter.
Instead, he said that the summit did not aim at discussing the rift between Hamas and Fatah, 'but is meant to lift the suffering of the Palestinians and put the peace process back on track.'
It was arguably a witty way to avoid commenting on Hamas, but it still does not negate the fact that Egypt's leadership had apparently given a sigh of relief when the Hamas-led government was dissolved and a moderate one was installed in place.
After this decision was made, Egypt was the first to express support by backing Abbas and shifting its diplomatic delegation from Gaza, the hotbed of Hamas, to Ramallah in the West Bank, which is controlled by Fatah and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Insider sources from both Hamas and the Egyptian government had told Egyptian newspapers that bilateral talks between Egypt's intelligence head Omar Suleiman and Hamas leaders are ongoing in order for a solution to be reached.
But the shadow of an Islamic state right on the borders with Egypt is too worrying, observers say.
'The fear of Hamas is the fear of the Islamic project, the fear of an Islamic state that could lie a few kilometres away from Egypt,' says Essam el-Erian, leading member of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood - the spiritual guide to many Islamic groups around the region, mainly in Egypt and Jordan, and the womb from which Hamas was born.
Egypt has been engaged in its own power struggle with the Brotherhood - a group that gains its legitimacy from its Islamic conservative identity and entrenches itself among Egypt's grassroots through providing services to the people.
Hamas' sweeping majority victory in last year's Palestinian elections both stunned and intimidated regional and international states. In a weaker echo, but still worrying to Egypt's leaders, the Muslim Brotherhood made great strides in recent elections, taking 88 seats in Parliament and forming the strongest opposition force there.
And although the Egyptian government had always considered Hamas a resistance group and a member of the Palestinian political circle, the fear that the group could serve as an inspiration to Islamists in neighbouring countries has always been stalking them, according to several analysts and Egyptian columnists.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
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Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1322336.php/NEWS_ANALYSIS_Four-way_summit_serves_as_a_show_of_support_for_Abbas
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTM4NzE0NjYwNA==
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/27Jun2007_news18.php
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 25, 2007, 20:39 GMT
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt - A four-way summit at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh ended without a breakthrough, and according to independent observers, none was intended.
In their eyes, the summit was merely 'an exercise in public relations' aiming at hailing support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his new emergency government.
Egypt's President Hosny Mubarak called for the summit in the wake of the recent dramatic developments in Gaza, where in five days of savage fighting Hamas gunmen routed their opposite numbers from Abbas' Fatah party.
The summit had been officially aimed at discussing ways of accelerating the peace process in addition to 'giving hope to the Palestinian people in forming an independent Palestinian state,' as summit organizers put it.
But the Israeli leadership did not make any strong commitments to a set of steps that were seen as essential for Israel to boost Abbas and his new cabinet: security cooperation, release of full Palestinian tax revenue funds, ease of transportation of humanitarian aid and the lifting of military checkpoints around the West Bank.
The summit clearly focused on bringing Abbas and Olmert together, in the presence of Arab states. And as much as the Egyptians wanted to seem impartial in the struggle between Hamas and Fatah, their efforts were futile.
It is true that the Egyptian leadership were not quick to denounce Hamas or even use the term 'terrorist' that Israel and other Western states use to describe the militant Islamic group, which has recently taken over the Gaza Strip.
But in a press conference at the end of Monday's summit, presidential spokesman Suleiman Awwad refused to address the question of 'Hamas legitimacy' when cornered by a reporter.
Instead, he said that the summit did not aim at discussing the rift between Hamas and Fatah, 'but is meant to lift the suffering of the Palestinians and put the peace process back on track.'
It was arguably a witty way to avoid commenting on Hamas, but it still does not negate the fact that Egypt's leadership had apparently given a sigh of relief when the Hamas-led government was dissolved and a moderate one was installed in place.
After this decision was made, Egypt was the first to express support by backing Abbas and shifting its diplomatic delegation from Gaza, the hotbed of Hamas, to Ramallah in the West Bank, which is controlled by Fatah and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Insider sources from both Hamas and the Egyptian government had told Egyptian newspapers that bilateral talks between Egypt's intelligence head Omar Suleiman and Hamas leaders are ongoing in order for a solution to be reached.
But the shadow of an Islamic state right on the borders with Egypt is too worrying, observers say.
'The fear of Hamas is the fear of the Islamic project, the fear of an Islamic state that could lie a few kilometres away from Egypt,' says Essam el-Erian, leading member of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood - the spiritual guide to many Islamic groups around the region, mainly in Egypt and Jordan, and the womb from which Hamas was born.
Egypt has been engaged in its own power struggle with the Brotherhood - a group that gains its legitimacy from its Islamic conservative identity and entrenches itself among Egypt's grassroots through providing services to the people.
Hamas' sweeping majority victory in last year's Palestinian elections both stunned and intimidated regional and international states. In a weaker echo, but still worrying to Egypt's leaders, the Muslim Brotherhood made great strides in recent elections, taking 88 seats in Parliament and forming the strongest opposition force there.
And although the Egyptian government had always considered Hamas a resistance group and a member of the Palestinian political circle, the fear that the group could serve as an inspiration to Islamists in neighbouring countries has always been stalking them, according to several analysts and Egyptian columnists.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
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Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1322336.php/NEWS_ANALYSIS_Four-way_summit_serves_as_a_show_of_support_for_Abbas
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTM4NzE0NjYwNA==
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/27Jun2007_news18.php
Accusations fly as Egypt's ruling party rivals are crushed (dpa)
Middle East News
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 18, 2007, 17:27 GMT
Cairo - President Hosny Mubarak's ruling party was set to clinch victory in the first and second rounds of Shura Council elections, but the aftermath of a violent and controversial electoral process could spoil the celebrations.
The Shura Council is the upper house of the Egyptian bicameral parliament. Established in 1980, the 264-seat panel takes its name from the Islamic term Shura, meaning consultation, but has little legislative power.
As polling stations closed late Monday rounding off the second round of elections, reports of violence, collective voting, and claims of rigging flew as strongly as they did in the first round held on June 11.
Civil society and human rights groups continued to count the flaws and to press complaints against the use of riot police and national security forces in shadowing NDP rivals, cordoning off ballot stations where Muslim Brotherhood members were running and in threatening voters, according to some of their reports.
As the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) prepared to celebrate, the leader of its biggest threat - the banned Islamic force that is the Muslim Brotherhood - mocked their victory and dismissed the party leaders as 'liars.'
The Muslim Brotherhood claimed that 1,000 of their members, supporters of candidates were rounded up as they posted flyers allegedly carrying religious slogans.
Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated voters reported being beaten and harassed. In areas where Brotherhood candidates were on election lists, voters were told that the elections were cancelled.
It came as no surprise to observers that on the first round of the June 11 elections, the NDP won 69 of the 71 contested seats.
'If the NDP had men, a programme and the ability to challenge the Brothers, it would have never used security police to reach its ends,' said the outspoken Mohammed Mahdi Akef Akef, leader of the Brotherhood, whose group fielded 19 candidates but lost all their seats in the first round.
The runoff elections on Monday took place between independents and NDP candidates for 16 seats.
'(But) these elections do not represent a special importance on our agenda,' the so-called 'supreme guide' of the group said, adding that the Brotherhood has 'more dangerous issues' to attend to and that the elections only helped them establish a presence.
The Brothers are conservative activists entrenched among Egypt's grassroots. Their group has called for the implementation of Islamic law, and takes 'Islam is the Solution' as its political motto. It is said to be the biggest opposition to the NDP.
Concerning the possibility of dissolving the lower-house of parliament - the powerful and legislative People's Assembly - in order to rid of its 88 Brotherhood-affiliated members, as some analysts had suggested after what happened at the Shura elections, Akef said that it was a possibility, but that no scenarios could be predicted under the current regime.
'Anything is possible under this authoritarian regime; a regime that cannot accomplish anything without security police,' he said. 'The security police are ruling the country.'
The Brothers might have left the race empty-handed, all the while decrying what they deemed 'outright injustice.' But they refused to admit defeat.
'The losers are those who violated the rules,' said senior leader and Brotherhood political council member Essam el-Erian. 'Why do you think the regime never disclosed the election figures?'
Apart from the reported violations, clashes marred the elections' scene, especially where ruling party candidates were either running against members of the same party or independents.
A total of 58 campaigners were arrested in Qeft city and Qena province in Upper Egypt, according to security sources.
In west Qena, 25 supporters of independent candidate Maher Moussa were arrested overnight and charged with thuggery and the use of violence during canvassing.
Early Monday, and only a few hours after elections began, supporters of Moussa allegedly picked a physical fight with the supporters of the NDP contestant. At least 19 people were arrested in this incident.
An exchange of fire between two different groups of campaigners belonging to the NDP and left-leaning al-Tagamu party in Qeft, several kilometres away from Qena, also led to the arrest of 14.
In some provinces, especially in Upper Egypt and North Sinai, tensions were high and ethnicity, origins, and tribe membership had the upper hand in controlling people's choices.
A total of 31 candidates were in the contest and awaiting results. So far, the fate of 71 of the 88 contested seats has been decided in the first round of elections.
A contest on one seat in Qasr al-Nil was decided when a contestant left the race for the NDP candidate running in this constituency.
Results of the second round are expected to be announced early Tuesday.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1319234.php/Accusations_fly_as_Egypts_ruling_party_rivals_are_crushed__Roundup_
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 18, 2007, 17:27 GMT
Cairo - President Hosny Mubarak's ruling party was set to clinch victory in the first and second rounds of Shura Council elections, but the aftermath of a violent and controversial electoral process could spoil the celebrations.
The Shura Council is the upper house of the Egyptian bicameral parliament. Established in 1980, the 264-seat panel takes its name from the Islamic term Shura, meaning consultation, but has little legislative power.
As polling stations closed late Monday rounding off the second round of elections, reports of violence, collective voting, and claims of rigging flew as strongly as they did in the first round held on June 11.
Civil society and human rights groups continued to count the flaws and to press complaints against the use of riot police and national security forces in shadowing NDP rivals, cordoning off ballot stations where Muslim Brotherhood members were running and in threatening voters, according to some of their reports.
As the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) prepared to celebrate, the leader of its biggest threat - the banned Islamic force that is the Muslim Brotherhood - mocked their victory and dismissed the party leaders as 'liars.'
The Muslim Brotherhood claimed that 1,000 of their members, supporters of candidates were rounded up as they posted flyers allegedly carrying religious slogans.
Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated voters reported being beaten and harassed. In areas where Brotherhood candidates were on election lists, voters were told that the elections were cancelled.
It came as no surprise to observers that on the first round of the June 11 elections, the NDP won 69 of the 71 contested seats.
'If the NDP had men, a programme and the ability to challenge the Brothers, it would have never used security police to reach its ends,' said the outspoken Mohammed Mahdi Akef Akef, leader of the Brotherhood, whose group fielded 19 candidates but lost all their seats in the first round.
The runoff elections on Monday took place between independents and NDP candidates for 16 seats.
'(But) these elections do not represent a special importance on our agenda,' the so-called 'supreme guide' of the group said, adding that the Brotherhood has 'more dangerous issues' to attend to and that the elections only helped them establish a presence.
The Brothers are conservative activists entrenched among Egypt's grassroots. Their group has called for the implementation of Islamic law, and takes 'Islam is the Solution' as its political motto. It is said to be the biggest opposition to the NDP.
Concerning the possibility of dissolving the lower-house of parliament - the powerful and legislative People's Assembly - in order to rid of its 88 Brotherhood-affiliated members, as some analysts had suggested after what happened at the Shura elections, Akef said that it was a possibility, but that no scenarios could be predicted under the current regime.
'Anything is possible under this authoritarian regime; a regime that cannot accomplish anything without security police,' he said. 'The security police are ruling the country.'
The Brothers might have left the race empty-handed, all the while decrying what they deemed 'outright injustice.' But they refused to admit defeat.
'The losers are those who violated the rules,' said senior leader and Brotherhood political council member Essam el-Erian. 'Why do you think the regime never disclosed the election figures?'
Apart from the reported violations, clashes marred the elections' scene, especially where ruling party candidates were either running against members of the same party or independents.
A total of 58 campaigners were arrested in Qeft city and Qena province in Upper Egypt, according to security sources.
In west Qena, 25 supporters of independent candidate Maher Moussa were arrested overnight and charged with thuggery and the use of violence during canvassing.
Early Monday, and only a few hours after elections began, supporters of Moussa allegedly picked a physical fight with the supporters of the NDP contestant. At least 19 people were arrested in this incident.
An exchange of fire between two different groups of campaigners belonging to the NDP and left-leaning al-Tagamu party in Qeft, several kilometres away from Qena, also led to the arrest of 14.
In some provinces, especially in Upper Egypt and North Sinai, tensions were high and ethnicity, origins, and tribe membership had the upper hand in controlling people's choices.
A total of 31 candidates were in the contest and awaiting results. So far, the fate of 71 of the 88 contested seats has been decided in the first round of elections.
A contest on one seat in Qasr al-Nil was decided when a contestant left the race for the NDP candidate running in this constituency.
Results of the second round are expected to be announced early Tuesday.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1319234.php/Accusations_fly_as_Egypts_ruling_party_rivals_are_crushed__Roundup_
Egypt's ruling party wins Shura elections (dpa)
Middle East News
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 13, 2007, 15:11 GMT
Cairo - As anticipated, Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) won a majority of the 88 contested seats in mid-term Shura (parliament's upper house) elections, according to official results issued Wednesday.
The Muslim Brothers, the NDP's biggest threat, emerged empty- handed.
The Higher Commission for Elections announced the winners Wednesday afternoon after more than a 24-hour delay.
A total of 58 seats were filled by NDP candidates, one was won by left-leaning Tagammu and another by an independent. A total of 11 seats in 10 constituencies were pre-decided since their candidates ran uncontested.
Run-offs will be held for 17 seats, said Adel Andrawes, Higher Commission for Elections (HCE) head, on Wednesday.
Allegations of fraud, vote rigging, collective voting and bribery circulated following Monday's election for the Shura Council, the consultative upper house of Egypt's parliament. Its duties are limited to ratifying constitutional amendments, treaties and bill proposals.
The banned Muslim Brotherhood group fielded 19 candidates despite a fierce clampdown on its ranks. But no seats were won by the Brotherhood in this round.
According to Mohammed Fiki, a Brotherhood senior leader and a losing candidate from Giza, the NDP candidate in their constituency got 92,000 votes 'through rigging.'
'Believe me, if a prophet from God descended in this area, he will never reap this amount of votes,' a bitter Fiki told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The announcement of the election results reflected the chaotic way in which the voting was carried out in many constituencies.
On Tuesday, reporters were left to wait for more than six hours at HCE headquarters as conflicting statements were issued and commission employees started leaving for home.
The official announcement of the results was postponed to Wednesday afternoon because results were still coming in, according to the HCE but observers said that 'conflicts and discrepancies' may have been the real reason for the delay.
For instance, the Brotherhood hotbeds in Giza province must have represented a problem since there was no mention of Giza in preliminary results published by the state-owned newspaper at midnight Tuesday.
On Monday - election day - polling stations were illegally closed in Giza where Muslim Brotherhood candidates were on ballot papers. Heavily armed security officers in black uniforms barred voters from entering the stations, telling them that voting had been cancelled, witnesses said.
Complaints of fraud, rigging, collective voting and bribery flowed into monitoring and human rights offices, some reports said.
In areas where NDP candidates ran, supporters were allowed in without voting cards and were allegedly allowed to vote several times in a row.
The contests turned deadly when a candidate's supporter was shot dead in Sharqiya province and more than six others were reported wounded in a firefight.
Muslim Brotherhood members got the lion's share of harassment with their supporters said to have been manhandled by security police and forcefully banned from voting.
Meanwhile, the HCE said Wednesday that 23 per cent of Egypt's 23 million eligible voters participated in the election. However, the independent monitoring body Shayfeen.com and others said that no more than 5 per cent participated.
HCE chief Andrawes said a 'few individual violations in some polling stations' were reported.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1317087.php/Egypts_ruling_party_wins_Shura_elections__Roundup_
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 13, 2007, 15:11 GMT
Cairo - As anticipated, Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) won a majority of the 88 contested seats in mid-term Shura (parliament's upper house) elections, according to official results issued Wednesday.
The Muslim Brothers, the NDP's biggest threat, emerged empty- handed.
The Higher Commission for Elections announced the winners Wednesday afternoon after more than a 24-hour delay.
A total of 58 seats were filled by NDP candidates, one was won by left-leaning Tagammu and another by an independent. A total of 11 seats in 10 constituencies were pre-decided since their candidates ran uncontested.
Run-offs will be held for 17 seats, said Adel Andrawes, Higher Commission for Elections (HCE) head, on Wednesday.
Allegations of fraud, vote rigging, collective voting and bribery circulated following Monday's election for the Shura Council, the consultative upper house of Egypt's parliament. Its duties are limited to ratifying constitutional amendments, treaties and bill proposals.
The banned Muslim Brotherhood group fielded 19 candidates despite a fierce clampdown on its ranks. But no seats were won by the Brotherhood in this round.
According to Mohammed Fiki, a Brotherhood senior leader and a losing candidate from Giza, the NDP candidate in their constituency got 92,000 votes 'through rigging.'
'Believe me, if a prophet from God descended in this area, he will never reap this amount of votes,' a bitter Fiki told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The announcement of the election results reflected the chaotic way in which the voting was carried out in many constituencies.
On Tuesday, reporters were left to wait for more than six hours at HCE headquarters as conflicting statements were issued and commission employees started leaving for home.
The official announcement of the results was postponed to Wednesday afternoon because results were still coming in, according to the HCE but observers said that 'conflicts and discrepancies' may have been the real reason for the delay.
For instance, the Brotherhood hotbeds in Giza province must have represented a problem since there was no mention of Giza in preliminary results published by the state-owned newspaper at midnight Tuesday.
On Monday - election day - polling stations were illegally closed in Giza where Muslim Brotherhood candidates were on ballot papers. Heavily armed security officers in black uniforms barred voters from entering the stations, telling them that voting had been cancelled, witnesses said.
Complaints of fraud, rigging, collective voting and bribery flowed into monitoring and human rights offices, some reports said.
In areas where NDP candidates ran, supporters were allowed in without voting cards and were allegedly allowed to vote several times in a row.
The contests turned deadly when a candidate's supporter was shot dead in Sharqiya province and more than six others were reported wounded in a firefight.
Muslim Brotherhood members got the lion's share of harassment with their supporters said to have been manhandled by security police and forcefully banned from voting.
Meanwhile, the HCE said Wednesday that 23 per cent of Egypt's 23 million eligible voters participated in the election. However, the independent monitoring body Shayfeen.com and others said that no more than 5 per cent participated.
HCE chief Andrawes said a 'few individual violations in some polling stations' were reported.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1317087.php/Egypts_ruling_party_wins_Shura_elections__Roundup_
Official announcement of election results delayed amid speculations (dpa)
Middle East News
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 12, 2007, 22:59 GMT
Cairo - The official Higher Commissioner for Elections announcement of mid-term election results for Egypt's Shura Council was delayed Tuesday, leaving observers to wonder about the possibility of last minute alterations.
Allegations of fraud, vote rigging, collective voting and bribery circulated following Monday's election for the Shura Council, the consultative upper house of Egypt's parliament. Its duties are limited to ratifying constitutional amendments, treaties and bill proposals.
In some constituencies, winning candidates were informally alerted to results, and preliminary results for at least 60 of 76 contested seats were reported in the first edition of Wednesday's al-Ahram state-owned newspaper that appeared on newsstands at midnight.
The legally banned Muslim Brotherhood group ran 19 candidates despite a fierce clampdown on its ranks.
Sources from the Higher Commissioner for Elections (HCE) said that results were announced unofficially, but that 'a winner is not winner until HEC's head pronounces his name himself.'
Estimates said around 42 ruling National Democratic Party members won, as did one left-leaning Tagammu and one independent. Run-offs will be held for 12 seats, reports had said. Muslim Brotherhood candidates had evidently lost all their races.
Giza, where two Muslim Brotherhood members were contesting elections and where violent incidents occurred during polling and some supporters were barred from entering ballot stations, seems to have represented a problem since there was no mention of Giza in preliminary results published by the state-owned newspaper.
According to HCE sources, the official announcement of the results was postponed to Wednesday afternoon because results were still coming in. The HCE had originally said a press conference would be held Tuesday morning to announce results.
Reporters were left to wait for more than six hours as conflicting statements were issued and commissioner employees started leaving for home.
The delay caused speculation among observers that NDP members could be arguing among themselves, as several NDP candidates had contested the same seat, creating friction within the party.
Complaints of fraud, rigging, collective voting and bribery flowed into monitoring and human rights offices, some reports said.
On Monday, election day, polling stations were illegally closed in Giza where Muslim Brotherhood candidates were on ballots. Heavily armed security officers in black uniforms barred voters from entering the stations, telling them that 'voting has been cancelled,' witnesses said.
In areas where NDP candidates ran, supporters were allowed in without voting cards, and were allegedly allowed to vote several times in a row.
The contests turned deadly when a candidate's supporter was shot dead in Sharqiya province and more than six others were reported wounded in a firefight.
The banned Muslim Brotherhood members got the lion's share of harassment where their supporters were manhandled by security police and forcefully banned from voting. Even before elections began, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the NDP would win.
Muslim Brotherhood candidates from the second and third constituencies of Imbaba and Giza claimed that three ruling National Democratic Party members had won their contests.
Sayed Saleh, a Brotherhood member from Oseem town in Giza said he is certain that only about 40 people managed to vote for him out of the town's 17,000 registered voters. He said word of mouth held that the NDP candidates got around 5,000-6,000 votes each.
Candidate Mohammed Fiki said people in his town were claiming more than 92,000 people voted for the NDP contestant in their constituency. But he refused to believe it.
'This is crazy talk,' Fiki, a Brotherhood member said. 'During vote counting, it was a big mess. People were allowed in and out without supervision. The whole scene was like a vegetable market. It was just mad.'
'Victory? What victory?' the usually calm Mohammed Habib, deputy to the Brotherhood supreme guide, said. 'Rigging and fraud constitutes 100 per cent of the process.'
'No Egyptian will believe that the Muslim Brothers who garnered 88 seats and 2 million votes in parliamentary elections did not manage to get more than a thousand vote for all their candidates,' said Saad al-Husseiny, a Brotherhood member of parliament.
The Shura Council elections reportedly had a much lower turnout than was officially announced. The independent monitoring body Shayfeen.com and others said no more than 5 per cent of Egypt's 23 million eligible voters participated.
'There was an effective boycott,' said Ghada Shahbanadar, founding member of Shayfeen.com.
Shahbandar said reported violations included a lack of ink to identify those who voted and a lack of privacy during voting.
These elections were the first since the People's Assembly passed key constitutional amendments at the demand by President Hosny Mubarak, including limiting judicial authority over ballot stations. The move was seen as a defeat for Egypt's judges who had decried it.
'There was no judicial supervision whatsoever in these elections,' said judicial expert Nasser Amin.
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights reported 'thuggery' against members of the press covering the elections.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1316737.php/Official_announcement_of_election_results_delayed_amid_speculations
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 12, 2007, 22:59 GMT
Cairo - The official Higher Commissioner for Elections announcement of mid-term election results for Egypt's Shura Council was delayed Tuesday, leaving observers to wonder about the possibility of last minute alterations.
Allegations of fraud, vote rigging, collective voting and bribery circulated following Monday's election for the Shura Council, the consultative upper house of Egypt's parliament. Its duties are limited to ratifying constitutional amendments, treaties and bill proposals.
In some constituencies, winning candidates were informally alerted to results, and preliminary results for at least 60 of 76 contested seats were reported in the first edition of Wednesday's al-Ahram state-owned newspaper that appeared on newsstands at midnight.
The legally banned Muslim Brotherhood group ran 19 candidates despite a fierce clampdown on its ranks.
Sources from the Higher Commissioner for Elections (HCE) said that results were announced unofficially, but that 'a winner is not winner until HEC's head pronounces his name himself.'
Estimates said around 42 ruling National Democratic Party members won, as did one left-leaning Tagammu and one independent. Run-offs will be held for 12 seats, reports had said. Muslim Brotherhood candidates had evidently lost all their races.
Giza, where two Muslim Brotherhood members were contesting elections and where violent incidents occurred during polling and some supporters were barred from entering ballot stations, seems to have represented a problem since there was no mention of Giza in preliminary results published by the state-owned newspaper.
According to HCE sources, the official announcement of the results was postponed to Wednesday afternoon because results were still coming in. The HCE had originally said a press conference would be held Tuesday morning to announce results.
Reporters were left to wait for more than six hours as conflicting statements were issued and commissioner employees started leaving for home.
The delay caused speculation among observers that NDP members could be arguing among themselves, as several NDP candidates had contested the same seat, creating friction within the party.
Complaints of fraud, rigging, collective voting and bribery flowed into monitoring and human rights offices, some reports said.
On Monday, election day, polling stations were illegally closed in Giza where Muslim Brotherhood candidates were on ballots. Heavily armed security officers in black uniforms barred voters from entering the stations, telling them that 'voting has been cancelled,' witnesses said.
In areas where NDP candidates ran, supporters were allowed in without voting cards, and were allegedly allowed to vote several times in a row.
The contests turned deadly when a candidate's supporter was shot dead in Sharqiya province and more than six others were reported wounded in a firefight.
The banned Muslim Brotherhood members got the lion's share of harassment where their supporters were manhandled by security police and forcefully banned from voting. Even before elections began, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the NDP would win.
Muslim Brotherhood candidates from the second and third constituencies of Imbaba and Giza claimed that three ruling National Democratic Party members had won their contests.
Sayed Saleh, a Brotherhood member from Oseem town in Giza said he is certain that only about 40 people managed to vote for him out of the town's 17,000 registered voters. He said word of mouth held that the NDP candidates got around 5,000-6,000 votes each.
Candidate Mohammed Fiki said people in his town were claiming more than 92,000 people voted for the NDP contestant in their constituency. But he refused to believe it.
'This is crazy talk,' Fiki, a Brotherhood member said. 'During vote counting, it was a big mess. People were allowed in and out without supervision. The whole scene was like a vegetable market. It was just mad.'
'Victory? What victory?' the usually calm Mohammed Habib, deputy to the Brotherhood supreme guide, said. 'Rigging and fraud constitutes 100 per cent of the process.'
'No Egyptian will believe that the Muslim Brothers who garnered 88 seats and 2 million votes in parliamentary elections did not manage to get more than a thousand vote for all their candidates,' said Saad al-Husseiny, a Brotherhood member of parliament.
The Shura Council elections reportedly had a much lower turnout than was officially announced. The independent monitoring body Shayfeen.com and others said no more than 5 per cent of Egypt's 23 million eligible voters participated.
'There was an effective boycott,' said Ghada Shahbanadar, founding member of Shayfeen.com.
Shahbandar said reported violations included a lack of ink to identify those who voted and a lack of privacy during voting.
These elections were the first since the People's Assembly passed key constitutional amendments at the demand by President Hosny Mubarak, including limiting judicial authority over ballot stations. The move was seen as a defeat for Egypt's judges who had decried it.
'There was no judicial supervision whatsoever in these elections,' said judicial expert Nasser Amin.
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights reported 'thuggery' against members of the press covering the elections.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1316737.php/Official_announcement_of_election_results_delayed_amid_speculations
In the track of Muslim Brotherhood candidates in Giza (dpa)
Middle East Features
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 11, 2007, 23:36 GMT
Giza, Egypt - On Monday, an Egyptian male voter from Manshiyet al-Qanater in Giza spent most of the day pleading with stiff-mannered security officers sealing off polling stations to let him in to cast his vote for mid-term Shura Council, the upper consultative house of parliament.
On Monday afternoon, many voters interviewed by Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa in Giza had the same complaint: polling stations were illegally closed.
Heavily armed security officers in black uniforms stopped the man at every gate of the many buildings used by local authorities as makeshift polling stations, each referring him to a different place.
They did not give him any particular reason, he said, just murmured 'these are orders.'
At the end of the hectic journey on the outskirts of Giza, the man in his forties turned to reporters and said, 'It's all because these stations have Muslim Brotherhood candidates.' He refused to disclose his name for fear of police harassment.
The Shura Council is the upper house of Egypt's parliament and its duties are limited to ratifying constitutional amendments, treaties and bill proposals.
The legally banned Brotherhood group is running candidates as independents in two of Giza's three constituencies.
In these two constituencies, which comprise many rural hamlets and villages on the outskirts of Greater Cairo, communities are closely knit, with each group of villages supporting one particular candidate - usually a relative, neighbour or old friend.
Just as voters went round attempting to cast their ballots, so did Sayed Saleh, a Muslim Brotherhood candidate.
He passed heavily fortified ballot stations where truckloads of riot police stood on-call. As police officers suspiciously eyed every passersby, Saleh recounted how he was 'harassed and targeted' by the national security.
Saleh told dpa that his delegates had been shadowed by security forces for many weeks.
He said he woke up in the morning to find his car with two flat tyres and security forces parked outside his house. When he asked why the tyres were flat, they said 'it was a mistake that only two tyres had the air let out of them.'
A total of 160 supporters of Saleh have been arrested during the past three weeks for allegedly using religious slogans.
But Saleh denies using such slogans, showing reporters his campaign posters which read 'Reform is the solution,' a phrase that plays on the original slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood 'Islam is the solution.'
'It is ridiculous the (National Democratic Party) prohibits the Brothers from using religious slogans, when the NDP candidate in this constituency is using Koran verses for his propaganda,' Saleh said.
All around the nearby villages of Oseem, Manshiet al-Qanater and Qerdaset al-Mansouriya minivans with loud speakers could be seen touring streets with campaigners from the ruling NDP singing praises of their candidate.
Saleh's banners were torn down, and NDP candidates lodged official complaints with the local authorities claiming he used religious slogans.
'The Higher Commissioner for Elections had a thick folder full of numerous complaints filed by rival NDP candidates,' he said.
Mariam al-Sayed, Saleh's daughter, said their house was under surveillance for several days. Her father was reportedly followed everywhere and people in the village took to jokingly calling him 'the national security man.'
'We could see the national security spies sitting in the shop facing our house, eyeing everyone coming in or out of our house,' his wife, Iman Ismail, said.
Ihab Abul-Fotouh, a student supporter of Saleh, said he and his brother were rounded-up from their home, their computer was confiscated, and they were detained for three days.
'We were charged with posting flyers carrying religious slogans. We had no flyers. We were arrested from our own homes,' Abul-Fotouh said.
Saleh's experience is not unique. Several kilometres away in Abu al-Noumros, a rural area in Giza's third constituency, another Brotherhood-affiliated candidate, Mohammed Fiki, complained that NDP supporters rigged the vote.
'They had the audacity of rigging the balloting register registering ineligible voters and making them vote,' Fiki alleged. 'I personally confiscated 100 pages of rigged lists filled out by the station's employees.'
'When my supporters reached the poling station, police sent them back, telling them that the elections were cancelled,' he added.
But cordoning people off was not the only problem that voters faced - Muslim Brotherhood or not. Fawziya Mohammed, a female registered voter, said many voters could not find their names on the register, and she saw some people being sent away.
Outside a polling station in the village of Bortos, some people were allowed to vote using their national identification cards or their NDP membership cards. The same people were reportedly allowed to vote more than once.
'I voted several times today. Everyone did,' said Mohammed, a young man in his early twenties standing outside a polling station.
Mohammed, who did not disclose his last name, does not own a voting card.
'Rigging is taking place in all the stations,' said Mohammed Abdel-Hakim, a campaigner for independent candidate Abdel-Hakim al- Nimr.
Another campaigner, Mohammed al-Nimr, claimed NDP candidates were buying votes.
'What we are witnessing today is the result of a security regime using its heavy stick everywhere,' said Fiki, who seemed to have little hope that Muslim Brotherhood candidates will make any significant gains.
Preliminary results of the first round of the elections are expected late Tuesday. A runoff round will be held on June 18, and arguably only then will the brotherhood be able to draw lessons from this experiment in political participation.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/printer_1316305.php
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 11, 2007, 23:36 GMT
Giza, Egypt - On Monday, an Egyptian male voter from Manshiyet al-Qanater in Giza spent most of the day pleading with stiff-mannered security officers sealing off polling stations to let him in to cast his vote for mid-term Shura Council, the upper consultative house of parliament.
On Monday afternoon, many voters interviewed by Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa in Giza had the same complaint: polling stations were illegally closed.
Heavily armed security officers in black uniforms stopped the man at every gate of the many buildings used by local authorities as makeshift polling stations, each referring him to a different place.
They did not give him any particular reason, he said, just murmured 'these are orders.'
At the end of the hectic journey on the outskirts of Giza, the man in his forties turned to reporters and said, 'It's all because these stations have Muslim Brotherhood candidates.' He refused to disclose his name for fear of police harassment.
The Shura Council is the upper house of Egypt's parliament and its duties are limited to ratifying constitutional amendments, treaties and bill proposals.
The legally banned Brotherhood group is running candidates as independents in two of Giza's three constituencies.
In these two constituencies, which comprise many rural hamlets and villages on the outskirts of Greater Cairo, communities are closely knit, with each group of villages supporting one particular candidate - usually a relative, neighbour or old friend.
Just as voters went round attempting to cast their ballots, so did Sayed Saleh, a Muslim Brotherhood candidate.
He passed heavily fortified ballot stations where truckloads of riot police stood on-call. As police officers suspiciously eyed every passersby, Saleh recounted how he was 'harassed and targeted' by the national security.
Saleh told dpa that his delegates had been shadowed by security forces for many weeks.
He said he woke up in the morning to find his car with two flat tyres and security forces parked outside his house. When he asked why the tyres were flat, they said 'it was a mistake that only two tyres had the air let out of them.'
A total of 160 supporters of Saleh have been arrested during the past three weeks for allegedly using religious slogans.
But Saleh denies using such slogans, showing reporters his campaign posters which read 'Reform is the solution,' a phrase that plays on the original slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood 'Islam is the solution.'
'It is ridiculous the (National Democratic Party) prohibits the Brothers from using religious slogans, when the NDP candidate in this constituency is using Koran verses for his propaganda,' Saleh said.
All around the nearby villages of Oseem, Manshiet al-Qanater and Qerdaset al-Mansouriya minivans with loud speakers could be seen touring streets with campaigners from the ruling NDP singing praises of their candidate.
Saleh's banners were torn down, and NDP candidates lodged official complaints with the local authorities claiming he used religious slogans.
'The Higher Commissioner for Elections had a thick folder full of numerous complaints filed by rival NDP candidates,' he said.
Mariam al-Sayed, Saleh's daughter, said their house was under surveillance for several days. Her father was reportedly followed everywhere and people in the village took to jokingly calling him 'the national security man.'
'We could see the national security spies sitting in the shop facing our house, eyeing everyone coming in or out of our house,' his wife, Iman Ismail, said.
Ihab Abul-Fotouh, a student supporter of Saleh, said he and his brother were rounded-up from their home, their computer was confiscated, and they were detained for three days.
'We were charged with posting flyers carrying religious slogans. We had no flyers. We were arrested from our own homes,' Abul-Fotouh said.
Saleh's experience is not unique. Several kilometres away in Abu al-Noumros, a rural area in Giza's third constituency, another Brotherhood-affiliated candidate, Mohammed Fiki, complained that NDP supporters rigged the vote.
'They had the audacity of rigging the balloting register registering ineligible voters and making them vote,' Fiki alleged. 'I personally confiscated 100 pages of rigged lists filled out by the station's employees.'
'When my supporters reached the poling station, police sent them back, telling them that the elections were cancelled,' he added.
But cordoning people off was not the only problem that voters faced - Muslim Brotherhood or not. Fawziya Mohammed, a female registered voter, said many voters could not find their names on the register, and she saw some people being sent away.
Outside a polling station in the village of Bortos, some people were allowed to vote using their national identification cards or their NDP membership cards. The same people were reportedly allowed to vote more than once.
'I voted several times today. Everyone did,' said Mohammed, a young man in his early twenties standing outside a polling station.
Mohammed, who did not disclose his last name, does not own a voting card.
'Rigging is taking place in all the stations,' said Mohammed Abdel-Hakim, a campaigner for independent candidate Abdel-Hakim al- Nimr.
Another campaigner, Mohammed al-Nimr, claimed NDP candidates were buying votes.
'What we are witnessing today is the result of a security regime using its heavy stick everywhere,' said Fiki, who seemed to have little hope that Muslim Brotherhood candidates will make any significant gains.
Preliminary results of the first round of the elections are expected late Tuesday. A runoff round will be held on June 18, and arguably only then will the brotherhood be able to draw lessons from this experiment in political participation.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/printer_1316305.php
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Nubians decry discrimination on eve of elections (dpa)
Middle East Features
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 10, 2007, 18:09 GMT
Aswan, Egypt - Taking shelter from the blistering Aswan heat, community leaders of the so-called New Nubia huddle under the shade of a tree and recount how they were forced to leave their villages on the banks of the Nile.
'The day we left resembled doomsday,' says Nour el-Din Hassan as he sits garbed in a white gown - a definitive mark of Nubian culture - sipping a cold Hibiscus drink.
Hassan is a businessman in his late fifties, who has witnessed the 43-year-old relocation. Aswan is the site of the 3.6-kilometre High Dam, the construction of which caused the inundation of 44 Nubian villages where Hassan, his family members and members of his tribe grew up.
'I remember the date very well when we were made to leave,' says Hassan. 'It was a stormy day; dust filled the air, winds blew.'
Hassan remains nostalgic until this very day. He says they were never sufficiently compensated for their 'paradise lost,' and this makes him and his people feel 'abandoned by central authorities.'
Preparations for the Shura Council elections seem to have opened some old wounds.
As the midterm elections approach, Nubians based in and around Aswan hope representatives of the central authority in Aswam will be more receptive to their demands: new homes, new land and a more equal share in the political power game.
The Shura Council is the upper house of Egypt's parliament and its duties are limited to ratifying constitutional amendments, treaties and bill proposals. It is strictly consultative on other matters and has arguably little influence on politics.
Nevertheless, membership in the Shura council is sought for prestige, parliamentary immunity and the powers that such a post gives its holder on the local level.
It is not surprising that the people of Aswan choose to huddle around their candidates - usually tribal and community leaders - who are supposed to act as their ambassadors and provide services.
The Nubians of Nasr al-Nuba, a town 85 kilometres away from the Old Nuba from which they were uprooted, said that they were denied the privilege of serving their people through the Shura Council.
According to their elders, the 'real Nubians,' as they choose to call themselves, are usually ignored and given false promises by Aswan's local administration.
Despite being given new homes in Nasr al-Nuba after their displacement, Nubians complain that the small one-storey houses are nothing like their old mansions surrounded by acres of cultivated land.
'It was a paradise where we lived,' says Hassan, supported by the nods of his tribesman, who are leaders in their own right.
Ismail Ahmed Gamal, the mayor of Nasr al-Nuba, pointed to the bare hills in the distance telling a reporter how they were uprooted from the banks of the Nile and 'thrown into this blazing desert land.'
Around Lake Nasser, which now covers old Nubia, are sites of construction projects, which include the Toshka (the New Valley Project) with irrigation canals to carry water from Lake Nasser into Egypt's western desert. Some of the Nubian families who were not compensated more than 40 years ago were promised lodgings around the banks of the lake.
According to them, 5,000 families have not been given homes yet. In addition, the Nubians see the new haven, the environment of which resembles their old 'paradise lost.'
'It's only fair that inhabitants who originally belong to this land be returned back,' adds Gamal referring to the area around Lake Nasser.
'We have been promised this by the president of Egypt,' the mayor of Nasr al-Nuba said. But the governor, they claimed, refuses to relocate them to the place they call 'home' despite the president's promise.
They say they have no representatives in Monday's Shura Council elections. 'We need one of us, someone who has seen it all and suffered as we did to defend our rights,' adds the mayor who is also a member of the left-leaning Tagammu opposition party.
The lack of representation of Nubians is what reportedly lead Abdel-Karim Karar, a leading member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) in the Komb Ombo district of Aswan, to quit the party.
Nasr al-Nuba has 60,000 registered voters and according to Karar, the NDP should have fielded a candidate representing this community, but it refused to.
He adds that the Nubians called on the governor to identify Nasr al-Nuba as a separate constituency, but this demand has also been refused.
'Logic says that grand tribes and ethnicities are what should be represented. The Nubians are only 10 per cent (of the population),' said Aswan's governor Samir Youssef.
The governor shrugged off the Nubian troubles as 'the work of minor elements' entrenched among the Nubian communities - people that are financed by Western countries which aim at destabilizing Egypt's societies, he said.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1315844.php/Nubians_decry_discrimination_on_eve_of_elections
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 10, 2007, 18:09 GMT
Aswan, Egypt - Taking shelter from the blistering Aswan heat, community leaders of the so-called New Nubia huddle under the shade of a tree and recount how they were forced to leave their villages on the banks of the Nile.
'The day we left resembled doomsday,' says Nour el-Din Hassan as he sits garbed in a white gown - a definitive mark of Nubian culture - sipping a cold Hibiscus drink.
Hassan is a businessman in his late fifties, who has witnessed the 43-year-old relocation. Aswan is the site of the 3.6-kilometre High Dam, the construction of which caused the inundation of 44 Nubian villages where Hassan, his family members and members of his tribe grew up.
'I remember the date very well when we were made to leave,' says Hassan. 'It was a stormy day; dust filled the air, winds blew.'
Hassan remains nostalgic until this very day. He says they were never sufficiently compensated for their 'paradise lost,' and this makes him and his people feel 'abandoned by central authorities.'
Preparations for the Shura Council elections seem to have opened some old wounds.
As the midterm elections approach, Nubians based in and around Aswan hope representatives of the central authority in Aswam will be more receptive to their demands: new homes, new land and a more equal share in the political power game.
The Shura Council is the upper house of Egypt's parliament and its duties are limited to ratifying constitutional amendments, treaties and bill proposals. It is strictly consultative on other matters and has arguably little influence on politics.
Nevertheless, membership in the Shura council is sought for prestige, parliamentary immunity and the powers that such a post gives its holder on the local level.
It is not surprising that the people of Aswan choose to huddle around their candidates - usually tribal and community leaders - who are supposed to act as their ambassadors and provide services.
The Nubians of Nasr al-Nuba, a town 85 kilometres away from the Old Nuba from which they were uprooted, said that they were denied the privilege of serving their people through the Shura Council.
According to their elders, the 'real Nubians,' as they choose to call themselves, are usually ignored and given false promises by Aswan's local administration.
Despite being given new homes in Nasr al-Nuba after their displacement, Nubians complain that the small one-storey houses are nothing like their old mansions surrounded by acres of cultivated land.
'It was a paradise where we lived,' says Hassan, supported by the nods of his tribesman, who are leaders in their own right.
Ismail Ahmed Gamal, the mayor of Nasr al-Nuba, pointed to the bare hills in the distance telling a reporter how they were uprooted from the banks of the Nile and 'thrown into this blazing desert land.'
Around Lake Nasser, which now covers old Nubia, are sites of construction projects, which include the Toshka (the New Valley Project) with irrigation canals to carry water from Lake Nasser into Egypt's western desert. Some of the Nubian families who were not compensated more than 40 years ago were promised lodgings around the banks of the lake.
According to them, 5,000 families have not been given homes yet. In addition, the Nubians see the new haven, the environment of which resembles their old 'paradise lost.'
'It's only fair that inhabitants who originally belong to this land be returned back,' adds Gamal referring to the area around Lake Nasser.
'We have been promised this by the president of Egypt,' the mayor of Nasr al-Nuba said. But the governor, they claimed, refuses to relocate them to the place they call 'home' despite the president's promise.
They say they have no representatives in Monday's Shura Council elections. 'We need one of us, someone who has seen it all and suffered as we did to defend our rights,' adds the mayor who is also a member of the left-leaning Tagammu opposition party.
The lack of representation of Nubians is what reportedly lead Abdel-Karim Karar, a leading member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) in the Komb Ombo district of Aswan, to quit the party.
Nasr al-Nuba has 60,000 registered voters and according to Karar, the NDP should have fielded a candidate representing this community, but it refused to.
He adds that the Nubians called on the governor to identify Nasr al-Nuba as a separate constituency, but this demand has also been refused.
'Logic says that grand tribes and ethnicities are what should be represented. The Nubians are only 10 per cent (of the population),' said Aswan's governor Samir Youssef.
The governor shrugged off the Nubian troubles as 'the work of minor elements' entrenched among the Nubian communities - people that are financed by Western countries which aim at destabilizing Egypt's societies, he said.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1315844.php/Nubians_decry_discrimination_on_eve_of_elections
Kinship and ethnicity influence voters' in upper Egypt (dpa)
Middle East Features
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 9, 2007, 21:26 GMT
Aswan, Egypt - When asked which candidate he supported, a young voter from Aswan named Mohammed Atta smiled, then simply said: 'I can't say. It's too embarrassing.'
Atta's manner embodies the general mood in Aswan ahead of Monday's Shura council midterm elections. There, several candidates of the same party are also tribal leaders tribes in the society with a population of around 1.1 million, according to municipal statistics.
Atta later told a reporter that all his acquaintances knew that he would vote for his tribe, but he does not like making his choice known.
An Aswan-based senior member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) said people are both 'confused and uncomfortable' with the idea of more than one candidate running for the same seat.
'They're dividing the voters,' added the high-profile member who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Aswan lies on the east bank of the Nile and is both a strong industrial city and a tourist attraction. It harbours the 3.6- kilometre High Dam, Egypt's key power generator and Lake Nasser, reputed to be the world's largest artificial lake.
Aswan's busy NDP headquarters has posters of six candidates from the same party who are running for the Cairo-based consultative body with 264 seats. According to the NDP's general secretary in Aswan, Khalaf Youssef Saed, the party has fielded 'its strongest candidates' for this election.
He insisted that party followers were happy with what he termed 'a new experiment' and dismissed allegations of confusion among voters saying people confused themselves by voting for a distant relative rather than for the best candidate.
The famous tribes and ethnicities of Aswan, near the Sudanese border, include the Jaafara tribe, who claim to be descended from Jaafar al-Sadek and trace their heritage back to Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, founder of Islam.
Another tribe called the Ansar claim they are descendants of the People of the Medina among whom Prophet Mohammed found solace after he was driven out of Mecca hundreds of years ago. Abbadis and Abbasids are two of the large tribes represented in these elections.
According to voters, supporting kin is a must even if their 'relative is a mere farmer and his contestant is a scientist,' in the words of a registered voter.
The elections could yet turn nasty. According to Diyab Abudllah, a candidate calling himself Hajj, flyers circulated in the city are spreading rumours about him.
'I hate prejudice and intolerance. And for me the whole thing is not unlike a football match. Nevertheless, some other candidates chose to play the game differently and spread rumours about me,' said Abdullah.
He expressed concern about multiple-candidacies. The NDP does not support their candidates now because they cannot back one and not the other.
'People are perplexed,' he added. 'There is a lot of ignorance. So in the end, people may decide to vote for both NDP contestants thinking that they're supporting the party this way without knowing that the candidates are actually rivals.'
'It is the absolute democracy,' said Aswan's governor Samir Youssef in reference to NDP's decision to field more than one candidate.
'There is more than one star in the constituencies and everyone of these feels he deserves to run for candidacy. The NDP is giving them all their chances.'
Aswan has two main constituencies. One of them encompasses the upper-Egyptian city of Aswan and the northern township of Daraw where 11 candidates including two from NDP, are contesting two seats.
In the second constituency, 19 candidates have registered their candidates from the northern towns of Edfo and Komb Ombo - which are both under the governance of the Aswan province.
The NDP had fielded four candidates for two seats in the second constituency. Despite NDP members' concerns that the votes will be divided owing to multiple candidacies from the ruling party, others insist that the NDP have no 'big competitors.'
Many independent candidates were affiliated with NDP, but left when the party did not enlist them for the Shura elections. According to NDP leaders, these independents could be won back if they score a victory in the elections.
But Egypt's foremost opposition the Muslim Brotherhood - a banned but popular religious group - is not strong in Aswan. They are not fielding a candidate in upper Egypt, an announcement said.
More than 34 million registered voters are expected to cast their votes in the Shura elections, which begin on Monday. The candidates are competing for 88 seats in 57 constituencies across 24 Egyptian provinces - 11 seats have already been granted to candidates running alone in their constituencies.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1315619.php/Kinship_and_ethnicity_influence_voters_in_upper_Egypt
By Pakinam Amer
Jun 9, 2007, 21:26 GMT
Aswan, Egypt - When asked which candidate he supported, a young voter from Aswan named Mohammed Atta smiled, then simply said: 'I can't say. It's too embarrassing.'
Atta's manner embodies the general mood in Aswan ahead of Monday's Shura council midterm elections. There, several candidates of the same party are also tribal leaders tribes in the society with a population of around 1.1 million, according to municipal statistics.
Atta later told a reporter that all his acquaintances knew that he would vote for his tribe, but he does not like making his choice known.
An Aswan-based senior member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) said people are both 'confused and uncomfortable' with the idea of more than one candidate running for the same seat.
'They're dividing the voters,' added the high-profile member who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Aswan lies on the east bank of the Nile and is both a strong industrial city and a tourist attraction. It harbours the 3.6- kilometre High Dam, Egypt's key power generator and Lake Nasser, reputed to be the world's largest artificial lake.
Aswan's busy NDP headquarters has posters of six candidates from the same party who are running for the Cairo-based consultative body with 264 seats. According to the NDP's general secretary in Aswan, Khalaf Youssef Saed, the party has fielded 'its strongest candidates' for this election.
He insisted that party followers were happy with what he termed 'a new experiment' and dismissed allegations of confusion among voters saying people confused themselves by voting for a distant relative rather than for the best candidate.
The famous tribes and ethnicities of Aswan, near the Sudanese border, include the Jaafara tribe, who claim to be descended from Jaafar al-Sadek and trace their heritage back to Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, founder of Islam.
Another tribe called the Ansar claim they are descendants of the People of the Medina among whom Prophet Mohammed found solace after he was driven out of Mecca hundreds of years ago. Abbadis and Abbasids are two of the large tribes represented in these elections.
According to voters, supporting kin is a must even if their 'relative is a mere farmer and his contestant is a scientist,' in the words of a registered voter.
The elections could yet turn nasty. According to Diyab Abudllah, a candidate calling himself Hajj, flyers circulated in the city are spreading rumours about him.
'I hate prejudice and intolerance. And for me the whole thing is not unlike a football match. Nevertheless, some other candidates chose to play the game differently and spread rumours about me,' said Abdullah.
He expressed concern about multiple-candidacies. The NDP does not support their candidates now because they cannot back one and not the other.
'People are perplexed,' he added. 'There is a lot of ignorance. So in the end, people may decide to vote for both NDP contestants thinking that they're supporting the party this way without knowing that the candidates are actually rivals.'
'It is the absolute democracy,' said Aswan's governor Samir Youssef in reference to NDP's decision to field more than one candidate.
'There is more than one star in the constituencies and everyone of these feels he deserves to run for candidacy. The NDP is giving them all their chances.'
Aswan has two main constituencies. One of them encompasses the upper-Egyptian city of Aswan and the northern township of Daraw where 11 candidates including two from NDP, are contesting two seats.
In the second constituency, 19 candidates have registered their candidates from the northern towns of Edfo and Komb Ombo - which are both under the governance of the Aswan province.
The NDP had fielded four candidates for two seats in the second constituency. Despite NDP members' concerns that the votes will be divided owing to multiple candidacies from the ruling party, others insist that the NDP have no 'big competitors.'
Many independent candidates were affiliated with NDP, but left when the party did not enlist them for the Shura elections. According to NDP leaders, these independents could be won back if they score a victory in the elections.
But Egypt's foremost opposition the Muslim Brotherhood - a banned but popular religious group - is not strong in Aswan. They are not fielding a candidate in upper Egypt, an announcement said.
More than 34 million registered voters are expected to cast their votes in the Shura elections, which begin on Monday. The candidates are competing for 88 seats in 57 constituencies across 24 Egyptian provinces - 11 seats have already been granted to candidates running alone in their constituencies.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1315619.php/Kinship_and_ethnicity_influence_voters_in_upper_Egypt
Saturday, May 26, 2007
NEWS FEATURE: US, Iran exchange accusations ahead of meeting
Middle East Features
By Pakinam Amer
May 20, 2007, 17:00 GMT
Dead Sea, Jordan - Accusations flew between officials from the United States and Iran on Sunday as US officials reiterated their claim that Tehran is destabilizing Iraq by funding the insurgency there and providing weapons for extremists.
The exchange took place during discussion at a meeting of the Jordan-based World Economic Forum (WEF) being held on the shores of the Dead Sea resort and comes ahead of a planned US-Iran meeting in Baghdad on May 28.
'We have evidence that Iran is participating in destabilizing Iraq,' US Senator Orrin G Hatch said. However, his claims were vehemently denied by the leadership of Iran during a discussion at the forum gathering.
Hatch asked Iran for 'some indication of respect, some indication of willingness' to abide by the rule to law.
Mohammed Larijani, Iranian deputy minister of foreign affairs, said it is in Iran's national interest to have a unified, peaceful Iraq.
But he also noted that Iran had not been getting any signs of respect from the US ahead of the Baghdad meeting. '(Senator Hatch) talks about respect. We have been labelled as part of the axis of evil. And we are threatened every other day that (our) government should be changed,' he said.
'They say our meeting should be only at ambassadorial level. Are these good signs of respect? Definitely not,' Larijani said.
Concerning the raging violence in Iraq, Larijani said Bush should not have expected a 'red carpet' to be rolled out when the US invaded Iraq in 2003. 'Nobody likes occupation.'
Larijani said the upcoming meeting - even with Iran's cooperation - 'will not solve all the problems in the world' but 'it will open a path.'
A day earlier, Iran's foreign minister also levelled blame at the US, saying that it did many wrong things in Iraq, and that in the next meeting Iran would show the US where it went wrong and how to correct the wrongs.
They also expected an 'offer of withdrawal' of US troops from Iraq.
Senator Hatch said on Sunday that the US government realized that errors were made during the war on Iraq.
'There's no question that we made mistakes in the war, but the intention was good.' He added that the US needs to do more and so does Iran which should 'start running their own affairs' instead of running Iraq's.
'We don't enjoy having our men and women killed. We don't enjoy terror,' said the senator, who was joined by US Senator Gordon H Smith in confirming that US troops would not leave Iraq until Iraqi forces are capable of handling the security situation.
'We will not leave a vacuum that they can fill,' said Smith, adding that there is 'no question from the evidence' that Iranians and Syrians are meddling in Iraqi affairs and settling disputes on the territory of Iraq.
Iraqi officials at the session which brought Iranian, Iraqi and US figures together joined the rhetoric, saying that foreign powers not only engage in sectarian conflicts, but also encourage the Iraqis to take sides - sometimes through direct financing.
On the sidelines, Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi said that if US troops withdrew, they would 'leave a security vacuum and so (the country) could slide into chaos.'
Multinational forces in Iraq have lately been reporting more and more findings of Iranian-marked bombs and weapons - some of which earlier official reports traced back to Quds, a group affiliated with right-wing members of the Iranian government.
Iran, however, continues to deny this. Larijani told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that for a country that 'has more than 150,000 troops allowed, bombarding houses and people everyday, it's shameful to accuse us of infiltrating arms to Iraq.'
The Iranian-marked weapons, he said, could be passing through the border from any of Iraq's neighbours: 'We're selling arms to other countries, officially. They could be smuggled into Iraq illegally, so could American weapons and German weapons.'
During the session, Larijani told US and Iraqi officials that militants in Iraq 'don't need arms from Iran. Iraq is full of arms, the borders are open. They could come from anywhere.'
Meanwhile, al-Hashimi told dpa that the Iraqi government "hasn't seen the Iranian weapons, but I do believe that there is a concrete report on that.”
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1306906.php/US_Iran_exchange_accusations_ahead_of_meeting
By Pakinam Amer
May 20, 2007, 17:00 GMT
Dead Sea, Jordan - Accusations flew between officials from the United States and Iran on Sunday as US officials reiterated their claim that Tehran is destabilizing Iraq by funding the insurgency there and providing weapons for extremists.
The exchange took place during discussion at a meeting of the Jordan-based World Economic Forum (WEF) being held on the shores of the Dead Sea resort and comes ahead of a planned US-Iran meeting in Baghdad on May 28.
'We have evidence that Iran is participating in destabilizing Iraq,' US Senator Orrin G Hatch said. However, his claims were vehemently denied by the leadership of Iran during a discussion at the forum gathering.
Hatch asked Iran for 'some indication of respect, some indication of willingness' to abide by the rule to law.
Mohammed Larijani, Iranian deputy minister of foreign affairs, said it is in Iran's national interest to have a unified, peaceful Iraq.
But he also noted that Iran had not been getting any signs of respect from the US ahead of the Baghdad meeting. '(Senator Hatch) talks about respect. We have been labelled as part of the axis of evil. And we are threatened every other day that (our) government should be changed,' he said.
'They say our meeting should be only at ambassadorial level. Are these good signs of respect? Definitely not,' Larijani said.
Concerning the raging violence in Iraq, Larijani said Bush should not have expected a 'red carpet' to be rolled out when the US invaded Iraq in 2003. 'Nobody likes occupation.'
Larijani said the upcoming meeting - even with Iran's cooperation - 'will not solve all the problems in the world' but 'it will open a path.'
A day earlier, Iran's foreign minister also levelled blame at the US, saying that it did many wrong things in Iraq, and that in the next meeting Iran would show the US where it went wrong and how to correct the wrongs.
They also expected an 'offer of withdrawal' of US troops from Iraq.
Senator Hatch said on Sunday that the US government realized that errors were made during the war on Iraq.
'There's no question that we made mistakes in the war, but the intention was good.' He added that the US needs to do more and so does Iran which should 'start running their own affairs' instead of running Iraq's.
'We don't enjoy having our men and women killed. We don't enjoy terror,' said the senator, who was joined by US Senator Gordon H Smith in confirming that US troops would not leave Iraq until Iraqi forces are capable of handling the security situation.
'We will not leave a vacuum that they can fill,' said Smith, adding that there is 'no question from the evidence' that Iranians and Syrians are meddling in Iraqi affairs and settling disputes on the territory of Iraq.
Iraqi officials at the session which brought Iranian, Iraqi and US figures together joined the rhetoric, saying that foreign powers not only engage in sectarian conflicts, but also encourage the Iraqis to take sides - sometimes through direct financing.
On the sidelines, Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi said that if US troops withdrew, they would 'leave a security vacuum and so (the country) could slide into chaos.'
Multinational forces in Iraq have lately been reporting more and more findings of Iranian-marked bombs and weapons - some of which earlier official reports traced back to Quds, a group affiliated with right-wing members of the Iranian government.
Iran, however, continues to deny this. Larijani told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that for a country that 'has more than 150,000 troops allowed, bombarding houses and people everyday, it's shameful to accuse us of infiltrating arms to Iraq.'
The Iranian-marked weapons, he said, could be passing through the border from any of Iraq's neighbours: 'We're selling arms to other countries, officially. They could be smuggled into Iraq illegally, so could American weapons and German weapons.'
During the session, Larijani told US and Iraqi officials that militants in Iraq 'don't need arms from Iran. Iraq is full of arms, the borders are open. They could come from anywhere.'
Meanwhile, al-Hashimi told dpa that the Iraqi government "hasn't seen the Iranian weapons, but I do believe that there is a concrete report on that.”
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1306906.php/US_Iran_exchange_accusations_ahead_of_meeting
DPA: Arabs want Israel to accept Saudi backed peace plan
Middle East Features
By Pakinam Amer
May 20, 2007, 16:59 GMT
Dead Sea, Jordan - Palestinian and Arab leaders, during a heated discussion on Sunday, called on Israel to accept the Saudi-backed Arab peace initiative and to offer Palestinians a sovereign state if they want to secure their lands.
They also charged that the Israeli occupation 'breeds violence' during discussion at a gathering of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the Dead Sea resort.
'Security is provided to you by peace,' top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
Addressing Israelis, he said: 'Tell the Arabs 'we accept the (Arab peace) initiative and we'll talk with you.' That's how history is made.'
The reactivated five-year-old Arab initiative promises full normalization with Israel and Arab recognition of the Jewish state in return for a full Israeli pullout from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, establishing East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
The proposal also includes terms that would guarantee the right of return to thousands of Palestinian refugees stranded in poor conditions across hosting Arab countries, mainly Jordan and Lebanon.
But the highlight of the proposal is the end of occupation and establishment of a Palestinian state, which Erekat heavily addressed during the session.
'You are destroying us; you are destroying our social fabric,' he said. 'Get rid of the occupation if you don't want to see al-Qaeda and extremism.'
Israel did not say if they accepted the proposal, and Arab leaders had earlier expressed doubt that the Jewish state would easily get on board but nevertheless kept calling for their cooperation.
On Sunday Israeli's Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres told reporters at the WEF that Israel was 'ready to make a counter- proposal.'
'We are ready to sit down with whomever you want - the Saudis, the Arab League - and we shall try to air out the differences between us,' Peres said. 'You (Arabs) can't come to the negotiations table with a pistol in your hands,' he added.
However, Arab League Chief Amr Moussa, who was also in attendance, said they had offered a hand to Israel but 'we have received no counter-offer, just gestures.'
Erekat also said that Israel allowed no compromises to their policy, and asked Israel, as a token of good will, to lift the economic blockade on the Palestinian territories - a siege of sorts that Israel and International community imposed when militant Hamas came to power with a sweeping victory in Palestinian elections.
'Lift the siege, Palestinians are suffering enough,' Erekat told Peres in a firm tone. 'It's enough, the consequences of the war, and it's enough that we don't control our own water. You're not punishing political parties, you're punishing my wife, my child, my neighbour, all Palestinians.'
Although the session was not supposed to be a place for pointing fingers, observers said, Peres and Erekat's heated discussion almost turned into a row.
On one hand, Peres insisted that the security of Israel should be guaranteed, then the negotiations will follow. On the other hand, Erekat said 'Israel can think they can get security through more violence and settlements, we have seen this movie before. Violence breeds violence.'
The argument continued with Peres saying that Israel's problem was with Hamas.
'We opened the border, Hamas smuggled arms,' he said. 'Security is number one for us, we cannot permit people to be killed.'
But, retorted Moussa: 'The problem is not Hamas or Iran but the military occupation of the occupied territories.'
'You're not going to ask Palestinians to sit tight while Israelis do what they want to do. And Israel does what it wants to do, using violence as well,' he added.
Moussa joined Erekat in blaming the occupation, defending Hamas and deeming it an elected body and member of a national unity government, 'not a terrorist organization.'
During the sessions, Peres stood up, excused himself from the discussion and left the podium.
Reporters and the audience were surprised but the facilitator of the discussions claimed that this was by agreement, as 'Mr Peres had an appointment' to honour.
Moussa had also told Peres that Israel did not recognize the Palestinian state in documents and that they needed this recognition in writing.
'The record of Israel on abiding to agreements is a (disappointing) record,' Moussa said.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1306905.php/Arabs_want_Israel_to_accept_Saudi_backed_peace_plan
By Pakinam Amer
May 20, 2007, 16:59 GMT
Dead Sea, Jordan - Palestinian and Arab leaders, during a heated discussion on Sunday, called on Israel to accept the Saudi-backed Arab peace initiative and to offer Palestinians a sovereign state if they want to secure their lands.
They also charged that the Israeli occupation 'breeds violence' during discussion at a gathering of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the Dead Sea resort.
'Security is provided to you by peace,' top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
Addressing Israelis, he said: 'Tell the Arabs 'we accept the (Arab peace) initiative and we'll talk with you.' That's how history is made.'
The reactivated five-year-old Arab initiative promises full normalization with Israel and Arab recognition of the Jewish state in return for a full Israeli pullout from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, establishing East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
The proposal also includes terms that would guarantee the right of return to thousands of Palestinian refugees stranded in poor conditions across hosting Arab countries, mainly Jordan and Lebanon.
But the highlight of the proposal is the end of occupation and establishment of a Palestinian state, which Erekat heavily addressed during the session.
'You are destroying us; you are destroying our social fabric,' he said. 'Get rid of the occupation if you don't want to see al-Qaeda and extremism.'
Israel did not say if they accepted the proposal, and Arab leaders had earlier expressed doubt that the Jewish state would easily get on board but nevertheless kept calling for their cooperation.
On Sunday Israeli's Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres told reporters at the WEF that Israel was 'ready to make a counter- proposal.'
'We are ready to sit down with whomever you want - the Saudis, the Arab League - and we shall try to air out the differences between us,' Peres said. 'You (Arabs) can't come to the negotiations table with a pistol in your hands,' he added.
However, Arab League Chief Amr Moussa, who was also in attendance, said they had offered a hand to Israel but 'we have received no counter-offer, just gestures.'
Erekat also said that Israel allowed no compromises to their policy, and asked Israel, as a token of good will, to lift the economic blockade on the Palestinian territories - a siege of sorts that Israel and International community imposed when militant Hamas came to power with a sweeping victory in Palestinian elections.
'Lift the siege, Palestinians are suffering enough,' Erekat told Peres in a firm tone. 'It's enough, the consequences of the war, and it's enough that we don't control our own water. You're not punishing political parties, you're punishing my wife, my child, my neighbour, all Palestinians.'
Although the session was not supposed to be a place for pointing fingers, observers said, Peres and Erekat's heated discussion almost turned into a row.
On one hand, Peres insisted that the security of Israel should be guaranteed, then the negotiations will follow. On the other hand, Erekat said 'Israel can think they can get security through more violence and settlements, we have seen this movie before. Violence breeds violence.'
The argument continued with Peres saying that Israel's problem was with Hamas.
'We opened the border, Hamas smuggled arms,' he said. 'Security is number one for us, we cannot permit people to be killed.'
But, retorted Moussa: 'The problem is not Hamas or Iran but the military occupation of the occupied territories.'
'You're not going to ask Palestinians to sit tight while Israelis do what they want to do. And Israel does what it wants to do, using violence as well,' he added.
Moussa joined Erekat in blaming the occupation, defending Hamas and deeming it an elected body and member of a national unity government, 'not a terrorist organization.'
During the sessions, Peres stood up, excused himself from the discussion and left the podium.
Reporters and the audience were surprised but the facilitator of the discussions claimed that this was by agreement, as 'Mr Peres had an appointment' to honour.
Moussa had also told Peres that Israel did not recognize the Palestinian state in documents and that they needed this recognition in writing.
'The record of Israel on abiding to agreements is a (disappointing) record,' Moussa said.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1306905.php/Arabs_want_Israel_to_accept_Saudi_backed_peace_plan
ANALYSIS: Iran, Saudi vie for regional dominance
Middle East News
By Pakinam Amer
May 19, 2007, 18:31 GMT
Dead Sea, Jordan - Saudi Arabia's hopes of achieving dominance on the regional political arena, and establishing its presence as both a broker and a peace negotiator, seems to be challenged by another power - Iran, which shares its borders.
Saudi Arabia, now a key regional player, has been gradually increasing its involvement in addressing the concerns, issues and conflicts threatening Middle East stability at a time when Egypt's role is taking a nosedive.
In Mecca, the Saudis brought together Palestinian factions, and in last March's Arab League summit the Islamic kingdom figuratively extended a hand to Lebanon, facing one of the worst standoffs in its modern history, and Iraq, ripped apart by confessional and sectarian differences.
On Saturday, however, Iran's attempts to be in itself a power broker in the Arab region were confirmed - showing to Saudi Arabia how serious it is in pursuing its interests in the Arab world.
During the Jordan-based World Economic Forum, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki underplayed the importance of a Saudi- backed four-year-old Arab-Israeli peace initiative, vehemently insisting that it is bound to fail.
'Despite of the good (intentions) of some countries and some parties to protect the right of Palestinians, we do believe that either due to the plans or due to the other side's approach, all of those plans will fail,' said Mottaki. 'If we talk based on realities, I do not see any chance.'
The remarks, paradoxically, came during a plenary session entitled 'Stability in the Broader Middle East: Who's taking the Lead?'
The session brought together the leaders of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia who discussed the key players in the region, cooperation between neighbours and an ambitious inclusion strategy that the Arab neighbours wish to employ.
The 2002 Arab initiative, which Mottaki addressed and which the session's participants focused on, promises full normalization with Israel and Arab recognition of the Jewish state in return for a full Israeli pullout from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem, and a withdrawal from the Golan Heights in Syria and some territories in southern Lebanon.
The proposal also includes terms that would guarantee the right of return to thousands of Palestinian refugees stranded in poor conditions across hosting Arab countries.
But at its core, the initiative accepts a two-state solution, which Iran is adamant in rejecting outright.
It's also Saudi-backed, and is aggressively promoted by the Islamic monarchy and enjoys the blessing of Arab states such as Egypt and Jordan.
Instead of joining powers, Mottaki said that Iran has a better proposal - a 'democratic free and fair referendum' where, in his words, original Muslim, Christian and Jewish Palestinians would vote and choose their regime.
In an evening session entitled 'Iran and the region,' he confirmed his stance saying that in principal he is not against an Arab initiative, but believed that this one will not work.
'Five million refugees will not be accepted by the Israeli regime,' he insisted.
He said his country does not recognize Israel's regime, neither does it see it as legitimate or even legal.
But that does not mean that Iran aims to destroy Israel - an apparent change of heart that surprised many political experts on Saturday, and that could very well be momentary in face of growing international pressures.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had in the past issued fiery remarks against the Jewish state, vowing to 'wipe' the country off the map.
But on Saturday, Mottaki said that 'primary school students know that it's not possible to remove a country from the map. And that is very clear.'
Mottaki, speaking to reporters in forum, said that the important conditions outlined in the Saudi-proposed initiative will not see the light.
'We can recognize more than 132 plans for peace in the last 30 years. Why were these plans or initiatives not met or realized?' Mottaki asked.
He insisted that 'Iran was and is always a part of the solutions to the crisis in the region,' a saying which does not contradict the position made clear earlier by Iranian leadership, which said Arab countries and the US must cooperate with Iran for more stability.
Motakki's remarks clearly did not appeal to Saudi's delegation head and top diplomat Prince Turki al-Faisal al-Saud. Saudi discomfort was the strongest.
For his part, al-Saud commented by saying that he believed that 'the reality says that Iran should be on board. The wishful thinking says why should they?'
'This is an Arab issue. This is a Palestinian issue which should be solved in Arab-Palestinian context. Unfortunately, the Palestinian conflict lends itself to outside interference,' said al-Saud, whose tone betrayed discontent with the stringent Iranian stance, and did not hide Saudi disgruntlement at Iran's growing and inevitable influence on the region.
'If the Palestinians were from the very beginning united, we would not face the situation we are facing today.'
He said that if the Palestinians continue 'killing each other,' the Arab initiative will not get the region anywhere.
'This makes it imperative that we reacquire our fate in our own hands,' he said, adding that in this case neither the US, Israel nor any foreign state would be needed to interfere.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1306649.php/ANALYSIS_Iran_and_Saudi_Arabia_compete_for_regional_dominance
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=118856
By Pakinam Amer
May 19, 2007, 18:31 GMT
Dead Sea, Jordan - Saudi Arabia's hopes of achieving dominance on the regional political arena, and establishing its presence as both a broker and a peace negotiator, seems to be challenged by another power - Iran, which shares its borders.
Saudi Arabia, now a key regional player, has been gradually increasing its involvement in addressing the concerns, issues and conflicts threatening Middle East stability at a time when Egypt's role is taking a nosedive.
In Mecca, the Saudis brought together Palestinian factions, and in last March's Arab League summit the Islamic kingdom figuratively extended a hand to Lebanon, facing one of the worst standoffs in its modern history, and Iraq, ripped apart by confessional and sectarian differences.
On Saturday, however, Iran's attempts to be in itself a power broker in the Arab region were confirmed - showing to Saudi Arabia how serious it is in pursuing its interests in the Arab world.
During the Jordan-based World Economic Forum, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki underplayed the importance of a Saudi- backed four-year-old Arab-Israeli peace initiative, vehemently insisting that it is bound to fail.
'Despite of the good (intentions) of some countries and some parties to protect the right of Palestinians, we do believe that either due to the plans or due to the other side's approach, all of those plans will fail,' said Mottaki. 'If we talk based on realities, I do not see any chance.'
The remarks, paradoxically, came during a plenary session entitled 'Stability in the Broader Middle East: Who's taking the Lead?'
The session brought together the leaders of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia who discussed the key players in the region, cooperation between neighbours and an ambitious inclusion strategy that the Arab neighbours wish to employ.
The 2002 Arab initiative, which Mottaki addressed and which the session's participants focused on, promises full normalization with Israel and Arab recognition of the Jewish state in return for a full Israeli pullout from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem, and a withdrawal from the Golan Heights in Syria and some territories in southern Lebanon.
The proposal also includes terms that would guarantee the right of return to thousands of Palestinian refugees stranded in poor conditions across hosting Arab countries.
But at its core, the initiative accepts a two-state solution, which Iran is adamant in rejecting outright.
It's also Saudi-backed, and is aggressively promoted by the Islamic monarchy and enjoys the blessing of Arab states such as Egypt and Jordan.
Instead of joining powers, Mottaki said that Iran has a better proposal - a 'democratic free and fair referendum' where, in his words, original Muslim, Christian and Jewish Palestinians would vote and choose their regime.
In an evening session entitled 'Iran and the region,' he confirmed his stance saying that in principal he is not against an Arab initiative, but believed that this one will not work.
'Five million refugees will not be accepted by the Israeli regime,' he insisted.
He said his country does not recognize Israel's regime, neither does it see it as legitimate or even legal.
But that does not mean that Iran aims to destroy Israel - an apparent change of heart that surprised many political experts on Saturday, and that could very well be momentary in face of growing international pressures.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had in the past issued fiery remarks against the Jewish state, vowing to 'wipe' the country off the map.
But on Saturday, Mottaki said that 'primary school students know that it's not possible to remove a country from the map. And that is very clear.'
Mottaki, speaking to reporters in forum, said that the important conditions outlined in the Saudi-proposed initiative will not see the light.
'We can recognize more than 132 plans for peace in the last 30 years. Why were these plans or initiatives not met or realized?' Mottaki asked.
He insisted that 'Iran was and is always a part of the solutions to the crisis in the region,' a saying which does not contradict the position made clear earlier by Iranian leadership, which said Arab countries and the US must cooperate with Iran for more stability.
Motakki's remarks clearly did not appeal to Saudi's delegation head and top diplomat Prince Turki al-Faisal al-Saud. Saudi discomfort was the strongest.
For his part, al-Saud commented by saying that he believed that 'the reality says that Iran should be on board. The wishful thinking says why should they?'
'This is an Arab issue. This is a Palestinian issue which should be solved in Arab-Palestinian context. Unfortunately, the Palestinian conflict lends itself to outside interference,' said al-Saud, whose tone betrayed discontent with the stringent Iranian stance, and did not hide Saudi disgruntlement at Iran's growing and inevitable influence on the region.
'If the Palestinians were from the very beginning united, we would not face the situation we are facing today.'
He said that if the Palestinians continue 'killing each other,' the Arab initiative will not get the region anywhere.
'This makes it imperative that we reacquire our fate in our own hands,' he said, adding that in this case neither the US, Israel nor any foreign state would be needed to interfere.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1306649.php/ANALYSIS_Iran_and_Saudi_Arabia_compete_for_regional_dominance
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=118856
DPA: Ahead of US-Iran meeting, Iranian FM criticizes US policy
Middle East News
By Pakinam Amer
May 19, 2007, 16:47 GMT
Dead Sea, Jordan - Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki continued to criticize US foreign policy Saturday, ahead of planned US-Iran talks, maintaining that 'the policy of the US in Iraq was and is definitely wrong.'
Mottaki, who confirmed earlier that the meeting will focus exclusively on Iraq's security and would take place on May 28, said his country aims to 'sit with the American side in presence of the Iraqi representatives in Iraq and start a talk on Iraq to show and approve that the (US) polices were wrong.'
'We will explain to them where they went wrong and how they could correct these wrongs,' Mottaki said, describing the exchanged analysis of the realities of the situation as 'vital' to those looking for security in the region.
He added that his country could indeed see what he described as a 'willingness' by the Americans to talk to countries in the region, mainly Iran, about the Iraq crisis.
But he expressed doubt that this move was completely genuine. 'Maybe Mr (George W.) Bush is bringing this as a tactic to show that (he is) responding to the Baker-Hamilton report. But really the policies have failed in Iraq,' he said.
The US-Iran meeting is expected to take place at an ambassadorial level.
US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker had agreed earlier to meet with the Iranian representatives in Baghdad amid US accusations that Tehran has been fomenting violence in Iraq by providing material support to militant groups responsible for attacks on US soldiers.
Crocker intends to bring up allegations of Iranian support for bombing materials in Iraq and its backing of militias aggravating Shiite and Sunni tensions.
For his part, Mottaki reiterated Iran's rejection of what he described as a US occupation that has led to more instability and which breeds insurgency.
Despite the foreign minister's insistence that the US presence should end, he refused to set a hypothetical deadline for the withdrawal of US troops.
'Sooner or later the US will have to decide to withdraw their troops from Iraq, because it is the cause for the continuation of terrorist activity,' Mottaki told reporters during the Jordan-based World Economic Forum, which brings together over 700 politicians from around the world.
He said that he expected a withdrawal plan from the US, but did not say if it would be discussed at the May meeting.
The United States and Iran severed formal diplomatic relations in 1980, and discussions in Baghdad are believed to be the highest contact between the two governments in years.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1306633.php/Ahead_of_US-Iran_meeting_Iranian_FM_criticizes_US_policy__Roundup_
By Pakinam Amer
May 19, 2007, 16:47 GMT
Dead Sea, Jordan - Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki continued to criticize US foreign policy Saturday, ahead of planned US-Iran talks, maintaining that 'the policy of the US in Iraq was and is definitely wrong.'
Mottaki, who confirmed earlier that the meeting will focus exclusively on Iraq's security and would take place on May 28, said his country aims to 'sit with the American side in presence of the Iraqi representatives in Iraq and start a talk on Iraq to show and approve that the (US) polices were wrong.'
'We will explain to them where they went wrong and how they could correct these wrongs,' Mottaki said, describing the exchanged analysis of the realities of the situation as 'vital' to those looking for security in the region.
He added that his country could indeed see what he described as a 'willingness' by the Americans to talk to countries in the region, mainly Iran, about the Iraq crisis.
But he expressed doubt that this move was completely genuine. 'Maybe Mr (George W.) Bush is bringing this as a tactic to show that (he is) responding to the Baker-Hamilton report. But really the policies have failed in Iraq,' he said.
The US-Iran meeting is expected to take place at an ambassadorial level.
US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker had agreed earlier to meet with the Iranian representatives in Baghdad amid US accusations that Tehran has been fomenting violence in Iraq by providing material support to militant groups responsible for attacks on US soldiers.
Crocker intends to bring up allegations of Iranian support for bombing materials in Iraq and its backing of militias aggravating Shiite and Sunni tensions.
For his part, Mottaki reiterated Iran's rejection of what he described as a US occupation that has led to more instability and which breeds insurgency.
Despite the foreign minister's insistence that the US presence should end, he refused to set a hypothetical deadline for the withdrawal of US troops.
'Sooner or later the US will have to decide to withdraw their troops from Iraq, because it is the cause for the continuation of terrorist activity,' Mottaki told reporters during the Jordan-based World Economic Forum, which brings together over 700 politicians from around the world.
He said that he expected a withdrawal plan from the US, but did not say if it would be discussed at the May meeting.
The United States and Iran severed formal diplomatic relations in 1980, and discussions in Baghdad are believed to be the highest contact between the two governments in years.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1306633.php/Ahead_of_US-Iran_meeting_Iranian_FM_criticizes_US_policy__Roundup_
ANALYSIS: Israeli-Palestinian council generates more doubt than hope
Middle East News
By Pakinam Amer
May 18, 2007, 17:19 GMT
Dead Sea, Jordan - Even as the Jordan-based World Economic Forum began with the announcement of an ambitious Israeli-Palestinian business council on Friday, observers cast doubt on the effectiveness of such an initiative in light of the heavy Hamas-Fatah clashes.
The 10-member council's co-chairs admitted that the political standoff the region was undergoing put the economic situation at stake. In addition, they said 'deep rifts and difficulties' still characterized complicated Israeli and Palestinian relations.
'We do not offer political solutions, but we constitute a community that is able to provide some measure of direction and practical solutions to issues affecting our region,' said Walid al- Najjab, Palestinian co-chair of the business council.
His Israeli counterpart Amos Shapira added: 'We believe our Palestinian colleagues also want to create a better future.'
Both business experts and leaders, however, hoped that the forum will give weight to their 'message' that according to Shapira 'should not be ignored or belittled.'
However the forum, which hosts around 1,500 delegates, is itself weighed down by the violence in the Palestinian territories - a situation which has topped the agenda of the forum
Jordan's King Abdullah urged the Palestinians, Arabs and the international community to act, saying 'Israelis and Palestinians from all walks of life tell us they need and want an end to violence.'
But even as the king's speech highlighted prospects of peace and 'sweeping new opportunities and benefits,' it was marred by the reality of the deteriorating situation around the Middle East, particularly in the Gaza Strip.
In the war-ravaged territories, unemployment runs high with experts recently placing it at 60 per cent.
An economic blockade, which was put into effect by the international community when radical Hamas came to power, drained the area of its resources and left many families penniless.
King Abdullah, pleading with Arab leaders to react, said that 'business owners shut factories because supply chains are broken, financing is frozen, and too few customers can afford to buy.'
He added: 'When children quit school early because they see no future ahead, it is our duty to act.'
Despite this, there are still some experts who insist that the forum will not be threatened by the Palestinian situation - or at least will not be dominated by it.
Jordan-based economic expert Fahd al-Faneq believes that in its core the forum is not political, despite an agenda which places political concerns on top.
'The main aim of this conference is being together as businessmen and discussing business opportunities in the region,' al-Faneq said on the sidelines of the conference, adding that the Palestinian cause was not the main issue.
'Many of the participants are economists and businessmen. Evaluating the conference should be directed at the outcome of their meetings, which have not started yet.'
The high-profile meeting brings together participants from 55 countries, in addition to members of the G11, under the theme of 'putting diversity to work.'
The G11 member states are Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Paraguay, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Indonesia, Morocco, Honduras, Georgia and Pakistan.
The G11 alliance is dedicated to reducing the financial burdens of its members states, in addition to finding solutions for their economic problems.
The Dead Sea resort in Jordan, which is hosting the World Economic Forum for the fourth time, is heavily fortified during the count down to the meeting, which brings around 700 top politicians in addition to business community leaders to the table of discussions.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Arab League chief Amr Moussa are among some of the top delegates.
On the eve of the meeting, reports said that opposition parties and tribunals called for boycotting the conference, because 'its targets run counter to the interests of the Arab peoples.'
They urged Arab governments to 'focus on real domestic development rather than promoting the alleged foreign investments that turn our societies to slaves.'
In addition, around 70 Jordanian and Arab organizations met in nearby Amman to protest the meeting.
The Jordan-based The Star newspaper quoted a statement by human rights activist Hani al-Dahleh saying that the forum 'is taking place amid a suffocating political crisis that engulfs the imperialistic American-Zionist project in the region because of the escalating heroic resistance in Iraq, the defeat of Israel's army in Lebanon and the resistance of the Palestinian people.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1306328.php/ANALYSIS_Israeli-Palestinian_council_generates_more_doubt_than_hope
By Pakinam Amer
May 18, 2007, 17:19 GMT
Dead Sea, Jordan - Even as the Jordan-based World Economic Forum began with the announcement of an ambitious Israeli-Palestinian business council on Friday, observers cast doubt on the effectiveness of such an initiative in light of the heavy Hamas-Fatah clashes.
The 10-member council's co-chairs admitted that the political standoff the region was undergoing put the economic situation at stake. In addition, they said 'deep rifts and difficulties' still characterized complicated Israeli and Palestinian relations.
'We do not offer political solutions, but we constitute a community that is able to provide some measure of direction and practical solutions to issues affecting our region,' said Walid al- Najjab, Palestinian co-chair of the business council.
His Israeli counterpart Amos Shapira added: 'We believe our Palestinian colleagues also want to create a better future.'
Both business experts and leaders, however, hoped that the forum will give weight to their 'message' that according to Shapira 'should not be ignored or belittled.'
However the forum, which hosts around 1,500 delegates, is itself weighed down by the violence in the Palestinian territories - a situation which has topped the agenda of the forum
Jordan's King Abdullah urged the Palestinians, Arabs and the international community to act, saying 'Israelis and Palestinians from all walks of life tell us they need and want an end to violence.'
But even as the king's speech highlighted prospects of peace and 'sweeping new opportunities and benefits,' it was marred by the reality of the deteriorating situation around the Middle East, particularly in the Gaza Strip.
In the war-ravaged territories, unemployment runs high with experts recently placing it at 60 per cent.
An economic blockade, which was put into effect by the international community when radical Hamas came to power, drained the area of its resources and left many families penniless.
King Abdullah, pleading with Arab leaders to react, said that 'business owners shut factories because supply chains are broken, financing is frozen, and too few customers can afford to buy.'
He added: 'When children quit school early because they see no future ahead, it is our duty to act.'
Despite this, there are still some experts who insist that the forum will not be threatened by the Palestinian situation - or at least will not be dominated by it.
Jordan-based economic expert Fahd al-Faneq believes that in its core the forum is not political, despite an agenda which places political concerns on top.
'The main aim of this conference is being together as businessmen and discussing business opportunities in the region,' al-Faneq said on the sidelines of the conference, adding that the Palestinian cause was not the main issue.
'Many of the participants are economists and businessmen. Evaluating the conference should be directed at the outcome of their meetings, which have not started yet.'
The high-profile meeting brings together participants from 55 countries, in addition to members of the G11, under the theme of 'putting diversity to work.'
The G11 member states are Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Paraguay, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Indonesia, Morocco, Honduras, Georgia and Pakistan.
The G11 alliance is dedicated to reducing the financial burdens of its members states, in addition to finding solutions for their economic problems.
The Dead Sea resort in Jordan, which is hosting the World Economic Forum for the fourth time, is heavily fortified during the count down to the meeting, which brings around 700 top politicians in addition to business community leaders to the table of discussions.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Arab League chief Amr Moussa are among some of the top delegates.
On the eve of the meeting, reports said that opposition parties and tribunals called for boycotting the conference, because 'its targets run counter to the interests of the Arab peoples.'
They urged Arab governments to 'focus on real domestic development rather than promoting the alleged foreign investments that turn our societies to slaves.'
In addition, around 70 Jordanian and Arab organizations met in nearby Amman to protest the meeting.
The Jordan-based The Star newspaper quoted a statement by human rights activist Hani al-Dahleh saying that the forum 'is taking place amid a suffocating political crisis that engulfs the imperialistic American-Zionist project in the region because of the escalating heroic resistance in Iraq, the defeat of Israel's army in Lebanon and the resistance of the Palestinian people.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1306328.php/ANALYSIS_Israeli-Palestinian_council_generates_more_doubt_than_hope
Sunday, May 06, 2007
NEWS FEATURE: Iraqi Shiite MP concedes differences with Saudi Arabia (dpa)
Middle East News
By Pakinam Amer
May 5, 2007, 14:23 GMT
Cairo - In the wake of the so-called 'neighbours-plus' conference, a member of the ruling coalition in the Iraqi national assembly said there is 'a misunderstanding' between the Iraqi and the Saudi governments.
In response to remarks made by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al- Faisal during and after the key conference, Abbas al-Biaty, an MP belonging to the ruling United Iraqi alliance, said that there are differences in views between the two countries, and misunderstanding.
'This we cannot hide,' he added.
Al-Faisal, who was considered one of the key players in the Egypt- based conference, told al-Hayat newspaper's Saturday edition that 'the situation in Iraq is only getting worse' and added: 'We fear that the situation will deteriorate into a civil war.'
The comments were considered an 'exaggeration' by al-Biaty who vehemently denied the possibility of a war based on confessional differences. He said that this and such statements by neighbouring states give 'a wrong message' to the Iraqi people.
'These countries should open up their embassies, and send delegations into Iraq in order to receive reports that correctly mirror the situation in Iraq,' he said. 'The brothers (in neighbouring states) have incorrect information.'
The 18th conference on Iraq since the US-led invasion and ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003 brought together leaders from 21 countries along with top international diplomats but failed to bring about either a short-term or long-term solution for Iraq's troubles.
Al-Faisal's remarks followed the conference which ended Friday and which was regarded by independent observers as a disappointment even though Premier Nuri al-Maliki's government said it regarded it as a 'step' towards national reconciliation and reform.
According to government members, the conference was intended to hail moral support for the Shiite-led cabinet and its internal projects. However, al-Maliki, whose cabinet is under fire from Iraqis for failing to curb the ongoing violence, did not receive the expected support from some of the Arab governments.
During the conference, reports even circulated that al-Faisal had refused to meet with al-Maliki. If this were true it could imply the lack of Saudi support for the Shiite premier.
Such reports have not been confirmed, but al-Biaty said that al- Maliki was 'promised a visit to Saudi Arabia. And this visit never happened.'
When asked by al-Hayat if the Saudi government was willing to back al-Maliki's cabinet, al-Faisal said: 'We do not interfere in the internal matters of Iraq or any other country. This is up to the Iraqis.'
He added that al-Maliki's government has an important role in 'convincing' participants in the upcoming and much-anticipated Iraqi national reconciliation meeting 'that (the Iraqi government) is the side that they should trust.'
He also said that it is up to the Iraqi government to end the troubles of 'all Iraqis.'
Concerning Iraq's armed militias, who are said to have infiltrated army, police and government ranks, al-Faisal said: 'Is it acceptable that militias are part of a legitimate government now?'
In response, al-Biaty said that Saudi support is indeed needed as his country is embracing a new democracy project. But he added that 'Iraq will not accept ready-made recipes (for reconciliation) from either friendly nations or neighbouring ones.'
He also said that Riyadh should facilitate a 'direct meeting' between the Iraqi and the Saudi governments.
'But it is important that (no country) sides with another regional party or one of the concerned factions,' he added.
Saudi Arabia is a strict Sunni state, and in recent statements the Saudi leadership has underlined the importance of incorporating all factions in the Iraqi political arena.
After the fall of Saddam, Sunnis have claimed that they were being systematically targeted and marginalized by both Iraqi and US authorities. Independent observers say this could be the reason why the Saudis are reluctant to offer unconditional support to al-Maliki.
Al-Maliki's ruling coalition, which has the biggest representation in Iraq's parliament, includes members of the Shiite al-Sadr faction. This is led by the feared Muqtada al-Sadr who is blamed - along with his backers - for the raging violence and many attacks across Iraq.
The radical faction is also said to have supporters among police and army forces, who in turn are accused of being 'biased' against some Sunni groups.
More than once, al-Maliki has dodged such accusations, claiming that the government clamps down on extremists from both sides - Shiites and Sunnis - and is equal to all.
But his claims usually fall on deaf ears amid the intense power struggle between both religious factions.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1300669.php/Iraqi_Shiite_MP_concedes_differences_with_Saudi_Arabia__Roundup_
By Pakinam Amer
May 5, 2007, 14:23 GMT
Cairo - In the wake of the so-called 'neighbours-plus' conference, a member of the ruling coalition in the Iraqi national assembly said there is 'a misunderstanding' between the Iraqi and the Saudi governments.
In response to remarks made by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al- Faisal during and after the key conference, Abbas al-Biaty, an MP belonging to the ruling United Iraqi alliance, said that there are differences in views between the two countries, and misunderstanding.
'This we cannot hide,' he added.
Al-Faisal, who was considered one of the key players in the Egypt- based conference, told al-Hayat newspaper's Saturday edition that 'the situation in Iraq is only getting worse' and added: 'We fear that the situation will deteriorate into a civil war.'
The comments were considered an 'exaggeration' by al-Biaty who vehemently denied the possibility of a war based on confessional differences. He said that this and such statements by neighbouring states give 'a wrong message' to the Iraqi people.
'These countries should open up their embassies, and send delegations into Iraq in order to receive reports that correctly mirror the situation in Iraq,' he said. 'The brothers (in neighbouring states) have incorrect information.'
The 18th conference on Iraq since the US-led invasion and ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003 brought together leaders from 21 countries along with top international diplomats but failed to bring about either a short-term or long-term solution for Iraq's troubles.
Al-Faisal's remarks followed the conference which ended Friday and which was regarded by independent observers as a disappointment even though Premier Nuri al-Maliki's government said it regarded it as a 'step' towards national reconciliation and reform.
According to government members, the conference was intended to hail moral support for the Shiite-led cabinet and its internal projects. However, al-Maliki, whose cabinet is under fire from Iraqis for failing to curb the ongoing violence, did not receive the expected support from some of the Arab governments.
During the conference, reports even circulated that al-Faisal had refused to meet with al-Maliki. If this were true it could imply the lack of Saudi support for the Shiite premier.
Such reports have not been confirmed, but al-Biaty said that al- Maliki was 'promised a visit to Saudi Arabia. And this visit never happened.'
When asked by al-Hayat if the Saudi government was willing to back al-Maliki's cabinet, al-Faisal said: 'We do not interfere in the internal matters of Iraq or any other country. This is up to the Iraqis.'
He added that al-Maliki's government has an important role in 'convincing' participants in the upcoming and much-anticipated Iraqi national reconciliation meeting 'that (the Iraqi government) is the side that they should trust.'
He also said that it is up to the Iraqi government to end the troubles of 'all Iraqis.'
Concerning Iraq's armed militias, who are said to have infiltrated army, police and government ranks, al-Faisal said: 'Is it acceptable that militias are part of a legitimate government now?'
In response, al-Biaty said that Saudi support is indeed needed as his country is embracing a new democracy project. But he added that 'Iraq will not accept ready-made recipes (for reconciliation) from either friendly nations or neighbouring ones.'
He also said that Riyadh should facilitate a 'direct meeting' between the Iraqi and the Saudi governments.
'But it is important that (no country) sides with another regional party or one of the concerned factions,' he added.
Saudi Arabia is a strict Sunni state, and in recent statements the Saudi leadership has underlined the importance of incorporating all factions in the Iraqi political arena.
After the fall of Saddam, Sunnis have claimed that they were being systematically targeted and marginalized by both Iraqi and US authorities. Independent observers say this could be the reason why the Saudis are reluctant to offer unconditional support to al-Maliki.
Al-Maliki's ruling coalition, which has the biggest representation in Iraq's parliament, includes members of the Shiite al-Sadr faction. This is led by the feared Muqtada al-Sadr who is blamed - along with his backers - for the raging violence and many attacks across Iraq.
The radical faction is also said to have supporters among police and army forces, who in turn are accused of being 'biased' against some Sunni groups.
More than once, al-Maliki has dodged such accusations, claiming that the government clamps down on extremists from both sides - Shiites and Sunnis - and is equal to all.
But his claims usually fall on deaf ears amid the intense power struggle between both religious factions.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1300669.php/Iraqi_Shiite_MP_concedes_differences_with_Saudi_Arabia__Roundup_
FEATURE: Mecca working women find it hard to be 'free' (dpa)
Middle East Features
By Pakinam Amer
Apr 25, 2007, 4:11 GMT
Mecca - Covered from head-to-toe in black robes, Asmaa usually experiences the world around her through the two slits in her black face-veil. Sometimes, she says, frowns from men even compel her to let down a see-through netting to cover her Kohl-lined eyes.
Every morning, however, when the 26-year-old Saudi woman steps into her air-conditioned office, where only women are allowed, she takes off her scarf, face veil and ankle-length dress, and sits down at her computer - in jeans and a casual top, her hair loose.
Life in the close-knit society of Mecca is not easy for woman who want to do things differently: In the heart of Islamic Saudi Arabia diversity is discouraged and females can only leave the house if they're fully veiled.
In the 'women-only' section of her company, Asmaa explains the restrictions for women at work and in public in Mecca. Her office is separated and receives only female customers because 'mixing' is highly rejected in Mecca society.
Her work conditions, however, are not the only challenges that she faces as a female professional, says Asmaa, who did not want her full name to be disclosed.
Mecca, Asmaa's hometown, is the most sacred site for the world's more than one billion Muslims. The city houses the grand al-Haram mosque with the Kaaba, to which Muslim pilgrims journey and in whose direction Muslims across the world pray five times a day.
However, as a Saudi city, Mecca also strictly abides by Saudi law and a rigid interpretation of Islam, and the government continues to impose tough rules which regulate women's education, behaviour and the level of their role and appearance in public life.
This means more rules to follow for Asmaa, who has lived in Mecca for most of her life. 'I'm an ambitious woman, and I don't like restrictions,' she says.
Like other young women in her community, the customer service representative is seeking post-graduate education and a prestigious job. She also dreams of travelling - all this in a community in which women are frowned upon if they walk the streets without male guardians, either from or designated by their families.
Girls get their education in isolated classes across most high schools and universities. However, the number of approved subjects is restricted.
Earlier this month, a Saudi college admitted female students to study engineering, decoration, embroidery and fashion design, but this was a first and only in order to fill a number of teaching and administrative openings around the kingdom.
Apart from medicine, nursing and teaching in segregated environments, women are usually discouraged from working in any other fields.
Women in Saudi are also banned from driving, so women like Asmaa hav to take taxis to work, or be driven by their fathers or male relatives.
Before her post in Mecca, Asmaa briefly worked in Jeddah, 70 kilometres west, as a call centre employee. This job involved talking to men on the phone, and sharing the office with male colleagues. While her parents agreed with this move, she was frowned upon by the rest of her relatives.
In Jeddah, Asmaa said, she used to wear the face veil during work hours. But even this was not enough, according to Saudi Sheikhs.
Because their tasks involved talking to men, Asmaa and her co- workers were ultimately forced to relocate when a group of Islamic scholars issued a fatwa (Islamic mandate) denouncing jobs in which women communicated with male strangers.
It was unusual for Saudis to have women deal with male clients on the phone, Asmaa admits, adding that they suffered from occasional harassment by clients who tried to flirt.
'Some male callers step out of line when they hear a woman's voice on the other end,' Asmaa says, but insists: 'But that does not mean it's haram (forbidden).'
In Saudi, particularly Mecca, the Islamic Scholars are influential not only in jurisprudence and the implementation of Islamic law in the community, but also in education, as well as public and religious guidance.
Originally, she felt 'liberated' to be in the more open Jeddah community which she said she preferred over Mecca. However, she was angry when she had to leave because of the fatwas, and her company avoided confrontation with the strict Saudi rules.
'When I started working, I did not ask for a fatwa from any sheikhs,' she said, and adds: 'For me, my parent's consent is more important than fatwas.'
After the Islamic ruling, Asmaa pleaded with her superiors not to post her to a back office where her skills would not shine. And because of her talent, she was allowed to move to the sales section in Mecca. However, she says she still dreams of moving to a place where 'the teachings of Islam are not as misread.'
Despite of such problems, Asmaa described her career as 'her life,' adding that she would never allow herself to be forced to leave work - neither by relatives, friends nor by traditional 'marriage suitors.'
'I realize that some people say that work for women is forbidden and that a woman's place is her house,' she said: 'But this is wrong. Aisha (the youngest wife of Prophet Mohammed) used to give lectures to men. People here fail to understand the meaning of this.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1296067.php/Mecca_working_women_find_it_hard_to_be_free
By Pakinam Amer
Apr 25, 2007, 4:11 GMT
Mecca - Covered from head-to-toe in black robes, Asmaa usually experiences the world around her through the two slits in her black face-veil. Sometimes, she says, frowns from men even compel her to let down a see-through netting to cover her Kohl-lined eyes.
Every morning, however, when the 26-year-old Saudi woman steps into her air-conditioned office, where only women are allowed, she takes off her scarf, face veil and ankle-length dress, and sits down at her computer - in jeans and a casual top, her hair loose.
Life in the close-knit society of Mecca is not easy for woman who want to do things differently: In the heart of Islamic Saudi Arabia diversity is discouraged and females can only leave the house if they're fully veiled.
In the 'women-only' section of her company, Asmaa explains the restrictions for women at work and in public in Mecca. Her office is separated and receives only female customers because 'mixing' is highly rejected in Mecca society.
Her work conditions, however, are not the only challenges that she faces as a female professional, says Asmaa, who did not want her full name to be disclosed.
Mecca, Asmaa's hometown, is the most sacred site for the world's more than one billion Muslims. The city houses the grand al-Haram mosque with the Kaaba, to which Muslim pilgrims journey and in whose direction Muslims across the world pray five times a day.
However, as a Saudi city, Mecca also strictly abides by Saudi law and a rigid interpretation of Islam, and the government continues to impose tough rules which regulate women's education, behaviour and the level of their role and appearance in public life.
This means more rules to follow for Asmaa, who has lived in Mecca for most of her life. 'I'm an ambitious woman, and I don't like restrictions,' she says.
Like other young women in her community, the customer service representative is seeking post-graduate education and a prestigious job. She also dreams of travelling - all this in a community in which women are frowned upon if they walk the streets without male guardians, either from or designated by their families.
Girls get their education in isolated classes across most high schools and universities. However, the number of approved subjects is restricted.
Earlier this month, a Saudi college admitted female students to study engineering, decoration, embroidery and fashion design, but this was a first and only in order to fill a number of teaching and administrative openings around the kingdom.
Apart from medicine, nursing and teaching in segregated environments, women are usually discouraged from working in any other fields.
Women in Saudi are also banned from driving, so women like Asmaa hav to take taxis to work, or be driven by their fathers or male relatives.
Before her post in Mecca, Asmaa briefly worked in Jeddah, 70 kilometres west, as a call centre employee. This job involved talking to men on the phone, and sharing the office with male colleagues. While her parents agreed with this move, she was frowned upon by the rest of her relatives.
In Jeddah, Asmaa said, she used to wear the face veil during work hours. But even this was not enough, according to Saudi Sheikhs.
Because their tasks involved talking to men, Asmaa and her co- workers were ultimately forced to relocate when a group of Islamic scholars issued a fatwa (Islamic mandate) denouncing jobs in which women communicated with male strangers.
It was unusual for Saudis to have women deal with male clients on the phone, Asmaa admits, adding that they suffered from occasional harassment by clients who tried to flirt.
'Some male callers step out of line when they hear a woman's voice on the other end,' Asmaa says, but insists: 'But that does not mean it's haram (forbidden).'
In Saudi, particularly Mecca, the Islamic Scholars are influential not only in jurisprudence and the implementation of Islamic law in the community, but also in education, as well as public and religious guidance.
Originally, she felt 'liberated' to be in the more open Jeddah community which she said she preferred over Mecca. However, she was angry when she had to leave because of the fatwas, and her company avoided confrontation with the strict Saudi rules.
'When I started working, I did not ask for a fatwa from any sheikhs,' she said, and adds: 'For me, my parent's consent is more important than fatwas.'
After the Islamic ruling, Asmaa pleaded with her superiors not to post her to a back office where her skills would not shine. And because of her talent, she was allowed to move to the sales section in Mecca. However, she says she still dreams of moving to a place where 'the teachings of Islam are not as misread.'
Despite of such problems, Asmaa described her career as 'her life,' adding that she would never allow herself to be forced to leave work - neither by relatives, friends nor by traditional 'marriage suitors.'
'I realize that some people say that work for women is forbidden and that a woman's place is her house,' she said: 'But this is wrong. Aisha (the youngest wife of Prophet Mohammed) used to give lectures to men. People here fail to understand the meaning of this.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1296067.php/Mecca_working_women_find_it_hard_to_be_free
FEATURE: Mecca residents feel abandoned by Saudi government (dpa)
By Pakinam Amer, dpa
First Published: 14 April 2007
Mecca - Although billions of dollars are invested in Mecca projects, many of the holy city’s residents say that they feel abandoned by the Saudi government.
They claim that the rulers pool their money into services and projects around the grand mosque of Al Haram to which pilgrims flock all year round, while the rest of the city is largely abandoned.
“Here there is no care for us, or our streets. There is no electricity or water in some areas. Mecca people are forgotten people,” said 27-year-old Sami Al Mouled.
Mecca, 73 kilometres east of Jeddah, is a sacred site for over one billion Muslims worldwide. But despite the pride that Mecca inhabitants manifest for their city being the location of the Kaaba - the cubic building believed to have been built by Abraham as a destination for believers - they say other parts of the city need more attention.
Around the mosque of Al Haram, in the heart of the old city, the Saudi government have been launching renovation and expansion projects aimed at providing better facilities, air-conditioned shopping malls and residential towers for pilgrims. So far, around 50 hotels and modern towers occupy the area.
According to Mecca’s official website, the Al Haram mosque’s northern courtyard is expected to eventually cover around 1.2 million square metres.
In the same area, Abraj Al bait, a multi-billion-dollar tower under construction, which is designed to be the largest building in the world by mass, will have a grand prayer space which is expected to accommodate several thousand visitors.
Roads into the heart of the city are clean and paved. Meanwhile the city is removing all “obstacles” around the area of the Al Haram. Several traditional markets and stores are being closed down and relocated in order to install roads in their place.
Abraj Al Bait itself replaced the Ottoman-era Ajiad fort, which was more than 200 years old. The new tower should house hundreds of thousands of “A-class worshippers” who can afford its luxurious five- stars bedrooms.
In the height of the pilgrimage seasons, hotels overlooking the grand mosque charge an average of 10,000 dollars for 10-days accommodation in regular rooms, according to Naef Ghassal, a travel advisor based in Mecca.
Neighbourhoods around the Kaaba swarm with apparel shops and Muslim accessories. Fast food restaurants are also in abundance, in addition to travel agencies. Sellers hawking prayer mats, beads and religion booklets fill the streets.
Begging for renovation
In contrast and only several kilometres away from Al Haram, some Mecca streets are begging for renovation. As billions of Saudi Riyals are willingly spent in some districts, other streets are completely overlooked despite petitioning by the residents.
According to the local Mecca-based Al Nadwa newspaper, some old streets like Al Bayary is in close proximity to Al Haram but suffers from lack of electricity and water facilities in addition to sewerage problems.
Residents of the area are forced to buy fresh water from profit- making sources who, they claim, exploit their need and sell water at high prices.
In Jabal Abu-Lahab, an area where foreign and Saudi Muslims live, garbage-riddled alleys are what meets the eye. Here can be found dumped vehicles and stray animals, which residents fear for both sanitary and safety reasons.
Deserted houses are also common, which according to Al Nadwa are houses that could be used for crime or by “those weak in souls.”
Arguably, renovating these streets would not cost the state much, but would certainly make a difference in the lives of the residents.
And although authorities promise that money lavished on Al Haram projects is well-spent and will open up thousands of jobs for Mecca residents, Saudis living in this area - youths topping the list - are frustrated.
Al Mouled is one of them. He says that the situation “is getting worse” by the day and that young people are dreaming of leaving the country all together for opportunities elsewhere.
The young Saudi, who studied sales and merchandising, is unemployed like many his age. He explains that “any work in Mecca needs capital and resources, which many young men here do not have.” Government and white-collar jobs require high qualifications and perhaps “nepotism,” he says.
There is no official statistics available, but observers say that unemployment among youth in the city could be as high as 50 per cent. Youths are finding it harder to find jobs or get married at a convenient age.
“Unless you know your way around in the pilgrimage business, your case is lost,” claims Al Mouled who believes that some people ”exploit” pilgrims for money.
Apart from working in the “big pilgrimage business,” and some other trades, Al Mouled and his like only have the choice of working as freelance travel guides during the time of Haj pilgrimage.
A motawef (a pilgrim’s guide) is ideally a self-employed guide who provides pilgrims with accommodation and transportation during the high seasons. But Al Mouled claims that this business is often “corrupted” and only some people “would know what to do and would want to do it.”
Indeed, many pilgrims - especially those who can’t afford the towers and the fancy hotels - depend on the guides for help.
But many of them are deceived and are promised clean hotel rooms, good food and reliable transportation. However, when they come to Mecca, filthy overcrowded studio-like flats and extra charges await them.
Link: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/todaysfeatures/2007/April/todaysfeatures_April28.xml§ion=todaysfeatures&col=
First Published: 14 April 2007
Mecca - Although billions of dollars are invested in Mecca projects, many of the holy city’s residents say that they feel abandoned by the Saudi government.
They claim that the rulers pool their money into services and projects around the grand mosque of Al Haram to which pilgrims flock all year round, while the rest of the city is largely abandoned.
“Here there is no care for us, or our streets. There is no electricity or water in some areas. Mecca people are forgotten people,” said 27-year-old Sami Al Mouled.
Mecca, 73 kilometres east of Jeddah, is a sacred site for over one billion Muslims worldwide. But despite the pride that Mecca inhabitants manifest for their city being the location of the Kaaba - the cubic building believed to have been built by Abraham as a destination for believers - they say other parts of the city need more attention.
Around the mosque of Al Haram, in the heart of the old city, the Saudi government have been launching renovation and expansion projects aimed at providing better facilities, air-conditioned shopping malls and residential towers for pilgrims. So far, around 50 hotels and modern towers occupy the area.
According to Mecca’s official website, the Al Haram mosque’s northern courtyard is expected to eventually cover around 1.2 million square metres.
In the same area, Abraj Al bait, a multi-billion-dollar tower under construction, which is designed to be the largest building in the world by mass, will have a grand prayer space which is expected to accommodate several thousand visitors.
Roads into the heart of the city are clean and paved. Meanwhile the city is removing all “obstacles” around the area of the Al Haram. Several traditional markets and stores are being closed down and relocated in order to install roads in their place.
Abraj Al Bait itself replaced the Ottoman-era Ajiad fort, which was more than 200 years old. The new tower should house hundreds of thousands of “A-class worshippers” who can afford its luxurious five- stars bedrooms.
In the height of the pilgrimage seasons, hotels overlooking the grand mosque charge an average of 10,000 dollars for 10-days accommodation in regular rooms, according to Naef Ghassal, a travel advisor based in Mecca.
Neighbourhoods around the Kaaba swarm with apparel shops and Muslim accessories. Fast food restaurants are also in abundance, in addition to travel agencies. Sellers hawking prayer mats, beads and religion booklets fill the streets.
Begging for renovation
In contrast and only several kilometres away from Al Haram, some Mecca streets are begging for renovation. As billions of Saudi Riyals are willingly spent in some districts, other streets are completely overlooked despite petitioning by the residents.
According to the local Mecca-based Al Nadwa newspaper, some old streets like Al Bayary is in close proximity to Al Haram but suffers from lack of electricity and water facilities in addition to sewerage problems.
Residents of the area are forced to buy fresh water from profit- making sources who, they claim, exploit their need and sell water at high prices.
In Jabal Abu-Lahab, an area where foreign and Saudi Muslims live, garbage-riddled alleys are what meets the eye. Here can be found dumped vehicles and stray animals, which residents fear for both sanitary and safety reasons.
Deserted houses are also common, which according to Al Nadwa are houses that could be used for crime or by “those weak in souls.”
Arguably, renovating these streets would not cost the state much, but would certainly make a difference in the lives of the residents.
And although authorities promise that money lavished on Al Haram projects is well-spent and will open up thousands of jobs for Mecca residents, Saudis living in this area - youths topping the list - are frustrated.
Al Mouled is one of them. He says that the situation “is getting worse” by the day and that young people are dreaming of leaving the country all together for opportunities elsewhere.
The young Saudi, who studied sales and merchandising, is unemployed like many his age. He explains that “any work in Mecca needs capital and resources, which many young men here do not have.” Government and white-collar jobs require high qualifications and perhaps “nepotism,” he says.
There is no official statistics available, but observers say that unemployment among youth in the city could be as high as 50 per cent. Youths are finding it harder to find jobs or get married at a convenient age.
“Unless you know your way around in the pilgrimage business, your case is lost,” claims Al Mouled who believes that some people ”exploit” pilgrims for money.
Apart from working in the “big pilgrimage business,” and some other trades, Al Mouled and his like only have the choice of working as freelance travel guides during the time of Haj pilgrimage.
A motawef (a pilgrim’s guide) is ideally a self-employed guide who provides pilgrims with accommodation and transportation during the high seasons. But Al Mouled claims that this business is often “corrupted” and only some people “would know what to do and would want to do it.”
Indeed, many pilgrims - especially those who can’t afford the towers and the fancy hotels - depend on the guides for help.
But many of them are deceived and are promised clean hotel rooms, good food and reliable transportation. However, when they come to Mecca, filthy overcrowded studio-like flats and extra charges await them.
Link: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/todaysfeatures/2007/April/todaysfeatures_April28.xml§ion=todaysfeatures&col=
Friday, April 13, 2007
FEATURE: Mecca, a sanctuary for non-Arab 'illegal dreamers' (dpa)
Middle East Features
By Pakinam Amer
Apr 12, 2007, 14:08 GMT
Mecca - For some non-Arab Muslims, Mecca not only represents sanctity. It also embodies a notion not unlike the 'American dream' - a place promising a secure job, food on the table and a happy family.
Mecca has a special place in the hearts of Muslims as the birth place of the Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam, and the place where the Koran was revealed to him.
It also houses the Kaaba, the central stone structure believed to have been built by Abraham - a place of pilgrimage for Muslims from all over the world, and the place to which they direct their prayers five times a day.
There are two types of foreigners in Mecca: those who entered the country on a pilgrim's visa and stayed, hiding from the authorities, and those who took refuge there for religious or political reasons.
Both groups live in secluded neighbourhoods in the heart of Mecca or on the outskirts of the city, 73 kilometres east of Jeddah.
However, the dreams of poverty-stricken foreign Muslims, who seep into the city with their families in toe, are often shattered, and they frequently end up working in badly-paid day jobs.
Many of them resort to pick-pocketing, while others get into prostitution and drug trafficking, local observers say. Others beg.
Near the holy mosque in central Mecca, numerous foreign Muslims dressed in black ask the worshippers for money or food in their broken Arabic.
Persistent female beggars as young as ten trot in their flowing knee-length veils behind strangers, while the crippled among them make a point of showing their amputated legs or arms to the mosque visitors to goad sympathy.
There are no statistics on the number of illegal residents currently living in Mecca, but a police officer, who refused to disclose his name, said there might be 'thousands of them' living among Mecca's one-million-plus population.
They come in large numbers, he said, through main checkpoints or through unofficial routes in the mountains, and they are sometimes aided by Saudis who help them stay under-cover from the police in return for money.
According to the policeman, who is assigned to a local police department that monitors violations of foreign residents, said that at least '500 illegal residents are rounded up every night. Most of them are men.'
'They confess that they came to Mecca looking for a source of living,' he said, adding: 'They admit that they have not come for the Hajj or the Ummra (pilgrimages). Some claim they're Muslims while they're not.'
Some Mecca residents feel insecure around foreigners, who are often accused of violence. But the authorities failed to clamp down on them and only struck when crimes happened, some Saudis complain.
The Afghans, reportedly with expired visas, live in an area called al-Masafy Mountain, near the Old City - the central area where the al-Masjid al-Haram mosque and the Kaaba are located. The Burmese and the Pakistanis are largely based in Qouz al-Nakassa.
In Hosh Bakr, near al-Mansour district, where hundreds of Nigerian Muslims have been living for decades, one can see the misery. Amid the dirt and the garbage, their make-shift camps have slowly turned into brick and mud houses.
No larger than a cabin, each house is said to take in at least a family of five or six, some even more. Built along the rugged foothills of the mountain, the houses have neither sewerage nor electricity.
The people live on bottles of expired milk, juices and food that are sold cheaply. Water tankers tagged 'Well water, not suitable for drinking' drive around the area. The people use it for drinking and washing because it is affordable. A local resident explains that this is their only water supply.
No statistics on mortality rates in the area are available, as many inhabitants have neither papers nor identification. But accidents and disease are common in their communities.
Hanan al-Matrafy, a physician at a local clinic, said that particularly skin rashes and diseases were spreading quickly, as were diarrhoea and common colds.
However, she insisted that state hospitals were frequently sending health campaigns and nurses into these areas, providing free medication and vaccinations to both authorized and unauthorized residents.
'The state is keen that infections are not spread,' al-Matrafy said. Yet, some services, such as assistance at birth, are not free.
In the quarters around their houses, the African Muslims engage in their morning activities setting up their local flea-market, where they sell food, second-hand clothes, rusty car spares, old toys and many other goods, which some people claim are stolen.
The locals recognize strangers straightaway, and are afraid of talking to the press. Most of them, especially the older ones, do not even speak Arabic.
One of the few Saudis living among the foreigners said that their fear came from 'the constant police raids that these areas are subjected to.'
The young man, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that local authorities imposed a daily midnight-to-dawn curfew on these areas. 'When I attempt to go out after dusk, I meet several checkpoints, and I'm asked all kinds of questions even though I'm a Saudi.'
He said he had to justify himself for leaving his house, and repeatedly explain his whereabouts. But everyone in these areas faced the same security restrictions.
'Everyone knows (the authorities) cannot control this (illegal) populace. If they arrest ten of them, 50 others will come in their place.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1290468.php/Mecca_a_sanctuary_for_non-Arab_illegal_dreamers
http://rawstory.com/news/dpa/Mecca_a_sanctuary_for_non_Arab_ille_04122007.html
By Pakinam Amer
Apr 12, 2007, 14:08 GMT
Mecca - For some non-Arab Muslims, Mecca not only represents sanctity. It also embodies a notion not unlike the 'American dream' - a place promising a secure job, food on the table and a happy family.
Mecca has a special place in the hearts of Muslims as the birth place of the Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam, and the place where the Koran was revealed to him.
It also houses the Kaaba, the central stone structure believed to have been built by Abraham - a place of pilgrimage for Muslims from all over the world, and the place to which they direct their prayers five times a day.
There are two types of foreigners in Mecca: those who entered the country on a pilgrim's visa and stayed, hiding from the authorities, and those who took refuge there for religious or political reasons.
Both groups live in secluded neighbourhoods in the heart of Mecca or on the outskirts of the city, 73 kilometres east of Jeddah.
However, the dreams of poverty-stricken foreign Muslims, who seep into the city with their families in toe, are often shattered, and they frequently end up working in badly-paid day jobs.
Many of them resort to pick-pocketing, while others get into prostitution and drug trafficking, local observers say. Others beg.
Near the holy mosque in central Mecca, numerous foreign Muslims dressed in black ask the worshippers for money or food in their broken Arabic.
Persistent female beggars as young as ten trot in their flowing knee-length veils behind strangers, while the crippled among them make a point of showing their amputated legs or arms to the mosque visitors to goad sympathy.
There are no statistics on the number of illegal residents currently living in Mecca, but a police officer, who refused to disclose his name, said there might be 'thousands of them' living among Mecca's one-million-plus population.
They come in large numbers, he said, through main checkpoints or through unofficial routes in the mountains, and they are sometimes aided by Saudis who help them stay under-cover from the police in return for money.
According to the policeman, who is assigned to a local police department that monitors violations of foreign residents, said that at least '500 illegal residents are rounded up every night. Most of them are men.'
'They confess that they came to Mecca looking for a source of living,' he said, adding: 'They admit that they have not come for the Hajj or the Ummra (pilgrimages). Some claim they're Muslims while they're not.'
Some Mecca residents feel insecure around foreigners, who are often accused of violence. But the authorities failed to clamp down on them and only struck when crimes happened, some Saudis complain.
The Afghans, reportedly with expired visas, live in an area called al-Masafy Mountain, near the Old City - the central area where the al-Masjid al-Haram mosque and the Kaaba are located. The Burmese and the Pakistanis are largely based in Qouz al-Nakassa.
In Hosh Bakr, near al-Mansour district, where hundreds of Nigerian Muslims have been living for decades, one can see the misery. Amid the dirt and the garbage, their make-shift camps have slowly turned into brick and mud houses.
No larger than a cabin, each house is said to take in at least a family of five or six, some even more. Built along the rugged foothills of the mountain, the houses have neither sewerage nor electricity.
The people live on bottles of expired milk, juices and food that are sold cheaply. Water tankers tagged 'Well water, not suitable for drinking' drive around the area. The people use it for drinking and washing because it is affordable. A local resident explains that this is their only water supply.
No statistics on mortality rates in the area are available, as many inhabitants have neither papers nor identification. But accidents and disease are common in their communities.
Hanan al-Matrafy, a physician at a local clinic, said that particularly skin rashes and diseases were spreading quickly, as were diarrhoea and common colds.
However, she insisted that state hospitals were frequently sending health campaigns and nurses into these areas, providing free medication and vaccinations to both authorized and unauthorized residents.
'The state is keen that infections are not spread,' al-Matrafy said. Yet, some services, such as assistance at birth, are not free.
In the quarters around their houses, the African Muslims engage in their morning activities setting up their local flea-market, where they sell food, second-hand clothes, rusty car spares, old toys and many other goods, which some people claim are stolen.
The locals recognize strangers straightaway, and are afraid of talking to the press. Most of them, especially the older ones, do not even speak Arabic.
One of the few Saudis living among the foreigners said that their fear came from 'the constant police raids that these areas are subjected to.'
The young man, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that local authorities imposed a daily midnight-to-dawn curfew on these areas. 'When I attempt to go out after dusk, I meet several checkpoints, and I'm asked all kinds of questions even though I'm a Saudi.'
He said he had to justify himself for leaving his house, and repeatedly explain his whereabouts. But everyone in these areas faced the same security restrictions.
'Everyone knows (the authorities) cannot control this (illegal) populace. If they arrest ten of them, 50 others will come in their place.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1290468.php/Mecca_a_sanctuary_for_non-Arab_illegal_dreamers
http://rawstory.com/news/dpa/Mecca_a_sanctuary_for_non_Arab_ille_04122007.html
Monday, April 09, 2007
ANALYSIS: Rage and protests mark the anniversary of Baghdad invasion (dpa)
Middle East News
By Pakinam Amer
Apr 9, 2007, 16:15 GMT
Baghdad - Four years after the US invasion of Iraq, large crowds bearing banners with anti-US slogans took to the streets in protest of the US presence across Iraq.
US troops seized Baghdad on April 9, 2003, taking control of the major palaces and ministries of the Baath regime and effectively toppling Saddam.
In Baghdad, the mood on the anniversary of this event, was that of caution even though the streets of the Iraqi capital were quieter than usual as a round-the-clock curfew took effect.
Many Iraqis say they do not feel safer despite foreign military presence and some are as eager to leave the country as they were years before. Officials, meanwhile, find it hard to predict the future of the war-torn country as the security's grip on militants and terror groups appears to waver.
'The situation after the occupation became crueler than during the reign of Saddam (Hussein),' said 34-year-old Wasslim Sabri.
'Saddam went, and a hundred other Saddams replaced him,' said Ibrahim Salman, who is in his late fifties. 'The murders we see are beyond even the mass graves of Saddam.'
Both Iraqi citizens said they were unable to spend quality time with their families amid the current unrest. Security at every street corner did not end the violence, even as people's movements were restricted, markets barricaded and entire neighbourhoods were sealed off.
In other Iraqi cities on Monday, rage and anger was evident as hundreds of thousands of Shiite protestors flocked to places such as Najaf to protest what they called the US 'occupation' of Iraq.
A so-called 'march of millions' was called for by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose feared Mahdi army militia is believed to have infiltrated Iraqi police and army ranks and is considered responsible for violence targeting Sunni Arabs as well as foreign and local armed forces across Iraq.
Those who did not protest kept to their homes for fear of an outbreak of violence related to the anniversary. In the media, Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds argued on whether the US invasion has brought about any peace or freedom.
Talking to pan-Arab Al-Jazeera, a Sunni Iraqi expert said that the only freedom that the 'Americans have brought is the freedom of the occupier to kill Iraqis,' adding that Iraq had suffered more after the invasion.
Ismail Zayyer, editor of al-Sabah al-Jadeed newspaper, responded that Iraq had always suffered problems, especially under Saddam. Shiites were largely marginalized. Kurds were heavily oppressed under the ex-dictator's reign, as thousands of men, women and children were reportedly attacked by chemical weapons and killed in their homes.
The arguments extended to include government officials. Sunni leaders rejected the US presence and blamed it for the ongoing violence, while some Shiite leaders blamed Saddam.
Saddam's regime 'carries the main responsibility to what Iraq has become now,' said Jalal al-Din al-Sagheer, a Shiite deputy of the United Iraqi Alliance which has 128 seats in parliament.
Adnan al-Duleimy, leader of the Sunni Iraqi Accord Front which has 44 seats in parliament, blamed the US, saying it had followed 'misleading information' in order to enter Iraq, 'turning the arena into a place where sectarian and confessional vindictive acts have spread.'
Still, others blamed both Islamists and foreign forces for the 'chaos,' including some Shiite forces like the Sadr faction.
Paradoxically, this invasion and the subsequent political developments has empowered Shiites, including the Sadrists, allowing them to participate in the political scene, which they were deprived of during Saddam's reign.
Nevertheless, Sadrists - such as former Baathists and Sunni insurgents - deem the US presence 'foreign occupation' and say that the multi-national forces should be driven out of the country because they lie at 'the core of sectarian violence.'
But whether it was driven by the occupation or the underlying religious tensions that have been simmering for years under the surface, none of the parties could deny that the face of Baghdad has changed forever due to the daily kidnappings, targeted and random murders, and bombings.
Government policies, enacted to stabilize the situation and end the surging violence between different sects, were ineffective so far - according to observers. Fard al-Qanoon, the new security plan, was liable to fail as even some officials have predicted.
When raids intensified in notorious neighbourhoods around the capital, militants flew to other cities and started attacking from there. The battlefield between security forces and insurgents was only relocated but the bloodshed continued.
Even US forces have failed to clamp down once and for all on terror networks and on the spreading insurgency, leaving people around Iraq in a dilemma. On the one hand, US presence remains largely ineffective, while on the other, a withdrawal of its forces could lead to 'a disaster.'
Speaker of parliament Mahmoud Al-Meshadany says in the April edition of pan-Arab magazine Al-Watan Al-Arabi that the new security plan was the 'only means' to resolve the deteriorating situation.
But he also said that the execution of the plan was 'flawed' and the lack of real support for it could very well lead to its failure.
'And if it failed, the US administration will fail in its Iraq project, the Iraqi political project will be disintegrated, and the greater Middle East project will fall apart,' he was quoted as saying.
'With this, all the American dreams will fall and (the failure) will open the gates of hell on (George W) Bush and Tony Blair.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2006,2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link:
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NjE3ODA0NTI3
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1289028.php/ANALYSIS_Rage_and_protests_mark_the_anniversary_of_Baghdad_invasion
http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_23402-ANALYSIS-Rage-And-Protests-Mark-The-Anniversary-Of-Baghdad-Invasion.html
http://jurnalo.com/jurnalo/storyPage.do?story_id=28236
By Pakinam Amer
Apr 9, 2007, 16:15 GMT
Baghdad - Four years after the US invasion of Iraq, large crowds bearing banners with anti-US slogans took to the streets in protest of the US presence across Iraq.
US troops seized Baghdad on April 9, 2003, taking control of the major palaces and ministries of the Baath regime and effectively toppling Saddam.
In Baghdad, the mood on the anniversary of this event, was that of caution even though the streets of the Iraqi capital were quieter than usual as a round-the-clock curfew took effect.
Many Iraqis say they do not feel safer despite foreign military presence and some are as eager to leave the country as they were years before. Officials, meanwhile, find it hard to predict the future of the war-torn country as the security's grip on militants and terror groups appears to waver.
'The situation after the occupation became crueler than during the reign of Saddam (Hussein),' said 34-year-old Wasslim Sabri.
'Saddam went, and a hundred other Saddams replaced him,' said Ibrahim Salman, who is in his late fifties. 'The murders we see are beyond even the mass graves of Saddam.'
Both Iraqi citizens said they were unable to spend quality time with their families amid the current unrest. Security at every street corner did not end the violence, even as people's movements were restricted, markets barricaded and entire neighbourhoods were sealed off.
In other Iraqi cities on Monday, rage and anger was evident as hundreds of thousands of Shiite protestors flocked to places such as Najaf to protest what they called the US 'occupation' of Iraq.
A so-called 'march of millions' was called for by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose feared Mahdi army militia is believed to have infiltrated Iraqi police and army ranks and is considered responsible for violence targeting Sunni Arabs as well as foreign and local armed forces across Iraq.
Those who did not protest kept to their homes for fear of an outbreak of violence related to the anniversary. In the media, Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds argued on whether the US invasion has brought about any peace or freedom.
Talking to pan-Arab Al-Jazeera, a Sunni Iraqi expert said that the only freedom that the 'Americans have brought is the freedom of the occupier to kill Iraqis,' adding that Iraq had suffered more after the invasion.
Ismail Zayyer, editor of al-Sabah al-Jadeed newspaper, responded that Iraq had always suffered problems, especially under Saddam. Shiites were largely marginalized. Kurds were heavily oppressed under the ex-dictator's reign, as thousands of men, women and children were reportedly attacked by chemical weapons and killed in their homes.
The arguments extended to include government officials. Sunni leaders rejected the US presence and blamed it for the ongoing violence, while some Shiite leaders blamed Saddam.
Saddam's regime 'carries the main responsibility to what Iraq has become now,' said Jalal al-Din al-Sagheer, a Shiite deputy of the United Iraqi Alliance which has 128 seats in parliament.
Adnan al-Duleimy, leader of the Sunni Iraqi Accord Front which has 44 seats in parliament, blamed the US, saying it had followed 'misleading information' in order to enter Iraq, 'turning the arena into a place where sectarian and confessional vindictive acts have spread.'
Still, others blamed both Islamists and foreign forces for the 'chaos,' including some Shiite forces like the Sadr faction.
Paradoxically, this invasion and the subsequent political developments has empowered Shiites, including the Sadrists, allowing them to participate in the political scene, which they were deprived of during Saddam's reign.
Nevertheless, Sadrists - such as former Baathists and Sunni insurgents - deem the US presence 'foreign occupation' and say that the multi-national forces should be driven out of the country because they lie at 'the core of sectarian violence.'
But whether it was driven by the occupation or the underlying religious tensions that have been simmering for years under the surface, none of the parties could deny that the face of Baghdad has changed forever due to the daily kidnappings, targeted and random murders, and bombings.
Government policies, enacted to stabilize the situation and end the surging violence between different sects, were ineffective so far - according to observers. Fard al-Qanoon, the new security plan, was liable to fail as even some officials have predicted.
When raids intensified in notorious neighbourhoods around the capital, militants flew to other cities and started attacking from there. The battlefield between security forces and insurgents was only relocated but the bloodshed continued.
Even US forces have failed to clamp down once and for all on terror networks and on the spreading insurgency, leaving people around Iraq in a dilemma. On the one hand, US presence remains largely ineffective, while on the other, a withdrawal of its forces could lead to 'a disaster.'
Speaker of parliament Mahmoud Al-Meshadany says in the April edition of pan-Arab magazine Al-Watan Al-Arabi that the new security plan was the 'only means' to resolve the deteriorating situation.
But he also said that the execution of the plan was 'flawed' and the lack of real support for it could very well lead to its failure.
'And if it failed, the US administration will fail in its Iraq project, the Iraqi political project will be disintegrated, and the greater Middle East project will fall apart,' he was quoted as saying.
'With this, all the American dreams will fall and (the failure) will open the gates of hell on (George W) Bush and Tony Blair.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
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http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NjE3ODA0NTI3
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1289028.php/ANALYSIS_Rage_and_protests_mark_the_anniversary_of_Baghdad_invasion
http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_23402-ANALYSIS-Rage-And-Protests-Mark-The-Anniversary-Of-Baghdad-Invasion.html
http://jurnalo.com/jurnalo/storyPage.do?story_id=28236
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