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The following is a selection of entries from daily reports over the last week.
From the MEMRI Blog www.memriblog.org/
Syrian Information Minister: We Aren't Helpless Against Israel
In an interview with Al-Jazeera TV, Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal denied yesterday, January 23, that Syria's position that it is reserving the right to respond to the Israeli attack at the right moment, reflects helplessness.
He said that Syria's tranquility, its [policy of] resistance, its patience, and strengthening its domestic situation were important parts of its preparations for a response.
Source: Syria-news.com, January 24, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4827.htm
Sudan Seeking To Improve Relations With U.S.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ding Alor stated yesterday, January 23, that his government had drawn up a plan to improve relations with the U.S. and the West.
He said that the Sudanese Foreign Ministry had prepared a series of measures in this spirit, and that the government would begin to implement them following the summit of African heads of state at the end of the month.
Source: Al-Ayyam, Sudan, January 23, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4816.htm
Editor Of Saudi Daily "Al-Watan": I Was A Friend Of Bin Laden
The editor of the Saudi government daily Al-Watan, Jamal Khashoggi, acknowledged, in a surprise move, that he was once a friend of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
He also said that bin Laden could have done a great service to his religion and his homeland if he had controlled his emotions and his anger, and if the takfir ideology had not taken him over.
Khashoggi said also that quite a few media members were in contact with bin Laden at the beginning of his struggle in Afghanistan.
Source: Elaph.com, January 22, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4759.htm
Iraq Gets New Interim Flag
The Iraqi parliament has approved, by a majority, a new interim flag for the country, for the upcoming year.
The three stars in the old flag, that represented the three principles of the Ba'th Party – unity, freedom, and socialism – have been removed.
Also, the words "Allah Akbar," added to the old flag during the first Gulf War by Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, have been put into Kufic script, an ancient script originating in Kufa, in modern-day Iraq, which is mostly used for inscribing the Koran.
The London Arab daily Al-Zaman has reported public resentment in Iraq because of the removal of the stars, and also because the flag now resembles the Iranian flag.
Source: Al-Sabah, Iraq, Al-Zaman, London, January 23, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4790.htm
Hamas Demonstrates In West Bank – And PA Doesn't Interfere
Hamas held a demonstration in Ramallah in solidarity with the residents of Gaza, without the Palestinian Authority security apparatuses intervening.
The demonstrators cheered Hamas leaders Isma'il Haniya and Muhammad Al-Zahar – an unusual sight in the West Bank since the Hamas military coup in Gaza in June.
Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, January 23, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4788.htm
Lebanese Oppositionist: Criticism Of Nasrallah's Speech – American Conspiracy
In a heated discussion between the Lebanese coalition and opposition over the "body parts" speech by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah, oppositionist Hassan Fadhlallah said that the criticism of the speech by several coalition members (see "Senior Lebanese Official Criticizes Nasrallah's "Body Parts" Speech" http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4734.htm) was part of an American conspiracy aimed at preparing the ground for Nasrallah's assassination.
Another opposition member, Nawar Al-Sahili, said that the Zionist enemy was speaking out of the mouths of the coalition members.
Sources: Al-Akhbar, Lebanon; Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, January 23, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4785.htm
Algerian Religious Endowments Minister: Missionaries Will Be Harshly Punished
On the sidelines of a January 21 lecture in Algeria by Egypt's religious endowments minister, Algerian Religious Endowments Minister Bouabdellah Ghlamallah promised "harsh and deterrent" penalties for those responsible for Christian missionary activity in the country, once they are apprehended.
Source: El-Nahar, Algeria, January 21, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4748.htm
Senior Lebanese Official Criticizes Nasrallah's "Body Parts" Speech
Carlos Edde, head of the National Bloc party which is part of the March 14 Forces in Lebanon, has criticized Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah for announcing that his organization was holding body parts of Israeli soldiers.
Edde said: "I never imagined that a Lebanese political leader... would shout before hundreds of children and before television cameras that he has body parts and is proud of it. The worst thing is his joy in trading in these body parts."
Edde stated that Nasrallah had thus adopted the path of the Israelis, just as the Israelis adopted the path of the Nazis in their treatment of the Palestinians.
Source: Al-Nahar, Lebanon, January 21, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4734.htm
In Syria, Calls For Intifada Against Regime
Sources in the Committee for Monitoring Human Rights in Syria have said that following a recent sweep of arrests among all sectors of Syrian society, particularly among the Islamic streams, communiques and manifestos are being distributed in the neighborhoods of Syria's districts calling for an intifada against the regime.
Source: thisissyria.net, Syria, January 20, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4733.htm
Hizbullah Associate: In Speech, Nasrallah Meant That Hizbullah Has Plan For Dealing With Israeli Incursions
In commentary on the January 19 speech by Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Ibrahim Al-Amin, chairman of the board of directors of the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar which is known to be close to Hizbullah, said that Nasrallah's threat that Hizbullah would know how to deal with Israeli incursions into Lebanese territory meant that the organization's leaders have already drawn up a plan for responding to the incursions.
He said that the plan would be carried out by surprise, and would force the residents of Israel's northern "settlements" to employ means of defense.
Referring to Nasrallah's statement on the situation in Gaza, Al-Amin explained that the message Nasrallah had sent was that Hizbullah would provide all the help necessary to the resistance in Palestine.
Source: Al-Akhbar, Lebanon, January 21, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4714.htm
Egyptian Police Get Human Rights Training
A new program for adding human rights training to Egyptian police academy curricula has been drawn up by Egypt's Interior Ministry.
The program is part of a national project to improve human rights in the country.
Included in the program content is improving treatment of prisoners as well as efforts to rehabilitate them and to reintegrate them into society after their release.
Source: Al-Ahram, Egypt, January 20, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4702.htm
Syrian Human Rights Organization Calls For Release Of Political Prisoner
The Committees for the Defense of Democracy Freedoms and Human Rights in Syria have reported that the life of political prisoner Dr. 'Aref Dalilah, who has been held in a Syrian prison since September 2001, is in danger following a worsening of his health.
In an announcement, the committees called on all international human rights organization to ask the Syrian government to free Dalilah immediately in order to save his life.
Source: cdf-sy.org, January 19, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4700.htm
Algerian Police Launch Surveillance Of Shi'ites
Algerian police have launched surveillance of sites where Shi'ites congregate.
The move is part of the struggle against the increasing strength of the Shi'ite movement in the country following the 2006 Lebanon war,
It was reported that police have recently been tracing the movements of 22 Shi'ites in the city of Ain Temouchent in western Algeria.
Source: El-Shorouq el-Yawmi, Algeria, January 18, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4689.htm
From the MEMRI Iran Blog www.thememriblog.org/iran
Iran's Supreme Leader Rules Against Iran's President
In a letter to Iranian parliamentary spokesman Hadad 'Adel, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that the only body in the country authorized to abolish Majlis (parliamentary) laws is the Guardian Council, not the president.
The letter came in response to an order by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to abolish a number of Majlis laws on domestic matters.
Source: ISNA, Iran, January 21, 2008; Aftab-e Yazd, Iran, January 22, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4795.htm
Ahmadinejad: The World Needs The "Hidden Imam"
In a speech inaugurating Iran's National Center for Globalization Studies, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that the center's goal was "to spread anticipation and love for the Hidden Imam" who is expected to save the community of Shi'ite believers and the world.
Ahmadinejad called the universal rule of the Hidden Imam humanity's most important need.
The new center, established recently on Ahmadinejad's instructions, replaced former president Mohammad Khatami's Center for Dialogue of Civilizations, which has been disbanded.
Source: Mehr, Iran, January 21, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4780.htm
Iranian Daily: Jordan's King Serves America, Not His Own People
An article in the Iranian daily Resalat stated that Jordan's King Abdallah was flawed in his analysis of the situation in the Middle East and that since he came to the throne "he is making an effort to present himself as one of the executors of American and Zionist policy in the Middle East."
The article said that the king was repressing civil demands for public welfare and political freedom in his country, because the real aim of his government was to secure American interests in the region.
Source: Resalat, Iran, January 21, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4778.htm
Iran Gov't Spokesman: Iran-Russia Ties "Very Good, Growing"
Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said today, January 22, that Iran-Russia ties are "very good and growing."
Elham told reporters during his weekly press briefing that Russia's delivery of the nuclear fuel for the Bushehr plant has been a turning point in Tehran-Moscow bilateral cooperation.
"According to the agreement reached between the two sides and the two sides' undertakings, the commitments are being fulfilled," he added.
The fifth nuclear fuel shipment from Russia for Bushehr nuclear power plant arrived in Iran this morning.
Source: IRNA, Iran, January 22, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4763.htm
Iranian Bloggers Protest Against Arrests of Students
Dozens of bloggers inside and outside Iran have announced that January 30 is to be a day of solidarity with the dozens of Iranian students arrested since December 2007.
It was reported that senior Iranian judiciary officials have released no information on the arrests, except for claiming that they had to do with "disturbing the peace."
The bloggers are also planning to protest against the continued detention of the three Amir Kabir University students whose bail was posted nearly a month ago (see "Bail Posted For Three Iranian Students Sentenced For Defaming Sanctity Of Islam – But They're Still In Prison"http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4289.htm).
Source: Rooz, Iran, January 22, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4750.htm
"Jomhouri-e Eslami": The Palestinian People Will Continue Armed Struggle Until Israel is Eliminated
In an editorial, the Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami wrote: "Despite the extremely grave crimes of the Israelis and the Americans... it is the Palestinian people that will triumph in the end, and it will continue in its armed struggle until Israel is eliminated.
The paper added: "These days are showing that Gaza is becoming the apex of the Palestinian armed struggle, that will, with God's help, lead to the final victory of the Palestinians."
Source: Jomhouri-e Eslami, Iran, January 22, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4744.htm
Iranian Army Lt.-Cmdr: Recent Events Prove "No American Soldier... Can Stand Against Iranian Combatants"
Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Lieutenant Commander Gen. Masoud Jazayeri has stated that U.S. soldiers are unable to stand against Iranian combatants.
According to the Iranian news agency Fars, Gen. Jazayeri made the statements "in the wake of massive propaganda by Western media over an alleged confrontation between Iranian and U.S. Navy vessels in the Persian Gulf earlier this month."
Gen. Jazayeri said that the hue and cry by the Western media about the incident was aimed at portraying Iran as a threat to world peace and security, on the eve of the visit to the region by U.S. President George Bush.
He said that the prompt action by Iranian officials, which included presentation of authentic documents and footage of the incident, proved the baseless and untrue nature of the U.S. allegations. Following this, he said, "the Americans were obliged to acknowledge that their reports were not true."
He stated, "Evidence has revealed that no American soldier or military personnel is able to stand against Iranian combatants."
Source: Fars, Iran, January 21, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4737.htm
Rooz: Detained Iranian Student Died Of Beatings, Was Buried Secretly
About a week after the early January 2008 arrest of 27-year-old student movement activist Ibrahim Lotfollahi, for distributing posters from human rights organizations in the city of Sanandaj, security forces secretly buried his body and covered the grave with a layer of concrete.
According to Iranian human rights organizations, Lotfollahi died as a result of torture and beatings.
Lotfollahi's family said they did not believe authorities' claim that he had committed suicide in his cell.
(The incident follows the October 2007 death in prison of Zahra Bani Yaghoub/Ameri, after her arrest the previous day for Islamic dress code violations, which authorities also claimed to be suicide. See "Brother Of Woman Who Died Following Arrest For Islamic Dress Code Violations: I Will Never Accept Official Statement That She Committed Suicide" http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4497.htm) .
Source: Rooz, Iran, January 20, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4711.htm
Former Iranian Security Council Sec'y Rohani Blasts Ahmadinejad
In a speech near the tomb of Iranian Revolution founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, former Iranian Supreme National Security Council secretary Hassan Rohani, who is associated with Iranian Expediency Council Chairman Hashemi Rafsanjani, called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad narrow-minded and warned: "The unprofessional administration of the country that is costing the people dearly is a sin graver than eating during [the fast month of] Ramadan."
The speech was censored in many media outlets in Iran.
Rohani added: "We are all in the same boat, and a hole in it will sink us all, whether we oppose [Ahmadinejad's policy] or agree to it."
He also warned against election fraud and fraudulent statistics.
Source: Aftab, Iran, January 20, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4710.htm
Ahmadinejad: We Made No Nuclear Concessions; God Is On Our Side
In a speech at Tehran University, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that Iran had not been forced to make concessions in its nuclearization and had even forced concessions on others.
He said: "The rejection of the Additional Protocol, which stresses that IAEA inspectors can be present at any time, in any way, and in every place [in Iran], is one of Iran's great achievements... The global arrogance [i.e. the U.S.] is trying to cause Iran to despair by using military maneuvers... and various threats, [but even] under the most difficult conditions, God will light our path..."
Source: Jomhouri-e Eslami, Iran, January 20, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4709.htm
Report: Ahmadinejad To Visit Iraq, Turkey
An Iraqi Foreign Ministry source has told the London daily Al-Hayat that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to visit Iraq next month, and that contacts are underway to prepare for the visit and to set a date.
Senior Ahmadinejad advisor Mojtaba Hashemi Samareh said that Ahmadinejad was expected to visit Turkey in the near future, and perhaps also Iraq.
Source: Al-Hayat, London, January 19, 2008; Jomhouri-e Eslami, Iran, January 20, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4707.htm
From the MEMRI Turkey Blog www.thememriblog.org/turkey
Turkey Again Bans YouTube
Turkey last week banned access to the YouTube website because it offered a video allegedly "insulting Mustafa Kemal Ataturk – Turkey's founder – and the founders of the state."
The last time Turkey imposed a YouTube ban it was lifted two days later, after YouTube removed the videos in question.
On January 18, Ankara's 12th Court of Peace decided to ban access to the site because of a clip created and posted by a user called "Turkomaymun" [i.e.Turkishmonkey].
Another court, the 2nd Court of Peace of Sivas, issued an additional ban yesterday.
According to Turkish law, a court ban blocking access to a certain site can be removed only if the service provider removes the video.
Source: Today's Zaman, Turkey, January 24, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4835.htm
Turkish President Gul On Darfur: "A Humanitarian Tragedy"; Sudanese President Al-Bashir: "The Massacres Are Committed By People Supported By Europe And Others"
At a press conference following their January 21 meeting, the Turkish and Sudanese presidents held a press conference. Turkish President Abdullah Gul called the Darfur issue a "humanitarian tragedy" and called on all to work to solve the crisis while respecting Sudan’s territorial integrity. He added that Turkey would continue to support efforts to solve the Darfur issue.
Bashir said that Sudan appreciated Turkey's friendship and its efforts to solve the Darfur problem, and denied the charges against the leadership in his country, defending his advisor Musa Hilal, the former Janjaweed militia leader believed responsible for the genocide in Darfur. He said, "In Sudan, we believe that the charges against Musa Hilal are false. The ones who are carrying out the massacres in Sudan are people receiving aid from Europe and other places."
Source: Hurriyet, Turkey, January 22, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4813.htm
In Bid To Make Sudan Major Ally, Ankara Gives Warm Welcome To Sudanese President
Turkish President Abdullah Gul this week welcomed as an official guest Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir with a full state ceremony, while Europe and U.S. based human rights organizations sent letters of protest to Turkey's president and prime minister expressing their astonishment at the invitation.
Bashir and one of his two wives who accompanied him stayed at the presidential palace, where an official dinner was given in their honor.
Turkey's prime minister, government ministers, and AKP MPs attended the dinner; no military officials or CHP representative were present.
The Sudanese president met with Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan and attended a meeting of businessmen from both countries hosted by DEIK (the Foreign Economic Relations Board).
Since the AKP has been in power, trade between the two countries increased from $35 million in 2002 to over $300 million in 2007, and Turkey plans to provide the Islamist government in Khartoum with defense and military assistance, including military training, joint exercises and arms sales.
Turkish Sudanese relations were accelerated after PM Erdogan’s visit in Khartoum in 2006 when he also visited Darfur. After his visit Erdogan, had said that no genocide or forced assimilation had occurred there.
Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul visited Khartoum two weeks ago to prepare for President Bashir's visit in Turkey – a visit that was denied for many years by former Turkish president Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
Sources: Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Turkey, January 22, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4812.htm
Former Chief Justice Of High Constitutional Court: PM Should Know His Place And His Boundaries
The former head of Turkey's High Constitutional Court, Yekta Gungor Ozden, responded to PM Erdogan's attack on the judiciary, media, and universities, saying that the prime minister was the one who should know his place.
Ozden said that the judicial organs will not be drawn into polemics, and added, "Judicial organs carry out their responsibilities. They make decisions and the last word belongs to the judiciary. Everybody must abide by those decisions. Politicians must learn to accept judicial oversight and to abide by their rulings. The person who should know his place is PM Erdogan himself, whose remarks demonstrate his ignorance in matters of the law and the fact that he is not a democrat."
Source: ANKA News Agency, January 21, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4781.htm
PM Erdogan Lashes Out At Judiciary, Media, University
Following judiciary's warnings last week about the AKP's intention to permit Islamic head coverings in universities through constitutional change, PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke harshly at his party's women's branches in Istanbul and slammed the judiciary for "interfering" in the matters of the legislative and executive branches of government. He chastised the courts, saying, "Nobody can see themselves as superior to the executive or the legislative [branches]. Let everyone know their places and their boundaries. Let them not bring up the Constitution every now and then. We know as well as they do what is in the Constitution. When the time comes, they can use their votes like all other citizens".
Erdogan also lashed out at the media for delving into issues of dress and headscarf, saying that it is nobody's business to interfere with choice of dress. He criticized the media for not emphasizing the improvement in the economy instead. Without mentioning names, he attacked the editor and columnist Ertugrul Ozkok of the largest Turkish daily Hurriyet for accusing the AKP of immodesty following its election win.
In his speech, Erdogan also targeted university rectors [presidents] and accused one rector [learned to be Giresun University rector Prof. Osman Ozturk] for allegedly encouraging military coups. Directing his anger at the rector he said, "Who do you think you are, ha? You better know your place and mind your own business! You do your work for the university and teach your students; don't interfere in other matters!"
Later, at a convention of AKP youth branches in Antalya, Erdogan pledged he would lift all bans in the path of [Islamist] students.
Source: Milliyet, Hurriyet and all Turkish dailies, January 19-20, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4739.htm
Turkish Columnist: Will Erdogan [Or Fethullah] Become 'Caliph' That U.S. Wants?
Guler Komurcu, of the mainstream daily Aksam, wrote in her column that when U.S. President George W. Bush visited Istanbul in June 2004 he had told PM Erdogan, "If I were you, I'd live in Dolmabahce [Ottoman palace]." Four years later, PM Erdogan made his office there. Now he plans to move the headquarters of major public institutions to Istanbul. He wants to move the capital of the Republic in Ankara to Istanbul, the Ottoman capital. Then will come the turn of establishing the 'Caliphate' to complete Uncle Sam's enlarged Middle East project and to secure its control over the Islamic world."
She continued, "Fethullah Gulen and the AKP are the contractors of this 'Moderate Islam' project of America. The masters in Washington want to benefit from Turkey's historical heritage and re-create the Ottoman model's modern version in a 'New Ottoman Model' of 'Moderate Islam', centered in Istanbul. The nucleus of this model will be the institution of Caliphate, or Supreme Council of Islam, that will set the tone and rule the entire Islamic world."
Komurcu wrote that soon there would be 'new [tailored] findings' that will surface in the way of old letters, to show that the founder of modern Turkey, Ataturk, was not against the institution of Caliphate [that he eliminated], but that he in fact endorsed it. She added that with the New Ottoman Project and a Caliph appointed, the Islamic world could be ruled from Istanbul, those in Washington think.
Source: Aksam, Turkey, January 17, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4687.htm
From the MEMRI Economic Blog www.MEMRIeconomicblog.org
Iraq: Inflation Falls to Lowest Level in Over 17 Years
According to the Central Bank of Iraq, annual inflation in Iraq experienced dramatic decline, reaching 12% in December 2007, compared with 65% a year earlier. This positive and encouraging trend in the annual inflation levels has not been achieved in the country for more than 17 years, the bank added.
The central bank has pursued a policy of raising the value of the dinar against the dollar, which helps to lower the average monthly inflation rate.
The dominance of the dollar caused a problem for the bank, which cannot curb inflation using traditional tools to control the domestic money supply as most of the country's commerce is handled in dollars.
In December the bank was forced to issue a statement denying it planned to revalue the dinar quickly after rumors of such a move sparked buying of the national currency.
Last week, the IMF forecast that high oil production would push Iraq's Gross Domestic Product over 7% in 2008 and in 2009, from a rate of 1.3% in 2007.
Iraq's economy has been beset by decades of war and sanctions that have caused high unemployment and low growth. But with rising oil prices, business is booming, particularly in the Kurdistan region in the northern part of the country.
Source: Al-Qanat, Iraq, January 23, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4815.htm
Syrian Government Calls on Farmers to Adopt Modern Irrigation
Facing a growing shortage of water, the Syrian government has issued an order requiring farmers to switch to [unspecified] "modern irrigation methods" in areas served by wells and water networks in order to avoid the waste of water through traditional irrigation methods.
Joint Syrian-Jordanian and joint Syrian-Saudi companies are engaged in building factories to produce modern irrigation tools.
As part of a national water plan, Syria has constructed 161 dams on the Euphrates with a storage capacity of 106 million cubic meters. [Iraq has repeatedly complained that the dams that Turkey and Syria are building on the Euphrates have appreciably reduced the flow of water downstream to Iraq, causing a severe shortage of water for Iraqi agriculture. A tripartite technical committee has met a number of times since the fall of the Saddam regime but no concrete action has so far been taken to remedy the situation.]
Source: Al-Sharq Sl-Awsat, January 24, 2008
http://www.memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=856
Qatari Consortium To Fund London Skyscrapers For $3.88 Billion
A Qatari consortium has agreed to finance the ?2 billion ($3.88 billion) "Shard of Glass" project, one of London's most significant skyscraper ventures.
The consortium comprises the Qatari Islamic Investment Bank (QIIB), Sellar Property Group (SPG), Qatar National Bank, Qatari Islamic Bank and the Barwa Property Company; each will hold an equal share in the project.
The project, near London Bridge, directly south of the city's financial district, would be Europe's most distinguished commercial property, QIIB's CEO said.
After investment was secured, SPG said it was confident it could expedite completion of the project by the end of 2011.
Source: Maktoob, Jordan, January 23, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=847
Saudi Arabia Allows Women to Stay in Hotels without Guardians
The Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Industry has decided to allow women to stay in hotels and furnished apartments on their own, thus breaking with religious rules that require women to be accompanied by a male guardian when they leave their homes, the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan said.
Concerns over the country's image abroad and a desire to integrate women into the national economy have driven liberal voices within the government to propose more freedoms for women.
A Saudi delegation faced tough questioning before a panel of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in Geneva last week.
Source: Al-Jeeran, Kuwait, January 21, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=844
Iraq: Inflation Falls to Lowest Level in Over 17 Years
According to the Central Bank of Iraq, annual inflation in Iraq experienced dramatic decline, reaching 12% in December 2007, compared with 65% a year earlier. This positive and encouraging trend in the annual inflation levels has not been achieved in the country for more than 17 years, the bank added.
The central bank has pursued a policy of raising the value of the dinar against the dollar, which helps to lower the average monthly inflation rate.
The dominance of the dollar caused a problem for the bank, which cannot curb inflation using traditional tools to control the domestic money supply as most of the country's commerce is handled in dollars.
In December the bank was forced to issue a statement denying it planned to revalue the dinar quickly after rumors of such a move sparked buying of the national currency.
Last week, the IMF forecast that high oil production would push Iraq's gross domestic product over 7% in 2008 and in 2009, from a rate of 1.3% in 2007.
Iraq's economy has been beset by decades of war and sanctions that have caused high unemployment and low growth. But with rising oil prices, business is booming, particularly in the Kurdistan region in the northern part of the country.
Source: Al-Qanat, Iraq, January 23, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=841
Abu Dhabi to Invest $15 Billion In Green Energy, Hydrogen Plant
The Abu Dhabi government yesterday announced the most ambitious sustainability program ever launched by a government – an initial investment of $15 billion to develop green energy and build the world's largest hydrogen power plant, with 500 megawatts of capacity.
The investment would be part of the Masdar initiative, set up to develop sustainable and clean energy, said Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed ibn Zayed Al-Nahyan during the inaugural session of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES).
Next month, ground will be broken on Masdar city, the world's first carbon neutral city.
The $15 billion Masdar commitment will be directed to investments, manufacturing future energy solutions, education and R&D, carbon management, sustainable development & planning, and renewable energy infrastructure projects
The establishment of the Zayed Future Energy Prize was also announced, with an annual prize pool of $2.2 million, designed to reward achievements in energy innovation.
Source: Gulfnews.com, January 22, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=822
Political Conflicts in Lebanon Economically Costly
The political stalemate in Lebanon [the failure to elect a new president] has translated into broad economic losses. Interest rates have risen by an average of 2% per annum which will cost the central bank of Lebanon [Banque du Liban] $130-200 million in additional interest payments on its outstanding debt of about $10 billion.
According to available estimates, the budget deficit in 2008 will amount to $2.5 billion, or 12% of GDP. A lot of the deficit is generated by the subsidies to the state-owned power company, whose reform has been stalled by the suspension of parliamentary activity. The GDP itself will grow by no more than 2% in 2008 as against an average of 4-5%, a loss of $450-675 million, caused by a decline in consumption due to the unsettled political situation. FDI will trickle down to $1 billion, which will translate into a reversal in employment creation.
Finally, the tourism sector, one of the most significant sources of foreign income, will continue to stagnate and limited to visits by overseas Lebanese. The number of tourists, primarily non-Lebanese, will decline by 500,000-600,000 annually. Historically, foreign tourists to Lebanon spend $1,200-1,500 per visit compared with $600-700 in Egypt and $700-800 in Morocco. [This is because many Gulf tourists used Lebanon as their "playing ground," and this is no longer the case. ]
Source: Al-Nahar, Lebanon, January 22, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=815
U.S. Remains Major Market for Iranian Carpets
Half of Iran's hand-woven carpet exports are destined for the U.S., which imports $562 million worth of carpets directly from Iran, the head of the National Center for Iranian Carpet (NCIC) said.
Speaking to reporters during a press conference, Morteza Faraji dismissed rumors about a U.S. embargo on Iranian carpets, adding that Iran's exports to the US market remains unabated.
Government and private bodies involved in the carpet industry are thinking of new strategies for continued export of carpets to the US market in case sanctions are imposed on Iran, Faraji noted. He rejected speculations that the world's exports of Iran's hand-woven carpet have decreased in recent years, reminding the reporters that the country supplies 33% of the world's hand-woven carpets.
According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Iran's share of the $1.31 billion global carpet trade stood at $436.698 million in 2006, Faraji told reporters.
Iran is followed by India, which produced $271 million worth of hand-woven carpets in 2006, Pakistan ($239 million), and China ($115 million), NCIC official added.
In spite of the 20% drop in the global carpet trade, Iran prevented a market slump by supplying high-quality products, Faraji stated.
Source: Fars, Iran, January 21, 2008; Mehr, Iran, January 20, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=806
Shari'a-Compliant Hotel to Open in Dubai
Hotel management group Millennium is opening a 163-room Shari'a-compliant property in Dubai that does not serve alcohol and has separate times for men and women to use the swimming pool.
Reda Mukhtar, general manager of the Copthorne Hotel, said the hotel, opening Sunday, will serve people looking for "more decent treatment" in services.
"The hotel is dry. The background music is inspired by nature [in the form of chirping of birds, waterfall sounds, beach wave sounds], men and women have different times to enjoy the covered swimming pool," he said.
Mukhtar said the hotel is open to families and individuals, but that it will not try to find out the relationship between couples when they check in.
"We are not going to check on couples. We will just register their identities," he said.
The duties of female employees working as receptionists, waitresses and housekeepers will be the same as in any other hotel, Mukhtar said, adding that "they will not be covered up, but have to dress decently."
Mukhtar said Gulf investors are growing interested in Islamic hotels because of demand for this accommodation.
The Copthorne Hotel is owned by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.
Source: Gulfnews.com, January 18, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=805
Iraq and Jordan Agree to Settle Debt
Jordan and Iraq have agreed in principle to settle Iraqi debts, outstanding since 2003, with the final signature of the agreements to be soon concluded in Amman. Banking sources estimated the Jordanian claims at approximately 1.2 billion Jordanian dinars (about $1.71 billion; US$1 = 0.70 Jordanian dinar).
The Iraqi ambassador to Amman said that Jordan provided documents on the value of frozen Iraqi deposits in Jordanian banks, disclosures involving claims by Jordanian authorities that dealt with the former Iraqi government, along with other disclosures regarding a Jordanian loan and its accrued interest to Iraq.
Source: Al-Qabas, Kuwait, January 21, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=800
Argument in Iran over Number of Poor People
In an interview on Iranian national TV last December, Welfare Minister Abd al-Riza Masri refused to reveal the number of poor people in Iran, claiming that the publication of such information would not serve the Iranian people but would only cause them harm.
At the end of last December, a member of the committee for social affairs in the Iranian parliament, Abu al-Qasim Muchtari said between 10 and 12 million Iranians are poor and that 2 million live below the absolute poverty line. Government spokesman Gholam Hussein Alham maintained that in Iran only 4 million people live below the poverty line.
Source: IRNA, December 12, 2007, Jam-e-Jam, January 19, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=795
DreamWorks Brings its Magic to Dubai
The leading Hollywood studio DreamWorks Animation has signed a multi-billion dollar strategic alliance with real estate company Tatweer to develop in Dubai a range of tourism and leisure projects, including a theme park.
The five million-square-foot DreamWorks Animation park will feature characters from DreamWorks titles such as the Shrek franchise and upcoming Kung Fu Panda.
Tatweer announced, in May 2007, a $2 billion deal with Universal Parks and Resorts to build Universal City Dubailand, that would include a range of hotels, restaurants and retail outlets to open in 2010.
In April of last year, UAE-based real estate concern Al-Ahli announced a deal with Marvel Entertainment to bring Marvel's full library of superheroes, including Spider Man, the X-Men, and the Incredible Hulk to Dubai for a $1 billion theme park, to open in 2011.
[Dubai is determined to become a major tourist attraction in the Middle East. Its new airport under construction will accommodate 40 million passengers annually.]
Source: Business Intelligence Middle East, January 21, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=794
9/11 Revived Investments in Muslim World
Dr. Mundher Qahaf, a leading expert in Islamic economics, stated that the events of 9/11 have caused a considerable amount of investments to return to Muslim countries and awakened the need to investment in domestic economies. Qahaf, who works in the Islamic Institute for Research and Training which is part of the Islamic Development Bank located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, suggests that 9/11 was the beginning of a shift of investments from the West to countries like Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia where "capital is more efficient and safer."
Source: Al-Sharq, Qatar, January 18, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=788
Report: Qatar Plans to Build 87-Mile Metro System
Qatar is planning to construct a 140-km (about 87-mile) metro system in the capital Doha to help ease traffic congestion prior to the 2016 Olympic Games bid, The Peninsula newspaper said.
Qatar, which officially launched its bid to host the 2016 summer Olympics last week, will spend billions of dollars to improve its transport infrastructure irrespective of whether it wins the right to host the Olympic games, the newspaper added, citing a government proposal for the bid.
Under to the Olympic proposal, the number of hotel rooms in Qatar would more than quadruple to 80,000 by 2016, from almost 18,000..
With Gulf countries witnessing annual population growth of between 5-10%, cities are increasingly facing congestion, forcing governments to spend on improving infrastructure.
Dubai is expected to complete the first phase of two metro system lines with investments worth $4.4 billion, extending about 70 km (about 43.5 miles) by September 2009.
Other Gulf cities, including Riyadh, Makkah, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, are also planning metro systems.
Source: Al-Watan, Qatar, January 20, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=782
