~~GULFWIRE DIGEST~~#168~~WEEK OF OCTOBER 28-NOVEMBER 3, 2002~~ (fwd)

["Clement M. Henry" <chenry@mail.la.utexas.edu>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 13:35:01 -0600
From: GulfWire e-Newsletters <GulfWire@arabialink.com>
To: "<<GULFWIRE>>" <GulfWire2@arabialink.com>
Subject: ~~GULFWIRE DIGEST~~#168~~WEEK OF OCTOBER 28-NOVEMBER 3, 2002~~

GulfWire Digest
      GulfWire Digest
      A weekly newsletter from the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations &
      the U.S.-GCC Corporate Cooperation Committee
      Issue #168
October 28, 2002


--------------------------------------------------------------------------


            IN THIS ISSUE


                  The Kingdom of Bahrain held the first round of national
elections on Oct. 24.  Check this week's GulfWire Digest for reporting and
analysis.


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            News - Region

            GCC JOINT DEFENSE COUNCIL FORMED
            "The six-member GCC states have established a joint defense
council, Oman's Minister in Charge of Defense Affairs Badr ibn Saud
Al-Bousaeedi announced
            [Oct. 28]..."  Complete report...

            AMERICAN MILITARY MANEUVERS IN QATAR POSTPONED
            "…it was decided to postpone the military maneuvers set for
November with the aim to ensure necessary time needed for full arrival of
necessary equipment…"  Complete report…
            Related Site:
            U.S. Central Command
            ~~GulfWire Link~~
            QATAR TO HOST US COMMAND CENTER ~~ GulfWire Digest #163 – Sep.
16, 2002

            U.S. DIPLOMAT SHOT DEAD IN JORDAN
            Unknown Assailants Strike After Embassy Warnings About Al Qaeda
"...While Jordan is officially allied with the United States, anti-American
sentiment has been rising with public opposition to a threatened U.S. attack
on Iraq, Jordan's eastern neighbor and primary trading partner. The
kingdom's 1994 peace treaty with Israel also has made it a target for Muslim
            militants and terrorist groups..."  Complete report...

            BUSH'S EFFORTS ON IRAQ, N. KOREA FLAG
            "U.S. efforts to lead multilateral coalitions against Iraq and
North Korea flagged today, as administration officials seemed increasingly
resigned to the possibility of abandoning U.N. negotiations over Iraq..."
Complete
            report...

            QATAR HOPES ROW WON'T HIT PIPELINE
            "Qatar played down… fears that a planned gas pipeline worth up
to $2 billion would fall victim to a diplomatic row between the Gulf state
and its
            neighbor Saudi Arabia. 'I do not believe that a minor diplomatic
dispute between the two states will block the progress of a project of such
magnitude and wider regional importance,' a senior official at the Qatari
            energy ministry said…"  Complete report…
            ~~GulfWire Link~~
            SAUDI ENVOY RECALLED FROM QATAR ~~ GulfWire Digest #164 – Sep.
30, 2002

            DEMOCRACY IN ARAB STATES
            "The specter of a U.S. invasion of Iraq raises important but
knotty questions about whether or not democracy can take hold in the Arab
nations
            of the Middle East, according to analysts at two recent think
tank forums in Washington..."  Complete report...

            US MILITARY RETHINKS INVASION OF BAGHDAD
            "...there is legitimate apprehension among many American
military commanders that an invasion of Iraq, and its requisite ground
action in Baghdad, will
            likely result in heavy casualties and an uncertain outcome..."
Complete report...

            AR'AR BORDER BETWEEN IRAQ, SAUDI ARABIA OPENS WEDNESDAY
            "The Iraqi trade minister Muhammad Mahdi Saleh will open on
[Oct. 30] the Ar'ar complex near the borders with Saudi Arabia through which
the Saudi goods exported to Saudi Arabia will pass for Iraq, in the
framework of the "oil for food" program, besides the two states have
recently agreed to
            establish a free trade zone..."  Complete report...
            LARGE SAUDI TEAM TO ATTEND ARAR BORDER POST REOPENING

            LIBYA TO LEAVE ARAB LEAGUE
            "Libya says it is pulling out of the Arab League.  Libyan
officials are being reported as saying that the Arab League's inefficiency
in dealing with the crises over Iraq and the Palestinians as the reason for
this move. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has threatened to pull out of the
22 member body before..."  Complete report...

            KINGDOM, EGYPT CALL FOR UNITED ARAB FRONT
            "Egypt and Saudi Arabia want Arab countries to work toward
presenting a united front to the world, the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince
Saud Al-Faisal said yesterday. The comments follow Libya's decision last
week to withdraw from the Arab League in protest at what it said was the
failure of Arab states to take a stronger stance against any US attack on
Iraq and Israeli attempts to crush a Palestinian uprising..."  Complete
report...

            GCC MINISTERS TO REVIEW MILITARY PROGRESS
            Defense ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states
meet in Muscat [Oct. 28] to review a number of military projects and ways to
improve
            their joint force, the AGCC secretary-general said. The meeting
will discuss ways to "upgrade Peninsula Shield and a number of other joint
military
            projects," Abdulrahman Al Attiya said in a statement released
here yesterday, in reference to the group's joint defense force. The AGCC
plans to expand Peninsula Shield from 5,000 to 22,000 troops, based in Hafar
Al Batin, north-east Saudi Arabia..."  Source: Khaleej Times

            ARAB MINISTERS BEGIN MEET ON ECO ISSUES
            "Arab ministers responsible for environmental issues on [Oct.
25] began their 14th meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm Al Sheikh to
discuss the outcome of the recent Johannesburg Summit..."  Complete
report...

            FINE WEATHER LIKELY FOR RAMADAN
            "'Our 25-year records show the period from November 15 to
December 15 can really be considered the best time of year in the UAE, with
good weather conditions,' a spokesman said. Ramadan is expected to start
around November 7..."  Complete report...



            News - Bahrain

            BAHRAIN ISLAMISTS SWEEP FIRST VOTES
            "The Islamists gained a substantial victory in the first round
of Bahrain's first parliamentary elections in almost 30 years, official
results showed
            [Oct. 25]..." Complete report...
            ISLAMISTS SCORE VICTORY IN BAHRAIN POLL
            BAHRAINIS IGNORE BOYCOTT CALL, VOTE IN LARGE NUMBERS
            FIRST BAHRAINI PARLIAMENT, TURN UP EXCEEDS 53%, ISLAMISTS,
TRADERS WIN

            BAHRAIN'S ROYAL FAMILY TAKES CONTROL OF REFORM
            "A struggle between Bahrain's royal family and Shia Islamist
opposition parties to control political reforms in the tiny Gulf state was
won decisively by the former on Thursday night, after an opposition boycott
failed to thwart parliamentary elections. The voter turnout figure released
by the ministry of information was 53 per cent, well above most
            expectations. Largely as a result of the boycott, a feared sweep
of parliament by Islamist candidates was avoided. But the experiment of
holding the first parliamentary elections in 30 years has failed so far to
bring the opposition into the political process, a key goal of the ruling
al-Khalifa family..."  Source: FT.com [Oct. 25]

            ANALYSIS: LIBERALISM FAILED THE TEST OF BALLOT BOX IN BAHRAIN
            "Even though it seems that liberalism has again failed the test
of the ballot box in Bahrain, liberal candidates did better than expected in
[the Oct. 24] first round of the national elections, a leading Bahraini
political author said..."  Complete report...

            BAHRAIN DENIES US PRESSURE TO ADOPT DEMOCRATIC REFORM
            "As Bahrainis vote [Oct. 24] in the first parliamentary
elections in nearly three decades, Crown Prince Sheikh Salman ibn Hamad
Al-Khalifa has denied
            that the democratic reforms initiated by King Hamad was a result
of US pressure on the government… …the crown prince said… 'Those who are
boycotting the elections are preventing their voices and opinions being
heard…' in reference to an opposition boycott of the polls…"  Complete
report…

            BAHRAINI WOMEN ONE STEP CLOSER TO ELECTED OFFICE
            "Five months after the voters shunned all female candidates in
the local elections, two Bahraini women have upset predictions of a similar
drubbing
            in Thursday's parliamentary elections, in which less than half
the Parliament's 40 seats were decided. Lateefa Al-Guoud and Fawzia Ahmad
Al-Ruwaie beat the odds and came out close to their male rivals, forcing
            next week's run-offs in their constituencies along with 19
others where none of the candidates clinched 50 percent votes necessary for
an outright victory..."  Complete report...

            50,000 BAHRAINI IN A RALLY FOR OPPOSITION: TOWARD A
CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
            "The Bahraini political opposition societies [Oct. 22] declared
themselves as a force greater" than the parliament which will be elected
[Oct. 24] in
            the framework of the 'reform project' carried out by the King of
Bahrain… …attended by more than 55,000 persons was organized just 24 hours
before opening the ballot centers… …Among the main slogans the festival
            advocated were that the opposition's recognition of the
importance of the elections as a first step on the road to 'democracy' and
its recognition of a constitutional monarchy system in which Al-Khalifa
family rule. Observers expect that this position by the Bahraini opposition
will enhance the position of the King in the face of the 'old guards'…"
Complete report…

            BAHRAIN 'WILL NOT ALLOW' ATTACKS ON FOREIGN TARGETS
            "Bahrain will not allow attacks on foreign targets by religious
extremists on its soil such as the recent deadly attack on the U.S. marines
in Kuwait,
            Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa said [Oct.
22]… …He made it clear that religious extremism is alien to Bahrain…"
Complete report…



            News - Kuwait

            ANALYSIS: HOW DEEP IS KUWAIT'S ANGER?
            "Kuwaitis open their newspapers almost daily to read of more
reverberations from the deadly attack on U.S. Marines in the emirate's
island of Faylakah
            earlier this month... ...While the emirate has found itself the
focus of world attention once again, internal debate over anti-American
sentiment and
            Islamic activism continues... ..."Faylakah was a shock for
Kuwaitis, and it ended up mobilizing Kuwait against terrorism and the logic
of extremism in
            society," said Shafeeq Ghabra, a professor at Kuwait University
and the director of the Center of Strategic and Future Studies. "Faylakah
performed the function of an eye opener and a wake-up call for the silent
majority of Kuwaitis'..."  Complete report...
            ~~GulfWire Link~~
            KUWAIT PARLIAMENT OPENS WITH CONDEMNATION OF ATTACK ON US FORCES
~~ GulfWire
            Digest #167 - Oct. 21, 2002
            US MARINE KILLING 'LINKED TO AL-QAEDA' ~~ GulfWire Digest #166 -
Oct. 14, 2002

            KUWAIT RESTRICTS ACCESS TO MILITARY TRAINING AREA
            "Kuwait will seal off large portions of the country where its
troops are holding military exercises with US and other foreign forces...
...Defense
            Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmad Al-Rahmani said the decision
was not linked 'to what is going on in the region but for the security of
the troops and the safety of civilians'..."  Complete report...
            KUWAIT TO CLOSE ITS NORTH, WEST SECTORS FOR MILITARY EXERCISES

            KUWAIT EVACUATES SCHOOLS IN READINESS FOR WAR
            "Sirens wailed across Kuwait [Oct. 27] and schools held
evacuation drills as part of preparations for any Iraqi retaliation against
the emirate should a
            US-led war be launched against Baghdad..."  Complete report...

            409 BOXES OF ARCHIVES RETURNED TO KUWAIT
            "Iraq has handed back 409 boxes of Kuwaiti archives and
documents looted during Baghdad's invasion of the Gulf state 12 years ago.
Kuwait says the archives are among a range of property missing since
Baghdad's August 1990 invasion and seven-month occupation of the country,
including military equipment and museum items. The United Nations has been
trying ever since to account for stolen property – as well as some 650
people, mainly Kuwaitis..."  Complete report...


            News - Oman

            REFORMS NOT AT COST OF VALUES – MINISTER
            "The planned reforms in the country's secondary education will
not be brought about at the cost of its traditions and deep-rooted values,
Yahya bin Saud Al Sulaimi, Oman's Education Minister, said…"  Complete
report…


            News -  Qatar

            A TINY GULF KINGDOM BETS ITS STABILITY ON SUPPORT FOR U.S.
            "...its use to direct an Iraqi invasion would signal a subtle
shift in the array of strategic alliances that give the United States an
overwhelming military presence in the region... ...United States relations
with Saudi Arabia have cooled since the Sept. 11 attacks and the kingdom has
said it may not allow America to stage an invasion from its soil. In the
face of that uncertainty, Qatar is an increasingly attractive
alternative..." Complete report...

            QATAR COURT CONDEMNS JORDANIAN TO DEATH
            "A Qatari court [Oct. 22] sentenced to death a Jordanian on
charges of espionage, a ruling that could further hurt relations between the
two countries... ...was found guilty of spying for Jordan by the Criminal
Court in Doha... ...Analysts said they expected the Jordanian government to
exert
            diplomatic pressure to secure Majali's release and predicted a
royal pardon from Qatar's emir. If Doha did not respond, they predicted
relations between
            the two countries would be severed..."  Complete report...

            UPROAR OVER JOURNALIST'S PRO-U.S. ARTICLE
            "...Munir al-Mawiri, an American citizen of Yemeni origin who
works as a journalist for the controversial Arab television channel
Al-Jazeera, did something highly unusual for someone with his background: He
published an article supporting an American military strike to topple Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein..."  Complete report...


            News - Saudi Arabia

            U.S. MAY ASK COURT TO DISMISS A $1 TRILLION SUIT LINKING SAUDIS
TO AL QAEDA AND 9/11
            "The Bush administration is closely monitoring a private lawsuit
accusing members of the Saudi royal family of ties to Al Qaeda, and may move
in a
            federal court here to dismiss or delay the suit, which was
brought by relatives of Sept. 11 victims, according to administration
officials..."
            Complete report...
            US MAY BLOCK ANTI-SAUDI SUIT
            ~~GulfWire Link~~
            SEPT. 11 FAMILIES TO SUE SAUDI-LINKED 'INTERESTS' ~~ GulfWire
Digest #160 - August 19, 2002

            SULTAN: WE DID NOT SEVER RELATIONS WITH BAGHDAD
            "…defense minister prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz said [Oct. 22]
that Saudi Arabia has not severed its relations with Iraq…. 'they (the
Iraqis) were the
            ones who severed relations with us since 1991 following their
invasion of Kuwait…' …Saudi-Iraqi relations have witnessed a normalization
attempt
            during the recent Arab summit in Beirut in March…"  Complete
report…
            ~~GulfWire Link~~
            SAUDI PUTS FAITH IN IRAQI PLEDGE ~~ GulfWire Digest #140 – April
1, 2002

            MARKETS ARE OPEN FOR ARMS: SULTAN
            "The Kingdom will look for weapons in other markets if the
United States chooses not to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, according to Prince
Sultan, second
            deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation... '...I
would like to say that our markets are open for the entire world,' Prince
Sultan said during a press conference [Oct. 26] after meeting visiting
French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie... ...Prince Sultan slammed
those who try to widen the gap between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the
US and the
            European countries. 'Our relations with our friends are
proceeding without any problems,' he said..."  Complete report...

            CHARITIES MUST BECOME 'MORE TRANSPARENT AND RESPONSIBLE'
            "Crown Prince Abdullah… [Oct. 22] opened the first forum for
Islamic charities in the Kingdom… …Labor and Social Affairs Minister Dr. Ali
Al-Namlah told local charities to make their activities more
transparent… …The charities view charges leveled against them by the US
Treasury Department as politically-motivated and orchestrated by Christian
neo-conservatives and their Zionist allies with the aim of stopping Islamic
            benevolent work…"  Complete report…
            ~~GulfWire Link~~
            REPORT DECRIES SAUDI LAXITY ~~ GulfWire Digest #167 – Oct. 21,
2002
            RESPONSE TO CFR REPORT ~~ GulfWire Digest #167 – Oct. 21, 2002
            UNCHARITABLE DONATIONS ~~ GulfWire Digest #119 – Oct. 29, 2001

            US PRO-ISRAEL POLICY FUELING ARAB IRE: SAUD
            "Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said [Oct. 23] that US
failure to rein in Israeli military actions against Palestinians was
poisoning Arab opinion toward Washington... ...he was optimistic there would
not be a US-led attack on Iraq, because of US willingness to work through
the United Nations.  Asked about anti-American attitudes in Saudi Arabia,
one of Washington's oldest allies in the Middle East and a key member of the
1991 Gulf War alliance against Iraq, Prince Saud said only one thing
prompted criticism and this was US support for Israel..."  Complete
report...
            Also:
            SAUD AL-FAISAL RULES OUT A WAR AGAINST IRAQ: ISRAEL POISONS THE
ARAB PUBLIC OPINION AGAINST THE US
            AL-FAISAL DENIES DIFFERENCES WITH WASHINGTON: OUR RELATIONS ARE
TRANSPARENT
            ~~GulfWire Link~~
            THE AMERICAN-SAUDI ARABIAN RELATIONSHIP: A BRIEFING BY HRH
PRINCE SA'UD AL FAISAL, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS By John Duke Anthony ~~
GulfWire
            Perspectives - Oct. 13, 2002

            TOP US GENERAL'S SAUDI VISIT RAISES EYEBROWS
            "The chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, General Richard
B. Myers, arrived in Riyadh on [Oct. 27], the official Saudi Press Agency
announced, without specifying the duration of his visit..."  Complete
report...

            HUMAID BLASTS WEST FOR DOUBLE STANDARD
            "Dr. Saleh ibn Humaid, president of the Shoura Council,
yesterday accused Western countries of double standard, saying they call for
democracy on the
            one hand and support autocrats and oppressive regimes on the
other. Presenting a paper at the first conference of the Arab Thought
Foundation, the Saudi official said developed countries were driven by
vested interests and ambitions..."  Complete report...

            LAWYER: SAUDIS TO BE FREED FROM GUANTANAMO
            "The lawyer for Saudi prisoners held at the U.S. detention
center at Guantanamo Bay said Wednesday some 200 Saudi inmates will be
released soon for lack of evidence linking them to Osama bin Laden's al
Qaida network..." Complete report...

            UN EXPERT LAUDS LEGAL REFORMS BUT URGES MORE TO ENSURE DUE
PROCESS
            "Saudi Arabia is achieving progress in the legal arena, but more
must be done to ensure the application of due process in the country, a
United Nations expert said today following a weeklong mission to the
country..."
            Complete report...
            Also:
            SAUDIS SAID TO DRAFT HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS

            4,500 IRAQI REFUGEES TO BE SENT HOME
            "The UN High Commission for Refugees will take steps to send
home 4,500 Iraqi refugees, who are currently staying at the Refha camp in
the Kingdom... ...He said the UN commission will find "suitable solution"
for
            those Iraqis who have refused to return to their country. The
Kingdom had received 33,000 Iraqis who fled their country during the war to
liberate
            Kuwait..."  Complete report...

            RIYADH POPULATION TO CROSS 11M BY 2020
            "The capital city is well on way to become the first mega city
of the region with its population projected to exceed 11.1 million by 2020.
The projected
            figure will account for 33-36% of the country's total population
and it will be one of the highest ratios of capital to national population
in the world.
            The current population of Riyadh is 4.5 million, including
expatriates. 'The population growth rate of Riyadh city is 8.1 percent
annually, which is
            one of the highest in the world,' says a new book entitled
'Investment Atmosphere in Riyadh City.' The Kingdom's overall population is
growing at a
            rate of 3.6 percent annually..."  Complete report...

            NATIONAL WATER PLAN GETTING READY
            "Minister of Water Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi announced [Oct. 26] that
his ministry was about to complete a national water plan setting out his
ministry's priorities and giving a clear idea of the country's water
situation..."  Complete report...

            PRINCE SULTAN HUMANITARIAN CITY OPENS WEDNESDAY
            "Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the
National Guard, will inaugurate the SR1.2 billion Prince Sultan Humanitarian
City, one of
            the world's largest medical projects to offer rehabilitation
services, here on [Oct. 30].  Established by Prince Sultan Charitable
Foundation, the city offers rehabilitation services to people of special
needs including elderly and children..."  Complete report...

            SUDAN EXTRADITES SAUDI HIJACKER
            "Sudan [Oct. 27] extradited to the Kingdom a Saudi man charged
with trying to hijack a plane en route to Jeddah..."  Complete report...


            News - UAE

            MAYOR MAKES ABU DHABI NEWEST SISTER CITY TO HOUSTON
            "Houston Mayor Lee Brown launched his visit to the Persian Gulf
region [Oct. 26] by signing a sister city agreement with Abu Dhabi in an
effort to increase cooperation in the fields of energy, technology and
medicine..."
            Complete report...
            CAPITAL, HOUSTON IN TWIN CITIES TIE-UP

            DUBAI TO SET UP MEDICAL CITY
            "The government is establishing a Dubai Medical City that will
attract international hospitals to serve the region's health and medical
services
            sector..."  Complete report...


            Link of the Week


                 CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
                            http://www.ceip.org
                            IRAQ: A NEW PPROACH
            http://www.ceip.org/files/pdf/Iraq.Report.pdf


            GulfWire Flashback

            <<ONE YEAR AGO – FROM GULFWIRE DIGEST (#119) WEEK OF OCTOBER 29,
2001>>

            ANALYSIS: US NURTURES SAUDI TIES
            "…US President George W Bush has thanked Saudi Arabia for its
co-operation in the campaign against terrorism. The phone call to Crown
Prince Abdullah
            bin Abdul Aziz, the kingdom's effective ruler due to King Fahd's
illness, looked like a calculated effort to staunch rumors of friction
between Washington and Riyadh. According to the White House, the president
could not disagree more with the suggestion that Saudi Arabia is not acting
as a good partner of the United States…"

            <<TWO YEARS AGO – FROM GULFWIRE DIGEST (#69) WEEK OF OCTOBER 30,
2000>>

            DUBAI LAUNCHES INTERNET CITY
            "Dubai has taken what it hopes will be a major step in
establishing itself as the e-commerce center for the Middle East by opening
an 'Internet City' free trade zone. The $200m site is designed to lure
international
            information technology companies attracted by tax-free
trading..."

            <<THREE YEARS AGO – FROM GULFWIRE DIGEST (#17) WEEK OF OCTOBER
25, 1999>>

            QATAR GAS COMPANY INAUGURATION
            "The $3.4 billion Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company
(RasGas) marked its opening in ceremonies led by Emir Shaikh Haman Bin
Khalifa Al-Thani on Saturday according to yesterday's Gulf Times.  At the
ceremonies, held at the Ras Laffan Industrial City, Energy and Industry
Minister Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah said Qatar was poised to become a
world leader in LNG production..."

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            Business News - Region

            [GulfWire] ENERGY FUTURES – 10.25.02
            Light Crude (NYM)     $27.05 bbl DOWN from $29.60 bbl on
10.18.02
            Brent Crude (IPE)     $25.46 bbl DOWN from $27.84 bbl on
10.18.02
            Heating Oil (NYM)     $.7351 gal DOWN from $.8087 gal on
10.18.02
            Natural Gas (NYM)     $4.188 mmbtu DOWN from $4.239 mmbtu on
10.18.02
            Unleaded Gas (NYM)    $.7599 gal DOWN from $.8027 gal on
10.18.02
            Source: CNNfn

            MUSLIMS PREPARE FOR THE 'COCA-COLA WAR'
            "As the United States prepares to launch a war against Iraq, a
number of Arab and Muslim countries are preparing for what could be dubbed
the 'Coca-Cola war'... ...The Saudi al-Watan daily reported that as the
boycott of U.S. products was gaining ground in the Arab and Muslim worlds
due to Washington's pro-Israel policies, some companies in the region have
begun
            manufacturing similar products with similar trademark names..."
Complete report...

            GCC OIL PRODUCERS VOW TO SAFEGUARD GLOBAL SUPPLIES
            "Gulf oil producers vowed yesterday to safeguard world supplies
and protect their own regional markets, offering comfort to consumers
fearful that a US
            assault on Iraq could disrupt Middle East exports. Minister of
Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi said he and his five colleagues
from the Gulf
            Cooperation Council (GCC) had pledged to "protect worldwide
supplies, guarantee market stability and preserve stable oil prices...at a
fair level
            for producers and consumers" at a brief meeting in Muscat..."
Complete report...
            GCC 'READY TO COVER ANY OIL SHORTFALL'

            OPEC OUTPUT 10% ABOVE QUOTA
            "Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC) are cheating by producing 10 percent above the cartel's self-imposed
quota, the Wall Street Journal reported on [Oct. 24]. Analysts said the
production surge is led by Saudi Arabia. Analysts also stressed that
although OPEC members have historically cheated on their target quotas, the
current levels
            of overproduction are relatively high..."  Complete report...

            OUTSIDE VIEW: FOLLOW THAT OIL!
            "While Saddam threatens the world with his weapons of mass
destruction and his lethal alliance with terrorist networks, he also sits
astride the
            world's second largest oil reserves and thereby keeps the
world's financial markets and oil-dependent economies under the gun.  A
former Saudi oil
            minister, Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani sees this worst case
scenario: war with Iraq might provoke Saddam to use his Scud missiles with
chemical and biological warheads to attack the Kuwaiti and Saudi oil fields.
Even more so than the Kuwaiti oil fires Saddam set in 1991, chemical and
biological attacks would make the oil fields unusable and exceedingly
complicated to
            clean up and restore to functioning. In this scenario oil prices
could soar to $100 a barrel..."  Complete report...

            U.S. OIL STILL POURS FROM A MIDEAST BARREL
            "Even as talk of war with Iraq and the continuing fallout from
Sept. 11 stoke concerns about American dependence on Persian Gulf oil,
Western oil
            companies are showing no intentions of veering away from the
Middle East, industry executives say..."  Complete report...

            IRAQI CRUDE EXPORTS UNDER UN OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM HIT
UNPRECEDENTED HIGH
            "Continuing an erratic pattern seen over the past year, Iraqi
oil exports jumped sharply to hit an unprecedented high over the past week,
according to
            the United Nations office running the humanitarian
'oil-for-food' program that allows Baghdad to use a portion of its crude
revenues to purchase
            relief aid..."  Complete report...
            Related Site:
            Office of the Iraq Program - Oil for Food Program

            BLUE PLANET: THE END IS NEAR
            " We don't feel it quite yet, but the single biggest American
policy failure of the last 50 years is our inability to deal with oil....
...Another offshoot from our petroleum inadequacy is the cynicism it infuses
into our assessments of national priorities: Are we intervening in the
Middle East on
            the side of the angels or on the side of Big Oil?..."  Complete
report...

            GCC TO INVEST HEAVILY IN TRANSPORT
            "The Gulf is expected to invest more than $300 million in
developing intelligent transport systems (ITS) in the coming years..."
Complete
            report...

            JOINT BID BY GCC TO CURB SUSPICIOUS DEALS
            A joint approach by the GCC member states to counter money
laundering was recommended by the sixth GCC Banking Conference, which
concluded [Oct.
            27]...  Complete report...

            THE GEOPOLITICS OF WATER
            "...According to 'Finding the Balance: Population and Water
Scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa,' a report by the Population
Reference Bureau... ...The report identifies a number of water-scarce
countries in the Middle East and North Africa where there is less than 1,000
cubic meters of fresh water per person per year. Countries in that category
include Israel,
            Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia Qatar, United Arab
Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. The region has 6.3
percent of the world's
            population, and only 1.4 percent of the fresh water..."
Complete report...


            Business News - Qatar

            GCC INSIGHTS: GAS INDUSTRY ENHANCES QATAR'S DEVELOPMENT
            "The gas industry is transforming the Qatari economy. Its
development has provided the country an opportunity to diversify the economy
away from oil.
            Qatar's gas development stems from hard facts: its natural gas
reserves amount to 500 trillion cubic feet, equivalent to 100 billion
barrels of
            crude oil, similar to the UAE's oil reserves..."  Complete
report...


            Business News - Saudi Arabia

            OIL GIANTS' RESPONSE TO FINAL SAUDI OFFER EXPECTED SOON
            "Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi said
[Oct. 22] that foreign oil companies were expected to respond soon to a
"final, lucrative
            offer" on three mega gas projects in the Kingdom… …Naimi
stressed that the talks are in their final stages and reiterated the
Kingdom's determination
            to go ahead with the multibillion dollar projects regardless of
the outcome of the ongoing talks…"  Complete report…
            ~~GulfWire Link~~
            SAUDIS EXPECT FIRMS TO ACCEPT LAST GAS OFFER ~~ GulfWire Digest
#164 – Sep. 30, 2002
            SAUDI, ENERGY MAJORS TO INK GAS DEALS IN MARCH ~~ GulfWire
Digest #127 – Dec. 24, 2002

            SAUDIS URGED TO SPEED UP ECONOMIC REFORM
            "The International Monetary Fund has called for the acceleration
of economic reforms in Saudi Arabia, warning that inaction would swell an
already large
            public debt, put pressure on public finances and discourage
investment. In a staff appraisal after consultations with the Saudi
authorities, the IMF
            recommends that Saudi Arabia speed up the implementation of a
proposed income tax on expatriate workers, who make up 48 per cent of total
manpower,
            but also extend the tax to Saudis. It calls for measures to cut
expenditure and strengthen controls over spending to eliminate
extra-budgetary outlays.
            And it urges the authorities to make a clearer statement to the
market of the timetable and steps that will taken to execute an announced
            privatization policy.  The IMF assessment of Saudi Arabia's
economic performance and recommendations are contained in an article IV
consultation
            done in August..."  Source: FT.com [Oct. 22]

            NO PLAN TO IMPOSE TAXES ON SAUDIS
            "The government has no plans to levy taxes on Saudis as proposed
by the IMF despite a chronic budget deficit for the past two decades,
Al-Eqtissadiyah
            newspaper quoted Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf as saying
[Oct. 26]..." Complete report...

            REPATRIATION BOOSTS SAUDI BANKS
            "The coffers of Saudi Arabia's banks are swelling with money
brought home following the 11 September attacks last year. New figures
released by the country's central bank, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency,
show that the assets of Saudi Arabia's 10 commercial banks were up 8.1% over
the 12 months to September..."  Complete report...

            SRI LANKA GROUP SIGNS JOB DEALS WITH SAUDI FIRMS
            "There is a great demand for web designers, network engineers,
system administrators, software programmers and hardware engineers in the
Kingdom's IT sector and medical transcriptionists, nurses and other
paramedical personnel in the health care sector... ...M.M. Mohamed Jameel,
chairman and managing director of the Hal Group, who said the expanding job
market for technical personnel has heralded a new trend in the Kingdom's
employment scene..."  Complete report...

            KINGDOM TO DRAW UP LONG-TERM ECONOMIC STRATEGY — MINISTER
            "Minister of Planning Khaled Al-Gosaibi said [Oct. 23] that the
Kingdom will draw up a long-term development strategy taking into account
the opportunities and challenges posed by globalization... ...Al-Gosaibi
said one of the priorities that would define governmental functioning
relates to the need for reviewing the educational system and organizing
training programs geared to market needs..."  Complete report...

            WORK ON POWER GRID PICKS UP
            "Industry and Electricity Minister Dr. Hashem Al-Yamani has said
that the first stage of the power grid linking Saudi Arabia with Qatar and
Bahrain will be completed by 2006... ...He said work on the power grid
picked up momentum after a special agency was set up in Dammam to oversee
the project..."  Complete report...

            WOMEN EXPLORE SAUDI-BELGIAN JOINT VENTURES
            "Opportunities for joint investments by Saudi and Belgian
businesswomen were explored [Oct. 21] at a conference called to throw light
on Saudi women's
            growing role in business…"  Complete report…
            ~~GulfWire Link~~
            40,000 WOMEN GET JOBS UNDER SAUDIZATION DRIVE ~~ GulfWire Digest
#107 – Jul. 30, 2001

            TOURISM DEVELOPMENT TO TRANSFORM ECONOMY, SAYS PRINCE SULTAN
            Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme
Commission for Tourism, has said that the development of tourism will
totally transform
            Kingdom's economy. He said tourism industry's contribution to
the gross domestic product (GDP) will increase from 5.4 to 7.8 percent with
an annual
            revenue estimated at more than SR20 billion..."  Complete
report...


            Business News - UAE

            UAE SET TO LIFT TEXTILE BAN
            "The UAE is set to lift an eight-year-old ban on the
establishment of new ready-made garment and textile factories in line with
rules by the World Trade Organization (WTO) requiring member states to tear
down financial and trade barriers..."  Complete report...

            EMIRATES IN PACT WITH U.S. TO TRAIN STAFF
            "Emirates [Airlines] has signed an agreement worth $425,000 with
the U.S. Trade and Development Agency to train Emirates personnel, with a
focus on UAE nationals… … The agreement, which runs until December 2005,
resulted from Emirates' commitment to buy GE-Pratt and Whitney Engine
Alliance engines for its fleet of Airbus A380 aircraft…"  Complete report…
            ~~GulfWire Link~~
            EMIRATES MAY SET UP PILOT TRAINING CENTER IN DUBAI ~~ GulfWire
Digest #136 – Feb. 25, 2002

            JAPAN TEAM TO BID FOR DUBAI MONORAIL
            "A preliminary study, commissioned by the Dubai Municipality and
conducted by Wilber Smith Associates, is nearing completion. Ten out of 18
bidders
            have recently been shortlisted to bid for project management
consultancy. Tender for this is expected to be opened around December 15
this year..."
            Complete report...




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