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September 30, 2002 News |
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Human Price of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine Mission and meaning of Al-Jazeerah
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Israel ends siege of Arafat HQ By Nazir Majally, Arab News Staff RAMALLAH, West Bank, 30 September — Blowing kisses and making a V-for-Victory sign, Yasser Arafat emerged from his battered compound yesterday after Israeli forces retreated under intense US pressure to lift an internationally condemned siege. The pullback was an embarrassing climbdown by Israel, which had vowed to end the siege only when the Palestinian president surrendered some 50 suspected fighters holed up with him in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The about-face followed a message by US President George W. Bush to the hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon demanding a speedy end to a blockade that Washington apparently feared could hurt its efforts to win international support for war on Iraq. “We correctly preferred to give a boost to the matter of an American attack on the Iraqis over something we can always do later,” said Ephraim Eitam, an ultranationalist member of Israel’s Cabinet. The White House said Bush welcomed the Israeli pullback, which Arafat called deceptive because Israeli forces remained in Ramallah — still under night curfew — and other West Bank cities reoccupied in June after suicide bombings. “All parties need to live up to their responsibilities to promote peace, stability and reform in the Palestinian Authority,” White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. The pullback was the most extensive after months of siege and curfew, with Palestinian security forces saying at one point there were no longer Israeli troops visible in the city. However, the Israeli Army denied it had left, and returned in a light deployment later in the evening, announcing by loudspeaker from jeeps that a curfew was in place. A column of 10 tanks and armored vehicles made a brief patrol through the eastern edge of the city late last night. A senior Palestinian security official noted that in any case Israeli soldiers could be back on Arafat’s doorstep “in three minutes” as they have a large base at the settlement of Beit El on the northern edge of town. Arafat and his aides were unimpressed with the withdrawal, saying it was designed to hoodwink the international community into believing the siege — provoked by two suicide bombings inside Israel — had ended. “They haven’t withdrawn — they have redeployed and are still several meters around the compound,” the Palestinian president told reporters inside his damaged offices. “This is not implementation of the Security Council Resolution 1435, it is playing around with international opinion,” he said, looking tired and pale after his ordeal. “The Israelis must withdraw immediately from not only the compound but all the Palestinian cities.” Hundreds of elated Palestinians rushed to the presidential complex in Ramallah after Israeli tanks pulled back from the compound they invaded 10 days ago in response to suicide bombings that killed seven people in Israel. The Palestinian flag was raised above a partly demolished building in the sprawling complex that Israeli armored bulldozers and explosives largely reduced to rubble in what Israel had hoped would be a blow to Arafat’s prestige. Instead, Palestinians rallied nightly in the West Bank and Gaza in support of a leader who had been under fire from his own people over the slow pace of reforms demanded by the United States as a condition for resuming talks on statehood. Against the backdrop of sandbags at the entrance to his office block — the only building the army left standing — a smiling Arafat emerged in his trademark fatigues and headdress to raise his arms in a victory salute as the crowd cheered. But in earlier comments to reporters inside his office, he said the Israelis had not complied with a Sept. 24 UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate end to the siege and “expeditious withdrawal ... from Palestinian cities”. “This is not withdrawal,” Arafat said. “This is only moving a few meters away. They are trying to deceive the world.” He repeated a call for a “complete cease-fire”, an appeal unlikely to lead to any breakthrough without agreement by activist groups that have rejected truce efforts in the past. Israel said its troops would stay close enough to the compound to prevent the escape of the 50 wanted persons it said were inside. But Israeli television showed armed men slipping away soon after the tanks pulled back. Visiting the complex after the pullback, Terje Roed-Larsen, the UN’s top envoy to the Middle East, told reporters: “I find reason to commend the Israeli government for doing the right thing, but it has to be used as an opportunity for going back to the negotiating table to find a peaceful solution.” As the Israeli tanks left, Sharon boarded a plane for Moscow where he will hold talks with President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials on issues including Israeli concerns that Iraq was amassing weapons of mass destruction. The Israeli leader had faced a barrage of criticism in the Israeli media for what many commentators saw as a misconceived and internationally damaging move against Arafat for attacks committed by militant groups he does not control.
Car bomb blast kills
German in Riyadh RIYADH, 30 September — A 56-year-old German expatriate was killed
yesterday when the Ford Mercury he was driving here blew up. The car was torn apart by the blast, which occurred at 4.26 p.m. near
the embassies of Libya and Turkmenistan on Abdul Hamid Al-Katab Street in
the capital’s Sulaimaniya District, a high-class commercial and
residential area. An official from the Interior Ministry told the Saudi Press Agency that
the German had been identified as W. Maxmilan Graf. He worked for a
private firm in Riyadh. He was the only person in the car when it blew up. German Ambassador Harald Kindermann arrived at the blast scene at 7.15
p.m., Elmar Jakobs, first secretary for political and press affairs at the
German Embassy, told Arab News. The ministry official also told SPA that security agencies were already
probing the incident, and that it seemed to be related to a series of
bombings targeting Westerners that have shaken the Saudi capital over the
past two years. A Western resident who witnessed the incident told Reuters that the
victim had been “blown to pieces”. Other witnesses said the explosion had not caused any damage to nearby
buildings. The whole area was immediately sealed off by security forces. A series of bombings shook the Kingdom in late 2000 and early 2001,
killing one Westerner and wounding several other people. Saudi officials
have blamed those attacks on rival gangs in the illegal alcohol trade. The
British media and Foreign Office have argued that the bombs are in fact
the work of terrorists, but have provided no evidence to prove this. Other analysts argue that the bombings are being carried out by locals
who are hostile to the West because of America’s perceived unconditional
support for Israel in its on-going conflict with the Palestinians. In June, a British banker was killed when a blast destroyed his car in
Riyadh. A security source at the time said that this attack was linked to
alcohol smuggling, but the banker’s friends have subsequently denied
categorically that this could be possible. Saudi Arabia recalls envoy in Qatar
for consultation RIYADH, 30 September — Saudi Arabia yesterday decided to recall its
ambassador in Qatar for consultation, the official Saudi Press Agency
announced yesterday. Saudi Ambassador to Doha, Hamad Al-Toaimi, told AFP
agency that he was awaiting an official call from the government. The Saudi decision reflects the deteriorating political relations
between the two Gulf neighbors, especially after the Doha-based Al-Jazeera
allowed Saudi dissidents to speak out against Saudi leaders and policies.
There was no official response to Al-Jazeera’s program “Al-Ittijah Al-Muakes”
on June 25 in which participants criticized Saudi-initiated Middle East
peace proposal. But Saudi newspapers blasted the private television channel for causing
trouble between the two GCC countries. The papers also lambasted the tiny Gulf emirate for continuing its
political and commercial relations with Israel after Arab and Islamic
countries called for cutting those ties. Saudi Arabia and Qatar signed a border agreement last year, ending a
long-standing dispute, which a decade ago led to armed clashes between
them. Qatar, a peninsula off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, has the
world’s third largest gas reserves, while Saudi Arabia is the world’s
top oil producer.
Saudi Arabia to build
600 houses for Palestinians RIYADH, 30 September — Saudi Arabia has decided to build 600 houses in
six Palestinian cities as a token of support to the intifada against
Israeli occupation. The assistance was ordered by King
Fahd on the recommendation of Interior Minister Prince Naif who oversees
the Saudi Committee for Support of the Jerusalem Intifada. The plan involves construction of 100 housing units in addition to
related utilities and services in each of the six cities. The cost of the
project was not disclosed. “The aid is part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the
Palestinian people who have been facing a war of extermination,
starvation, murder, expulsion and destruction of property at the hands of
Israeli aggressors,” a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency said. The committee collected more than $150 million in a telethon
fund-raiser held in April in support of the Palestinian people. Arabs lost billions in aftermath of Sept. 11 events Khaleej Times, 9/30/02THE effects of September 11 events on world economy and in particular the Arab economies is the topic of a new study released by the Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-Up. The book titled Repercussions of September 11 events on the Arab Economies focuses on the critical circumstances the world economy in general and the US economy in particular were passing through at the time of the events. At that time, the great economic powers were trying to restitute the economic globalisation, especially, by liberating the world trade after the failure of the conference on world trade in Seattle in 1990 when globalisation came under intense attack from groups of civic societies on various occasions. The study points out that the Arab countries, being part of the world economy, were not immune to the economic repercussions, as they had become more integrated into it than they were in the past. The USA has become an integral economic partner of the Arab countries in international trade and other economic and technical spheres. The study reviews some important problems that the Arab funds have faced in the US especially in terms of huge losses incurred by Arab investments in the US in addition to other difficulties emanating from the freezing of some Arab assets, harassment, discrimination, non-compliance with the principles of secrecy of banking accounts etc. This tense environment has forced some investors to withdraw their capital from the US economy after the disappearance of two important factors vital for foreign investments i.e. security and profitability, ensuing rise in Arab hopes for the return of these funds to the Arab countries to finance developmental projects and contribute in bridging the ever-growing investment gap. According to the study, the crisis that has engulfed the world after September 11 events has sprung from the American economy which constitutes major economy in the world, and as a significant economic partner of the Arab countries, any shock to any economic system in America has its repercussions on the world economies including the economies of the Arab world. The basic causes of this crisis are of political nature. Since Arab and Muslim countries are a party to this problem, the Arab economies have suffered greatly despite the fact that no Arab country supported terrorism against the US. The study says that though the size of Arab overseas investments and particularly in the US is not known exactly it is definitely quite large. Some available statistics estimate total Arab investments to be in the range of $800-900 billion. Statistics also show that the Arab Gulf countries alone have invested more than $200 billion in international markets. Some economic analyses confirm that Arab investments have been affected not only by the September 11 events but also by the expected US retaliation in the short and long runs. There are indications that Arab losses amount to $70 billion on account of downturn of the US markets up to 10 per cent in the aftermath of September events. The study concludes by hinting that news cover-up on political situations, military operations and terrorism have great bearing on the flow of capital and investment decisions
Election
Focus: PML-N in a difficult situation
Shootout in Sanaa near UK embassy: four dead However, official sources gave a completely different version of events, denying the embassy was targeted in the shooting and mentioning no dead. They said only three members of the security forces had been wounded in a gunbattle that erupted when police asked some tribesmen for their weapons. "The incident happened by a banquet hall near the embassy which was not targeted," a Yemeni official source said, adding the shootout started "when police asked members of the tribe to give up the weapons they were carrying."v The official account appeared to contradict that of embassy staff and witnesses who said four people were killed, including a bus driver, two policemen and possibly a third police officer. One embassy staff member said the shooting started when "embassy guards asked two cars to move along after they stopped in front of the embassy gate." "Moments later all hell broke loose," the staff member added. Other witnesses said members of the Hashed tribe, whose chief Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussein Al Ahmar is Yemen's parliamentary speaker, had tried to move cement barricades off the road leading to the British embassy, forcing security forces to open fire on them. Among the wounded was Kahtan bin Abdullah Al Ahmar, the parliamentary speaker's son, and another tribe member, they said. Embassy staff who had offices with windows on the main street had been evacuated after windows were hit by bullets during the shootout. The fighting lasted for more than 30 minutes and police had encircled the area, witnesses said. Security has been increased at the US and British embassies in the past two months in Yemen, a mainly tribal society in which many men routinely carry guns. Tensions have rocketed here as the government has initiated a crackdown on Arabs with possible links to the Al Qaeda - AFP Khaleej Times, 9/30/02 SRINAGAR - Nine people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir yesterday as state elections opposed by rebels headed towards a third round, police said. A civilian was killed and 17 people were injured when militants hurled a grenade and opened fire at a police vehicle near Tral, a police spokesman said. Among the injured were six policemen, including an officer. Tral, about 40 kilometres south of Srinagar, is in Pulwama district, which goes to the polls tomorrow in the third of the disputed state's four rounds of legislative voting. Police returned fire at the militants, who escaped, the spokesman said. "The condition of the police officer and two civilians is critical," he said. The attack took place near a busy bus stop. Militants also opened gunfire at a rally in Pulwama of ruling National Conference party candidate Bashir Ahmed Nengroo, also the state food supplies minister. There were no reports of injuries or casualties. In more violence in the same district, militants exploded a grenade injuring three polling officials and a policeman. Suspected militants, meanwhile, shot dead an activist from Indian Kashmir's ruling National Conference party. Police said Bahaudin Shah was gunned down in the village of Akhal, near Kangan, 45 kilometres north-east of Srinagar. Shah's killing takes to 35 the number of political workers killed by militants since India announced dates for polling on August 2. In other violence, Indian security forces shot dead three mage of Kreeri and Chunt Pathri in north-western Baramulla district, police said. "The three belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group," the spokesman said. Police said a Muslim couple were killed on Saturday night in the exchange of fire between militants and security forces in the village of Kalala Mohra Bashi in southern Rajouri district. Another Muslim civilian was shot dead by gunmen in Doda district, which goes to the polls in the fourth and the final round of voting on October 8. Meanwhile, a civilian who was injured in a grenade attack on Saturday on an election rally in Bijbehara town of southern Anantnag district Saturday died in hospital, police said. The latest deaths bring to 598 the number of people killed in Indian-held Kashmir since August 2. - AFP
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