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July 30, 2004 |
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***** Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has issued an order to pay SR75 million for buying 21,000 tons of palm dates produced locally during the current farming season. The order was announced by Minister of Agriculture Dr. Fahd Balghonaim. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz received the annual report of the Red Crescent Association and a copy of the deliberations of the conference on human rights in peace and war organized by the association recently. The two copies were delivered to him by Minister of Health Dr. Hamad Almane'. The audience was attended by Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation of General Inspector, Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet and Chief of the Court of the Cabinet's Presidency, and a number of other officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to Oman's Sultan Qaboos Ibn Saeed on the occasion of his country's renaissance day. In his own name and on behalf of the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Fahd wished the Sultan permanent health and happiness and the Omani people steady progress and prosperity. The monarch also lauded relations binding the two brotherly countries and their peoples. Similar cables were also sent on this occasion to the Omani Sultan by Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of National Guard, and Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak on the anniversary of his country's national day. In his own name and on behalf of the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Fahd wished the president permanent health and happiness and the Egyptian people steady progress and prosperity. The monarch also lauded relations binding the two brotherly countries and their peoples. Similar cables were also sent on this occasion to the Egyptian President by Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of National Guard, and Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz received Saudi ambassador-designate to Japan Faisal Hasan Trad. The Monarch urged the ambassador to exert all efforts to boost Saudi-Japanese relations. The audience was attended by Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation of General Inspector, Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet and Chief of the Court of the Cabinet's Presidency, and a number of other officials. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz sent a cable of congratulations to Tunisian President Zain Alabiddin bin Ali on his country's national day. The Monarch wished the Tunisian President constant good health and happiness, and the people of Tunisia steady progress and prosperity. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to Liberian President Charles Janji Taylor on his country's Independence day. The King wished the Liberian president constant good health and happiness, and the people of Liberia steady progress and prosperity. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to Maldives President Mamoun Abdul Qayoom on his country's Independence day. The King wished the Maldives President constant good health and happiness, and the people of Maldives steady progress and prosperity. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of National Guard ,received telephone calls from Jordanian Prince Al-Hassan Ibn Talal and the Speaker of Lebanon's House of Representatives Nabih Berri. During the conversations, they reviewed the latest developments in the region. The Jordanian Prince and the Lebanese speaker praised the Kingdom's efforts in combating terrorism and its successes in hunting down terrorists to eradicate them. They prayed to Almighty Allah to preserve the Kingdom's security, stability and prosperity. On his part, the Crown Prince thanked them for their noble and sincere feelings, wishing them all success. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of National Guard thanked Muhammad Abdul Latif Jameel for the cooperation between his group, Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Company and the Saudi Red Crescent. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz prince was briefed on the generosity of the ALJ group in making available two helicopters for use by the Saudi Red Crescent. The helicopters will serve as air ambulances to attend to road accidents in the Makkah Region. ALJ has also provided the funds necessary to cover the maintenance expenses of the helicopters for three years until the Red Crescent can raise their own funds. "The president of the Red Crescent also discussed your visit to their center in Riyadh and your contribution of SR8 million for the center's activities," Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz said to Jameel. "Such initiative must be acknowledged and I urge other businessmen to follow in your example in order to best support their country and religion." Muhammad Abdul Latif Jameel has long been a stalwart supporter of the Saudi Red Crescent. A few years ago, the ALJ group provided nine of the Jeddah municipality's 10 new ambulances. These substantially reduced the response time of the Saudi Red Crescent to emergencies in the city. ALJ supported the Red Crescent program that certified the first batch of Saudi-trained paramedics to provide greatly enhanced emergency cover for the municipal area and expressways around Jeddah. Thanks to ALJ, Red Crescent buildings were built in Obhur and Bahra and Red Crescent personnel were trained in the Makkah Region. ALJ also set up a monitoring system for Red Crescent vehicles and contributed to the organization of a mobile intensive care unit, the first of its kind in the Kingdom. ALJ is the world's largest Toyota dealership and in Saudi Arabia operates the Kingdom's largest consumer finance company. The group's philanthropic activities are internationally known. At the ALJ website, a message posted by Muhammad Jameel, the group's president reads: "ALJ has enjoyed the privilege of serving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for more than 50 years and expects to continue to serve into the future. The company hopes and expects its diverse development programs will serve as an example and model for all those who wish to invest time, experience and resources into the community throughout the Kingdom. "ALJ has put emphasis on education, training and development to assist the younger generations to achieve independence and self-sustainability. We have also provided assistance to medical services for the benefit of the broader community, particularly those in remote areas of the Kingdom." Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of National Guard, received member of the executive bureau of the Federation of the Islamic Associations in the Senegal Sheikh Mohammad Almamoon Ibraheem Einas. The audience was attended by a number of princes and officials. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of National Guard, has sent a cable of congratulations to Tunisian President Zain Alabiddin Bin Ali on his country's national day. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, wished the Tunisian President constant good health and happiness, and the people of Tunisia steady progress and prosperity. A similar cable was also sent by Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General. Prince Fahd Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Tabuk region, chaired a meeting to discuss Hajj and Umrah-related issues at Halat Ammar border cross point. The meeting discussed ways to improve services provided to visitors at the Halat Ammar. On the other hand Prince Fahd Ibn Sultan has issued his directives to list, families, widows and orphans so that they can benefit from the charitable housing project before the start of Ramadan. The project has been established by Prince Fahd Ibn Sultan social programmed to house those in need in the region and the city of Tabuk. The units are more than 250 units in the first phase followed by 1000 units, all financed by Prince Fahd. Also 250 units have already been distributed. Each unit contains two bedrooms, a leaving room a hall, a kitchen, toilets and a garden. All units are delivered fully furnished. The Mufti of Lebanon Sheikh Mohammed Rasheed Qabani received at Dar Alfatwa in Beirut the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdul Aziz Mohieddin Al-Khojah. Sheikh Qabani hailed the Saudi support for Lebanon during the various phases of its difficulties. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), he said that the Saudi-Lebanese relations are an example that should be followed by brothers and re-affirmed the Lebanese people solidarity with and stand by the Kingdom against terrorist attacks perpetrated by the deviating group. Sheikh Qabani thanked the Saudi leadership for assisting Lebanon particularly in the economic field , redevelopment and reconstruction. The Omani-Kuwaiti joint committee will hold its third round of meeting in August in Salalah. The Omani side will be led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Ibn Alawi and the Kuwaiti side will be led by Sheikh Dr Mohammed Sabah Al Salem. The discussions will concentrate on the political and diplomatic areas in addition to trade, economic, educational, cultural and media co-operation as well as bilateral investments. Deputy Speaker of the Lebanese Council of Deputies Ily Al-Farzali received Saudi ambassador to Lebanon Dr Abdulaziz Khoja. They reviewed bilateral relations. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has extended 300 tons of food materials to Eritrea. The relief assistance was delivered by Saudi ambassador to Eritrea Nasser Al-Rashidan to the Director of the Relief Committee in Eritrea. Two diplomas in the field of criminal justice and media security have been introduced at Naif University for Security Studies. The President of the Universtiy Dr Abdul Aziz Ibn Sakr Al Ghamdi said the new courses have been introduced to fill the demand in the fields and according to the instructions of Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the University. Minister of Labor, Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, warned citizens and businessmen against recruiting workers from abroad and then letting them start their own businesses in the Kingdom. He also warned against the practice of allowing labor to live and work independent of their sponsor in exchange for being paid a monthly "commission." This practice, he said, would have negative impact on Saudi society. A committee of senior religious scholars has issued a fatwa supporting the move, forbidding both the practices of taking "commission" and the employment of illegal overstayers. The practice is already against the Kingdom's labor law. The committee has ruled against the sale of visas and taking share from an illegal worker's salary when they are working independently. In a press statement, the minister called on the people to work with the ministry to fight this serious problem and also to abide by the laws of the country. Former Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz issued a similar fatwa several years ago, forbidding the taking of monthly "commission" and the selling of visas. The Chairman of the follow up committee for national and Islamic Palestinian forces Minister Ibrahim Abol-Naga warned from the events taking place on the Palestinian arena. He said in a statement that the Palestinians must unite under one leadership adding that they need municipal, legislative and presidential elections. He said all Palestinians must interact with the legislative body and called on all Palestinian factions to unite with the PLO on the bases of the national program, the reform document and August document. The Palestinian Labour Federation has called for the suspension of the Israel membership from international federations. A statement issued by the federation said Israel and Sharon government aim at demolishing the infrastructure of the Palestinian economy and converting it to a consumer market for Israeli goods. The statement added that the Sharon government is committing crimes everywhere in the occupied territories and imposing an embargo on the Palestinian lands. The Ministry of Interior in Kuwait denied what was reported by news agencies and satellite TV channels regarding the þ existence of plans to assassinate the Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi during þ þhis visit to Kuwait.þ In a press release, Manager of the Public Relations and Moral Guidance þ Administration in the ministry Lieutenant-Colonel Adel Al-Hashash said that "the reports are completely false", noting that "security forces in the þministry did not find any plans of this kind".þ He called for "accuracy and objectivity when reporting news due to the negative effects it could create on the country".þ The Iraqi Prime Minister arrived in Beirut on Sunday as part of a tour around Arab and European countries. Ahmed Ibn Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and deputy chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council and chairman of Oman Maritime Transport Company's board, signed several agreements with Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd Company to establish two companies to own two LNG tankers. According to the agreements, the Oman Maritime Transport Company will own 80 per cent of the tankers shares while the Japanese company will have the remaining 20 per cent. The two tankers are named Salalah and Ibra. The two tankers will transport LNG from Qalhat LNG Company in the wilayat of Sur to the power plants of the Spanish company Union Fenosa, which recently signed an agreement with the Sultanate's government to sell and purchase 1.6 million tonnes of LNG annually over a period of 20 years. The new vessels are currently being built by Samsung Heavy Industries Company in South Korea. They will be delivered in December 2005 and July 2006 respectively. Macki also signed here yesterday several agreements to rent the LNG tanker (Ibri) to Mitsubishi Commercial Company to transport LNG produced at Qalhat LNG company to export sites in different parts of the world. As per these agreements, the tanker (Ibri) will be rent to the Oman Maritime Transport Company (with 60 per cent shares), Mitsubishi Company (20 per cent) and Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd Company (20 per cent). The agreements signed also stipulated that the Oman Ships Services Company (under establishment) will provide Mitsubishi Company with transport services relating to operating the vessels and training Omanis onboard the vessels. It is noteworthy that the vessel (Ibri) is currently being built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Company and is expected to be operational during June 2006. By 2006, the Sultanate government represented by the Oman Maritime Transport Company will have the six LNG vessels of Muscat, Sohar, Nizwa, Ibri, Salalah and Ibra whose total capacity is 292,000 cubic-metres. The signing ceremony was attended by Mohammed bin Yousuf Al Zarafi, Sultanate's ambassador to Japan, and the delegation accompanying the minister. In implementation of the directives of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the supreme commander of the armed forces, Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Hareb, minister responsible for defence affairs, at his office at Mua'skar Bait Al Falaj signed an agreement with the French NHI Company to provide the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) with 20 NH90 helicopters to replace some of the RAFO helicopters. The general manager of the French company signed for his side. The signing of the agreement came as part of the ongoing efforts to develop the SAF defence capabilities and train Omani cadres to keep abreast with the progress and development achieved by various corps. As per the agreement, the French company will enter into joint development projects with the Omani side. The signing ceremony was attended by Air Vice-Marshal Yahya bin Rasheed Al Juma'ah, commander of RAFO; Brigadier Mohammed bin Saleem bin Nassir Al Mazidi, director-general of finance and accounts; Air Commodore Khalid bin Mohammed Al Sulaimi, director-general of procurements and contracts, the director of the project and representatives of the French company. The RAFO commander extended thanks and appreciation to His Majesty the Sultan for his continued care to RAFO and his keenness on developing the corps' capabilities and modernising its fleet. He said the new helicopters would enhance the corps' capabilities in carrying out its various missions and in supporting the armed forces and citizens in remote areas. Six Palestinians were gunned down and two bystanders wounded during a raid by Israeli troops in the northern West Bank town of Tulkarm, Palestinian medics said. Arafat's chief adviser Nabil Abu Rudeina denounced "a crime for which the Israeli government is entirely responsible." The deaths brought to 4,196 the overall toll since the launch of the latest Palestinian uprising in September 2000, including 3,199 Palestinians and 926 Israelis. Meanwhile, Israeli helicopters struck a the Gaza Strip, wounding at least four people. The highest-ranking Muslim cleric in East Jerusalem, Sheikh Ikrema Sabri, said that Jewish extremists are capable of doing the unthinkable. "We know quite well that they are conniving and coordinating their plans with the Israeli security establishment. We also know that the Israeli state uses the extremists as a supplemental tool to affect its thinly-disguised goals, including the destruction of the Islamic holy places in Jerusalem." However, Sabri warned that Israel might actually be trying to find a pretext to gain a "foothold" inside the Al Haram Al Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) compound under the pretext of "ensuring the security of the place." He pointed out that the Israeli authorities knew the extremists "one by one" but refrained from taking action against them for political reasons. "Look, the police know them one by one, but the extremists have strong allies and supporters within the government, the Knesset and the security establishment, so much that they seem as if they are the real rulers in Israel." Ikrimah Sabri, the Grand mufti of Jerusalem, described the decision by Israeli police not to allow Jews into the Al Aqsa mosque area as "insufficient" while also maintaining his skepticism over the situation. Sabri expressed his fears that the Israeli government may use the recent terror threats by Jewish fundamentalists as an excuse to overpower security in the area and hence the Al Aqsa mosque itself. Israeli police decided not to allow Jews into the Al Aqsa mosque area - Islam's third holiest site - after Jewish extremists threatened to carry out terror attacks against it. The decision was intended to ban members of the Temple Mount Faithful group, which requested permission to conduct a ceremony at the al Aqsa mosque compound to mark the Jewish Tisha B'Av religious day. The Israeli decision was made following Minister of Public Security Tzachi Hanegbi's warnings about the possibility of attacks by Jewish radicals, using a booby-trapped airplane. According to the minister, the purpose of their plan was to undermine the Israeli PM's Gaza pullout plan. Sabri said that Israel's decision not to allow Jews into the mosque was made "for their (Jewish trespassers) own protection and not for that of the mosque". "This however doesn't mean that Jewish claims over the area of the mosque have stoppedthey claim that Muslims had occupied the Temple Mount and built their mosque on its ruins. What we fear most is that now the Israeli police will use these threats as an excuse to take over the mosque," explained Sabri. "We have been pleading to all Islamic institutions and countries to help us protect the mosqueonly very weak responses have been received so far," he added. The Mufti also believes that any attack against the mosque could only be done in coordination with the Israeli government. "Do you think anyone can fly a plane over Jerusalem without being detected by Israeli radars? Can anyone possess a large amount of explosives without being busted by Israeli security? That's why we hold Israel responsible for any attack against Al-Aqsa Mosque," Sabri concluded. Sheikh Tayseer Al Tamemi, the Supreme Judge and the chief of the Higher Judiciary Council said, in a statement, that what happened in the past and the flames bursting out from beneath Al Aqsa Mosque, the statements of Hanegbi besides the threats of the radical Jewish group to destroy the mosque were compelling proofs of the risks and should be taken seriously. He added that the risks the Al Aqsa Mosque has been liable to, necessitate the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the League of Arab States and the Jerusalem Committee to convene to examine the stance and come to a conclusion to counter such serious threats against the Al Aqsa Mosque. Various parties at the domestic and international levels have shown great deal of concern over the latest Israeli threats to attack the Al-Aqsa holy mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem, which is considered the Muslim world's third holiest shrine. The Palestinian Legislative Council's (PLC) chairmanship warned of the gravity of the extremist Jewish threats to attack the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a statement issued by the PLC pointed out. The statement held the Israeli government fully responsible for any harm the Mosque might be exposed to as well as the consequences for such a 'terrorist action'. The Jerusalem Board of Muslim Clerics warned yesterday of possible extremist Jewish attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, asserting in a press release that the Israeli government was determined to continue attacking Palestinian Islamic holy sites. The Board called on the Islamic and Arab nations to stand by the Palestinian people in the face of the Israeli military and work on stopping such an Israeli aggression on the holy sites. Also, the West Bank city of Albeireh-based Higher Islamic Association held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for any possible attacks on the holy mosque in the shadow of Jewish threats of assaulting such a holy place. Afro Asian People's Solidarity Organization praised the UN General Assembly decision which condemned Israel for building the separating wall and for calling on it to implement the resolution of the ICJ. The Afro Asian People's Solidarity Organization said in a statement the decision is a victory for international legitimacy. It also praised the stance of the European Union. Jordan, held Israel the entirely responsible for any attack against the holy mosque. The spokesperson of the Jordanian government, Asm'a Khadder, said that the Israeli government as an occupying state assumed all security responsibilities to protect the religious sites in Jerusalem, in particular from the threat of the radical Jews. Three terror suspects who were captured in a raid on a suspected terrorist hide-out in eastern Pakistan were from Kenya, South Africa and Sudan, but it was not clear whether they had any links with al-Qaeda, a spokesperson said. The suspects, along with six children and three women - all foreigners - were captured by police and intelligence agents during a raid on a house in the Industrial city of Gujrat after a 12-hour shootout. The authorities also recovered two AK-47 rifles, plastic chemicals, two computers, computer diskettes, and a "large amount" of foreign currency at the home, where the suspects had moved last month. Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Rauf Chaudhry said the three men had been handed over to Pakistani intelligence officials who were questioning them to determine "why these people were staying in Pakistan". He gave no other details, saying "everything will be clear in a couple of days". "So far we only know that these three men belong to Sudan, Kenya and South Africa, but we cannot say whether any among them is an important figure or they have links with al-Qaeda," he said. Abdul Latif Mamlouk, Lebanon's representative at the Arab League, urged UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to force Israel to implement the statutes of the Geneva Convention on the protection of territories under occupation. The Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (Omar Mosque) form the Al-Haram Al-Sharif complex. On the other hand in a statement he said the committee of the Arab Peace Initiative would be meeting on the ministerial level to agree on an Arab political plan as a base for the Arab move in the UN. Abdul Latif Mamlouk said after a meeting with the Arab League Secretary General that the plan aims at promoting the Arab Peace Initiative on both the European and American arenas. Micheline Calmy-Rey, Swiss Federal Councillor Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said the resolution of the International Court of Justice softened a demand that Switzerland should convene a meeting of states party to the Geneva Conventions to ensure that they were being observed. The final version of the ruling said only that Switzerland should "conduct consultations" before reporting back to the UN on the possibility of "resuming the Conference of contracting parties to the fourth Geneva Convention". The fourth Geneva Convention protects civilians during times of war. Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Switzerland said that it was ready as the custodian of the conventions to hold consultations with a view to convening a meeting. "Switzerland will do its best with the difficult task which has been entrusted to it, with humility, realism and commitment," said the Swiss ambassador to the UN, Jenö Staehelin. An unnamed Swiss diplomat in New York said the country was under no time pressure to hold such a meeting. In a ruling on July 9, the ICJ said the barrier was illegal because it cuts deep into West Bank land seized by Israel during the 1967 Middle East War. The court demanded that Israel tear down what has been built and pay for damage caused by its construction. In Iraq there have been 1,029 coalition deaths, 908 Americans, 61 Britons, six Bulgarians, one Dane, one Dutch, one Estonian, one Hungarian, 19 Italians, one Latvian, six Poles, one Salvadoran, three Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and seven Ukrainians, in the war in Iraq as of July 27, 2004. At least 5,804 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. The Pentagon does not report the number of non-hostile wounded. Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi hinted in an interview that his country could increase its daily oil production "in the medium term." "We have enough resources to raise our production (currently nine million barrels per day) in the medium term to 12 or 16 million," he told the German weekly Der Spiegel. "In the north of the country, in the Red Sea and the 'Empty Quarter' there are areas which we have not yet intensively explored", he added. He also stated that the "few attacks seen today" in Saudi Arabia would "not disrupt" oil production. "Only a catastrophic war could put all our production sites, all our terminals and pipelines, out of action," the minister said. Extremists claiming to be linked to Al-Qaeda have struck several times in Saudia Arabia in recent weeks. "Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, what's that? It is the illusion of a force which does not exist. Its imaginary", he stated. Naimi also reiterated Riyahd's intention to maintain official OPEC quotas, set at between $22 and $28. "Saudi Arabia set itself this goal and does everything in its power to stick to it", he said, adding that "the $42 seen a few weeks ago is far too high". In a startling accusation, nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu has alleged that Jerusalem was behind the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who was exerting pressure on the then Israeli head of the state to shed light on the Dimona nuclear plant. In defiance of a ban on talking to media and meeting with foreigners, Vanunu is said to have made the accusation in an interview to London-based Al-Hayat newspaper. As per the interview published in the newspaper's Arabic supplement 'Al-Wassat', Vanunu said according to "near-certain indications", Kennedy was assassinated due to "pressure he exerted on then head of government, David Ben-Gurion, to shed light on Dimona's nuclear reactor". "We do not know which irresponsible Israeli Prime Minister will take office and decide to use nuclear weapons in the struggle against neighboring Arab countries," he is quoted to have said, adding "What has already been exposed about the weapons Israel is holding can destroy the region and kill millions." The whistleblower, who was released in April after 18 years of imprisonment on charges of treason for divulging state secrets, also said that the reactor in Dimona, could become a second "Chernobyl", local media reported. He said an earthquake could cause fissures to the core and that would cause a massive radiation leak threatening millions. Vanunu warned that Jordan should test the residents along the border with Israel for exposure to radiation and give them pills just like the Jewish state decided to do for its citizens. Russia said that it had no intention of contributing troops to the U.S.-led force in Iraq, but was prepared to help by developing trade and easing debt burdens. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the pledge to build on Moscow's longstanding links with Iraq after talks with his counterpart Hoshiyar Zebari. It was the first visit to Moscow by a top official since the interim government took over formal control of public affairs last month from U.S.-led occupying forces. Russia, Lavrov said, had no plans to dispatch forces to Iraq, nor had the issue arisen during the talks. "Russia is prepared to support the restoration of sovereignty of Iraq in other ways, particularly through trade," he said, offering action within the Paris Club of state lenders to help Baghdad with its external debt. "This contribution will be no less than the contribution of the participants in the multinational forces." Russia, which opposed the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein without U.N. approval, had long been involved in Iraq's oil industry and is keen to move ahead with contracts, some dating from Saddam's term in office. Local media had earlier quoted Zebari as saying he would ask Lavrov to contribute troops, but he denied this. "I would like to clarify that I never made such a statement," he said. "Russia's position is well known." Russian officials this week repeatedly denied reports, quoting a U.S. think-tank, that the Kremlin had approved, in principle, plans to send forces to Baghdad. Russia's interests in Iraq center on oil. Saddam cancelled a $3.7 billion deal with oil major Lukoil in 2002, accusing it of failing to meet its obligations to begin work. Lukoil said its hands were tied by U.N. sanctions then in place. Lukoil says the deal is still valid and last month said it would produce its first oil from the West Qurna field next year. Countries which opposed the war originally feared they might be shut out of lucrative contracts to rebuild Iraq. Zerabi said Iraq was working with Russia on the question of contracts. Russian specialists, including engineers trying to keep electricity supplies running, withdrew from Iraq this year after workers were kidnapped and killed in a series of attacks. Lavrov said they would return once security levels improved. Russia has also called for an international conference on Iraq, similar to one called after the removal of the hard-line Taliban authorities in Afghanistan. Zebari said Baghdad was considering the Russian proposal. "The door for holding them (talks) is still open," he said. |