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September 17, 2004 |
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**** A royal order was issued announcing the re-formation of Advisory Commission for Economic Affairs at the Higher Economic Council for a period of one year beginning from 13/6/1425 H. The order included the names of the Commission. They are: 1. Dr. Abdulaziz bin Salih bin Mansoor Aljarbooa 2. Isa bin Mohammad Alisa 3. Dr. Khalil bin Abdulfattah Kurdi 4. Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Almoneef 5. Dr. Faisal bin Sofooq Albasheer 6. Dr. Khalid bin Mohammad Alfaez 7. Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Alqusaibi 8. Mohammad bin Abdulah bin A'dwan 9. Ahmad bin Nasir Alsowaidan 10. Dr. Basim bin Ahmad Al Ibrahim 11. Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammad Basoodan 12. Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulrahman Almodaimaigh 13. Mohammad bin Abdulateef Jameel 14. Dr. Abdulaziz bin Solaiman Altirbaq 15. Mohammad bin Abdullah Abu Nayan 16. Abdulrahman bin Rashid Alrashid. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz received a message from Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri including an invitation for the Kingdom to attend the Nonalignment Movement's summit in Indonesia. The message was delivered to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques by Indonesia's Presidential envoy Ali Alattas during a meeting at King Fahd's office at the royal court at Alsalam palace in Jeddah. During the meeting, the Indonesian envoy conveyed to King Fahd the greetings of President Megawati Sukarnoputri. On his part, the monarch sent his greetings to the Indonesian president. The Indonesian envoy expressed thanks to King Fahd for giving him honor of meeting him, noting the depth of relations between the Kingdom and Indonesia. The Indonesian president is looking forward to see the Saudi high-level delegation at the conference, he said, citing the Kingdom's leading and pioneering role in the world. Indonesia has completed arrangements to hold the conference which will coincide with the Nonalignment Movement's 50th anniversary of Foundation. The audience was attended by Prince Saud Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Chief of General Intelligence; senior protocol officials; and Indonesia's Ambassador to the Kingdom Mohammad Besioni. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received a message from Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih. Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, also received a similar message from the president. The two messages were delivered to the Crown Prince and Prince Sultan by Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Abu Bakr Alqurbi during an audience Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received a message from Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri. The message was delivered to Crown Prince Abdullah by Indonesia's Presidential envoy Ali Alattas during a meeting at Crown Prince Abdullah's office at the royal court at Alsalam palace in Jeddah. During the meeting, the Indonesian envoy conveyed to Crown Prince Abdullah the greetings of President Megawati Sukarnoputri. On his part, Crown Prince Abdullah sent his greetings to the Indonesian president. The audience was attended by Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Advisor at the Crown Prince's court; Prince Dr. Bandar Ibn Salman Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor at the Crown Prince's court; senior protocol officials; and Indonesia's Ambassador to the Kingdom Mohammad Besioni. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard received at the Royal Court at Alsalam Palace in Jeddah a number of princes, ministers, senior officials and citizens who came to greet him. Crown Prince Abdullah also received delegations of a number of tribes from the south of the kingdom. Addressing the audience, representatives of the tribes denounced the acts perpetrated by the deviating group in the country. On his part, Crown Prince Abdullah thanked them for their noble feelings and support. The receptions were attended by a number of princes and officials. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received t his office at the royal court at Alsalam palace in Jeddah Bahrain's Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa. During the meeting, the Bahrain's senior minister conveyed to Crown Prince Abdullah the greetings of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain. On his part, Crown Prince Abdullah sent his greetings to the Bahraini king. The audience was attended by Prince Abdulaziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Advisor at the Crown Prince's court; Prince Dr. Bandar Ibn Salman Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor at the Crown Prince's court; senior protocol officials and Bahrain's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Rashid Al Dosary. Prince Miteb Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural affairs, has issued directives to form a supervisory committee for the municipal elections in Riyadh region. The Committee will be chaired by Prince Dr Abdulaziz bin Eyaf Al-Meqrin, The Mayor of Riyadh. It will have the following members: Dr Abdul Rahman Al Al-Sheikh, the Under Secretary of the Municipality of Riyadh for Services; Eng. Ahmad Al-Tuweijiri, the Director General for Municipal and Rural Affairs in Riyadh region; Dr Abdullah Al-Mu'eili, the Director General of Education for Boys in Riyadh region; Sheikh Fahd Al-Obeikan; Dr Saud Al-Namir; Suleiman Al-Kannas, the Secretary of the Council of Riyadh region; Abdullah Al-Subeyel, the Director of the Administrative Development at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, and Lt Colonel Abdulkarim Al-Harbi from the police of Riyadh region. This Committee will be linked to the General Committee of the elections, formed under the decision number 42,742 issued by the Minister of Municipal and Rural affairs. The newly formed committee for the Riyadh region will undertake supervision of the implementation of the rules and regulations pertaining to the electoral process and all other preparatory and executive works. Its other functions are as follows: -- Proposing names for members of electoral, sorting and election committees. -- Proposing the electoral constituents and the required manpower for these constituents. -- Supervising the electoral campaigns of candidates. -- Following up the electoral process and supervising the specialized electoral committees. -- Receiving the final results of elections from the specialized committees and submitting them to the general committee of the elections attached with all required documents. The committee has the right to seek the assistance of other persons for performing its duties. It will hold periodic meetings, at least one meeting per week at the invitation of the Committee's Chairman. In order to convene the meeting of the Committee, it should have a quorum of 2/3rd of its members including its Chairman. Also Saudi Arabia announced the schedule for its nationwide municipal elections. The elections have been postponed for three months and will now begin on Feb. 10, 2005 and continue until April 21. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, which announced the schedule, did not give any reason for the postponement. The elections will be conducted in three phases in order to choose half the members of the 178 municipal councils in the Kingdom's 13 regions. The Riyadh region will vote on Feb. 10. Voter registration will take place from Nov. 23 to Dec. 22 and a voters' list will be published on Dec. 25, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Candidates in the Riyadh elections can register between Dec. 26 and Dec. 30, the ministry said, adding that the initial list of candidates would be published on Jan. 2 and the final list on Jan. 29. Ten days have been given to the election campaigns which begin on Jan. 29 and end on Feb. 9. The second round of voting will include the eastern and south western regions and will take place on March 3, the ministry said. Registration of voters for this round of voting will begin on Dec. 14 and continue until Jan. 12. The list of voters will be published on Jan. 29. Candidates intending to run in these elections must register between Jan. 30 and Feb. 3. The first list of candidates will be published on Feb. 6 and the final list on Feb. 19, the ministry said. Candidates will campaign from Feb. 19 to March 2. Elections in the remaining regions of Makkah, Madinah, Qasim, Tabuk, Hail, Al-Jouf and the Northern Border Province will be held on April 21, the ministry said. Registration of voters will start on Feb. 15 and end on March 16. The voters' list will be published on March 19 and registration of candidates will take place from March 20 to 24. The first list of candidates will be out on March 27 and the final list on April 9. The candidates will be given 12 days for campaigning from April 9 to 20, the ministry said. All Saudis aged 21 years or above, except military men, can take part in the elections. The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance Sheikh Salih Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh chaired a meeting for the higher committee of the Ministry's activities during the Hajj season. The participants of the meeting reviewed issues pertaining to the role of the Ministry in the awareness and guidance of the pilgrims. Meanwhile Three projects worth more than a half-billion riyals are expected to be completed by the end of November, said Dr. Osama Fadhl Al-Bar, dean of Umm Al-Qura University and the head of Hajj Research Institute. The projects were approved after the institute was approached many times by pilgrims to help them perform sacrifice, a major Hajj rite as the Prophet himself slaughtered 63 camels on the first day of "Tashriq." In the first projects, the Ministry of Hajj agreed to dismantle two abattoirs at Muzdalifa and build new ones at Moyssim adjacent to Mina with modern equipment and machines for the disposal and burning of rubbish, cleaning, skinning and cutting, Dr. Al-Bar said. Another problem was to solve how the pilgrims will reach these abattoirs. On all the three days of sacrifice, traffic on all the nine roads is directed from Arafat to Muzdalifa, Mina and to Makkah. Pilgrims must take ring roads to reach Arafat and then to Mina. To solve this problem another project has been undertaken to connect the abattoirs at Moyssim directly from Jamarat. For this purpose six tunnels for pedestrians one for going and one for coming back and four bridges have been built reducing the total length by about one kilometer, said Dr Al-Bar. The third major project is to avert the heavy traffic coming from Taif by the Taif-Hada Expressway, which connects Jeddah Highway and the traffic coming from Jeddah on this Highway by connecting it to King Khaled Road consisting of tunnels and bridges. King Khaled Road passes through Mina with various exits down to Mina and finally meets King Fahd Road in the North. Under the Project King Khaled Road is being connected with Moyssim by building two tunnels and two bridges for diverting the traffic to As-Sail Taif Highway going north to Taif and south to Jeddah. Dr Al-Bar said that this project will cost SR350 million. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has invited qualified national companies to bid for the Jamarat bridge project. Costs are expected to reach SR4 billion. The new bridge will consist of three levels, in addition to the ground one, accommodating together more than 2.8 million pebble-throwers per day.According to Deputy Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Dr. Habib Zainulabedin, the specifications, design, implementation and operation of the bridge will be according to the highest standards. In the second stage, the bridge will rise to a 10-floor level and will accommodate 5 million pebble-throwers per day. It will also have three tunnels and structures and will carry the possibility of more development in the future. The construction of concrete buildings accommodating hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and equipped with early warning systems on the foot of mountains is contemplated. Dr. Mohammad Idris, a member of the team which supervises the design, said that the project will not be ready for two more Hajj seasons, particularly that a project for the upgrading of Al-Jamarat bridge is currently being carried out at a cost of SR 100 million. Dr. Idris indicated that the new project will end the crisis of stampeding over the bridge, as three tunnels will be constructed to ease up the crowding in the areas around the bridge. No cars or other means of transportation will be allowed access to these areas, he added. The new bridge will also be equipped with clinics and operating rooms, Dr Idris said. Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi has issued a decree for the formation of a Committee for Job seeking, to be supervised by the Chairman of the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training Dr Ali Al Ghafees. The Committee will handle many issues relating to job hunting and unemployment. The General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training had asked all graduates to register on its site on the internet www.jobs.org.sa. The Organization aims at ensuring that all graduates find proper jobs and take advantages of the offers provided by the private sector. Undersecretary of the Hajj Ministry Hatim Hassan Qadi met Sheikh Ahmed Saud Al-Siyabi, the Head of the Omani pilgrimage mission. They discussed issues pertaining to the affairs of the Omani pilgrims. The Hajj Executive Committee held its second meeting under the chairmanship of the director of the health sector in Makkah Al Mukkaramah Dr Adnan Al Bar. The committee discussed issued concerning Hajj preparations as well as as health issues and development programs. The Shoura Council held its 26th ordinary session presided over by Dr. Salih Ibn Abdullah Ibn Humaid, Chairman of the Shoura Council, who, in an inaugural address, lauded the speech of the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz on receiving the Education Minister Dr. Mohammed Alrasheed and his ministry's senior officials as customary every new academic year. The council also lauded the speech of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, in which he announced that part of the budget's surplus will be directed to developmental and educational projects. The council thanked Almighty Allah for the recovery of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, and wished him continuous good health. The Under Secretary of Shoura council, Dr. Homoud Al-Badr told the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that the council then discussed social issues and listened to a report on the council's participation in the Arab Parliaments Union meeting in Beirut. Sheikh Akrama Sabri Grand Mufti of Al Quds stressed that Israel's continues its attempts to Judaize Al Quds since 1967 and until today. He reiterated the dangers of the Israeli practices against the Palestinian people and called on both the Arab and Muslim nations to protect the holy sites. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan will sign a cooperation agreement in November covering the judicial and security fields. The groundwork for the agreement was laid in March when Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Riyadh, according to a report published by Arab News. Kazakhstan's Ambassador Askar Mussinov to the Kingdom said the agreement would be signed during the visit of the Minister of Justice Onalsyn Zhumanekov to Riyadh in November, when he will meet with his Saudi counterpart Dr. Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Al-Sheikh. Referring to the draft judicial and security cooperation agreement, the ambassador said it not only covers cooperation in the fight against terrorism but also in combating drug smuggling and all other aspects of security concerns. "Security is a broad term covering many areas - prevention of crime, terrorism and drug trafficking. There are economic aspects of security as well." As for judicial cooperation, the agreement calls for an exchange of information on the Kingdom's judicial system and its modus operandi. He also said that a Kazakh parliamentary delegation will visit the Kingdom later this year to study the working of the Shoura (Consultative) Council. Sultan Qaboos bin Said granted an audience to Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing in his office at Bait Al Baraka. The Sultan discussed with the minister bilateral relations and ways of boosting them. Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, minister responsible for foreign affairs, the ambassador of the Sultanate to the Republic of China, the ambassador of China to the Sultanate and the delegation accompanying Zhaoxing were also present during the audience. Earlier Zhaoxing arrived in Oman on a two-day official visit, during which he held talks with senior officials on boosting bilateral relations as well as current regional and international developments. The Chinese minister held official talks with Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah and meet Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and deputy chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council. Upon his arrival, the Chinese minister was received by Alawi, Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Dhahab, president of the Asian Department at the Foreign Ministry; and the Chinese ambassador to the Sultanate. Sultan Qaboos bin Said at Bait Al Baraka granted an audience to Saad Nasser Al Humaidi, Qatari ambassador to the Sultanate. The ambassador came to bid farewell to Sultan Qaboos at the end of his term. He thanked the Sultan for the assistance he received during his term and wished the Sultanate further progress and prosperity under the Sultan's wise leadership. Sultan Qaboos thanked the ambassador for his efforts in boosting bilateral ties, wishing him success in his future career. The Sultan also granted an audience to Issa bin Khalfan Al Haraimel, the UAE ambassador to the Sultanate, who came to bid farewell to the Sultan at the end of his term. The ambassador thanked Sultan Qaboos for the assistance he received during his tenure, wishing the Sultanate further progress and prosperity under the leadership of the Sultan. Sultan Qaboos thanked the ambassador for his efforts in boosting bilateral relations, wishing him success in his future career. Sultan Qaboos also granted an audience to Dato Badoka Haji Harith, Brunei Darussalam's ambassador to the Sultanate. He came to bid farewell to the Sultan at the end of his term. The ambassador thanked Sultan Qaboos for the assistance he received in boosting bilateral relations, wishing him good health and the Omani people further progress and prosperity under the Sultan's wise leadership. Sultan Qaboos thanked the ambassador for his efforts, wishing him success in his future career. The audiences were attended by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, minister responsible for foreign affairs. Omar Hassan al Bashir, President of Sudan, received Dr Rawya bint Saud al Busaidiyah, Higher Education Minister. Dr Rawya conveyed the Sultan's greetings and best wishes of good health to Al Bashir and security, stability and further progress to the Sudanese people. The president, in turn, asked Dr Rawya to convey his greetings and best wishes of good health and happiness to Sultan Qaboos. He wished the Omani people further progress and prosperity under the Sultan's wise leadership. The president expressed his appreciation for Sultan Qaboos's support for Sudan. The meeting was attended by Salim bin Funkhar al Shanfari, Oman's Ambassador to Sudan. Meanwhile, an official session of talks was held between Dr Rawya and Prof Mubarak Mohammed Magthoub, Sudan's Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister. They signed a MoU on higher education and scientific research. Dr Rawya arrived in Khartoum on a three-day visit. She was received by Prof Mubarak, university vice-chancellors and officials of the Sudanese education ministry. Hamad bin Mohammed al Rashdi, Minister of Information, yesterday visited the Oman Village located in an open air museum in Nijmegen city, 150 km north of Amsterdam. Kadhija bint Hassan bin Salman al Lawati, the Sultanate's Ambassador to the Netherlands, accompanied the minister along with a visiting delegation. He was received at the Oman Village by Dr Peter M, General Manager of the museum, Andrias Fan, Chairman of the Netherlands-Oman Friendship Society, and the former prime minister of the Netherlands. Al Rashdi visited the village which is set up in the traditional Mirbat architecture style that is prevalent in Dhofar Governorate. Dr Peter said that the establishment of the museum reflects the Netherlands' appreciation for Oman as it was selected as a model of an Islamic community that is characterised by tolerance and respect for all. Al Rashdi was impressed by the design of the village in traditional Omani style. He also commented on the historic bilateral relations between the Sultanate and the Netherlands. The Oman Village was opened on April 30, 2001, under the auspices of Khadhija al Lawati. However, the museum was established in 1911. The village, which is named as Tull Arab, is a tourist attraction. Initially, the main objective of opening the museum was to promote Christian culture. Subsequently, the museum authorities changed their policy to cover the cultures of two other leading religions Islam and Judaism. Accordingly, the museum officials looked for countries that could represent Islamic culture there. They selected Oman which has played historical role in linking Arabian peninsula with India, China and Africa. It is like a real Islamic village, which reflects the daily life in an Omani village with its market, houses, dress, fishermen and craftsmen with their traditional tools. Jordan has called upon the UN Secretary General Kofi Anan to set up a register that illustrates damages caused by Israel's separation barriers in the West Bank. Jordan's request came during the UN General Assembly extraordinary meeting on Israel's illegal practices in the occupied Palestinian areas. During the meeting, Jordan's deputy permanent representative to the UN Bashir Zu'bi said the Assembly's decision on the illegality of the barrier should coerce Israel to honor its legal commitments as stipulated in the ruling of the International Court of Justice. The International Judicial Advisor to the UN Bernard Leroix has visited Naif Arab University, where he was received by the Chairman of the University Dr Sakr Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Ghamdi and other members of staff.During the visit, he was briefed on the university's efforts to achieve security as a comprehensive concept at the regional and international levels. Leroix stressed the importance of cooperation between the university and the UN and Dr Al Ghamdi welcomed the cooperation saying that the university has been cooperating with the UN for twenty years and this cooperation was enhanced during the last five years. He stressed the unlimited support provided by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the University. Assistance to the Palestinians from the European Community Budget is set to amount to around €250 million. This includes a package for the West Bank and Gaza approved by the European Commission for €124.25 million. The announcement will be followed by the immediate release of a first contribution of €26m to the new Public Financial Management Reform Trust Fund established by the World Bank. The West Bank and Gaza Strip continue to suffer from a severe economic recession. Income levels have dropped severely and the level of suffering is unprecedented. In response to this, the 2004 programme pursues two objectives: addressing urgent needs and contributing to the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian state. The Palestinian Leadership said that the international aid to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) should not be an economic implementation of Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan but as an interpretation of the Road Map peace plan. During discussion of the coming meeting with the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee For The West Bank & Gaza (AHLC) the Leadership confirmed that the international aid should be as part of the two-state solution. In a meeting last Sunday night, headed by President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, the members of the PLO Executive Committee (EC) and representatives of various Palestinian organizations stressed the necessity of holding a meeting with the AHLC for the sake of supporting the Palestinian people to get rid of the Israeli occupation and its destructive policy. The Leadership denounced the Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian constituencies. It called on the Palestinian people to participate in the "democratic process" through registration for the coming general elections. Kuwait laid to rest last Monday 13 martyred POWs, 12 þof them Kuwaiti and one Saudi, who were found in mass graves in Iraq after DNA tests carried out by labs of the Interior Ministry proved their identity.þ The funeral ceremony was attended by First Deputy Prime Minister, Interior þMinister Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Advisor at the Amiri Diwan Sheikh Mohammed AL-Khaled Al-Sabah, acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Major-General Abdullah Al-Faris, Deputy Army Chief of Staff Major-General þ Ahmed Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, top officials of the National Guard, the Ministry of þ Interior, the Army and the state in addition to the families and friends of the martyrs.þ Sheikh Nawaf extended his condolences to the families of the martyrs and þprayed for their souls.þ þ The martyrs who were laid to their final resting place today are Ali þ þAbdul-Latif Abdullah Al-Asfoor, Imad Abdul-Wahab Hussein Al-Roumi, Sami þKhaleefa Ibrahim Al-Rashid, Saleh Khaleefa Abdullah Al-Dirbas, Isam þAbdul-Wahab Hussein Al-Roumi, Faisal Ahmad Hussein Al-Qattan, Jamal þAbdul-Hameed Issa Al-Attar, Mustafa Abdul-Hameed Mutar Al-Shatti, Shaheen þAhmad Majed Al-Shaheen, Fahad Ahmad Majed Al-Shaheen, Khalid Marzouq Zaid þ þAl-Mutairi, Mishaal Ahmad Thunayan Al-Musaileem and Saudi national Ali Zaal Awwad Al-Thufeeri. This brings the total number of Kuwait's martyred POWs that have been found and identified in mass graves in Iraq to 190, however the fate of 416 other Kuwaiti and third country POWs remains unknown.þ Some 605 POWs were snatched by soldiers of the toppled Iraqi regime during þtheir 1990 occupation of Kuwait. Ten Land Cruiser cars arrived in Jidaydat A'ra'ar border point in the northern border region on their way to Iraq as support for the Iraqi Red Crescent Society. The cars were provided by the Saudi Committee for the Iraqi People Relief, supervised by Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the interior minister. The move was directed by Saudi leaders as part of Saudi support for humanitarian and relief efforts. Prime Minister of the Interim Iraqi government Iyad Allawi said that elections in Iraq will be carried out at its due date set in January 2005. Allawi admitted in an interview with correspondents of international news agencies and correspondents that there are currently problems in Iraq but this will not prevent the organization of the elections in its due time. He stressed that his government is determined to win the war against what he called terrorists and to establish democracy in Iraq. In the same context, the Iraqi Interim foreign minister Hoshyar Zeibari said that the Iraqi government is proceeding determinately towards running the elections in its due time. Zeibari said following his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmad Abu al-Gheit in Cairo that the Iraqi government is before an examination to prove its credibility before the Iraqi people by making the elections, stressing that the timing relies by the ultimate end on the security situation. Troops in Yemen killed the radical cleric Hussein Badruddin Al-Houthi, bringing to an end his ten-week insurrection in northern mountains of Yemen that left more than 400 dead. Authorities said the Shiite preacher was killed in an early morning battle with troops in the mountainous Marran district of Saada province, 250 km north of Sanaa. "Today all military and security operations, that aimed at crushing the rebellion led by Hussein Badruddin Al-Houthi and those who supported him, were concluded after the killing of the rebellion's leader," said a joint statement by the Defense and Interior Ministries. A Defense Ministry source told Arab News that 20 henchmen of the cleric were also killed in the battle, adding that the body of Houthi was found in a cave bombarded by the army. Houthi's insurgency began June 21, when security forces tried to arrest him. Since then, the government has unleashed a massive operation using tanks, artillery and aircraft to pound the armed followers of Houthi in their fortified mountain lairs. Unspecified number of Houthi's followers surrendered to government forces, according to the statement, that said the forces had captured all strongholds of the cleric in Marran. Following the death of Houthi, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered his Cabinet to form a ministerial committee to assess damages and help reconstruct the area, said the statement. The statement appealed to local residents, who were forced to flee the area during the fighting, to return home. It also urged clerics in Saada not to "incite young people, to shun all types of extremism and to take part in developing the country." Col. Soslan Sikoyev has been appointed North Ossetia's acting interior minister, the North Ossetian Interior Ministry's press service told Interfax. It said that Russian First Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Chekalin and chief of the Russian Interior Ministry's department for the Southern Federal District Mikhail Pankov called a meeting at the North Ossetian Interior Ministry on Sunday morning to announce President Vladimir Putin's decree to dismiss Kazbek Dzantiyev from the post of North Ossetian interior minister. They also announced that Col. Soslan Sikoyev, one of Dzantiyev's deputies, has been appointed North Ossetia's acting interior minister. The Interior Ministry officials stated that the situation in North Ossetia remains complicated, given the remaining threat of further terrorist attacks and political tensions in the republic. Destructive attempts have been made to instigate ethnic conflicts in the region, the press service said, noting that the local police have been instructed to prevent ethnic provocations. "Those who will try to build up a dubious political capital by instigating ethnic conflicts will be qualified as the terrorists' allies," Chekalin was quoted as saying. The North Ossetian police remain on alert, with special attention given to the stretches of the administrative border, where rebel groups may cross into North Ossetia. Palestinian Minster of Negotiations Affairs Saeb Erekat has conveyed a message of appreciation from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to President Hosni Mubarak for his efforts and moves to stop the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people, restoring the peace process and settle the Palestinian problem. Erekat told the Egyptian newsagency MENA that his current visit to Egypt came within the context of constant consultations and coordination between the two sides. The Palestinian Authority has asked Egypt to step in to stop the latest Israeli escalation against the Palestinian people, he added. "We have requested the resumption of the Palestinian-Palestinian dialogue and there are indications it could be held later this month," he said. Talks by the security delegation aim at determining the needs and assistance to enable the Palestinian side to assume its role in the security of its lands, he added. Erekat, who leaves later in the day, has met Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, Minister Omar Soleiman, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and Presidential Political Advisor Osama El-Baz. The first American military intelligence soldier to be court-martialled over the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal was sentenced to eight months in jail, a reduction in rank and a bad-conduct discharge. Specialist Armin Cruz, a military intelligence analyst, had pleaded guilty to maltreatment and conspiracy to maltreat detainees, and the court martial accepted his guilty plea. Cruz, 24, is the eighth person to be indicted for abusing Iraqi detainees, in an affair which provoked worldwide outrage when it broke in April. He was the second to be sentenced. As the first intelligence operative to be tried, Cruz's case is significant because the Pentagon has said the abuse was the work of a few bad military police acting on their own accord, and not on the orders of intelligence officers. Cruz said he took full responsibility for his own actions. "While his actions which bring him before the court were limited, he takes full responsibility, and in doing so accepts whatever punishment the court deems appropriate for his role in the incident," his lawyer Stephen Karns said in a statement. "He is extremely remorseful and has great sympathy for those who have suffered abuse in the prison." In a report into the abuse by US Army Major General George Fay issued last month, Cruz is identified as having taken part in the mistreatment of three prisoners at the jail and he has also been mentioned in testimony in another Abu Ghraib case. Under a special court martial, the maximum punishment is 12 months confinement, forfeiture of two-thirds of pay for a year, reduction to the lowest pay grade, and a bad-conduct discharge. Palestinian Minister of Negotiation Affairs Saeb þErekat accused Israel of hindering the political and democratic reforms being þ þcarried out by the Palestinian authority.þ In statements to reporters on the sidelines of his participation in the regional security conference in the Middle East and the Gulf, which kicked-off þ þin Cairo, Erekat said that Israel is hindering the registration of the þ þvoters in the Palestinian elections either by sieges, closures or þ þassassinations.þ He added that the Palestinian Authority demanded the US, the EU and the UN þ to supervise the Palestinian elections, calling on the international forces to take a firm stance towards this matter.þ The Palestinian minister noted that the main reason behind the challenges þand dangers being faced by the region is due to the Arab-Israeli conflict and þthe unsolved Palestinian issue.þ He pointed out to the Israeli suppression and brutal practices which are a þ þviolation of the international law and agreements and the International Court þ of Justice. In its weekly meeting the Kuwaiti Council of Ministers the cabinet marked the third anniversary of the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001 and renewed the state's condemnation of such acts of immoral aggression and þ þstark terrorism.þ As customary, there was discussion of the latest reports on the recent þ political developments in the Arab world and beyond. |