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IN BRIEF
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The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz arrived in Kuwait for a brief visit. At Kuwait International Airport, he was received by Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait; Jassem Mohammed Al Khorafi, Speaker of the Nation's Assembly; Sheikh Salim Al-Ali Al Sabah, Commander of the National Guard; Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Sabah; Sheikh Jaber Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah,; Sheikh Faisal Al Saud Al Sabah; Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, First Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior; Sheikh Misha'al Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Deputy Commander of the National Guard; Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Chief of the Emiri Court; Sheikh Salim Sabah Al Nasser Al Sabah; Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense; Mohammed Daifullah Sharar, Deputy Premier, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of State for Parliament Affairs; Kuwait Ambassador to the Kingdom Sheikh Jaber Duaij Al Sabah; and Saudi Charge d'affaires in Kuwait Mohammed Abdul-Haq. At the VIP lounge, King Abdullah was also received by a number members of the Al Sabah ruling family, ministers and senior officials. During the meeting and on behalf of the Kingdom's government and people, King Abdullah congratulated Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah on assuming power of the State of Kuwait, wishing him success and the people of Kuwait continuous progress and prosperity. On his part, Sheikh Sabah thanked the king for his noble feelings and those of the government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Then the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques left Kuwait for Riyadh. At Kuwait International Airport, he was seen off by Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, other Sheikhs, the Speaker of the parliament, ministers and senior officials.
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The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received the Minister of Health of the Czech Republic David Rath and the accompanying delegation. During the audience, the minister conveyed to the king greetings of the leaders of the Czech Republic. In turn, the king sent his greetings to the leaders. The audience was attended by a number princes and officials. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, received at the Royal Court at Al-Yamamah palace the Minister of Health of the Czech Republic David Rath and the accompanying delegation. During the audience, the minister conveyed to the Crown Prince the greetings of the president of the Czech Republic. In turn, the Crown Prince sent his greetings to the president. They also exchanged cordial talks and discussed issues of mutual interest. The audience was attended by a number of officials.
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The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received a phone call from the Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadeen Jad. They discussed the latest regional and international developments in addition to the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran.
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Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka on the occassion of his country's independence day. In his cable, King Abdullah wished President Mahinda Rajapaksa continual good health and happiness and the people of Sri Lanka steady progress and prosperity.
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Sources in Riyadh have unveiled that President's Jacques Chirac official visit to Saudi Arabia upon the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, will take place between the 4th and the 6th of March 2006. Sources said that the issues to be discussed are being included in the agenda amongst which the developments in Lebanon.
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Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Commission for Wild Conservation and Development has sent a cable of thanks to Prince Saud Al-Faisal member of the board of Directors of NCWCD after he received the 7th issue of the Commission's magazine.
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Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz Governor of Riyadh region has reviewed the design and plans of the Riyadh administrative centers and the details of the project. The centers will be established to activate administrative decentralisation in Riyadh especially after the increase in the number of Riyadh's inhabitants.
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During the launch of the largest tourism festival in the city Al Haridha, Prince Faisal Ibn Khalid Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Governor of Assir region praised the efforts of the Higher Tourism Organization in establishing a new maritime tourisitic project in Al Haridha on the shores of the red sea.
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Prince Turki Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Assistant Minister of Culture and Information, arrived in Algiers to lead, on behalf of Culture and Information Minister Iyad Ibn Amin Madani, the Saudi delegation which will participate in a meeting of Information Ministers of Arab and South American countries. Prince Turki was received at Algiers International Airport by Algerian Minister of Culture Khalida Toumi, Saudi Charge d' affaires Abdullah Al-Muqbel and a number of officials at the Saudi Embassy in Algiers. Prince Turki bin Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Assistant Minister of Culture and Information, met the Algerian Minister of Culture Khalida Toumi. They reviewed issues of mutual interest.
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Syria's President Bashar al-Assad received a delegation representing the Arab-French Nida (Appeal) Association included physicians, intellectuals, authors, journalists, media-men and movie makers at the People's Palace. Talks during the meeting dealt with the Syrian-French relations and the role of the intellectuals and media in enhancing dialogue between the two peoples in the two countries and with their exerted efforts to reflect the true image of the situation in the region. Al-Assad stressed "Syria's pivotal role in realizing peace, stability and security in the region," asserting the importance of "adopting the language of dialogue for rapprochement and reciprocal acquaintance."
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Security sources said that one bomb went off near a barrack of the Lebanese army in Beirut during which one car was destroyed but no casualties were reported. The explosion took place at dawn in al-Ramla al Beida area west of the Lebanese capital. Security officials said the explosion took place in the surrounding of the wall of Fakher Eddine army barrack, hours after a local news paper said it had received a telephone threat about an explosion which will take place shortly targeting a military establishment. Sources said that the caller notified "al-Balad" daily that he is from al-Qaida organization and threatened to blow up several buildings including the building of the internal security forces and the justice palace unless the Lebanese authorities will free detainees accounted for al-Qaida organization. The source quoted the Lebanese official as saying that the security forces traced the telephone call and found out it came from Ein al-Helwah camp for the Palestinian refugees in South Lebanon. At the beginning the security forces indicated that the explosion resulted from a booby trapped car explosion but they said again that the explosion is most expectedly resulted from explosives placed under the car or near it. Preliminary investigations show that the bomb was thrown by a cyclist and made a gap in the wall of the barrack.
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Amid rising tension along the southern border with Israel last week, the UN Security Council announced a six-month extension of its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon and called on Beirut to exert more control over the south. "The situation was very serious compared to the relative calm dominating in the previous few weeks," said Milos Strugar, a UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) spokesman. UN peacekeepers monitoring the so-called Blue Line - a border demarcation drawn by the UN for the purposes of determining whether Israel had withdrawn from southern Lebanon - brokered, on Friday, a halt to an exchange of fire, which had started on the Lebanese side. The armed clash, in the contested Shebaa Farms area, lasted for about an hour and a half, according to a UN spokesman. In Resolution 1655, adopted on 30 January, the Security Council extended the mandate of UNIFIL by six months to 31 July 2006. The peacekeeping mission was created in 1978 after the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon. In the latest resolution, the Security Council urged the Lebanese government "to do more to assert its authority in the south, to exert control and monopoly over the use of force and to maintain law and order on its entire territory". In an 18 January report, Kofi Annan said control of the Blue Line and surrounding areas seemed to remain with Hizbullah for the most part. Annan also noted that, twice within the last six months, "unidentified armed elements fired rockets from Lebanese territory across the Blue Line towards Israel". "Calling on the Lebanese government to assert its authority in the south is nothing new," said Strugar. "This demand has been there since the creation of the UNIFIL." "Because the area was occupied for 20 years, the government was unable to implement this demand," he added. According to Strugar, since the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the southern territories have been gradually reintegrated into the rest of the country, but this process has yet to be completed. While the Lebanese Army operates in some of the areas vacated by Israel, it remains at a distance from the Blue Line. At the request of UNIFIL, the Lebanese Army Liaison Office has been co-located with UNIFIL headquarters since December 2005 and new liaison officers have been appointed. Encouraging this cooperation, Resolution 1655 urged for the establishment of a "Joint Planning Cell", to draw up a plan for the extension of Lebanese authority into the UNIFIL area of operation. This would include the deployment of the Lebanese Army further south.
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Iraqi police have arrested the fourth-ranking figure in al-Qaeda in Iraq, state television said, while officials are investigating whether the group's leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has fled to neighbouring Iran. The brief report on Iraqiya television identified the suspect as Mohammed Rabei, also known Abu Dhar, and said he was No 4 in al-Qaeda. It gave no further details. Meanwhile, a senior Iraqi security officer said the Iraqi government has been receiving information that al-Zarqawi may have moved to neighbouring Iran after hot pursuit by US and Iraqi forces in western Iraq. The officer said Iraq's intelligence services have received information that the Jordanian-born terrorist was spotted a few weeks ago in areas close to the Himreen Mountains, 120 km south of Kirkuk and near the border with Iran. "We are dealing with this information carefully but intelligence services are working on the assumption that he has been planning to move to Iran after being besieged in the areas where he was operating inside Iraq," said the officer, who declined to be identified further because of the sensitivity of the investigation. Al-Qaeda in Iraq has been blamed for many of the kidnappings and beheadings of foreign and Iraqi hostages, as well as spectacular suicide attacks against police, soldiers and civilians.
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The World Bank announced a pledge of US$1.2 billion to Afghanistan at a major donor conference in London. This pledge helped bring to US$10.5 billion the total pledge Afghanistan received at the high-level meeting in London. The Afghanistan Compact agreed between the international donor community and the Government of Afghanistan in London, sets out, among a list of goals for the next five years, a commitment to avoid undermining national institution building. Conference participants showed strong support for increased use of government systems, like the budget, to channel their assistance to Afghanistan's priorities. This ensures that Afghanistan has ownership of its development program and ensures value for money. "To be effective, our finances must be provided to support programs and priorities of the government and must support the leadership of the Government of Afghanistan," said Praful Patel, World Bank Vice President for South Asia. "Accountability for implementing development programs and providing services to Afghan citizens ultimately lies with the government and we, in the international community, must come together to help." Following the conference the 24 donors to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund met to discuss details how to improve use of this mechanism that provides funds directly to the government's budget to meet its own priorities. "The ARTF is the best example of how we can coordinate and pool resources to support the government. How do we do even better now and make sure the spirit of coordination infuses all our efforts?" posed Patel at the meeting. The ARTF is administered by the World Bank with contributions so far from 24 donors totalling over US$1.3 billion. All funds from the ARTF are channelled through the government's budget and are carefully monitored to ensure fiduciary standards are adhered to. It has proved a highly flexible instrument giving government some budget predictability and reducing multiple reporting requirements by pooling donors into one mechanism. The resources have been used both to fund recurrent government spending like the payment of teachers and health workers and to support 12 projects so far that are providing services and infrastructure in every province of the country. "The 24 donors who have channelled some or all of their support to Afghanistan through the ARTF can be truly proud that some of the best development work is being accomplished through this instrument," said Patel. "Not only is it critically keeping the wheels of government turning but its reaching the very ordinary and very poor citizens of Afghanistan in an uncomplicated way that delivers results directly."
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President Hosni Mubarak warned against the repercussions of anti-Islam campaign and the offence against Prophet Muhammad in the short and long runs. In statements to MENA, President Mubarak asserted that the freedom of expression and freedom of the press, which are sponsored and respected, should not be a pretext to insult beliefs and religions. President Mubarak further warned that the continuation of this malicious campaign would outrage the Islamic world and the Muslim communities in Europe and everywhere. Irrational handling of such campaign would help create more strong pretexts for terrorists and extremists, the president pointed out.
Mubarak voiced deep respect and high appreciation for the statements made by former US president Bill Clinton in which he condemned anti-Islam campaign and warned that fanaticism against Islam would replace anti-Semitism. In conclusion, Mubarak called upon all world states to deal wisely and reasonably with any attempt aimed at angering peoples, desecrating their sanctities and defaming their religions. The President warned that violating religions and beliefs endangers world stability.
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Interpol issued a global security alert over the escape of at least 13 convicted al Qaeda militants who tunnelled their way out of a jail in Yemen, calling them a "clear and present danger to all countries".
The escapees included Jamal Badawi, mastermind of the bombing of the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in October 2000, which killed 17 U.S. sailors. He was originally sentenced to death, but this was later commuted to 15 years in prison. Another prominent escapee was Fawaz al-Rabe'ie, sentenced to death as leader of the group convicted of bombing the French oil tanker Limburg off the Yemeni coast in 2002, killing one crewman. A security source in Yemen told Reuters the tunnel from which the men escaped was thought to be around 140 metres (460 feet) long, twice as long as originally reported, and led to a mosque. The source said authorities discovered the escape last Friday, but it was believed the prisoners had fled Thursday night and were definitely aided by more than one accomplice on the outside because the tunnel was believed to have been dug from the mosque to the prison. The tunnel entry was in the women's section of the mosque, less frequented than the male section because women mainly pray at home. The 13 militants were among 23 inmates who broke out of jail in the capital Sanaa. A Yemeni state-run Web site (www.almotamar.net) said 17 of those who escaped were convicted of al Qaeda-linked crimes, while the other six were awaiting trial for similar charges. Interpol last Sunday circulated a warning to its 184 member states over the missing prisoners and urged them to take extra precautions at their borders.
But two days after the escape was discovered, Interpol had not yet issued individual wanted notices for the fugitives because it said Yemeni authorities had yet to provide it with all the required information. A government official told Reuters in the capital Sanaa: "The Interior Ministry sent an official letter to Interpol with the names of the fugitives, their photographs and fingerprints. It asked them to circulate the list worldwide, fearing they might escape Yemen." But an Interpol official told Reuters not all the conditions had been met for the issue of the so-called "red notices". An Interpol statement said: "Red notices can only be issued by Interpol at the request of member countries and only if they are supported by underlying national arrest warrants."
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Syria's anti-terror forces early Sunday calshed with armed terrorist group in Damascus countryside of Kafer Battna, SANA reported. The group was planning to launch terrorist acts in Damascus city and countryside. The group's leader was killed and two members of the group arrested by the Syrian security forces following a clash that lasted for more than half an hour. The security forces confiscated weapons, explosive materials and ammunitions in the flat which the group has hired, in addition to documents provoking for terrorist acts, SANA added.
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Five Shiite ministers from Hizbullah and Amal ended their seven-week Cabinet boycott, after Premier Fouad Siniora said "the national resistance in Lebanon was never and we will never be called anything but a resistance." Speaking during a Parliamentary question session, Siniora said: "We appreciate the sovereignty Lebanon accomplished and the resistance had the honor of accomplishing it. We have never called and will never call the resistance by any other name but the resistance and it is a national resistance and we will not use any other expression to describe it but national resistance." He added: "The government is completely committed to the ministerial statement and the article that acknowledges the national resistance role in liberating Lebanese lands. It is a big role and we never called this role other than national resistance."
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Candlelight vigils, a rally, a concert and other activities are on the program of March 14th youth organizations to mark the first anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Nader Nakib, the head of the Future Movement Youth organization, called on all the Lebanese to participate in a rally which will take place in Martyrs' Square on February 14. Nakib stressed that the day has become "a national day for all the Lebanese." The activities, which will start on February 8, focus on the "luminous sides" of Hariri's life, Nakib said. One of the symbolic events will be to make a pyramid by piling up thousands of books close to Hariri's grave. These books will symbolize the 35,000 students whose education was financed by scholarships offered by the Hariri Foundation, Nakib said. Once the pyramid is formed, the books will be donated to Beirut's public library. Other activities will include public speeches by Lebanese politicians and foreign state leaders about their experience with Hariri at the American University of Beirut on February 8. On February 11, people will assemble to form the "slogan of truth" at Martyrs' Square, as a reminder that the 14th of March forces are still waiting the complete truth about who killed Hariri. A concert will also be held at the UNESCO Palace on February 13 to honor the families of all those who were killed by the blast which killed Hariri. Candlelight vigils will be organized across the country on that same night "to bring light back to Lebanon as Hariri always dreamed," Nakib said. Nakib said that the previous year was filled with "tragedies and accomplishments." He added: "Maybe it is our destiny to lose a lot in order to gain a lot." French President Jacques Chirac, who was a personal friend of Hariri, will declare Saturday the issuance of a medal in memory of Hariri, according to the Elysees Palace. The medal was stamped by a French monetary authority in the beginning of February. On the other hand MP Bahia Al-Hariri called for national unity, and dialogue. In a meeting with a group from the National Information Council she called for respecting the Taif agreement and for dialogue according to the initiative launched by the speaker of the parliament Nabih Berri.
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The Saudi Popular Relief Campaign for the Pakistani People has sent around 106 containers of relief aid to areas of Pakistan affected by the October 8, 2005 earthquake, executive manager Youssef Al-Rubee'an said. Eight containers with blankets were sent recently to provide relief from the cold temperatures.
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In his state of the Union address President George W. Bush said: We're on the offensive in Iraq, with a clear plan for victory. First, we're helping Iraqis build an inclusive government, so that old resentments will be eased and the insurgency will be marginalized.
Second, we're continuing reconstruction efforts, and helping the Iraqi government to fight corruption and build a modern economy, so all Iraqis can experience the benefits of freedom. And, third, we're striking terrorist targets while we train Iraqi forces that are increasingly capable of defeating the enemy. Iraqis are showing their courage every day, and we are proud to be their allies in the cause of freedom. Our work in Iraq is difficult because our enemy is brutal. But that brutality has not stopped the dramatic progress of a new democracy. In less than three years, the nation has gone from dictatorship to liberation, to sovereignty, to a constitution, to national elections. At the same time, our coalition has been relentless in shutting off terrorist infiltration, clearing out insurgent strongholds, and turning over territory to Iraqi security forces. I am confident in our plan for victory; I am confident in the will of the Iraqi people; I am confident in the skill and spirit of our military. Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win, and we are winning. The road of victory is the road that will take our troops home. As we make progress on the ground, and Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead, we should be able to further decrease our troop levels -- but those decisions will be made by our military commanders, not by politicians in Washington, D.C. Our coalition has learned from our experience in Iraq. We've adjusted our military tactics and changed our approach to reconstruction. Along the way, we have benefited from responsible criticism and counsel offered by members of Congress of both parties. In the coming year, I will continue to reach out and seek your good advice. Yet, there is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success, and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure. Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second-guessing is not a strategy. With so much in the balance, those of us in public office have a duty to speak with candor. A sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies to death and prison, would put men like bin Laden and Zarqawi in charge of a strategic country, and show that a pledge from America means little. Members of Congress, however we feel about the decisions and debates of the past, our nation has only one option: We must keep our word, defeat our enemies, and stand behind the American military in this vital mission.
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Speaker of Hungarian Parliament Katalin Szili and the accompanying delegation left Riyadh today, ending an official visit to the Kingdom. At the airport, she was seen off by engineer Ahmed AL-Turky, member of the Shoura Council. Chairman of Shoura (consultative) Council Dr. Saleh Ibn Abdullah Ibn Humaid received here today Speaker of Hungarian Parliament Katalin Szili and the accompanying delegation, who are visiting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a response to an official invitation by the Shoura Council.
Dr.Saleh said the Shoura Council and the Hungarian Parliament should work harder to bolster the bilateral relations between the Two countries at all levels. Szili ,on her part, thanked Shoura Council for this invitation and congratulated the Kingdom on the occasion of its acceptance in The World Trade Organization (WTO) and Shoura Council's official acceptance in the International Parliamentary Union (IPU). She reaffirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most important countries in the region and Hungary is keen to have strong ties with it in all fields.
During the meeting, Dr Saleh and Szili reviewed regional, international and bilateral issues of mutual interest.
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The $5.2 billion Omani banking major, BankMuscat, reported more than 33 per cent jump in its net profit for the year ended December 31, 2005. The net profit soared from RO34.1 million in 2004 to RO45.4 million in 2005. It's the highest net profit that a local bank reports in the history of Omani banking system. Enthused by the impressive working results, the board of directors of the bank met here yesterday has proposed to recommend a cash dividend of 40 per cent and a stock dividend of 10 per cent for the year 2005. The working results, according to official sources, are subject to the approvals of shareholders and regulatory authorities. Analysis shows that the bank has been providing good returns to its shareholders, consistently. It had distributed a cash dividend of 25 per cent and a stock dividend of 15 per cent for the year 2004. For the year 2003, the banking giant had paid 25 per cent cash dividend and five per cent stock dividend. The dividend payout ratio in 2004 worked out to 43.8 per cent of the bank's profits. Times Business reported that the bank has all the rootstocks to post a net profit of RO45 million. The gross non-performing loans (NPLs) of the bank as of December-end 2005 stood eight per cent lower at RO96.6 million as against RO104.8 million in 2004. The aggregate provisions of RO109.9 million, as at the end of December 2005, cover nearly 114 per cent of the bank's gross NPAs as against 101 per cent recorded in 2004. Net interest income increased by 3.8 per cent from RO75.2 million in 2004 to RO78.1 million in 2005. However, the figure shows a 9.1 per cent increase when compared with Oman operations of 2004. Non-interest income grew from RO22.8 million in 2004 to RO23.3 million in 2005, an increase of 2.2 per cent. Operating profit of RO57.3 million in 2005 is 3.6 per cent higher than the RO55.3 million recorded in 2004.
Operating expenses of RO44.3 million in 2005 are higher by three per cent than RO42.7 million incurred in 2004. The cost-to-income ratio for the year stood at 43.5 per cent as compared to 43.6 per cent in 2004. The return on average assets improved from 1.95 per cent in 2004 to 2.33 per cent in 2005. The return on average equity improved from 20 per cent in 2004 to 20.2 per cent in 2005. The basic earnings per share increased from RO0.493 in 2004 to RO0.642 in 2005. The bank's net loans and advances portfolio grew by RO43 million to RO1.372 billion as at the end of December 2005 as compared to RO1.329 billion as at the end of December 2004. However, net loans and advances portfolio of Oman operations grew by RO157 million, an increase of 12.9 per cent. Customer deposits rose by RO171 million to RO1.333 billion as compared to RO1.162 billion. Savings deposits increased by 17.7 per cent from RO287 million to RO338 million. The bank made loan loss provisions of RO24.4 million in 2005 compared with RO20.4 million made in 2004. Loan loss provision charge of RO24.4 million for the year 2005 includes RO13.2 million towards general loan loss provision as per the requirement of CBO. More importantly, as of December 31, 2005, the bank has fully met the general loan loss provision requirements of the CBO though banks are allowed to comply with the apex bank's requirements by 2006. The bank holds general loan loss provisions of RO22.2 million as at the end of December 2005. During the year 2005, the bank has recovered RO15.9 million from provision for possible credit losses compared with RO6.3 million in 2004. In addition, the bank made a recovery of RO1.9 million from provision for placements in 2005. On January 1, 2005, the bank's Bahrain branch was disposed off to a newly formed bank by the name of BankMuscat International (BMI), in which the bank acquired 49 per cent stake. Investment in BMI is accounted as investment in associate using the equity method. Accordingly, the results of Bahrain operation are not consolidated line-by-line in the bank's results of 2005 whereas the comparative figures of 2004 include the results of Bahrain branch. The bank made a net profit of RO2.8 million in 2005 representing the excess of sale consideration over net assets of Bahrain branch, on disposal of the branch. The bank's associates contributed RO3.7 million as share of profits during the year 2005 as against a net loss RO1.4 million of 2004. The bank enjoys a strong presence in corporate banking, retail banking, investment banking, treasury, private banking and asset management. The bank has a network of 90 branches in Oman and a representative office in Dubai. It also has a strategic stake in Centurion Bank, a private sector bank in India.
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President George W. Bush will ask Congress for $439.3 billion in defense spending for fiscal 2007, a 4.8 per cent increase over the current U.S. military budget, defense and administration officials said. The proposed budget for the financial year beginning next October includes $84.2 billion to purchase fighter jets, ships and other new weapons and $73.2 billion for military research and development programs, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified. The proposed Pentagon budget, which does not include Energy Department funds to maintain the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal, will be sent to Congress by the White House. The new military budget also does not include $120 billion in planned new U.S. funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a report of Reuters.
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NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that the military alliance will establish closer links with nations beyond Europe. Speaking at the 42nd Munich Conference on Security Policy, Scheffer said that NATO's "partners are playing a critical role" in Afghanistan, which he said illustrated a new reality -- in the new security environment. He described the links with NATO's partner countries -- from Austria to Finland and from Armenia to Kazakhstan -- as "a true asset". "We need to ensure that we have the closest possible partnership with those countries that can, and are willing to, help defend our shared values," he added. He said that the 26-member military bloc is not a global policeman, but "we have increasingly global partnerships." NATO would build closer ties with nations such as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan, he said. He urged that NATO should strengthen ties with the European Union, saying "deeper transatlantic dialogue within NATO isn't enough". "We also have to build a pragmatic, strategic partnership with the EU," he said. A strong and vibrant EU to grow in partnership with NATO as a major security actor "is in all of our interests." He urged for political, military and financial solidarity, as "solidarity is the key" in taking up the different challenges in this new world.
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Lebanon and the United Nations said Israeli troops killed a shepherd inside Lebanon, an incident that could escalate tension in the volatile border area. U.N. peacekeepers retrieved the body of the shepherd a day after he went missing in south Lebanon during Israeli shooting in the area, security sources said. "We investigated today and ... he was
killed on the Lebanese side," said Milos Strugar, senior adviser to UNIFIL, the peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. The leader of Hizbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, had vowed retaliation before the body of the 17-year-old was found. In Jerusalem, an Israeli army spokeswoman said an Israeli patrol had "spotted an armed man who crossed the international border line ... He fired at the troops who then returned fire and identified a hit". But Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said initial information showed that the teenager was shot dead while he was inside Lebanese territory. "This is a blatant assault against Lebanon's sovereignty," Siniora told parliament, adding that Lebanon was in contact with the United Nations over the incident.
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