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[casi] News, 6/9-13/9/02 (5)



News, 6/9-13/9/02 (5)

IRAQI/MIDDLE EAST-ARAB WORLD RELATIONS

*  Khaddam: Iraq is our strategic depth; US cannot punish Syria
*  Turkey sends large delegation to Iraq
*  Iraqi Hospital Prepares for War
*  Yediot Ahronot: Iraq, Jordan to be converted into one Hashimite Kingdom
*  U.S. Troops Leave Jordan After Military Exercise
*  Sabri to visit Iran very soon
*  Al-Assad [Syrian President] meets Bin Alawi [Foreign Minister of Oman];
British parliamentary delegation
*  Palestinians Rally to Support Saddam
*  Iran vows to honour Iraq border
*  Jordan "will turn away" Iraqi refugees
*  Anti-Saddam drive gains ground in Iran
*  Hizbullah preparing war scenarios
*  President, premier meet Iraqi transport minister
*  Discrimination on Lebanese goods hurting trade with Iraq
*  Hariri says Syria Accountability Act can target any Arab country
*  US Military Sending Command Staff to Gulf
*  Qatar Would Consider Base Request
*  Saddam threatens to destroy Qatar

LIFE AS USUAL

*  Next West Asian Games to be held in Iraq
*  Iraq Lifts 2nd West Asia Soccer Trophy

OIL MATTERS

*  Crude oil soars on news of big air raid on Iraq
*  Call for Arabs to strike US targets

IRAQI OPPOSITION

*  Another secret Iraqi opposition meeting in London, sponsord by USA
*  Iraqi opposition [The Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq]
seeks Saddam's ouster


IRAQI/MIDDLE EAST-ARAB WORLD RELATIONS

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020906/2002090609.html

*  KHADDAM: IRAQ IS OUR STRATEGIC DEPTH; US CANNOT PUNISH SYRIA
Arabic News, 6th September

The Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam stressed that the French
President Jacque Chirac with whom he met on Thursday at the Elysee palace,
shares Syria's concern over the possibility that the US will embark on the
political option against Baghdad.

Khaddam said that Iraq is "the strategic depth for Syria." Later in the day,
Khaddam held a press conference at the headquarters of the new Syrian
ambassador in Paris, Mrs Siba Nasser, during which he explained the
atmospheres of talks with Chirac, the Syrian position and the Arab and
international issues regarding Iraq.

Replying to a question on Syria's position regarding certain international
demands on changing the Iraqi regime as a solution for Iraq, Khaddam said
"this matter relates to Iraq, rather than Syria or Turkey, Egypt, Iran or
any other Arab country. The Iraqis are the ones who decide the fate of their
country. We question, why the regime in Iraq has become now dangerous and
was not so during the 1980s during the Iraqi- Iranian war? The heart of the
matter relates to greater interests in the region. The question of the Iraqi
regime is but a pretest for those who are planning to launch an aggression
against Iraq and its people." On contacts between Syria and Iraq, Khaddam
said that "contacts are usually made through governments and contacts are
underway with Iraq. It is an Arab country, whose fate is linked with that of
the Arabs. Iraq is Syria's strategic depth in her struggle and confrontation
with Israel."

Replying to a question that Syria stood against Iraq in the past, Khaddam
said "When Iraq committed a mistake by invading Kuwait we stood against it,
and now it has been exposed to aggression and therefore we stand with it."

Khaddam considered that Bush's determination to take a decision not
approving a Congressional decision to capitulate Syria reveals that the US
President "made the decision in the interests of the US, in that Syria is
not a marginal country in the region and the world, and Washington has no
interests in that decision (ie to capitulate Syria) before the Congress as
it is rather a decision in the interests of Israel, and therefore why Bush
holds the American society responsible for the consequences of a decision
that his country has no interests in it. Secondly Syria is not just a
country that exists on the margin of the Earth. The Americans know Syria's
role and we do not put our principles in one scale and our interests in
another."


http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&c=Article&cid=1031349698686&call_page=TS_Ontario&call_pageid=968256
289824&call_pagepath=News/Ontario

*  TURKEY SENDS LARGE DELEGATION TO IRAQ
Toronto Star, 6th September

BAGHDAD (AP) - A large Turkish delegation arrived in the Iraqi capital
today, openly defying Washington's call for support to oust Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein.

Turkish Health Minister Osman Durmus and about 100 officials, business
executives and doctors were met at Baghdad airport by Durmas' Iraqi
counterpart, Omed Mubarak.

The visit came just a day after Arab states declared their allegiance to
Iraq, saying at the end of a foreign ministers' meeting U.S. threats against
Baghdad are threats against the whole Arab world.

A close ally that hosts U.S. planes monitoring Iraq, Turkey is among many
countries in the region that fear a war in Iraq could destabilize their
neighbourhood.

Germany has also said it opposes military action against Iraq, as has
Russia, Iraq's largest trading partner, which recently sent a trade
delegation to Baghdad.

"At a time when Washington believes Baghdad is building chemical, biological
and nuclear weapons, many pro-Turkish Americans see Turkey's enthusiasm to
help Saddam's government as a slap in the face of America," said Michael
Rubin, an Iraq expert at Washington's American Enterprise Institute for
Public Policy Research.

The trip comes just two days after President George W. Bush told allies
their "credibility is at risk" if they refuse to back action against Iraq.
But Durmus said military action against Iraq is inappropriate.

"If there are such things," Durmus said of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass
destruction, "then the United Nations must try every diplomatic tool to deal
with them (and avoid war),"

"Iraq should be convinced to open for inspection the sites suspected of
developing those weapons," Durmus said on the flight to Baghdad.

"We don't prefer the pressure of the gun. We prefer diplomatic pressure,"
the minister said.

The participation of Turkey in any alliance against Iraq would be crucial.
Turkey, NATO's sole Muslim member, was a key base for U.S. planes during the
1991 Persian Gulf War.

It is worried a war could devastate its lucrative tourism industry as the
country struggles to recover from an economic crisis.

Turkey was one of Iraq's largest trading partners before the United Nations
imposed economic sanctions against Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Trade has fallen from some the equivalent of about $5 billion Cdn a year to
about $1.5 billion and includes oil smuggling from Iraq.

Turkey realizes by reaching out to Iraq, it risks losing Washington's
support, backing that is critical for a country that has borrowed $31
billion US from the International Monetary Fund.

"Turkey is walking a tightrope," said Ilter Turan, a political scientist at
Istanbul Bilgi University.

"Turkey does not want to take part in an operation, which in the long run,
nobody knows what it will result in. It is unclear what kind of an
administration will replace Saddam."

That is an issue that scares many of Iraq's neighbours.

Saudi Arabia, for example, is afraid Shiite Muslims, who dominate southern
Iraq, will break away from the country and move closer to Iran, which is
also Shiite. Most of Saudi Muslims are from the Sunni sect and the kingdom
is concerned about strengthening a Shiite neighbour.

Turkey is extremely concerned Iraqi Kurds, who already run an autonomous
zone in northern Iraq could use a possible U.S. military strike to create a
Kurdish state.

That, Turkey fears, could inspire autonomy-seeking Turkish Kurds.

Still, some observers point out if there is a war, Turkey must be part of a
coalition if it wants to participate in talks at the end of the fighting
that determine Iraq's future.

"Turkey has been a reliable friend in the past and the best way to guarantee
Turkish interests in shaping the future of Iraq is for Turkey to join the
coalition rather than resist it," Rubin said.


http://cgi.wn.com/?action=display&article=15553260&template=baghdad/indexsea
rch.txt&index=recent

*  IRAQI HOSPITAL PREPARES FOR WAR
Associated Press, 7th September

[.....]

But in Italy, the potential for an attack was downplayed by the head of the
Arab League, who said Saturday there is a "strong possibility" Iraq will
allow U.N. weapons inspectors to return unconditionally in an effort to
avoid U.S. action.

Secretary-general Amr Moussa said the inspectors would have unlimited access
to "whatever sites" they want to see in Iraq.

"There's room for optimism that the inspectors will be allowed back,
especially after consultations, rounds of talks between the government of
Iraq and the U.N. Security Council," Moussa said on the sidelines of a
seminar in Cernobbio, a lake retreat in northern Italy.

"There is a strong possibility the inspectors will go back."

Moussa did not say what talks between the United Nations and Iraq he was
referring to, but the two sides have held discussions this summer.

[.....]


http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020907/2002090719.html

*  YEDIOT AHRONOT: IRAQ, JORDAN TO BE CONVERTED INTO ONE HASHIMITE KINGDOM
Arabic News, 7th September

The correspondent of the Israeli Yediot Ahronot for military affairs said
Friday that Israeli sides were briefed on plans prepared by the hawks of the
American administration on changing the face of the Arab region, including
perceptions to end the ruling regime in Iraq and bringing it back to the
Hashimite Kingdom.

Meantime, the Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres announced that there is
no link between the Palestinian and Iraqi questions.

The Yediot Ahronot correspondent quoted the Israeli expert in terrorism
affairs Ehud Shefernitsk who recently returned back from several meetings
with Pentagon leaders saying "that talks are about a revolutionary group,
with a very different attitude to the Arab world, and the risks coming from
it." Shefernitsk speaks about his meeting in the Pentagon saying "It is
possible to put their inclination in one phrase: they think that the Arab
world is a world of backward people that only understands the language of
power." He added that the main player in this American coupe are "the Vice
President Dick Cheney, the defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld; the
ideological explanation for the work plan is by three persons, the under
defense secretary, his deputy Douglas Faith and Richard Perl." The Israeli
correspondent added that Richard Perl was the one who asked the RAND
Institute for research ( which has been conducting researches since scores
of years for the US administration, especially the Pentagon) for a research
paper under the title "What the American strategy will be in the Middle
East." In the said paper, Saudi Arabia was described as an enemy that should
be "dealt with."

The Rand research brings in the war against Iraq into a logic sequence in
the context of the wider picture.

According to one source, the research reaches the result that the military
attack against Iraq is "a tactical objective," Saudi Arabia is "the
strategic objective" and Egypt is "the big prize." This means, the
correspondent says, that this group inside the American administration sees
that changing the regime in the three said countries is a strategic
objective and converting them into liberal countries inclined to the West
would limit their ability to threaten the US through its interests in the
Arab states.

He recently heard from the Americans why it is good for them to start, in
particular dealing the question of Iraq. According to the views of the
Americans there are potentials in Iraq of qualitative human force that would
contribute to economic development and democracy, while the Iraqi oil can
give a solution to the West at the expense of links to the Saudi oil.
Controlling Iraq will be also a clear message to the Iranians. But Iraq, as
aforesaid, is just the beginning.

The correspondent wrote that the "revolutionary group in the Pentagon is
formulating the view point of Rand's institute for practical plans and the
aim is a change in the political map by military means." He added that there
is also a plan tailored for Israel saying that "Palestine is Israel," which
means that the Palestinians can achieve their national ambitions outside
their home of origin., namely in a state like Jordan, recalling what
Rumsfeld said recently when he described the Israeli occupation of the West
Bank as an "alleged occupation."

The correspondent indicates that Jordan will play a main role, according to
the plans discussed by the Pentagon, noting that these plans point the end
of the story of the Iraqi Baathist regime under the leadership of Saddam
Hussein and the foundation of a democratic Iraq to be an integral part of
the Hashaimite Kingdom. The correspondent added it was not a mere coincident
that the Americans invited that ( former Jordanian crown prince ) prince
Hassan from Jordan to two meetings with the Iraqi opposition residents in
London." The The correspondent added "Inviting prince Hassan to London
reminds us of the Afghani experience: toppling the regime and bringing in
the old and good King."


http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20020908_47.html

*  U.S. TROOPS LEAVE JORDAN AFTER MILITARY EXERCISE
ABC News, 8th September

AMMAN, Jordan (Reuters) - Thousands of U.S. troops left Jordan Sunday after
ending exercises with the Jordanian army amid high regional tension over a
possible U.S. attack on Iraq.

Jordan's pro-Baghdad opposition had expressed fears that the soldiers who
began pre scheduled annual maneuvers in the kingdom on August 12 would stay
behind and take part in any attack on neighboring Iraq.

But witnesses said the U.S. Marines, estimated to number 4,000, left the
kingdom on board two vessels from the Red Sea port at Aqaba.

The Jordanian government, which opposes military action against Iraq, always
maintained that the marines would leave once the exercises end. Prime
Minister Ali Abu al-Ragheb said last week that the exercises had ended and
that the U.S. forces would leave soon.

U.S. media reports have in recent months quoted military planners as saying
Washington was considering Jordan as a base for staging air and commando
raids against Iraq.

Jordanian officials have vehemently denied the country is involved in any
secret plans to use its territory or that it would allow U.S. troops access
to any facilities.


http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020910/2002091016.html

*  SABRI TO VISIT IRAN VERY SOON
Arabic News, 10th September

An Arab diplomatic source in Tehran said on Monday that the Iraqi foreign
minister Naji Sabri will arrive in Tehran on September 29 in order to hold
talks with the Iranian leaders. The source explained that Sabri "will arrive
on September 29 and will stay for several days in Tehran where he will
discuss bilateral relations and the danger of the likely American attack
against Iraq." No Iranian official sources confirmed this news.

The Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi hinted in a press conference a
possible visit by his Iraqi counterpart to visit Iran, which Sabri had
visited by the beginning of 2002.


http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020910/2002091007.html

*  AL-ASSAD MEETS BIN ALAWI; BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION
Arabic News, 10th September

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Mo nday in Damascus received Oman's
foreign minister Youssef Bin Alawi and members of the accompanying
delegation.

The meeting was attended by the deputy premier and foreign minister Farouk
al-Shara and Oman's ambassador in Damascus.

Bin Alawi conveyed a message from Sultan Qabous Bin Saeed of Oman to
President Bashar al-Assad relating to developments in the Arab region.

Talks dealt with bilateral relations between the two states and means of
strengthening them.

Later in the day, President al-Assad received a British parliamentary
delegation composed of Collin Red, Robert Jackson; Philis Starky, Lord Right
and Maria Hault.

The meeting was attended by al-Shara and the British ambassador in Damascus
Henry Hogger.

Discussions dealt with conditions in the region, their developments and
stances concerning the threats directed to Iraq.

The president indicated that there is in general a dialogue in the world on
the role played by the UN to finding a solution for the Iraqi case and that
Syria will work, together with other UN members to strengthen this role and
avoid Iraq any harm that might be inflected on it.

Al-Assad stressed the need that any resolution by the UN to be taken by the
UN Security Council should rule out the military action against Iraq.

For their part, members of the British delegation stressed that there is a
general consensus in Britain and Europe, in general that the question of war
and peace, the question of Iraq, the conflicts taking place in the Middle
East all should be dealt with through the UN. They stressed Syria's key role
in this respect.

Discussions also dealt with bilateral relations between Syria and Britain
and prospects of parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.
Members of the delegation expressed their desire to continue boosting
relations with Syria.

By the end of the meeting, members of the visiting delegation expressed
their admiration over the current development and renovation process in
Syria, under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad; and Britain's
interest to take part in this process.


http://cgi.wn.com/?action=display&article=15595221&template=worldnews/search
.txt&index=recent

*  PALESTINIANS RALLY TO SUPPORT SADDAM
The Associated Press, 10th September

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) ‹ About 2,000 Palestinians demonstrated in Gaza
on Tuesday to express support for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, as rally
organizers distributed checks from him to the families of Palestinians
killed in clashes with the Israeli army.

Leaders of the Arab Liberation Front, the local chapter of Saddam's Baath
party, which organized the demonstration, delivered $10,000 checks to the
families of 36 people killed by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip in the last
three months, said ALF leader Ibrahim Zannen. Palestinians call the dead
"martyrs."

Israel is supporting the United States as it seriously considers a military
strike against Iraq for his alleged programs of developing weapons of mass
destruction. During the 1991 Gulf war, Saddam fired 39 Scud missiles at
Israel. Under U.S. pressure, Israel did not strike back.

On Tuesday, Israeli President Moshe Katsav said Saddam will probably attack
Israel in response to a U.S. strike on Iraq, in which case Israel would "for
certain" retaliate. He said he based his assessment on the evaluation of
Israel's military chiefs.

In the Gaza demonstration, led by Hamas, marchers, carrying pictures of
Saddam, vowed to support the Iraqi leader if the United States carries out a
broad military action against him.

"We, the Palestinian people, are standing with Iraq and its people in front
of the American offensive. We are one body," said Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the
spiritual leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas, who made a rare public
appearance at the rally. Yassin, a quadriplegic, is said to be in failing
health.

"Our people and the people of Iraq will not accept the aggression, and we
will face this aggression with our blood," Yassin told The Associated Press.
"We will fight for our honor and our dignity."

Yassin also condemned U.S. support for Israel, saying Palestinians were
united against Israel "in the resistance trench." He called on Americans to
reject the policies of President Bush that are "against Arabs and Muslims,"
and urged them to stop giving support to Israel.

"They should know that we are against the occupation and we are fighting to
liberate our land and to end the occupation," he said. Hamas has been
responsible for dozens of suicide bombing attacks in Israel, but all
originated from the West Bank, because Gaza is closed off by a security
fence.

In the spring, the Iraqi leader increased money for the relatives of suicide
bombers from $10,000 to $25,000, drawing sharp criticism from Washington.
Palestinians say the bombers are driven by a thirst for revenge, religious
zeal and dreams of glory ‹ not greed.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2252400.stm

*  IRAN VOWS TO HONOUR IRAQ BORDER
BBC, 11th September

Iran has pledged that it will not violate the Iraqi border if the United
States launches an attack on Baghdad.

Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani made the promise while calling on all
countries in the region not to join in a US-led invasion.

Mr Shamkhani said: "Even if Iraqi sovereignty was weakened, the Iraqi border
with Iran will never change. We are against a US attack on Iraq, but if it
happens, we will not engage in adventures."

US President George W Bush is expected to set out a tough stance on Iraq
when he addresses the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

Both Iran and Iraq are part of what Mr Bush calls an "axis of evil".

Mr Shamkhani also accused the United States of making contact with people he
referred to as bandits, in order to cause disorder on Iran's eastern border
with Afghanistan.

Iranian officials often use the term bandit to describe drug smugglers who
operate along its borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mr Shamkhani said: "How can you call others terrorists while you negotiate
with the lowlifes and bandits whose hands are stained with blood of innocent
people."

Iran also fears that a US attack on Baghdad could spark a repeat of the
influx of Iraqi Kurds and Shiite refugees into Iran that occurred during the
eight-year Iran-Iraq war that ended in 1988.

Iran was also the destination of more than a million Iraqi Kurd and Shia
refugees during the Gulf War of 1991.

Iran warned on Tuesday that more than 500,000 Iraqi refugees could flee
towards its borders if the US attacked President Saddam Hussein's regime.

A senior Iranian official responsible for refugees, Ahmad Hussaini, said the
country's interior ministry had set up a national crisis centre to cope with
a possible influx.

He said that no Iraqis would be allowed to enter Iranian territory and that
camps would be set up inside Iraqi territory on the border area.

The US and Iran are vying for support in the western Afghan city of Herat,
which has traditionally fallen under Tehran's sphere of influence, but where
many US troops are now posted.


http://www.iranmania.com/news/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=12004&NewsKin
d=CurrentAffairs&ArchiveNews=Yes

*  IRAN PRESIDENT DUE IN SAUDI ARABIA THIS WEEK
IranMania.com, 11th September

RIYADH, Sept 11 (AFP) - President Mohammad Khatami is to have talks with
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz this week, focussing on
the crisis between Iraq and the United States and strengthening bilateral
ties, Iranian ambassador Ali Asghar Kaji said.

He said that Khatami, on only the second visit to Saudi Arabia by an Iranian
head of state since the 1979 Islamic revolution, would arrive in the holy
city of Medina Wednesday for a private pilgrimage.

He would meet the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, on Friday or
Saturday.

[.....]


http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c
=StoryFT&cid=1031119246821&p=1012571727102

*  JORDAN "WILL TURN AWAY" IRAQI REFUGEES
by Nicolas Pelham in Amman
Financial Times, 11th September

Jordan will shut its borders to any prospective Iraqi refugees fleeing a US
attack on Iraq, Mohammed Adwan, information minister told reporters on
Wednesday.

The statement paralled Iran's announcement that it would bar Iraqis from
entering its territory and that camps would be set up inside Iraqi territory
on the border area to cope with a possible influx of half a million
refugees.

Over the past decade Jordan has served as a key conduit for hundreds of
thousands of Iraqis seeking asylum in the West. Western diplomats estimate
that Jordan already hosts over 200,000 Iraqis, and fear that the Iraqi
leadership might use its agents in the kingdom to sponsor acts of sabotage.

Jordan's decision to refuse Iraqis entry came hours after the Iraqi
vice-president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, used a press conference in Amman to
call on "the Arab masses" to target US interests, and warned that Jordan
would pay aprice for any US attack on Iraq.

"We are sure that any harm suffered by Iraq will have an impact on the Arab
nation, in particular Jordan," Mr Ramadan told reporters following talks
with King Abdullah of Jordan.

Mr Ramadan was the latest in a flurry of Iraqi officials to arrive in Amman,
amid growing concern in Arab capitals at an approaching US attack on
Baghdad.

Mohammed Said al-Sahhaf, Iraqi information minister, has spent the past week
overseeing a week-long Iraqi cultural festival in the Jordanian capital.
Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri has also visited Amman in recent days.

Jordan has repeatedly insisted that it will not serve as a launching-pad for
a US attack on Iraq, which supplies the kingdom with all its oil and is its
largest trading partner. But Mr Adwan acknowledged that Jordan was torn
between its "brotherhood ties" with Iraq, and alliance with the US, which
earlier this week completed military exercises involving 4,000 US troops in
the kingdom. "Jordan is walking a tightrope," said Mr Adwan.


http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c
=StoryFT&cid=1031119247935&p=1012571727162

*  ANTI-SADDAM DRIVE GAINS GROUND IN IRAN
by Guy Dinmore
Financial Times, 11th September

While Iran remains officially opposed to any US attack on Iraq, influential
voices are starting to suggest that the Islamic republic would benefit from
a change of regime in Baghdad and should join an international effort to
oust President Saddam Hussein.

Insiders say Iran's faction-ridden government is convinced a US assault
against Iraq is inevitable, but cannot find a common response. Varying
shades of neutrality are under debate, exposing sharp differences over the
lessons learned from the US military occupation in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president who still wields considerable
influence within the conservative camp, is seen to be promoting a more
interventionist role for Iran in the future of its western neighbour. Some
analysts believe Mr Rafsanjani would be willing to help secure Iran's
co-operation in removing Mr Hussein as part of a wider deal, provided the
Bush administration - which includes both Iraq and Iran in an "axis of evil"
- leaves the Islamic regime in Tehran well alone.

Last week, in a speech to Islamic militia on manoeuvre, Mr Rafsanjani
maintained his customary bellicosity towards the US, but at the same time
seemed to suggest a way forward.

No regional disputes could be solved without Iran's involvement, he said,
advising the US to look realistically at the region, taking into account
what he called Iran's situation, policies and fair goals.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Abbas Maleki, who was deputy
foreign minister under Mr Rafsanjani, said Iran should adopt a policy of
active neutrality in the event of US intervention in Iraq.

Iran had legitimate interests in Iraq, he said, noting that 5,000 Iranian
pilgrims visited Shia Muslim shrines in the Iraqi cities of Karbala and
Najaf each week. Iraq also still holds prisoners from their 1980-88 war.

Active neutrality would involve continued support for the Kurdish and Shia
parties opposed to Baghdad, so that Iran would have a voice in a future
democratic Iraqi government.

"I do not believe the next government in Iraq would be more dangerous for
Iran than Saddam. At present Iraq is the most dangerous strategic threat to
Iran," Mr Maleki said. "A pro-US government in Baghdad would not be worse
than Saddam Hussein."

But he urged the US to act through the United Nations. "Maybe there is some
solution to topple Saddam without using a huge military intervention on the
ground."

Just as Iran last year had co-operated at the Bonn conference in bringing
together the Afghan administration led by Hamid Karzai, so Tehran could play
a similar role in shaping a future Iraqi government, he said. "The Islamic
Republic of Iran and this system is not against the US. We don't have
relations but this does not mean confrontation," he argued, saying Iran
wanted to export doctors and engineers, not Islamic revolution.

Mr Maleki urged the US to take note of Iran's actions so far, giving the
green light for the Iranian-based Iraqi Shia leader, Ayatollah Mohammad
Baqer al-Hakim, to send his brother to last month's meeting of Iraqi
opposition leaders in Washington, and Tehran's rejection of overtures by Mr
Hussein.

The conservatives' interests in reaching an accommodation with the US are
shared by reformists allied to President Mohammad Khatami. But the dynamics
of Iran's internal power struggle mean that neither faction can afford to
let the other get there first.

Complicating matters further, both groups are opposed by ultra-conservative
clerics who see any rapprochement with the US as undermining a key
ideological pillar of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

This means that Mr Khatami is certain to encounter stiff resistance to his
effort to pass legislation that would increase his powers.

The US would like to see the rise of reformists and has signalled it will
not deal with unelected figures such as Mr Rafsanjani, the appointed head of
the powerful Expediency Council. However, an assault on Iraq would arguably
hand the conservatives the pretext they need to sideline Mr Khatami
completely. Some have spoken of the need to impose a state of emergency.

For the moment it appears that Iran's factional struggle means that the
stalemate in the decision-making process - and what Mr Maleki termed the
foreign ministry's passive neutrality toward the US-Iraq dispute - will
prevail.

In his summing up of events since the September 11 attacks on the US, Kamal
Kharrazi, foreign minister, delivered a singularly negative assessment of US
actions in Afghanistan and the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, in its war on
terrorism and approach towards Iran. He even accused the US of orchestrating
bandits and terrorist groups against Iran on its own borders, but refused to
elaborate.

On Iraq, Mr Kharrazi said Iran opposed a US attack but was still studying
its options on how to respond to such an eventuality.


http://www.dailystar.com.lb/11_09_02/art16.asp

*  HIZBULLAH PREPARING WAR SCENARIOS
by Cilina Nasser
Daily Star, Lebanon, 11th September

The United States' repeated threats to target Hizbullah following the Sept.
11 attacks have compelled the resistance group to study various war
scenarios and prepare strategies to confront them, according to a senior
Hizbullah official.

"Since there is a possibility of American aggression against Hizbullah, we
have a responsibility to prepare for confrontation that will counter any
potential scenario," Nabatieh MP Mohammed Raad said during an interview with
The Daily Star on Tuesday.

"American aggression is possible, but not inevitable," he said. "But we
should take all the precautions and prepare for any conceivable offensive."

US President George Bush declared a "war on terror" after Sept. 11 against
countries and organizations seen as a threat to the superpower's national
security, but Washington was unable to force Lebanon and Syria to halt
Hizbullah's military operations and freeze party assets.

But recent statements by US officials have become more threatening in the
last few months. US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said last
week: "Hizbullah made the 'A' team of terrorists, maybe Al-Qaeda is actually
the 'B' team."

He added: "We're going to take them down one at a time."

[.....]


http://www.dailystar.com.lb/11_09_02/art22.asp

*  PRESIDENT, PREMIER MEET IRAQI TRANSPORT MINISTER
Daily Star, Lebanon, 11th September

Visiting Iraqi Transport Minister Ahmed Murtada Ahmed held talks on Tuesday
with President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Discussions between the men focused on developing relations between the two
countries.

After the meeting, Ahmed said that he relayed the "satisfaction" of the
Iraqi leadership and that of its people with Lebanon's "brotherly stand and
prominent role" at the recent Arab League foreign ministers conference that
was held in Cairo.

"It was a clear role in activating joint Arab action Š particularly
regarding the categorical rejection of aggression against Iraq, preserving
its territorial integrity and sovereignty and lifting the unjust siege
imposed on it 12 years ago," Ahmed said.

He added that he also conveyed greetings from Iraqi Vice-President Taha
Yassin Ramadan to Hariri.

The minister held additional discussions at the Chamber of Commerce and said
his country was doing its utmost to develop relations with Lebanon. He
suggested reopening the Iraqi Airlines office in Beirut and opening a
similar office for Lebanon in Iraq.


http://www.dailystar.com.lb/business/11_09_02_d.htm

*  DISCRIMINATION ON LEBANESE GOODS HURTING TRADE WITH IRAQ
Daily Star, Lebanon, 11th September

A senior maritime official said discrimination against Lebanese goods bound
for Iraq is impeding an Iraqi plan to use Lebanese ports.

Elie Zakhour, head of the Beirut Chamber of International Shipping, made the
comment Monday at a banquet honoring visiting Iraqi Transport Minister Ahmed
Murtada Ahmed. Zakhour said discrimination against Lebanese trucks headed
for Iraq has led to uncalled-for customs fees imposed at various Arab border
points.

He said countries such as Jordan, Syria and the UAE do not face similar
problems and are able to handle goods at their ports hassle-free, although
Beirut and Tripoli ports continue to be left out.

Zakhour called current border complications inexplicable given that Lebanon
and other Arab countries are about to form an Arab free trade zone, with
unified customs union and free movement of goods.


http://www.dailystar.com.lb/11_09_02/art20.asp

*  HARIRI SAYS SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY ACT CAN TARGET ANY ARAB COUNTRY
Daily Star, Lebanon, 11th September

Prime Minister Rafik Hariri told Syrian Television Tuesday that the Syria
Accountability Act, due for US congressional debate this week, targeted "not
only Syria, but also Lebanon and could target any other Arab country in
future."

He said the United States has given itself the right to "attack anywhere in
the world where it sees a threat to its interests."

Hariri added that the legislation bore Israel's fingerprints, saying it was
aimed at exerting pressure on Damascus in order to change its attitude
regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict and its opposition to Washington
launching an attack on Iraq.

Israel is "obviously trying to turn the United States into an enemy of the
Arabs," he said.


http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20020911_611.html

*  US MILITARY SENDING COMMAND STAFF TO GULF
by Charles Aldinger
ABC News, 11th September

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military's Central Command will move up to
600 members of its headquarters staff from Florida to Qatar near Iraq for an
exercise in November and is considering making that shift permanent, defense
officials said on Wednesday.

The decision by command chief Army Gen. Tommy Franks, who will take part in
the three week deployment, comes amid growing speculation that the United
States might invade Baghdad to overthrow President Saddam Hussein.

Central Command, with responsibility for U.S. military operations in the
Middle East, said from its headquarters in Tampa that up to 600 staffers
would go to modern Al Udeid Air Base near Doha in friendly Qatar for command
post exercise "Internal Look," held biennially in the Gulf since 1990.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Klee, a command spokesman, declined to say whether
such a headquarters shift might become more permanent. But Pentagon
officials, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters the move was being
considered.

"Whether this would become something more permanent is something that is
under consideration," one senior official said.

Klee said the communications exercise would last for one week and for the
first time test the mobility of a newly-constituted "deployable
headquarters" from Central Command. The command element will be in Qatar for
three weeks.

This would also be the first time that headquarters elements from Central
Command moved to Qatar. The small Gulf state located about 300 miles
southeast of Iraq, is a close friend of Washington and has recently expanded
and improved Al Udeid, where U.S. forces and warplanes are supporting U.S.
American military operations in Afghanistan.

Press reports have speculated that the base in Qatar could play a key
command role in any invasion of Iraq.

Saudi Arabia, a neighbor of Qatar, has said that it would not allow major
U.S. air power at its big Prince Sultan Air Base to be used against any Iraq
invasion. The United States, working with Qatar, has in recent months
sharply increased its military presence -- including communications and
intelligence links -- at Al Udeid as a backup to Sultan.

"General Franks will take part," Central Command spokesman Klee said in a
telephone interview with Reuters. "It is a command post exercise which will
test our command, control and communications."

[.....]


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10316-2002Sep12.html

*  QATAR WOULD CONSIDER BASE REQUEST
by Vernon Loeb
Washington Post, 13th September

Qatar's foreign minister said yesterday that his government would seriously
consider any request from the Bush administration to launch warplanes and
combat forces from the Al Udeid Air Base, noting Qatar's "very special
relationship with the United States."

Hamad Bin Jasim al-Thani spoke publicly at the Brookings Institution and met
privately with members of the House International Relations Committee. The
U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday that in November it would send 600
personnel from its base in Tampa to Al Udeid to test a headquarters that
could be used to oversee a war against Iraq.

The United States has not yet requested "permission for an attack from Qatar
to Iraq," Hamad said at Brookings. "If they ask us, we will look seriously,
but at the moment there is no decision" because there has been no request.

Hamad said he met recently with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Hamad said
he told the Iraqi leader that, in an attempt to avert a war in the region,
he must allow United Nations weapons inspectors into Iraq without
conditions.

But Hamad indicated that Hussein was under no illusions about where Qatari
sympathies would lie in the event of a conflict with the United States. "The
Iraqis know that we have a very special relation[ship] with the United
States," he said. "It is not secret and [American forces] are already in Al
Udeid."

While the Pentagon has called the deployment of 600 troops to Qatar in
November part of a one-week biennial training exercise, it acknowledges that
some of those forces, if not the entire Central Command headquarters, could
remain in the Persian Gulf if a war against Iraq seems close at hand.

The Pentagon has spent the better part of this year rapidly expanding its
presence at Al Udeid, a base 400 miles from the southern border of Iraq and
710 miles from Baghdad. It has a 15,000-foot runway, which can handle all
types of U.S. aircraft.

The move to expand and improve facilities at Al Udeid has accelerated in
recent months as relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia have
frayed over the issue of Islamic extremism since Sept. 11, 2001. The Saudi
government has also been critical of the administration's handling of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and it has expressed doubts about the
administration's desire to take military action against Iraq.

Kenneth M. Pollack, director of research at Brookings' Saban Center for
Middle East Policy, said the Qataris consider their relationship with the
United States so important that they would be "very, very reluctant to turn
us down" if the Americans ask for permission to attack Iraq from bases in
their country.

But the Qataris, he said, are still in an uneasy position. "The Qataris
would prefer that we not do it right now, certainly," he said, "and I think
they're very nervous about the political context in which an attack occurs
-- whether the Palestinians and the Israelis are at each others' throats or
not."

Pollack said the Qataris also value relations with Saudi Arabia, and would
not want to see the United States launch an attack on Iraq without at least
the Saudis' acquiescence.

"The Saudis are very concerned about the status of the violence between the
Palestinians and the Israelis and what they see as inaction on our part,"
said Pollack, a former CIA analyst, who served on the National Security
Council during the Clinton administration. "But the rumors of the death of
the U.S.-Saudi relationship have been greatly exaggerated."


http://www.kurdmedia.com/news.asp?id=2867

*  SADDAM THREATENS TO DESTROY QATAR
by Ken Muslimovic
KurdishMedia.com (Source: Al-Ayam), 12th September

London: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has threatened to "destroy Qatar" if
Qatar would let American troops to move and base themselves in the Gulf Arab
country to attack Iraq.

The United States has decided to relocate troops from Florida to Qatar to
station them in a country close to Afghanistan. Many see this as
preparations by the United States to launch an attack on Iraq.

The Qatari Foreign Affairs Minister Hamad Bin Jasim met with Iraqi
government officials recently in Baghdad and was under heavy diplomatic
pressure from Baghdad unprecedented to the Qatari Foreign Affairs Minister.
Bin Jasim said that he brought with him a message from the United Nations
asking Iraq to let weapons inspectors in or "hell" would be unleashed.

Saddam Hussein listened to Bin Jasim discuss recent developments until Bin
Jasim mentioned that the United States is stocking up weapons in its bases
in Qatar. Upon hearing that, Saddam became furious and told Bin Jasim that
Iraq finds the Qatari threat "unacceptable". Saddam said that allowing
American troops in Qatar is standing on the side of the "enemy" of the
Arabic nation, the entire Arab world, and Iraq finds it unacceptable to be
attacked from an Arab country. Saddam then threatened that should Iraq be
attacked from the Qatari bases, Qatar would be "destroyed". Sources say that
the Qatari Foreign Minister was frustrated and left the meeting and headed
to the airport immediately, leaving Baghdad for Doha.

Qatar is a Muslim Arabic country in the Persian gulf which has American
troops stationed and is constructing more bases to station more troops and
stockpile weapons. Many find that allowing American troops into an Arab
country to attack an Iraq, another Arabic country, an act of treachery to
the entire Arab world and Muslims everywhere. This has caused a lot of
controversy to Qatar abroad and internally, where influential Muslim priests
have denounced the United States; military actions in Afghanistan and its
support to Israel.


LIFE AS USUAL

http://www.iranmania.com/news/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=11926&NewsKin
d=Sport&ArchiveNews=Yes

*  NEXT WEST ASIAN GAMES TO BE HELD IN IRAQ
IranMania.com, 6th September

A session of the officials of the West Asian Football Federation took place
at Carlton hotel in Damascus on Sunday night, 1st September, where Dr.
Hossien Ghaffari, the vice chairman of the meeting, spoke on various points
and the events planned by the AFC.

During the session it was agreed that the third round of the West Asian
games in the year 2004 (mid April) be held in Iraq. The event will take
place before the Asian Cup of 2004 and is an opportunity for the
participating teams to prepare themselves.

It was also agreed that the Central Head quarters of West Asian Football
Federation be established in Tehran.


http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=9/9/02&Cat=6&Num=004

*  IRAQ LIFTS 2ND WEST ASIA SOCCER TROPHY
Tehran Times, 9th September

DAMASCUS -- Iraq won the 2nd West Asian soccer title as it beat the
Jordanian side 3-2 here Saturday.

Skipper Haydar Majid headed home in the 12th minute of extra time, helping
Iraq to grab the top title.

Iraq-Jordan match in the Abbasin Stadium, Damascus, ended 2-2 in the normal
time.

In the third minute, striker Mustafa abu Rumeyeh scoring the fastest goal of
the tournament, putting Jordan into the lead.

Jordan hit the second in the 28th minute when striker Amer Deeb dribbled
past Iraqi goalie Saad Jammel, side-footing the ball into the net.

But Iraq's midfielder Razak Mousa minimized the gap three minutes later as
he headed home a deflected free-kick.

As the Jordanians were congratulating each other, Younis Khalaf of Iraq
spoiled their party as he found the net in the 89th minute.

Haydar Majid poured cold water on the Jordanian camp when his header kissed
the net in the 12th minute of the first extra time, giving the Iraqis the
golden goal and championship.

Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, head of the West Asian Football Federation was on
hand to see the derby.

In the earlier match for third place, Iran beat Syria 6-4 in penalty
shootouts after the two teams tied 2-2, IRNA reported.

Iran stood top in the first West Asian event held in Jordan in 2000.


OIL MATTERS

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/09/08/1031115973735.html

*  CRUDE OIL SOARS ON NEWS OF BIG AIR RAID ON IRAQ
Sydney Morning Herald, 8th September

Grip on the future ... supply concerns are driving up prices. Photo: AFP

Crude oil prices rose late last week on escalating fears of a conflict in
the Middle East following reports of a large US-UK air strike against Iraq.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, the nearby October crude oil futures
ended up US63c at $US29.61 a barrel.

October heating oil climbed US1.08c to settle at US78.39c a gallon, while
the October gasoline futures contract jumped US0.97c to close at US78.63c a
gallon.

On London's International Petroleum Exchange, the October Brent contract
surged US63c to close at $US28.29 a barrel.

The early surge came on reports of a large-scale US-UK bombing of Iraqi air
defence sites. The Daily Telegraph of London reported that the US and UK
used nearly 100 planes during an attack on Thursday on the main air defence
installations in western Iraq.

It was described as the biggest single air strike over Iraq in four years,
the Telegraph said.

However, the Pentagon downplayed the reports.

Air Force Brigadier General John Rosa said the attack was certainly bigger
than recent strikes on Iraq but not out of line with strikes over the past
years.

"It was bigger than the ones we'd done in the last probably two weeks but
we've done strikes of the size several times over the last 10 or 11 years,"
Mr Rosa said.

Nevertheless, the market was expected to remain nervous. "There is a lot of
risk out there," said Bill O'Grady, an oil and gas analyst at brokerage firm
AG Edwards in St Louis.

"Your primary risk here is that Iraq somehow attacks the rest of the
oil-producing region. Not a high probability but it's still out there," Mr
O'Grady said.

The loss of Iraqi oil itself was not a chief market concern, he said.

Iraq has become a relatively marginal oil player in recent months, due to a
sharp drop in its exports through theUnited Nations oil-for-food program.

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries has said it would meet any
supply shortfall resulting from a disruption of Iraqi oil exports.

But OPEC President Alvaro Silva warned that OPEC could have difficulty
supplying the world with oil if a US attack on Iraq escalated into a larger
conflict.

"It is very worrying, because we can't predict the consequences," Mr Silva
said.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy's downward revision of third quarter
and fourth quarter oil demand forecasts and simultaneous call on OPEC to
raise output quotas were seen as bearish, analysts said.


http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/09/11/1031608267758.html

*  CALL FOR ARABS TO STRIKE US TARGETS
Sydney Morning Herald, from AFP, 11th September

[.....]

The UN office supervising a program under which Iraq can buy food with money
from limited oil sales said meanwhile that Iraqi exports under UN
supervision were down to a trickle of 370,000 barrels a day last week.

The weekly total of 2.6 million barrels was down from 4.9 million barrels
the previous week. Independent experts have estimated Iraq's export
potential at about 2.1 million barrels a day.

Buyers of Iraqi crude have so far lifted less than 92 million of the 346
million barrels of oil so far approved for export by the UN's independent
oil overseers for the current 180-day phase of the program, the office said.

Under UN sanctions, imposed on Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, 25
percent of Iraq's oil revenue is allocated to a compensation fund for
Kuwaiti war victims. Another three percent goes to pay various UN costs.


IRAQI OPPOSITION

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020907/2002090703.html

*  ANOTHER SECRET IRAQI OPPOSITION MEETING IN LONDON, SPONSORD BY USA
Arabic News, 7th September

The Iraqi opposition held another secret meeting on Thursday in London under
the auspices of the USA.

The Monte Carlo radio correspondents in London said that the meeting which
lasted for two days and included American officials and members from the
Iraqi opposition who discussed the question of "preparation for democracy
after toppling the Iraqi regime." The correspondent said that this was the
fourth meeting run by the US Department of State for the Iraqi opposition.

One of the Iraqi opposition members, Adnan Makkeyah, said that the decision
of launching the war is strategic, not only for changing those who rule
Iraq, rather to bring in a better regime.

Makkeyah explained that for the first time there will be a new and
qualitative relations with the US. relations which stress changes in the
American policy which used to be based on dealing with regimes such as Egypt
and Saudi Arabia.

The spokesman for the Iraqi opposition Albert Yaldha said "we do not feel
ashamed to receive financial aids from the US in order to topple Saddam,"
while Adnan Makkeyah said that "Saddam Hussein once again threatens to kill
Iraqis by poisonous gases."

Salem al-Jalabi, an Iraqi opposition member, said that his uncle Ahmad
al-Jalabi is not interested in getting a leading post in Iraq because the
Iraqi people have to choose.

The correspondent added that Masoud al- Barazani took part in the meetings
of the Iraqi opposition.

Meantime, the former US ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke accused the
Iraqi opposition of corruption. He stressed that Ahmad al-Jalabi wants to be
the prime minister for the Iraqi government.


http://www.dailystar.com.lb/10_09_02/art24.asp

*  IRAQI OPPOSITION SEEKS SADDAM'S OUSTER
Daily Star, Lebanon, 10th September

The Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq representative to
Syria and Lebanon, Bayan Jaber, has said that the Iraqi opposition's
priority was to topple Saddam Hussein's regime and assume power.

Speaking Sunday at a meeting with prominent Baalbek figures at the Imam
Khomeini cultural center, the Iraqi leader said the opposition rejects the
prospect of any temporary opposition government.

Jaber called it unlikely that Iraq would be partitioned due to its
demographic, geographic and tribal factors.

He stressed the need for the Iraqi opposition to take advantage of the
United States' desire to induce change in Iraq and topple the regime.

However, Jaber said that the Iraqi opposition was opposed to any US invasion
of Iraq.

According to Jaber, the council has two military training camps in
Suleimaniyeh in Iraq, with a total of no less than 70,000 fighters.




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