In a follow up to my fellow blogger Jennifer's piece on the lucrative oil wars in Iraq, the BBC has a piece entitled “Iraq seeking help to develop oil“. This discusses the official beginning of the opening up of the oil industry to foreign investment. The six main oil fields that are being opened up […]
Mohammed Ali Jafari, commander of the Revolutionary Guards Corps said that Iran will block “oil shipments through the strategic Hormuz Straits if attacked and pledged that Hizbullah could also respond by rocketing Israel.” Hizballah fighting for Iran?! Didn't they claim they are a Lebanese Resistance movement? Oh well. I recommend you read Mehdi Khalaji article […]
After countless negotiations a solution might appear to the deadlock. Sources say Hizballah may agree with Elias Murr taking the Defense Ministry. The catch is that Hizballah has to give the green light to the men that will take control of Lebanon's security services, army and intelligence. Most likely, Hizballah already assessed through its own […]
According to the Senlis Council's latest report on Iraq entitled, “Angry Hearts and Angry Minds“, the international community's mark on Iraq should move away from military means and towards more humanitarian and economic efforts. “Just as we have seen the use of a military surge in Iraq, we need also to see a job surge and […]
February, 2006: Shi’a Iraqis sift through the rubble of the al-Askariyya, or Golden Dome Mosque in Samarra, Iraq in order to find remnants of their religious texts. The city lies in rubble from the supposed al-Qaeda bombing (although no one actually claimed responsibility for the attack). One of the most internationally important Shi’a mosques is […]
The news coming from Lebanon are anything but good. Suspicion, lack of trust and narrow agendas prevent progress on the ground. At the meeting, President Suleiman had with the spiritual leaders, he warned that “differences have reached the level of committing suicide.” Former Premier, Omar Karami talks of a temporary truce "because historical grudges still […]
UNRWA estimated the costs to rebuild Nahr el Bared, and 15 villages around it, at 445 million US dollars. Almost half of this amount will be put forward by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The rest will be covered by Western and European countries. The Palestinians need a place to stay, […]
Lebanese troops on Monday moved into north Lebanon where two days of fierce sectarian battles killed are said to have killed 10 people, threatening to derail an accord to end the country's political crisis. The army threatened to use force to end the fighting that erupted on Sunday in the densely populated Bab al-Tebbaneh and […]
A conference of Arab businessmen that opened in Beirut yesterday warned of the serious consequences of the rising unemployment rate in the Arab world, which has reached 14%. The conference, organized by the Arab Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, is being attended by 500 Arab and foreign participants from 21 countries. The chair of […]
The latest news involving Iraqi reconstruction revolves around just one word: oil. (Reported on Informed Comment) Both UK newspapers, The Independent and The Guardian, published stories today about recent foreign oil company deals with Iraq. The articles discuss the new contracts negotiated by Exxon Mobil, Total, Shell and BP (amongst others) for “repair and technical support.” The contracts […]
After meeting with former President Emile Lahoud, Wiam Wahhab said Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah would never betray Aoun, their opposition ally, in the subject of government.A sovereign ministry is the right of Michel Aoun, and without this ministry there is no sovereign government. The opposition is preparing for another stage another and another step, […]
Avigdor Lieberman, a far-right Knesset member, threatened to destroy the Syrian capitol, Damascus, if Hezbollah attacks Israel in revenge for the assassination of its top military commander, Imad Mugniyah, on February 13, 2008. We must negotiate with Syria only over security arrangements in Lebanon, not the Golan Heights, Lieberman said while meeting with Russian Jewish […]
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