>From Ha'aretz Tuesday, March 23, 1999 � In Russia, Georgia - Bibi's their man Israel, Russia set up forum for talks on arms info leaks to Iran �By Amnon Barzilai, Ha'aretz Correspondent and Agencies MOSCOW - Israel and Russia will set up a joint mechanism to examine the transfer of technology and know-how from Russia to the Iranian arms industry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov agreed yesterday. The initiative for the new system came from Primakov, during his meeting with Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon in Moscow. The three decided that the contacts would take place at the level of foreign ministers. Afterward, Netanyahu told reporters the agreement constituted the principal achievement of his Russian trip. Until now, he said, Israel has held all its talks with Russia on this critical issue via the United States. Now, he said, we have set up a direct line for talks between the two countries, and Russia has expressed willingness to deal with the matter. This is merely the beginning of a dialog, he said, adding that at the moment, Israel has no intention of increasing security ties with Russia, which it began cutting back because of the transfer of information to Iran. The assessment in Russia yesterday was that Primakov's concessions to Netanyahu on the Iranian issue were primarily an effort to create a positive atmosphere for his upcoming trip to the U.S., where he will hold talks with the International Monetary Fund. However, Primakov told Netanyahu that he sees Iran's development of weapons of mass destruction as no less dangerous than Israel does - and that Russia has no intention of committing suicide. "I can state quite clearly and unequivocally that Russia observes all international norms relating to export controls and does everything necessary to exclude any leaks that would help the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It has been and remains our policy," Primakov told reporters later. Primakov also said that contrary to the reports spread by Iran, its Shahab-3 missile is not yet operational. One of the biggest surprises of the day came at the luncheon Primakov hosted for Netanyahu and his entourage. The Russian premier stunned the assembled Israelis by saying that if he were an Israeli citizen, he would vote for Netanyahu as prime minister - both in the current elections and in years to come. Afterward, Primakov's press secretary rushed to contain the damage. Primakov is fond of jokes, said Tatyana Aristarkhrova in an interview with Army Radio, and it was clear to all present that this statement was in jest. Later that day, Primakov's words were echoed by Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze - Netanyahu's next stop after leaving Moscow. At a dinner in Tblisi for his Israeli guest, Shevardnadze called on all Israeli Jews to vote Likud in the election, terming Netanyahu a genuine Israeli hero. Former Russian ambassador to Israel Alexander Bobin, in contrast, writing in the Russian daily Izvestia this weekend, charged that Netanyahu came to Moscow primarily to bolster his popularity before the elections. Netanyahu denied this in an interview with Russian television yesterday. Netanyahu and Primakov also discussed economic ties. Israel realizes that the technology flow from Russia to Iran is largely due to Russia's economic distress, Netanyahu told Primakov, and Israel would therefore like to offer Russia economic solutions. Netanyahu said he wanted to "double, triple or quadruple" bilateral trade. "As a whole, we can express satisfaction with the course of development of the bilateral relations," Primakov told Netanyahu before the talks began. "I think it has occurred to a large extent under your leadership and I would like to stress that." Among other items, the two leaders decided to set up a joint foreign trade risk insurance company to insure transactions between the two countries. Netanyahu said there are many Israeli companies interested in doing business with Russia. The two also discussed anti-Semitism in Russia, which Primakov denounced. He said he was glad that a million Jews had immigrated to Israel, but he would prefer that the rest of the Jews stay in Russia. Primakov reiterated his criticism of anti-Semitism at a meeting later in the day with representatives of the U.S. Anti-Defamation League and Jewish organizations. "We have a joint goal of fighting any sign of defamation, nationalism and anti-Semitism," he said. "You can consider that the Russian government's policy." Netanyahu is to return to Israel today. � copyright 1999 Ha'aretz. All Rights Reserved ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From ArabicNews.CoM Netanyahu, Sharon fail to convince Russia to stop nuclear aid to Iran Israel, Politics, 3/23/99 Israeli Radio's correspondent in Moscow said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon failed to convince the Russian government to stop providing aid to Iran in the nuclear field and in missiles. The correspondent added that Netanyahu proposed to his Russian counterpart, Yevgeny Primakov, during the meeting held on Monday attended by Sharon and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, several economic deals between the two sides, including Russia's construction of a railway network and tunnels in Israel and Israeli purchases of oil and gas from Russia, against Russia's consent to minimize its aid to Iran. The report added, quoting well-informed sources in the Israeli delegation, that the Russian government has no intention of that as the Russian prime minister did not give a clear reply to the Israeli proposal. The correspondent quoted Netanyahu as saying in a joint press conference with Primakov held following the meeting that according to information available to Israel, Iran does not yet own a missile that can hit Israel. Netanyahu added that Israel will continue its efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining weapons of mass destruction. Primakov, said that his country provides aid to Iran in the nuclear spheres, but is committed to international obligations to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. King Abdullah describes Syrian - Jordanian relations as remarkable Jordan, Politics, 3/23/99 King Abdullah of Jordan has described relations between Jordan and Syria as remarkable. He stressed that bilateral relations will witness tremendous developments during the coming phase. The Jordanian weekly al-Majd said in its recent issue that King Abdullah stressed during his meeting last week with the Jordanian journalists union's chairman and members of its council the "importance of the Arab depth for Jordan," adding that Jordan's relations with all Arab states are at their best now. On the Israeli position concerning Jordan's share of waters, King Abdullah said, "It is clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to challenge us in this phase, and we, in our turn, tell him we accept this challenge." King Abdullah added, "The treaty with Israel does not only pertain to waters rather other issues in which Jordan can have an effecting and pressuring stand." The Jordanian King regretted what had been published by certain papers on the King's consent to open an office for the Israeli Mossad in Jordan. The King said, "This is not acceptable and no one will imagine this matter taking place." Copyright � 1998 Arabic News .com . All Rights Reserved. Send comments & suggestions to the webmaster. ��ArabicNews.com is a trade mark of ArabicNews.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From Christian Science Monitor TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1999 WORLD BEDOUINS' FLIGHT Tribal people's exodus meets the reality of modern states � Azazmas crossed into Israel last week and were ordered to leave Sunday. Ilene R. Prusher Special to The Christian Science Monitor NEGEV DESERT, ISRAEL These days, home is an amorphous concept for many Azazmas, a Bedouin tribe that today is dispersed in the sands of Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. The Bedouins, who are something like the Amish of the Middle East as they try to maintain age-old methods, once freely roamed the region. But in this century, as modern borders have sprung up, the Bedouins' roamings have not always been welcome. And in the past week, Azazmas were firmly reminded of this. Deciding that life in Egypt had grown too perilous, the Azazmas decided to move to Israel - all 600 of them - and simply began walking until they crossed the fenceless border about a week ago. They flocked to the Negev Desert, where other members of their tribe already live, enjoying Israeli citizenship. <Picture>(STAFF) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Israel wanted the refugees to go back where they came from - Egypt's Sinai Desert - worried about the precedent that might be set if the tribe were allowed to stay. Egypt was equally eager to see them come home, concerned about bad press surrounding the flight of the Azazmas - who say they were mistreated by the Egyptian authorities. Though Israel and Egypt have rarely agreed on much in their two decades of cold peace - the 20th anniversary of their groundbreaking treaty falls this Friday - an Israeli court ruled Sunday that the government can send the Azazmas home, and Egypt says it will ensure their safety when the runaways return. <Picture>FROM EGYPT: This mother and child were among 600 Azazmas, a Bedouin tribe, who crossed into Israel last week in search of better living conditions. (SHARON ABBADY/SPECIAL TO THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A feud with another tribe sparked their departure, but economic and social frustration also seem to have inspired the Azazmas' exodus. Tribal members complain of a lack of food, water, and work in Egypt, as well as lack of schools for their children and legal rights. Though the Negev Bedouins suffer from discrimination and a systematic attempt to force them to give up their tents in the wilderness for Israeli-designed townships, the Azazmas who fled Egypt think their brethren living in Israel have it easier here. Some of the older Bedouins seeking asylum were born here, but were deported to the Sinai soon after Israel was founded in 1948. And, when Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula in the 1967 Middle East War, the Azazmas again lived under Israeli sovereignty, some of them serving in the army as desert trackers - as do Negev Bedouins. "There is no law in Egypt. Here, at least there's a government that will be straight with us. This is the best treatment we've ever had," said Salim Azazma last Thursday, who speaks Hebrew and is impressed by the food, water, and first aid the Israeli army is providing his tribe while they are held inside a closed military zone. The Israeli army says the aid was purely humanitar-ian. "Even though they did something illegal, we still see them as people," said Capt. Avi Gombash on Sunday. "Allowing them to stay in Israel would open the way for others, and this is not the way to enter the country. It's true that they may have economic problems - not enough work, not enough to eat - but we cannot solve such problems on the Egyptian side of the border." An Israeli lawyer for the Bedouins argued that they had a right to citizenship because their roots are here, but the Israeli high court rejected the claim. Bedouin advocates were disappointed by the decision to deport the Azazmas, which the army was expected to act on immediately. "There are 12 million dunans [3 million acres] of space in the Negev, and I don't think giving up a few of them to the Azazma would hurt the state of Israel," says Nuri el-Ukbi, the spokesman for the Association of Bedouin Rights, based in Beersheba. "I know that there are Israelis who would like to let them stay, because some of them may be in danger if Israel throws them out again." It is unclear how well-founded their fears are. Egyptian officials have told Israel they have a constructed a safe camp to receive the Bedouins, which will be guarded by soldiers. But others say there is reason to believe there will be reprisals, given the Azazmas' criticism of Egypt in the foreign press. <Picture>IN THE DESERT: Bedouin woman does wash last week while awaiting Israel's ruling on whether her tribe could stay. (SHARON ABBADY /SPECIAL TO THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The fact that some of the Azazmas once served the Jewish state, tribal leaders say, is one of the reasons they've grown unpopular with other Bedouins in Egypt - as well as the local government authorities. "In Egypt, they started saying that we are Jews because we worked for the army ages ago," says Saalem Azazma as dozens of other men crowd around him, crouched with their arms wrapped around their shins, to tell their story. Though they are all Muslim Arabs, the insinuation was that they had aided the enemy. So when a family feud developed between them and the larger Taya tribe, he says, the Egyptian police sided against the Azazmas. "They all want to kill us. We'd rather die first than go back to Egypt," he says. "When the police suspect someone of something, they'll just grab any one of us or his whole family. We'll all end up in prison or dead if we go back." <Picture: bullet>Before bookmarking this page in your browser, click here. <Picture: bullet>The URL for this page is: http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1999/03/23/fp7s1-csm.shtml ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A<>E<>R The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority. -Thomas Huxley + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
