Extracts.
Monday, December 04, 2000, updated at 09:54(GMT+8)
Arab FMs in Cairo for Talks on Supporting
Palestinians
Arab foreign ministers met Sunday, December 3, to
discuss the ongoing tensions in Palestinian
territories and the implementation of the resolutions
adopted by the Arab summit in October, the official
Middle East News Agency reported.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said at a news
conference following the meeting that the ministers
reviewed the developments in the Arab world regarding
supporting Palestinians since the Arab foreign
ministers convened last month in Doha, Qatar, on the
sidelines of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference summit.
Moussa, who chaired the meeting, said that foreign
ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria,
Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian
National Authority, who constitute the follow- up
committee set up by the Arab summit, made
preparations for the committee's ministerial meeting
in Damascus, Syria, next Sunday.
They also reviewed the outcome of the meetings of the
Arab foreign and information ministers last month, as
well as the developments regarding the two funds
established at the Arab summit for supporting the
Palestinian uprising.
The Cairo Arab summit on October 21-22, attended by
all the 22 members of the Arab League, set up two
funds of a total of 1 billion U.S. dollars to support
the "Arab and Islamic character of Jerusalem" and the
families of those Palestinians killed in the ongoing
clashes with Israeli forces.
A total of 11 Arab countries had offered nearly 700
million dollars for the two funds up to November 23.
The clashes that have lasted more than two months
have killed over 280 Palestinians and injured
thousands of others.
Sunday's gatherings were attended by the Cairo-based
Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdel-Meguid and
the Arab permanent representatives to the pan-Arab
forum.
****
Monday, December 04, 2000, updated at 09:54(GMT+8)
Kuwait Calls for Talks on Offset to Iraqi Half of Oil
Supplies
Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah underlined
Sunday, December 3, the importance of maintaining the
stability of the world oil market through
consultation and coordination among major oil
producing countries.
Sheikh Sabah was responding to questions by the
official Kuwait News Agency and Kuwait TV over Iraq's
halt of oil exports and the consideration by Saudi
Arabia to raise oil output to cover up the shortage
cause by Iraq's freeze of supplies.
Iraq suspended shipments of its crude oil on Friday
after it failed to reach an agreement with the United
Nations on a new pricing scheme for its oil to be
sold under the UN oil-for-food program.
Iraq sells about 2.3 million barrels of oil per day,
with all the oil revenues going into a UN-controlled
bank account. But Iraq has proposed its crude be sold
below the price on the world market and a 50-cent
surcharge per barrel be deposited into an
Iraq-controlled bank account.
The UN sanctions committee has said the Iraqi pricing
formula was too low to reflect a fair market value
and asked Baghdad to submit a new one. But Iraq
turned off the tap.
On the Iraqi move, Sheikh Sabah said "this is its
policy and we do not interfere in that," adding
Kuwait has been paying attention to the possible
influence on world oil stocks.
The Kuwaiti official underlined the need for
consultation among members of the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on making up for
the shortage.
On Saturday, Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral
Resources Ali Al-Naimi, whose country is the world's
biggest oil producer and exporter, said Riyadh and
other OPEC members could raise production to make up
for Iraq's halt of exports.
"Saudi Arabia is consulting with OPEC members and the
International Energy Agency as the representative of
consumer countries to evaluate the current situation
on the market," Naimi said.
"In case of a cut in supplies, these consultations
will lead to a practical position that guarantees
market stability and remedies any anomaly," he said.
****
Monday, December 04, 2000, updated at 09:54(GMT+8)
Yemeni President Meets Arafat on Mideast Crisis
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh met Sunday,
December 3, with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on
the persisting Palestinian "intifada" (uprising) and
Israel's excessive use of force against the
Palestinian people in occupied territories.
Arafat briefed Saleh on the results of his recent
contacts and meetings with leaders of Arab countries
on the Mideast situation and the Palestinian issue.
Saleh praised the Palestinian "al-Aqsa intifada" and
highlighted the Yemeni people's support for it.
The Palestinians launched the "al-Aqsa intifada"
after Israeli right-wing politician Ariel Sharon's
provocative visit to the al-Aqsa compound in East
Jerusalem on September 28 triggered violent clashes
between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers.
Saleh stressed the necessity of Arab and Islamic
material support for the Palestinian people until
they restore their legitimate rights, including the
right to self-determination and the right to
establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its
capital.
The Yemeni president also underscored the importance
of implementing the resolutions of the Cairo Arab
Summit in October and the ninth summit of the
Organization of Islamic Conference in Qatar in
November, especially the resolutions on the
Palestinian issue.
"The protection of the Palestinian people and the
Islamic holy sites in the occupied Palestinian
territories is an Arab and Islamic responsibility,"
Saleh said.
He urged the international community to shoulder its
humanitarian responsibility for stopping the
"annihilation war" waged against the Palestinian
people, and called on the United Nations and the
Security Council to deploy a peace-keeping force in
Palestine to protect the unarmed Palestinian people
and their holy sites.
Arafat also spoke highly of the bold positions of the
Yemeni leader and his support for the Palestinian
rights and the intifada.
On Sunday evening Saleh hosted an "Iftar" (Muslim
breakfast) banquet in honour of Arafat and his
delegation.
Arafat, who arrived here Sunday afternoon after a
visit to the United Arab Emirates, left for home in
the evening.
****
China, Mongolia Vow to Further Military Ties Chinese Defence Minister Chi
Haotian said Sunday that China expects to further friendly military
cooperation with Mongolia.
In a meeting with Suren Baasankhuu, state secretary of the Ministry of
Defence of Mongolia and his party, Chi noted that China attaches importance
to developing the good-neighborly friendly cooperation with its neighbors,
including Mongolia.
Chi, who is also vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and a
state councilor, said that the two countries have been helping each other
and the bilateral cooperation has developed rapidly in recent years.
He said that the defence ministers and the chiefs of general staff of the
two countries have realized exchange visits in the past few years, marking
a further step in bilateral military relations.
Baasankhuu said that the Mongolian military is willing to conduct all-round
friendly cooperation with the Chinese military, adding that the cooperation
has been expanded and deepened in recent years.
He said that he believes his current visit to China will be helpful to the
furthering of the cooperation between the two countries and their
militaries.
****
Public Security, Judicial Organs Urged to Guarantee Social Stability Wei
Jianxing, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the
Communist Party of China Central Committee, urged public security and
judicial departments on Saturday, December 2, to spare no effort to
maintain social and political security.
This is important for ensuring the smooth implementation of the country's
10th five-year plan set for social and economic development in 2001-2005,
he said at a two-day national conference on political and legal work, which
closed Saturday.
Wei called on these departments to play an important role in cracking down
on hostile forces both at home and abroad, elements that undermine ethnic
unity, key members of cult organizations, criminal offenders and economic
crime offenders.
Noting that there exist factors affecting social stability, he said public
security and judicial departments will encounter many new problems with
China's entry into the World Trade Organization. He requires the
departments to seek new measures to guarantee that China's open-up and
modernization drive continues smoothly.
Local officials should be responsible for major accidents or criminal cases
endangering social stability in their respective areas, he said.
****
Cubans Rally to Urge Panama to Extradite Terrorist Suspects Over 200,000
Cubans rallied in Havana December 2 to demand the extradition of Luis
Posada Carriles and his "accomplices" to Cuba, who were accused of trying
to murder Cuban President, Fidel Castro.
Cuba's First Vice President , Raul Castro, also took part in the rally, in
which participants said, "We don't want revenge, we want justice".
Posada Carriles and three Cubans were arrested on November 17 in Panama for
trying to murder Castro during the 10th Ibero American Summit.
The Cuban foreign ministry formally requested Panama the " quick"
extradition of Posada Carriles and his three associates on Friday.
Posada is charged of participation in the explosion of a Cuban airplane in
1976, killing 73 people, and bombings in a Havana hotel in 1997, killing
one Italian tourist.
Panama Rejects Extradition of Suspected Castro Killers Panama rejected
Cuba's request for the extradition of four Cuban exiles accused of
conspiring to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
If the suspects are tried in Panama and proven guilty, Luis Posada Carriles
and his three associates would be punished in Panama rather than sent to
Cuba where the death penalty awaits them, said Panamanian First Vice
President Arturo Vallarino.
****
Yugoslav President Meets China's Foreign Minister Yugoslav President
Vojislav Kostunica told visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan on
Saturday, December 2, that it is of strategic importance for his country to
develop relations with China.
Briefing Tang on the latest developments of the situation in Yugoslavia,
Kostunica said that to develop the Yugoslavia-China relationship is of
strategic significance for Yugoslavia, as his country is aware that China
plays an important role in establishing a fairer, new international order.
During the meeting, Tang conveyed Chinese President Jiang Zemin's
invitation for Kostunica to visit China and Kostunica accepted it with
pleasure.
Kostunica said Yugoslavia and China enjoy the traditional friendly and
cooperative relations between them and bilateral relations have bright
prospects for development.
On the Kosovo issue, Tang said China strongly opposed the air campaign
against Yugoslavia by the U.S.-led NATO and maintains that the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of Yugoslavia must be fully respected.
China also maintains that the U.N. Security Council resolution No. 1244
should be carried out in real earnest and equal rights of ethnic groups in
Kosovo be guaranteed effectively, Tang said. He also called for the early
and total lifting of the sanctions against Yugoslavia.
Kostunica said he approved China's positions on dealing with problems in
the Balkans. He also reaffirmed his country's "one China" policy.
Later in the day, Tang also held talks with Yugoslav Prime Minister Zoran
Zizic and his counterpart Goran Svilanovic.
Tang, who arrived here Saturday, will also visit Albania, Hungary and
Poland during his current four-nation European tour.
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