EGYPT – MIDDLE EAST – Nile Water Diversion

Files released: 5543061

On Monday February 27th, 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files, over five million e-mails from the Texas headquartered “global intelligence” company Stratfor. The e-mails date between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal’s Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The emails show Stratfor’s web of informers, pay-off structure, payment laundering techniques and psychological methods.

Released on 2013-02-19 00:00 GMT

EGY/EGYPT/MIDDLE EAST

Table of Contents for Egypt

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1) America’s Political Angst Invites Creative Diplomacy“America’s Political Angst Invites Creative Diplomacy” — The Daily StarHeadline2) Writer Says World Cup Has Given Country, Africa ‘Good Press Coverage’Report by Mxolisi Nkosi, deputy director-general in charge of AfricaBilateral Relations in the Department of International Relations andCo-operation, writing in his personal capacity: “Chance to Change ourFortunes” – “The World Cup has Given us a Taste of What it Feels like toHave Good Press Coverage.” – “We Need to Do What We Can to Keep it thatWay”3) Iraqi vice-president leaves Cairo4) Iran’s President Ahmadinezhad Arrives To Meet Muslim Leaders at D-8Summit5) Ahmadinejad To Meet Muslim Leaders at D8 Summit After New Sanctions6) Nigeria, Other Developing Countries Adopt Common Framework for BankingSectorsReport by Idris Ahmed: “Nigeria, Iran, Pakistan Adopt Common BankingRules”7) Speaker Receives Kuwaiti Flotilla Activists“Speaker Receives Kuwaiti Flotilla Activists” — KUNA Headline8) Headlines of Kuwaiti English Dailies Issued Tuesday, June 8, 2010“Headlines of Kuwaiti English Dailies Issued Tuesday, June 8, 2010” —KUNA Headline9) Ahmadinejad Calls For Iran-Mali Cooperation10) Egypt security forces open fire at, injure two Nigerian infiltratorsinto Israel11) FM Calls Development Of Cooperation With Muslim States ‘Iran’sPriority’12) All Segments of Society Must Take Part in Combating Corruption, SaysConference“All Segments of Society Must Take Part in Combating Corruption, SaysConference” — The Da ily Star Headline13) Iranian Sunni Dawah, Reform Group Secretary General Birani on ItsAffiliationsInterview with Iranian Sunni Dawah and Reform Group Secretary GeneralAbdulrahman Mohammad Birani by Khalid Mahmud, from Cairo: “SecretaryGeneral of Iranian Da’wah and Reform Group: Opposition is Closest to Us”14) Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Official Confirms Election of ShuraCouncil MembersReport by Muhammad Hamidah: “MB Members Refuse To Announce Names of ThoseWho Won Their Shura Council Election; MB Secretary General Mahmud HusaynConfirms Authenticity of News About Group Holding Election for Its ShuraCouncil”15) Eritrean killed in attempt to infiltrate from Egypt into Israel16) Xinhua ‘Roundup’: Zimbabwe, China Strengthen Economic CooperationXinhua “Roundup”: “Zimbabwe, China Strengthen Economic Cooperation”17) Egypt’s Constitutional Court suspends ruling allowing Copts’ secondmarriage18) Egyptian Police Kill Eritrean MigrantXinhua: “Egyptian Police Kill Eritrean Migrant”19) Egyptian president attends Naval Academy’s graduation ceremony20) Suez Canal Revenue up 10 Pct in JuneXinhua: “Suez Canal Revenue up 10 Pct in June”21) Egypt’s foreign affairs, international cooperation ministers head forEthiopia

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1) Back to TopAmerica’s Political Angst Invites Creative Diplomacy“America’s Political Angst Invites Creative Diplomacy” — The Daily StarHeadline – The Daily Star OnlineThursday July 8, 2010 01:25:43 GMTThursday, July 08, 2010

The two modern Amer ican masters of Machiavellian diplomacy, HenryKissingerand Zbigniew Brzezinski, both practiced their art at timescomparable to thisonewith the United States suffering from reversals inwar and loss ofconfidence in its political leadership.So it-s aninteresting thought exercise to imagine how a nationalsecurity adviserwith the secretive, back-channel style of a Kissinger orBrzezinski wouldplay America-s diplomatic hand now. Mind you, I-mnot suggesting whatpolicies these two would actually recommend today butinstead, what a morecreative diplomatic approach might produce in a time ofdifficulty.When Isay ‘creative,’ what I partly mean is devious. BothKissinger andBrzezinski did not always state publicly what they were doing inprivate.After the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, Kissinger opened a secretintelligencechannel to the Palestine Liberation Organization, at the very timehe wasbranding it a terrorist group and refusing open recognition. Similarsecretconversations surrou nded the entire Arab-Israeli peace process.Not all ofKissinger-s machinations were successful: He blessed a Syrianinterventionin the Lebanese civil war in 1976 to aid the Christians againstthePalestinian Liberation Organization that arguably still causes trouble.Buthe created space and options for an America that had otherwise beenweakened bythe Vietnam war.Brzezinski, too, was adept at concealing hishand and adding heft to thedrifting presidency of Jimmy Carter. When anemboldened Soviet Union marchedinto Afghanistan, Brzezinski crafted asecret intelligence alliance with Chinaand Pakistan to check the Soviets.Here, too, we are still living with some ofthe negatives. But it must besaid, the Soviet Union is no more.Let-s look at how this approach might beapplied today in four problemareas: Iraq, the Arab-Israeli mess, theIndia-Pakistan standoff and the endgamein Afghanistan. Again, I want tostress these gambits are in the style of thevenerable strategists but notnecessarily what they would advocate now.Iraq is a place where America,having fought a messy war, must now shapepolitical outcomes with minimaluse of force. It-s a place where you haveto hope the CIA has been busymaking friends and contacts, and where a strongUS ambassador will beessential. It-s good that Vice President Joe Bidenspent the July 4 weekendthere, urging formation of a new government. He metall the right parties;now he and the new ambassador, Jim Jeffrey, will need topull those stringshard.The Palestinian problem is one where I hope the US is engaging insome secretdiplomatic contacts – with Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan,Egypt, thePalestinian Authority and, yes, even Hamas. When the open roadseems blocked,that-s a time to experiment with new passages. History tellsus that whenAmerica makes secret contact with rejectionist groups, theysplit; that-swhat happened with the PLO in 1974.The India-Pakistanstalemate has been in the ‘too hard’ box foryears. B ut as withnegotiations in the 1990s between Britain and the IrishRepublican Armyover Northern Ireland, America can subtly encourage greatercontact betweentwo parties – and facilitate the exchanges ofcounterterrorism intelligenceand military information that will be essentialin building confidence.India-s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants asettlement; the US mustencourage reciprocal moves by Pakistan that make bothcountriessafer.Finally, there is the sublime strategic challenge of Afghanistan.The arrivalof General David Petraeus is a useful ‘X-factor’ there. Hewillgive the Taliban second thoughts about the otherwise shaky propositionthat theUnited States and its allies can reverse the enemy-s momentum onthebattlefield.But the real test will be in back-channel contacts withreconcilableadversaries – something at which Petraeus was adept in Iraq.The Obamaadministration needs to decide what kind of outcome it wants, andthen useevery element of power – overt and co vert, military anddiplomatic- to achieve it. Secret contacts with elements of the Talibanwill beespecially useful if they can gradually build confidence about whateach sidecan deliver.Perhaps all of these diplomatic corkscrews arealready at work. It-s inthe nature of successful secret diplomacy that youdon-t know about ituntil it-s over – and maybe not even then. But if everthere were amoment when a battle-fatigued United States needs a wilystrategist to exploreoptions, this is it.Just who could play this roleamong the administration-s current cast ofcharacters isn-t obvious, andthat-s a problem President BarackObama should address.Syndicated columnistDavid Ignatius is published twice weekly by THE DAILYSTAR.(Description ofSource: Beirut The Daily Star Online in English — Website of theindependent daily, The Daily Star; URL: http://dailystar.com.lb)

Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by thesource cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyrightholder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. ofCommerce.

2) Back to TopWriter Says World Cup Has Given Country, Africa ‘Good Press Coverage’Report by Mxolisi Nkosi, deputy director-general in charge of AfricaBilateral Relations in the Department of International Relations andCo-operation, writing in his personal capacity: “Chance to Change ourFortunes” – “The World Cup has Given us a Taste of What it Feels like toHave Good Press Coverage.” – “We Need to Do What We Can to Keep it thatWay” – The Star OnlineWednesday July 7, 2010 08:06:28 GMT(Description of Source: Johannesburg The Star Online in English — Websiteof the daily described as the “flagship” publication of IndependentNewspapers, it is one of South Africa’s most popular dailies and carriescredible, balanced reporting and commentaries from a wide range ofauthors. Its editorials tend to be critical of the government. URL:http://www.thestar.co.za/)

3) Back to TopIraqi vice-president leaves Cairo – MENA OnlineWednesday July 7, 2010 07:26:47 GMTText of report by Egyptian state-run news agency MENA websiteCairo, 7July: Iraqi Vice-President Adil Abd-al-Mahdi left here Wednesday (7 July)wrapping up a several days’ visit to Egypt during which he met withPresident Husni Mubar ak for talks on the latest developments in Iraq.TheIraqi official also held talks with Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Nazif onefforts exerted to form the new Iraqi government and ways to promotebilateral relations in all domains.Abd-al-Mahdi was seen off at theairport by Minister of Tourism Zuhayr Jarana.(Description of Source: CairoMENA Online in English — Government news agency; URL:http://www.mena.org.eg)

4) Back to TopIran’s President Ahmadinezhad Arrives To Meet Muslim Leaders at D-8 Summit– AFP (World Service)Wednesday July 7, 2010 19:32:56 GMT(Descrip tion of Source: Paris AFP (World Service) in English — worldnews service of the independent French news agency Agence France Presse)

5) Back to TopAhmadinejad To Meet Muslim Leaders at D8 Summit After New Sanctions – AFP(World Service)Wednesday July 7, 2010 18:34:24 GMT(Description of Source: Paris AFP (World Service) in English — world newsservice of the independent French news agency Agence France Presse)

Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by thesource cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. ofCommerce.

6) Back to TopNigeria, Other Developing Countries Adopt Common Framework for BankingSectorsReport by Idris Ahmed: “Nigeria, Iran, Pakistan Adopt Common BankingRules” – Daily Trust OnlineWednesday July 7, 2010 10:14:43 GMT(Description of Source: Abuja Daily Trust Online in English — Website ofthe independent pro-North daily; URL: http://www.news.dailytrust.com/)

7) Back to TopSpeaker Receives Kuwaiti Flotilla Activists“Speaker Receives Kuwaiti Flotilla Activists” — KUNA Headline – KUNAOnlineTuesday June 8, 2010 12:51:24 GMTKUWAIT, June 8 (KUNA) — Kuwaiti National Assembly (parliament)SpeakerJassem Al-Kharafi received in his office on Tuesday Kuwaitiactivists,including MP Walid Al-Tabtabai, who were onboard Gaza-bound aidships, whichwere raided by Israeli forces last week.During the meeting,the speaker hailed the Kuwaiti activists for their greatefforts to supplyhumanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been under athree-yearIsraeli blockade.He also hailed the positive outcomes of the Israeliattack on the FreedomFlotilla aid ships trying to break the Israeliblockade on the salient,including Egypt’s indefinite reopening of RafahCrossing, international supportfor the besieged Palestinians.For theirparts, the activi sts deeply thanked HH the Amir, parliament speakerandKuwaiti people for wonderful reception upon return from the hardmission.(Description of Source: Kuwait KUNA Online in English — Officialnews agency of the Kuwaiti Government; URL: http://www.kuna.net.kw)

8) Back to TopHeadlines of Kuwaiti English Dailies Issued Tuesday, June 8, 2010“Headlines of Kuwaiti English Dailies Issued Tuesday, June 8, 2010” —KUNA Headline – KUNA OnlineTuesday June 8, 2010 09:34:36 GMTKuwait Times ===========.– Turkey turning screws on Israel.– No respitefor ja iled Jassem.– Government denies Arab peace plan pullout.– Tahouspromises grilling surprises.Arab Times =========.– Britain, Italy callfor aid to flow again to Gaza.– Rafah stays open: Egypt.– Iran RedCrescent to send 3 aid ships… Turks to foster Palestinian unity.Al WatanDaily =============.– “Pollution” interpellation support dwindles.–Power cut continue, energy demands still high.– Kuwait index falls to6-month low on global growth concern.– Jewish flotilla to break Gazasiege.– Kuwait, GCC countries debate over domestic laborersconditions.(Description of Source: Kuwait KUNA Online in English —Official news agency of the Kuwaiti Government; URL:http://www.kuna.net.kw)

9) Back to TopAhmadinejad Calls For Iran-Mali Cooperation – Mehr News AgencyWednesday July 7, 2010 15:31:28 GMTintervention)

TEHRAN, July 7 (MNA) – In a meeting with his Malian counterpart, PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad called for promotion of Tehran-Bamako cooperation inall fields.Heading a high-ranking delegation, Ahmadinejad arrived in Malion Tuesday for a 24-hour visit. He is to visit Nigeria for the Group ofEight Developing Countries (D8) summit (4-8 July) later thisweek.Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan andTurkey are the D8 members.There is a sense of solidarity between Iran andMali, Ahmadinejad said, adding that the two countries share culturalaffinities.Elsewhere in his remarks, Ahmadinejad stated that the twocountries shoulder a great responsibility and it is of prime importancethat Iran and Mali help each other build up their nations.He went on tosay that another responsibility of the two countries is to cooperate inthe international arenas to promote justice and peace all over theworld.Amadou Toumani Toure, for his part, thanked Ahmadinejad for hisvisit and called for boost of cooperation.Ahmadinejad also held talks withMalian Prime Minister Modibo Sidibé. They discussedcooperation, particularly in the agricultural and industrial fields.Malihas great potential to develop its agriculture and turn itself into one ofthe greatest exporters of agricultural products, Ahmadinejad noted.Inanother meeting, the president negotiated with Mali’s former president andformer African Union chairman.Africa has great potential to take an activepart in the international arenas, Ahmadinejad told Alpha OumarKonare.Ahmadinejad said Iran’s relations with African countries are of aspiritual and brotherly nature.Konare, for his part, welcomed efforts toboost Iran-Africa cooperation.(Description of Source: Tehran Mehr NewsAgency in English — conservative news agency; run by the IslamicPropagation Office, which is affiliated with the conservative Qomseminary; www.mehrnews.com)

10) Back to TopEgypt security forces open fire at, injure two Nigerian infiltrators intoIsrael – MENA OnlineWednesday July 7, 2010 13:46:53 GMTText of report by Egyptian state-run news agency MENA websiteRafah, Egypt,7 July: Two Nigerians were wounded while trying to infiltrate into Israelvia the Rafah border checkpoi nt.Security forces monitoring theinternational borders between Egypt and Israel spotted two Nigerians whiletrying to sneak into Israel near the international border sign No. 8,south of Rafah and Karam Abu-Salim crossings.The two Africans refused tocomply with orders to stop, forcing the border guards to open fire atthem.The wounded were moved to the Rafah Central Hospital and aninvestigation was launched.(Description of Source: Cairo MENA Online inEnglish — Government news agency; URL: http://www.mena.org.eg)

11) Back to TopFM Calls Development Of Cooperation With Muslim States ‘Iran’s Priority’ –Fars News AgencyWednesday July 7, 2010 11:55:56 GMTintervention)

FM Calls Development of Cooperation with Muslim States “Iran’sPriority”TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottakiannounced that development and expansion of cooperation with Muslimcountries sets a top priority for Tehran.”Iran attaches a high priority tothe development of cooperation with Islamic and developing countrieswithin the framework of the D8 and spares no efforts to strengthenrelations with the (D8) member countries,” Mottaki said on Tuesday,addressing the 13th meeting of the D8 council of foreign ministers inAbuja, Nigeria.The meeting of foreign ministers of the eight Muslimdeveloping countries (D8) is due to study the draft statement of anupcoming heads-of-state summit due to be held in Abuja on July 4-8.Duringhis speech, Mottaki also referred to Iran’s proposal for the establishmentof a joint inves tment fund, and said the offer indicates Iran’s politicalresolve for expanding its cooperation with the D8 members.The IslamicRepublic of Iran believes that strengthening the south-south cooperation,regional arrangements, consolidation and deepening of multilateralrelations within the framework of the D8 are important for confrontationagainst the consequences of the global economic meltdown, Mottaki said.TheD-8 or Developing Eight are a group of developing countries with largeMuslim populations that have formed an economic development alliance. Itconsists of Iran, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria,Pakistan, and Turkey.(Description of Source: Tehran Fars News Agency inEnglish — hardline pro-Ahmadinezhad news agency; headed as of December2007 by Hamid Reza Moqaddamfar, who was formerly an IRGC cultural officer;www.fars.ir)

Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by thesource cited. Permission for use must be obtained fr om the copyrightholder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. ofCommerce.

12) Back to TopAll Segments of Society Must Take Part in Combating Corruption, SaysConference“All Segments of Society Must Take Part in Combating Corruption, SaysConference” — The Daily Star Headline – The Daily Star OnlineThursday July 8, 2010 01:30:44 GMTThursday, July 08, 2010

BEIRUT: Combating corruption requires the participation of all segmentsofsociety, according to the coordinator of the Lebanese Anti-BriberyNetwork(LABN) Fadi Saab.'(Combating bribery) is difficult because itrequires the participationof all sectors of society,’ said Saab.Speakingduring a conference convened by the Lebanese Transparency Association(LTA)at the Inter Continental Phoen icia Hotel in Beirut on Wednesday,Saabhighlighted the three requirements for combating corruption.’Theestablishment of a system to root out bribery requires awarenessamong allparties of the expense of corruption and its negative effects ontheeconomy in general and on every individual,’ said Saab, voicinghisbelief that eradicating corruption needed a ‘change in thementality,methodology and way of thinking.’According to Saab, the secondrequirement was providing necessary mechanisms tofight corruption. ‘We arein need of a methodology comprising a series ofmorals and policiesallowing accountability and transparency in all ourwork,’ he said.Finally,the LABN official underlined the need of a ‘legal frameworkenabling us ofidentifying corrupt acts and hold corrupt peopleaccountable,’ adding thatLTA was working on a project to combatcorruption.The event that saw theannouncement of the recommendations to reform thetaxation system alongwith the real state and electricity sectors, was held incooperation withLABN and the Center for International Private Enterprise’CIPE.’BesidesSaab, a number of experts including CIPE-s regional manager inthe MiddleEast and North Africa (MENA) Abdel-Wahab al-Qabsi spoke at theconference.Saab said LTA has posted some documents on itswebsitehttp://www.transparency-lebanon.org/ that would help inimplementing laws andtechniques related to combating corruption.’We areworking on this project under a parliamentary framework to makesure thatofficial employees reveal their possessions before being appointed totheirposts so that we can hold them accountable if they did not pay theirdues,’said Saab.’We should not classify corruption in categories, a large,medium orsmall-scale corruption, for all types of corruption are bad,’ headded.Saab noted that combating corruption was a long process because somestates hadgotten used to corruption.Meanwhile, Qabsi touched on studiesconducted by CIPE to enhance democracy inthe world. ‘(Our) partnershipwith the LTA is one of the bestpartnerships on the international level dueto the high level of awareness inLebanon,’ he said, adding that this‘partnership has done a lot ofwork and developed projects to combatbribery and corruption.’He added that some documents and studies publishedby LTA have becomeinternational, with many used in states like Yemen andEgypt.The CIPE official said corruption was a two-fold problem, for ‘thereisone side offering bribery and another accepting it,’ calling forworkingon both sides of the matter.Qabsi pressed the drafting of a law tocombat corruption and called forboosting accountability, along withprotecting and enhancing the private sector.Following speeches by Saab andQabsi, the audience was briefed onrecommendations.Head of the economicresearch department in Byblos Bank, Nassib Ghobreel,presented to theattendees the results of an administrative corruption surveyinLebanon.Also, head of the internati onal commerce chamber Wajih al-Bizri,presented theProfessional Morals Charter.Suggestions related to theelectricity sector were outlined by Jina ShammasMrad, Director General ofTomorrow-s Advice, a consultancy firm.Chairman of ‘Al-Majal’ companylisted the recommendations relatedto the real estate sector.Finally, LTA-sgeneral director Yahya Hakim detailed the recommendationsof the taxationsystem.At the end of the conference, the LABN issued a handbook called,‘WhatShould You Know About Your Rights when you (your company) is SubjecttoAudit?’The handbook includes recommendations for owners of companies onhow to protecttheir rights when their companies witness financialaudit.(Description of Source: Beirut The Daily Star Online in English —Website of the independent daily, The Daily Star; URL:http://dailystar.com.lb)

13) Back to TopIranian Sunni Dawah, Reform Group Secretary General Birani on ItsAffiliationsInterview with Iranian Sunni Dawah and Reform Group Secretary GeneralAbdulrahman Mohammad Birani by Khalid Mahmud, from Cairo: “SecretaryGeneral of Iranian Da’wah and Reform Group: Opposition is Closest to Us” –Al-Sharq al-Awsat OnlineWednesday July 7, 2010 23:32:05 GMTIn an exclusive interview in the Iranian capital, Tehran (interview wasconducted by E-mail from Cairo with Birani in Tehran), which is his firstthis year with any Arab or foreign media organ outside Iran, Biranistresses that there is no organizational link between his group and anyside outside Iran, including the Muslim Brotherho od Group.

Birani considers that the Da’wah and Reform Group is the only organizationthat has activities within all the circles of the Sunni society in Iran,with all its sides and ethnic groups. He rejects the claims that the groupreceives any aid from any Arab or Islamic sides.

With regard to the dispute between the reformists and the conservatives inIran, Birani says: We see common aspects between us and each of the twosides, but the reformists are closest to us because of their intellectualopenness, and their defense of pluralism to the extent of allowing someelite Sunnis in their reformist parties even at the level of decisionmaking.

On the other hand, Birani points out that after the declaration of theresults of the last presidential elections, the group opted not to engagein protests in order to – as he says – protect the interests of theSunnis.

It is worth noting that Birani, who was born in Iran’s Kermanshah Provincein 1954 and obtained a Bachelor Degree in Shari’ah Science at TehranUniversity, is about to argue his doctorate thesis in international law atAl-Nilayn Universities. Birani also has been the secretary general of theDa’wah and Reform Group since 1991.

The following are the text of the answers by Birani to the questionsaddressed to him by Al-Sharq al-Awsat via E-mail, which was organized,with our appreciation, by Dr Luqman Studah (name as transliterated),official in charge of public relations of the Da’wah and Reform Group:

(Mahmud) Some people consider you as part of the InternationalOrganization of the Muslim Brotherhood, but you reject this claim. Whatthen are the limits of this relationship?

(Birani) The Da’wah and Reform Group is an Iranian Islamic group that wasfounded before the Islamic revolution in 1979 by ulema and Islamic callersinfluenced by the intellectual ideas of the Muslim Brotherhood Group.However, the group is independent in its decision making and stances, andits relations with the Muslim Brotherhood remain within the domain ofconcepts, and of benefiting from the Muslim Brotherhood expertise andexperiences.

(Mahmud) Are you a part of the International Organization of the MuslimBrotherhood?

(Birani) We are not a part of the International Organization of the MuslimBrotherhood.

(Mahmud) What are your relations with the Muslim Brotherhood center inCairo?

(Birani) Naturally, as acting Islamic group we have good relations withthe Islamic movements and their symbols, especially the Muslim Brotherhoodleaders; however, we have no organizational link to any side outside thecountry.

(Mahmud) How does the Iranian Government treat you, as you are notofficially a party?

(Birani) From the beginning of its foundation, the group has taken intoconsideration the ethnic diversity, the sectarian differences, and thehistorical disputes, and has dealt with them realistically a nd wisely.The group has adopted a centrist course in ideology and behavior that isfar removed from extremism and arousing disputes. Thus, the domain ofactivities of the group has widened and reached all the provinces in whichSunnis live, at the level of the ulema and the private Shari’ah schools,and also reached the student circles, the women sector, and the civilsociety institutions. The group has preserved its relations with the othertendencies at home. At the level of the Muslim world, we have relationswith the intellectual leaders, the ulema, and the symbols. We have been afounding member of the Federation of Private Associations in the MuslimWorld and also of the International Association of Muslim Scholars.

We have decided to adhere to the principle of dialog and of resolving theproblems through legal means away from the media clamor. In exchange forthis, the government deals with us in a semi-official way. We considerthat this method is the best to resolve our problems. Ultimately we are onthe side of freedom for all, political openness, and mutual trust betweenthe people and the government.

(Mahmud) Are there contacts or dialogs between you and the authorities inTehran?

(Birani) Yes, there are dialogs and meetings with some of the authoritiesconcerned.

(Mahmud) What is the number of your members within Iran? What are thesources of finance for the group?

(Birani) We are the only organization that has activities within all thecircles of the Sunni society in Iran with all its sides and ethnic groups,be they Persian, Kurdish, Baluchi, Torkuman, Arab, Talysh, Azeri, or anyother ethnic group. Therefore, we have hundreds of symbols, thousands ofmembers, and huge masses of supporters and followers. The group isfinanced through the help of the members, and its charitable supportersand sympathizers.

(Mahmud) Do you receive aid from any Arab or Islamic side?

(Birani) No, we a re an independent group in every aspect, including theeconomic aspect. We do not receive any foreign aid. However, the charitydepartment of the group might sometimes cooperate with some othercharities to build mosques and Shari’ah schools, to support orphans, andhelp the poor.

(Mahmud) How do you see the Arab and Muslim stance toward the issues anddemands of the Sunnis in Iran?

(Birani) We reject any interference by any country in the affairs of othercountries. At the same time, there are sectarian minorities in someIslamic societies; there are intellectual and historical disputes thathave not started now, and some of them go back a thousand years, and theycannot be resolved quickly or lightly; also there are grounds to arousethese disputes, and to transform them into conflicts and aggressionagainst the rights, and hence squander the resources of the nation, as wehave seen in some neighboring countries, as divisions and disputes candevelop into con flicts and fighting, which is extremely dangerous.Therefore, it would have been better for the governments, the intellectualelites, and the ulema to focus on these issues, and to cooperate togetherto resolve the problems in civilized peaceful ways.

There is no doubt that the sectarian disputes are an important part of thereality that cannot be ignored, and also it is not right to stir them up.We believe that a fanatical reaction to sectarian fanaticism and thestirring up of dispute will not serve resolving the problem. Previously wehave submitted a proposal in this concern to the most erudite scholarShaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, God preserve him, chairman of the InternationalAssociation of Muslim Scholars, as a project calling for the drafting of adocument to include the rights and duties of the Sunni and Shiite Muslimminorities in the Muslim countries in the same way we have witnessed theblessed efforts with regard to the rights of the Muslim minorities in th ewestern societies.

(Mahmud) Do you support Jundullah group? What is your stance toward them?

(Birani) Avoiding violence is one of the intellectual and behavioralpillars of the group, as is recorded in our documents. We have opted toavoid violence under any circumstances as an unalterable firm foundation,and as an operation method to interact with others, and also in order tocreate the political and social development in society according to ourunderstanding of the Koran and Sunnah. Therefore, we reject violence inany form and from any side, and we do not believe that violence can be ameans to establish what is right.

(Mahmud) What is your opinion of Shaykh (Abdolhamid) Isma’il Zehi, whopresents himself as the religious supreme authority for the Sunnis inIran?

(Birani) In fact we have not heard His Eminence Shaykh Abdolhamid, Godpreserve him, define himself in this capacity. At the same time, he is oneof the leaders of the Sunnis, and has made good and highly appreciatedefforts, especially in Baluchistan; there are other Sunni groups,tendencies, symbols, and leaders.

(Mahmud) In your opinion, how is the situation of the Sunnis now in Iran?Do you consider that the Sunnis are exposed to discrimination orpersecution?

(Birani) The leaders of the Sunnis attached great hopes to the Islamicrevolution in Iran. They hoped that it would put an end to the historicaldisputes and hatred, and would provide equality among citizens. Theleaders of the revolution succeeded in drafting a Constitution thatresponds to most of the demands of the society in general, and grants thebasic rights and public freedoms to all citizens; however, some of thearticles of the Constitution stipulate that the official school ofthinking is the Ja’fari one, and prevent the Sunnis from becomingpresidential candidates, and these articles were then objected to by someSunni leaders. However, the percentage of success in implementing theConstitution has been less than expected because of reasons that we arenot going to list. Therefore, there are problems, and naturally we do notdeny the existence of these problems.

On the other hand, not all doors are closed. For instance, as the issue ofnot allowing the building of mosques for the Sunnis in the capital Tehranbecame notorious, we contained it through a compromise by opening in thecapital a number of prayer corners for holding the Friday prayers, theprayers of the two Ids, and the night prayers of Ramadan; the governmentdeals with these prayer corners with tolerance, and sometimes cooperate tosolve the emerging problems of these corners.

(Mahmud) Do you have a stance toward the current dispute between thereformist tendency and the conservatives?

(Birani) On the basis of the intellectual bases of the group, we can seecommon aspects with each of the two sides, but the reformists are closestto us because of their intellectual openness, and their defense ofpluralism to the extent of allowing some elite Sunnis in their reformistparties even at the level of decision making. For this reason, we weresupporting the reformists in the presidential and parliamentary elections.In the last elections we supported the reformist candidate MirhoseynMusavi in an extensive way, and we issued a statement in which we pointedout the most prominent rights and demands of the Sunnis. However, afterthe declaration of the election results, we opted not to engage in theprotests in order to preserve the interests of the Sunnis.

(Mahmud) How do you see the clamor surrounding Iran’s nuclear program?

(Birani) We consider that using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is aright for all peoples, as it is needed by the times, and we consider thatto deprive any people of this right is unacceptable. The Islamic Republicof Iran always stresses that its nuclear activities are peaceful, and that it does not want nuclear arms; therefore, Iran is entitled to have thisenergy for peaceful purposes, and it is wrong to deprive Iran of it. Weare in favor of a world free of nuclear weapons, and we hope that thiswill happen.

(Mahmud) Do you support the continuation of Iran’s occupation of the UAEislands?

(Birani) First: We do not agree to the use of the word occupation. Second:We all know that there are border disputes between most of the countriesin the region, which would be better to resolve through dialog. The sameapplies to the islands. There ought to be a dialog, and themisunderstanding ought to be removed. There is no doubt that Iran andfraternal UAE are bound by religious and cultural common factors, inaddition to a high level of family links between the two peoples. Thisdispute ought to be resolved in a peaceful and civilized way, and we hopethat this will happen.

(Mahmud) How do you see the attempts to bring the Sunnis and the Shi itescloser together?

(Birani) There is no doubt that the idea of rapprochement and dialogbetween the followers of the schools of thinking has been the blessedfruit of the good efforts undertaken by prominent leaders of thecontemporary Islamic awakening such as Sayyid Jamal-al-Din (al-Afghani),Muhammad Abduh, Rashid Rida, Imam (Hasan) al-Banna, the ulema of Al-Azhar,and Shaykh Muhammad Taqiy al-Qimmi. They have launched a wise projectaimed at Islamic unity, and bringing the followers of the schools ofthinking closer together, and the first rapprochement house wasestablished in Cairo. This project has been one of the fruits of thereformist intellectual school that paved the way for accepting the other,and for dealing with the different opinions on the basis of the principleof the legitimate diversity of opinions and interpretative judgment. Thisopenness is expressed by the golden rule: “Let us cooperate on what weagree, and excuse each other in what w e do not agree.” The MuslimBrotherhood Group has adopted this concept, and according to it ageneration of thinkers has been brought up in the school of MuslimBrotherhood, and these thinkers have risen above the ethnic, national,linguistic, and sectarian differences, and they deal with them in acivilized Islamic way. This has become the law of the group and itscharacteristic.

After the Islamic revolution in Iran, the World Forum for Proximity ofSchools of Islamic Thought was established. This forum has held manyinternational conferences attended by some ulema and leaders of thinkingat home and abroad, and it has exerted a great deal of effort and achievedseveral aims. However, in the light of the current circumstances underwhich the disputes, conflicts, and challenges have increased, and themutual trust between the two sides has shrunk, we consider that theachievement of the aspired for aim of Muslim unity requires strong andsincere will in addition to the participation of the influentialintellectual authorities from both sides; moreover, this requires theagreement of the public opinion, and its being convinced of the need forrapprochement, because getting the agreement of the intellectual andpolitical leaders on some issue is the easy part, but convincing thepeople is the major part of the issue.

(Description of Source: London Al-Sharq al-Awsat Online in Arabic —Website of influential London-based pan-Arab Saudi daily; editorial linereflects Saudi official stance. URL: http://www.asharqalawsat.com/)

14) Back to TopEgyptian Muslim Brotherhood Official Confirms Election of Shura CouncilMembersReport by Muhammad Hamidah: “MB Members Refuse To Announce Names of ThoseWho Won Their Shura Council Election; MB Secretary General Mahmud HusaynConfirms Authenticity of News About Group Holding Election for Its ShuraCouncil” – Ilaf.comWednesday July 7, 2010 20:15:47 GMTThe MB secretary general confirmed to Ilaf the authenticity of the newsabout the MB holding an election for its Shura Council. He stressed that:“the election has been actually completed and the members of the new ShuraCouncil have been elected.” He added: “However, the group will notannounce the names of the Shura Council members.”

Dr Husayn said that the MB’s abstention from announcing the names of themembers of the new council “is not an extraordinary situation that isoccurring for the first time. Rather, it is a tradition within the MB.” Headded: “Never in its history has the MB announced the identity of themembers of its Shura Council.” He pointed out that, moreover, a finaldecision is yet to be made regarding the names of the MB candidates forthe forthcoming People’s Assembly election. He said that the group mightpostpone this matter until the very last minute, as a precautionarymeasure against any potential security blows.

The MB conducted a secret ballot election to select the members of the newShura Council. This was in order to avoid any security blows that mayaffect the completion of the process. This was also to prevent therepetition of what happened during the previous election of the MBExecutive Guidance Bureau. The MB held this election in the open for thefirst time, thus enraging the security services. After the election wasover, the security services arrested MB Deputy General Guide Mahmud Izzat,together with four Guidance Bureau members and 12 other MB leader s.

The MB Shura Council election has resulted in a slight 16-percent changein the structure of the council. The Shura Council comprises 100 members.Some 75 members are elected members and represent all governorates, while15 members are appointed by the MB Guidance Bureau. It is worth notingthat the election results have enraged the so-called MB reformist trend.Some members of this trend have complained about the continued dominationof the conservative trend over the council and the deliberate exclusion ofreformists. Ilaf

has been informed that the membership of Dr Muhammad Habib and DrAbd-al-Mun’im Abu-al-Futuh, former Guidance Bureau members who areproteges of the reformist trend, is still valid in the new council. Thisis in accordance with the MB bylaw, which grants any former two-yearmember of the Guidance Bureau permanent membership in the Shura Council.This condition applies to them.

Regarding the rumors about the MB amending its i nternal bylaw andseparating the Guidance Bureau membership and the Shura Councilmembership, the MB spokesperson said that this matter is still under studyand is yet to be settled. He added that the issue of whether or not the MBmembers will be allowed to continue to hold dual membership in both theGuidance Bureau and the Shura Council is left up to the Shura Council tohave its say in this matter. He said that: “the Shura Council willdetermine whether or not the members will be allowed to continue to holddual membership.” He added that, among the other issues on the table isthe issue of no longer allowing anyone to combine the post of MB generalguide and the post of Shura Council speaker.

Some MB members have proposed the amendment of the current bylaw. Theyhave called for separating the executive and legislative bodies of thegroup. This is in addition to separating the post of MB general guide andthe post of speaker of the MB Shura Council.

For his part, former MB Deputy General Guide Muhammad Habib holds the viewthat: “it is impermis sible for the Guidance Bureau, which is theexecutive body, to be the party that operates, monitors itself, and holdsitself accountable.” He added: “It is also impermissible for the generalguide, the members of the Guidance Bureau, and the heads of theadministrative offices to be members of the MB Shura Council.” He noted:“If the regime allows the ministers to be members of both the People’sAssembly and Shura Council, we should not follow in its footsteps.”

(Description of Source: London Ilaf.com in Arabic — Saudi-owned,independent Internet daily with pan-Arab, liberal line. URL:http://www.elaph.com/)

15) Back to TopEritrean killed in attempt to infiltrate from Egypt into Israel – MENAOnlineWednesday July 7, 2010 18:08:11 GMTText of report by Egyptian state-run news agency MENA websiteRafah, Egypt,7 July: An Eritrean was killed while attempting to sneak into Israel viathe borders with Egypt on Wednesday (7 July).The man, 36, was spotted bysecurity guards while approaching international borders in Al-Kontillaarea, central Sinai. He ignored all warnings to stop, prompting the guardsto shoot him dead. His body was taken to Al-Arish GeneralHospital.(Description of Source: Cairo MENA Online in English —Government news agency; URL: http://www.mena.org.eg)

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16) Back to TopXinhua ‘Roundup’: Zimbabwe, China Strengthen Economic CooperationXinhua “Roundup”: “Zimbabwe, China Strengthen Economic Cooperation” –XinhuaWednesday July 7, 2010 16:52:24 GMTBy Tichaona Chifamba and Gretinah Machingura

HARARE, July 7 (Xinhua) –The eighth session of the Zimbabwe/ China jointpermanent commission ended in Harare on Wednesday with a pledge by the twocountries to widen and deepen economic cooperation.The two countriesdiscussed ways of enhancing various cooperation projects already beingimplemented and new ones in the energy, agriculture, manufacturing,transport, tourism and water sectors.An agreement was also sig ned forChina to provide 1.5 million U. S. dollars to the China-ZimbabweFriendship Hospital in Mahusekwa, Mashonaland East Province, for medicalequipment and drugs.The hospital is part of the several projects thatinclude two primary schools and an agricultural demonstration center thatChina is constructing in Zimbabwe as part of the eight measures agreed toat the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in 2006 inBeijing.Other support from China includes a 200 million U.S. dollarsbuyer’s credit facility extended by the China Exim Bank for procurement ofagricultural inputs to boost food production in Zimbabwe.Zimbabweanforeign minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi praised China for setting ashining example to other world donors by honoring pledges it made toassist Zimbabwe under the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation.Mumbengegwinoted that under the eight measures enunciated by Chinese President HuJintao at the FOCAC heads of state summit in Beijing in 2006, pro jectsearmarked for Zimbabwe are now at various stages of completion.The Chinesegovernment has also dispatched 10 agricultural experts and 23 volunteersto buttress the cooperation.”By successfully implementing these measures,China has set a shining example for other donors and internationalcooperating partners who do not always honor their commitments,”Mumbengegwi said at the opening of the eight session.He said Zimbabwe isalso willing to learn and benefit from China’s experience and expertise inthe economic sphere, which has transformed the country into a globaleconomic powerhouse.”Zimbabwe will, therefore, welcome Chinese investmentand is ready to discuss during the joint commission specific projects inthe energy, agriculture, manufacturing, transport, tourism and watersectors,” he said.Mumbengegwi thanked China Exim Bank for extending the200 million U.S. dollars buyer’s credit loan repayment period from five toeight years, saying this woul d give Zimbabwe the breathing space to turnaround its economy and enhance capacity to repay loans extended byChina.”The payment of the arrears and extension of the repayment period onthe 200 million U.S. dollars buyer’s credit loan have paved the way forincreased cooperation between Zimbabwe and China, ” he said.While hailingChina as a good example of a reliable and dependent donor partner,Mumbengegwi said he hoped the Asian country will similarly implement neweight measures announced by Premier Wen Jiabao at the fourth ministerialconference of FOCAC held in Egypt last year.He said the projects that havebeen identified for implementation in Zimbabwe are in critical sectors ofenergy, water, health, education, agriculture and social infrastructure.Anumber of hydro, thermal, gas and solar power projects had been identifiedin Zimbabwe for investment by Chinese companies, Mumbengegwi said, addingthese have capacity to contribute 3, 100 megawatts to the nati onal gridwhen completed.The output is more than the country’s current nationalenergy requirement of 2, 100 MW.Mumbengegwi also said the improvedmacro-economic environment prevailing in the country should spur economiccooperation between Zimbabwe and China.There is need for finalization ofloan applications to finance infrastructure projects submitted to ChinaExim Bank to help Zimbabwe quickly move from the stabilization phase tosustainable economic growth, he said.He also called for clear strategiesto expedite implementation of various mining projects that Zimbabwe hasentered into with various Chinese companies.Zimbabwe, the minister said,also wanted to enhance cooperation with China in such sectors as humanresources development, Information Communication Technology and scienceand technology research.Chinese deputy minister of industry and commerceJiang Zengwei hailed Zimbabwe-China economic cooperation, noting that inspite of the difficulties posed by the globa l economic recession,bilateral trade between Zimbabwe and China has maintained an upwardtrend.”In 2009 bilateral trade between the two countries stood at 297million U.S. dollars, up by 5.6 percent from the previous year. From thatChina’s exports were 156 million U.S. dollars and imports from Zimbabwewere 141 million U.S. dollars. In the first four months of this year ourbilateral trade stood at 224 million U.S. dollars, up by 125 percent yearon year. From that China’s imports from Zimbabwe already exceeded itsexports to Zimbabwe, which is 125 million U.S. dollars, by 90 percent yearon year,” he said.He expressed the hope that the two countries wouldcontinue to deepen economic cooperation and their traditional friendshipdating back to the days of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.He alsocommended Zimbabwe’s political leaders for establishing an inclusivegovernment, saying the new government would enable Zimbabwe to overcomesome of its economic challenges and also create a more conduciveatmosphere for economic cooperation with China. “I believe theestablishment of the new government will lay a solid foundation forZimbabwe to overcome the current difficulties and achieve economicrecovery and social development. The establishment of the new governmenthas also created very good conditions for China and Zimbabwe to conductfurther mutual benefit cooperation.””The Chinese hope that we canstrengthen our cooperation with our Zimbabwean counterparts to ensure thesmooth operation of the new government and help Zimbabwe to realize theearly recovery of its economy and social development,” the Chinese deputyminister said.(Description of Source: Beijing Xinhua in English — China’sofficial news service for English-language audiences (New China NewsAgency))

17) Back to TopEgypt’s Constitutional Court suspends ruling allowing Copts’ secondmarriage – MENA OnlineWednesday July 7, 2010 15:47:41 GMTText of report by Egyptian state-run news agency MENA websiteCairo, 7July: The higher constitutional court has suspended a previous ruling bythe higher administrative court obligating Pope Shenouda III of Alexandriato issue a second marriage permit to Majdi William Yusuf.Pope Shenouda hadreceived two court orders to allow Yusuf to re-marry; the most recent wasby the higher administrative court on 29 May 2010 and another by theadministrative court on 20 February 2007.The two rulings contradictAl-Wayli (Cairo locality) Appeals Court ruling in favour of the pope in 2008. The last ruling has not been challenged and is thus deemedfinal.(Description of Source: Cairo MENA Online in English — Governmentnews agency; URL: http://www.mena.org.eg)

18) Back to TopEgyptian Police Kill Eritrean MigrantXinhua: “Egyptian Police Kill Eritrean Migrant” – XinhuaWednesday July 7, 2010 13:53:02 GMTRAFAH, Egypt, July 7 (Xinhua) — Egyptian border guards on Wednesday shotand killed an Eritrean migrant who was attempting to infiltrate intoIsrael through a cross border point in the Egyptian town of Rafah.

General Mang er of Al-Arish Central Hospital Sami Anwar told Xinhua thatthe body of an Eritrean man, 36, was transformed to the hospital, but diedof severe bleeding due to a gun shot.Egyptian-Israeli borders have longbeen a transit for illegal African migrants who seek jobs in Israel.Egypthas killed dozens of African migrants near the border in the past twoyears.(Description of Source: Beijing Xinhua in English — China’sofficial news service for English-language audiences (New China NewsAgency))

19) Back to TopEgyptian president attends Naval Academy’s graduation ceremony – MENAOnlineWednesday July 7, 2010 12:3 1:48 GMTText of report by Egyptian state-run news agency MENA websiteAbu Qir,Alexandria, 7 July: President Husni Mubarak, the Supreme Commander of theArmed Forces, attended here Wednesday the graduation ceremony of a newbatch of Naval Academy cadets.President Mubarak was welcomed at the venueof the celebration by Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and Ministerof Defense and Military Production Field Marshal Husayn Tantawi, Chief ofStaff of the Armed Forces Lt. General Sami Anan, Naval Forces CommanderVice Admiral Muhab Mimish and a number of senior armed forces figures.Atthe beginning of the ceremony, the cadets gave a salute to PresidentMubarak using signal flags and blinker lights.They also used nauticalsignal flags to coin the phrase “welcome Mr. President”.The graduatesperformed some sports activities using oars to show their physicalfitness.They also performed a show stimulating the successful d estructionof an oil facility in Ras Sedr during the Sixth of October war to bar theenemy from exploiting the country’s oil sources along the eastern coast ofthe Gulf of Suez.Established in October 1946, the Egyptian Naval Academyis the country’s scientific military college, set up to supply the Armywith professional engineers.Graduates of the Academy are commissioned asofficers in the Egyptian Navy.(Later at 1117 gmt, Mena published thatEgypt’s President Mubarak inaugurated a police hospital with a capacity of260 beds on 10 feddans in Alexandria.)(Description of Source: Cairo MENAOnline in English — Government news agency; URL: http://www.mena.org.eg)

20) Back to TopSuez Canal Revenue up 10 Pct in JuneXinhua: “Suez Canal Revenue up 10 Pct in June” – XinhuaWednesday July 7, 2010 09:41:05 GMTCAIRO, July 7 (Xinhua) — Revenue from the Suez Canal rose by 10 percentto 383.7 million U.S. dollars in June, as against 348 million dollars inJune 2009, a local source told Xinhua on Wednesday.

According to the source, the total number of vessels transiting theinternational waterway dropped to 1,482 in June from 1,562 in May.Thecanal is one of the primary sources of Egyptian national income. Openingin 1869, the Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway connecting theMediterranean with the Red Sea, facilitating water transportation betweenEurope and Asia with no need to navigate around Africa.(Description ofSource: Beijing Xinhua in English — China’s official news service forEnglish-language audi ences (New China News Agency))

21) Back to TopEgypt’s foreign affairs, international cooperation ministers head forEthiopia – MENA OnlineWednesday July 7, 2010 07:53:21 GMTText of report by Egyptian state-run news agency MENA websiteCairo, 7July: Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu-al-Ghayt and Minister of InternationalCooperation Fayzah Abu-al-Naja left here for Addis Ababa on a brief visitto Ethiopia during which they will hold important talks with EthiopianPrime Minister Meles Zenawi.The talks will cover the Nile water file andlegal issues of controversy in the framework agreement on cooperationamong the Nile basin states.(Description of Source: Cairo MENA Online inEnglish — Government news agency; URL: http://www.mena.org.eg)

Horn Affairs አፍሪካ ቀንድ

EGYPT – MIDDLE EAST – Nile Water Diversion

By Esleman Abay

May 30, 2024