Gaddafi says he is ready for martyrdom inside Libya

Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo/Tripoli (dpa) - Fugitive Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi said he is still fighting along his supporters inside the country and is ready to die as a martyr, according to loyalist websites on Tuesday.

   "I am with you on the ground, though they say Gaddafi is in Venezuela or Niger," he said in a speech aired on the Bani Walid radio station, and posted on pro-Gaddafi online groups.

   Gaddafi's whereabouts have been unknown since rebels took over Tripoli in August, but he has sent several messages through loyalist media urging his followers to keep on fighting.

   "Resistance and martyrdom are for heroes and we are waiting for martyrdom ... do not be sad, do not become weak because victory needs patience," he said, addressing the Warfalla tribe, which comprises almost one sixth of Libya's population of 6 million.

   Bani Walid, south-east of the capital Tripoli, is one of Gaddafi's two remaining strongholds, where fighting between rebels and Gaddafi forces have been ongoing for around two weeks.

   Fighting also continues in the coastal city of Sirte, the second city to be controlled by pro-Gaddafi forces.

   Rebels have taken over the strategic port of Sirte, the hometown of Gaddafi, a military source told the German Press Agency dpa, adding that fighters were now advancing in a bid to take over nearby residential areas.

   Colonel Roland Lavoie, spokesman of NATO's Libya mission, said that recent developments in Sirte and Bani Walid have showed that remaining Gaddafi forces refuse to recognize their defeat, and that they are hiding in urban areas and using humans as shields.

   He told reporters from Naples that NATO aircraft spotted numerous staging points in densely populated areas, endangering the population. One of those areas is the premises of Sirte hospital, where Gaddafi forces feel safe from NATO aircraft.

   NATO also urged the Transitional National Council to make plans to destroy chemical weapons, which were recently found by rebels in the southern desert of the country.

   The council's leader, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, said Saturday that "banned weapons" were under their control and that they will get the help of local experts and the international community to get rid of these weapons safely.

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Saudi woman sentenced to 10 lashes for challenging driving ban

Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) - A Jeddah court on Tuesday sentenced a woman to 10 lashes for defying Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving.

   Other women are believed to be facing similar charges for driving, rights activists said online.

   The sentence comes two days after King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz announced that women will be appointed as members of the parliament, and be allowed to run for municipal elections in 2015.

   "This all proves that the kingdom has two levels of addresses, one for foreign sides and another local repressive one," Saudi rights advocate Waleed Abul Khair wrote on his Twitter account.

   Amnesty International stated Tuesday that the sentence "demonstrates the scale of discrimination against women in the kingdom."

   "Belatedly allowing women to vote in council elections is all well and good, but if they are still going to face being flogged for trying to exercise their right to freedom of movement, then the king's much-trumpeted 'reforms' actually amount to very little," said Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Philip Luther.

   Saudi Arabia remains the only predominantly Muslim country that has yet to allow women the right to vote or drive. Although there is no law that bans females from driving, licenses are not issued to women.

   Saudi Arabian women are also still fighting to abolish male guardianship laws, which require many women to have male chaperones, and end segregation of the sexes.

   "Saudi Arabia needs to go much further. The whole system of women's subordination to men in Saudi Arabia needs to be dismantled," Luther added.

   Since June, scores of women have driven vehicles in Saudi cities to put pressure on the monarchy to change the law.

   The "Women2Drive" movement began online to encourage women to drive as part of their normal daily activities, rather than converging in one place.

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Egypt parliamentary elections to begin on November 28

Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) - Egypt is to hold parliamentary elections, the first to be held in the country since the ouster of president Hosny Mubarak, as of November 28, the country's military rulers said Tuesday.

   The polls for the lower house of parliament will take place over three stages, with each stage covering nine constituencies.

   The second and third stages are slated for December 14 and January 3 respectively. Run-offs are to be held by January 10.

   The first session of the new parliament will be held on March 17.

   Elections for the Shura Council, or upper house, are set to start on January 29 and end by March 11. The first session of the upper house is scheduled for March 24.

   The set dates represent a one-week delay from the timeframe proposed by the High Election Commission chief last week, when he proposed November 21 to March 4 for holding the polls.

   Egypt's ruling military council, which has held power since ousting Mubarak in February, has been under increasing pressure to set a date for elections for the promised transition to democracy.

   The council also announced a new electoral law that establishes  the distribution of electoral constituents. It also allocates two-third of parliamentary seats to a party list system and the last third to individual candidacy.

   The lower house, or People's Assembly, will have 498 seats, while the Shura Council will comprise 270 seats.

   The law says half of the seats in each house will be contested by workers and peasants. Moreover, each party must have at least one female candidate on its list.

   Individual candidates must be independent and must not join a political party as long as they are in parliament.

   Following the parliamentary elections, a committee will be set up to draft a new constitution for the country and will have around six months to finish its work.

   Presidential elections will take place after the constitution is finished.

   In the last parliamentary election, in November, Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party won nearly 90 per cent of the vote.

   Parliament was dissolved after Mubarak stepped down on February 11.

Military rulers' moves eyed with suspicion in Egypt

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) - For the past few months, decisions taken by Egypt's military rulers have been received coldly by many people, who slam them as more of the same old tactics employed by past, disdained regimes.

   When a one-minute video showing Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, walking in central Cairo, eyebrows were immediately raised.

   He was wearing civilian clothes, shaking hands with people. No security could be seen. It was aired on state television late Monday. Since then, Egyptians have been asking: What could be the intentions behind it?

   The video was seen as a beginning of an elections campaign, either for Tantawi, or any other military member, who might announce his candidacy for presidency.

   "Just like surprise official visits during (former president Hosny) Mubarak's rule, the field marshal was just randomly walking in downtown Cairo, and Egyptian State television cameras just happened to be there," one activist - who goes by the nickname 'agenda' - wrote on Twitter.

   While the military was credited for its support of the January 25 revolution, which unseated Mubarak, it has also been criticized for using force against demonstrators since then, setting a slow pace for reforms and postponing handing over power to a civilian rule.

   The decline in the council's popularity has made many people reject a new president with a military background.

   "By the way, this is not, and will never be, the 1952 revolution," wrote political activist Wael Ghonim.

   Since the 1952 revolution, when a group of army officers seized power from King Farouk, all four presidents of Egypt have had military ties.

   "Well I cannot hear anyone chanting 'The army and the people are one hand,'" said student Ahmed Salem as he watched the video on his computer. He was referring to a famous slogan protesters used when the army was stationed in Tahrir square on January 28 after three-deadly days of clashes between protesters and the police.

   One blogger even accused the council of releasing a two-year-old video for Tantawi and using it in trying to restore the army's popularity among Egyptians. The blogger also attacked Egyptian television, saying it featured a journalist "who is (a) remnant of the old regime to suggest that Tantawi is the most fit to rule Egypt now."

   "We congratulate Tantawi for his new civilian suit," journalist and activist Belal Fadl wrote. "But regarding this whole issue about him being able to lead the country, we want to tell him: 'If you love Egypt, forget it.'"

   Tantawi's late night stroll came two days after he gave testimony - behind-closed doors - at a trial where Mubarak is accused of giving orders to kill protesters.

   Tantawi has been under attack after a journalist defied the media ban on the session and published on Twitter what he said was Tantawi's testimony.

   So far there has been no official reaction to the leak. The reported testimony has angered activists, saying it is biased to Mubarak.

   The military council has promised to hand over power to an elected president within six months of taking over after Mubarak stepped down on February 11. However, more than seven month have passed and the council has not set a date for presidential elections.

   "Dear Tantawi, we are calling for a civilian rule, not a civilian suit," wrote another activist on Twitter.

Saudi women get political role, but no driving license

Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo/Riyadh (dpa) - Although still not allowed to drive, Saudi Arabian women will be appointed as members of the parliament, and be allowed to run for and vote in the municipal elections, King Abdullah said on Sunday.

   "In Islamic history, women have had roles that cannot be marginalized," Abdullah told members of the parliament, known as the Shura Council.

   "Women will be members of the Shura council from the next round, and starting the next polls women will be able to run for the municipal elections following Islamic rules," he added.

   The King's decree is seen as the latest development in what has been known as the "Arab Spring," where Saudi activists have been campaigning to pressure the king into giving women more rights in the conservative Gulf state.

   "We have been waiting for these decisions for such a long time. But late is better than never," Saudi rights activist Waleed Abul Khair said.

   "We wish that women's right to drive was among those decisions. I just hope it would not have to wait for the king's speech in front of the new council some years later," he told the German Press Agency dpa.

   The Shura council is the formal advisory body of the oil-rich kingdom. It has limited powers and cannot pass or enforce laws. All 150 members are appointed by the king. The current term ends in 2013.

   Municipal elections are the only polls in Saudi Arabia.

   However, women still do not have the right to vote or run as candidates in the current municipal polls, to be held on Thursday.

   Saudi Arabia remains the only predominantly Muslim country that has yet to allow women the right to vote or drive. Although there is no law that bans women from driving, licenses are not issued to women.

   Samar Badawi said she was the first woman to file a suit against the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs for upholding the ban on women taking part in the local polls.

   "Now, we will take the time until the coming elections to raise awareness among women in order to have a wider range of women ready for the polls," said Badawi, who plans to run for the elections after four years.

   Yet, she is not yet happy with the expansion of women's role in the country's political life.

   "Can you imagine a woman not being able to go to a government office by herself to finish some paper work? We want more," she said.

   Saudi women also cannot travel unless they are accompanied by a male guardian or are over 45 years old. They also need the consent of a father or an elderly male to marry.

   On Thursday, more than 5,300 men will compete in the municipal elections, only the second in Saudi Arabia's history. They are competing for half the seats of the 285 municipal councils. The other half are appointed by the government.

   The first elections were held in 2005, but the government kept postponing the elections for two more years.

   Saudi King Abdullah, seen as a political and social reformer, has promised to bring social changes to the country.

   His decision, which is in defiance to the country’s senior clerics, who oppose giving women more of a voice, comes amid ongoing unrest across the Middle East and growing calls for democracy and change.

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Rights group: Less freedom of expression in post-Mubarak Egypt

 Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) - A human rights group said on Sunday that emergency law - recently reactivated by the Egyptian government - had resulted in repressive practices and a decline in freedom of expression in the country.

   “Freedom of opinion and expression in Egypt is experiencing a serious turning point, especially with the insistence of the Military Council to enforce emergency law and even expand its competencies,” said the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.

   The government said this month that emergency law was being applied to fight terrorism and anarchy, and to prevent people from "publishing false news."

   The rights organization said the Sunday issue of Sawt Al-Ummah newspaper had been confiscated by authorities, without giving reasons.

   The newspaper's editor Abdel-Halim Qandil said that issue included a report on the country's intelligence body, which was led for years by Omar Suleiman, a confidante of former president Hosny Mubarak.

   The Cairo-based rights group also reported that a prominent researcher, Amr al-Shobaky, was harassed by airport security officials on Saturday, on his way back from Beirut.

   However, airport officials on Sunday denied targeting al-Shobaky, and said that a technical failure had delayed procedures for a while.

   French journalist Marie Josette Duboc was denied entry to Egypt on Saturday. Her name was on the airport security list of persons banned from entering because she had written articles that "harm Egypt’s reputation."

   The Arabic Network said that Duboc was an activist who had resided in Egypt for three years, during which time she wrote a number of articles on labourers and social movements in Egypt.

   A Lebanese blogger was also denied entry few weeks ago and was deported to Beirut, without official explanation.

   The group demanded that the ruling military council "immediately cease the application of the flawed emergency law, and give logical reasons for the oppressive practices that took place recently."

   Lifting the 30-year-old emergency law was one of the main demands of protesters who took to the streets in January, calling for the ouster of Mubarak and his regime.

   The military council had promised in March that emergency law would be lifted prior to the parliamentary elections, scheduled for November. However, in September it said emergency law will be in effect until June 2012.

   Emergency law was imposed following the assassination of president Anwar Sadat in October 1981.

Second woman ever elected to UAE's advisory council

Author: Nehal El-Sherif


   Dubai (dpa) - One woman was elected on Saturday in the United Arab Emirates polls for the advisory Federal National Council (FNC), which has limited legislative powers.

   Sheikha Eisa Ganem won 892 votes to become the second woman elected ever. One woman was elected in the historic 2006 elections.

   The National Election Committee announced the results from six emirates. Results from the seventh, which is the capital Abu Dhabi, will be delayed until after midnight due to technical failures in one of the polling stations.

   E-voting systems have been installed in all polling stations, which are electronically tallying up the votes.

   Around 460 candidates - including 85 women - were vying for 20 seats in the FNC, in the second elections in UAE history. The other half of the 40-member council will be appointed by the president and members of the Supreme Council.

  Ahmed al-Jarwan, one of the winners in al-Sharjah emirate, told the German Press Agency dpa that he plans to open an office to teach young Emiratis the principles of political participation so they would be qualified to compete in the next elections in four years.

   Almost 130,000 people - or approximately 12 per cent of UAE nationals - were qualified to cast their ballots across the country's seven emirates.

   "We want more participation from youth and we want to expand the authority and the role of the FNC in the future," Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, told reporters.

   Although the UAE has a president and constitution, each of the seven emirates - Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain - is ruled by emirs who each have absolute power within their territories.

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Saleh's return brings anger, confusion to Yemeni crisis

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo/Sana'a (dpa) - Abdul Rahim Alsamie was one of millions of Yemenis taken aback by the sudden return of President Ali Abdullah Saleh to the country on Friday, after spending more than three months recovering in Saudi Arabia.

   "He sneaked into the country under cover of darkness," said Alsamei. "Right after the news was announced, the shelling on protesters began, leaving seven people injured."

   After Friday's weekly prayers, Alsamie was joined by thousands in the southern city of Taiz for the funeral and burial of one of his relatives. He was one of several killed when government forces shelled the city centre with heavy artillery over recent days.

   "Despite Saleh's abrupt return, people now are more resolved than ever to continue their path," he said.

   Saleh arrived in Sana'a early Friday, following a week of bloody clashes in Yemen that left more than 100 people dead, mainly in the capital, after violence began on Sunday.

Source: epa

   Anti-Saleh protests started in February, and were met with a violent crackdown that left hundreds dead. According to Alsamie, a recent list gathered by doctors and activists showed that 687 people had died across Yemen since the unrest began.

   An attack on Saleh's presidential palace in early June forced him to seek medical help in the neighbouring ally, Saudi Arabia.

   In a country of 23 million people, few believe that Saleh returned from Riyadh to rescue a situation that had deteriorated under his son Ahmed, who leads the Republican Guard forces and has been blamed for most of the violence occurring in Sana'a and Taiz.

   A diplomat based in Beirut, who has close links with officials in Riyadh, said the president's 42-year-old son had refused a request by vice president Abd-Rabu Mansur Hadi to withdraw troops from the streets of Sana'a, as part of a fragile ceasefire with opposition.

   "Saleh is now locked up in a dispute with his close family, which has rejected his bid to leave power and hand it over to Hadi," he said.

   "Saleh's surprise return to the country will no doubt inflame battles between forces loyal to him and his opponents, and lead the country to unknown future," the diplomat added.

   While many houses in Sana'a suffer from recurrent power cuts, the news of Saleh's reappearance was spread by the sound of gunfire, as supporters celebrated his return.

   They took to the streets near his presidential compound carrying his picture, singing and dancing from the early morning.

   "I am so happy, I was dancing everywhere," one woman told the state-run television.

   But others were in shock, as they never expected that he would return.

   "We ask ourselves if he is coming back with Saudi Arabian and US instructions to solve the crisis. But we all know his military, tribal background, meaning he probably came back with the spirit of revenge," Taiz-based activist Abdu Ali told the German Press Agency dpa.

   After the initial surprise, many decided to roll up their sleeves for more fighting against government troops.

   "Now Saleh is more capable of violence and less apt to dialogue and stepping down," said activist Shatha al-Harazi.

   She believes that the Gulf-brokered deal has now been shelved, and sees his return as a new manoeuvre and a challenge to the will of the people.

   Saleh has repeatedly refused to sign the deal, brokered by the six countries comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council, although it offers him immunity against prosecution and aims to ensure a peaceful transition of power in the country.

   The opposition Joint Meeting Parties have signed the agreement, yet protesters rejected it, saying Saleh should be tried for the killing of protesters.

   "His return will not change the young people's minds, it will just make it easier for us to put him on trial," she added.

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IMF: Political, security uncertainty hinders Mideast growth

By Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo/Washington (dpa) - Oil-exporting states in the Middle East will lead economic growth in the region, where pro-democracy uprisings have been pushing for political changes over the past nine months, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday.

   Despite scattered protests in both Iraq and Saudi Arabia, forecasts estimate that they will join Qatar for a 5 per cent economic growth rate in 2011 and about 4 per cent in 2012, driven by natural gas and oil exports.

   Oil importers, such as Egypt, Syria and Tunisia, have a much lower forecast at 1.5 per cent in 2011, with a slightly better outlook of 2.5 per cent in 2012, the World Economic Outlook report said.

   The report was released in Washington ahead of the IMF's annual meeting with the World Bank on Friday and Saturday. Overall, the IMF noted that the world's most important advanced economies are suffering low growth, exacerbating high government deficits that in turn are destabilizing banking systems and threatening economic growth worldwide, creating what IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard called "vicious feedback loops."

   Egyptians and Tunisians were the first two Arab populations to oust their long-time leaders this year, after mass demonstrations took to the streets for weeks in January across the two countries. Shortly afterwards, the wave of popular protests spread to other Arab countries, including Yemen, Libya and Syria.

   However, large-scale labour strikes in Egypt and a group suicide attempt of five unemployed men in Tunisia still make headlines eight months later as the two countries struggle to create political and social stability.

   The IMF report also said that activity in several economies of the Middle East and North Africa is being adversely affected by social unrest and ongoing conflict, which are weighing heavily on tourism receipts, capital flows, and investment.

   According to a recent UN report, political instability in popular tourists spots including Egypt, Tunisia, and Syria prompted a 13 per cent drop in arrivals to North Africa and an 11 per cent fall in the Middle East.

   Protesters calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, which began six months ago, have faced a bloody government crackdown, leaving at least 2,700 people dead, forcing tourists away and triggering a series of sanctions by the US and the EU.

   In light of social unrest rocking the region, the report pushed for the need of an "inclusive medium-term growth agenda that establishes strong institutions to stimulate private sector activity, opens up greater access to economic opportunities."

   A key medium-term objective would mean restructuring fiscal policies that the report claims would reduce poverty and create greater employment opportunities, particularly among the young, which have been the main reasons driving political upheaval in the region.

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Egypt and Turkey are "one hand," Erdogan says on Cairo visit

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) - Egypt and Turkey will be the "bright faces of the region," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday, during a visit aimed at strengthening ties with Egypt through increasing investments and political cooperation between Ankara and Cairo.

   "I think that the two nations will be the bright faces of the region," Erdogan said after his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Essam Sharaf.

   The Turkish premier's three-day visit to Cairo is part of an "Arab Spring" tour that will also take him to Libya and Tunisia.

   Erdogan received a warm welcome at Cairo airport when he arrived late Monday. A large crowd greeted him outside the Cairo Opera House, where he gave a speech Tuesday evening.

   "Egypt and Turkey are one hand," Erdogan told his audience, in one of the few sentences he spoke in Arabic.

   He is currently seen as a hero by many Egyptians after cutting diplomatic relations and freezing military and trade ties with Israel the previous week, over the 2010 killing of nine Turkish activists aboard a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship.

   During a 30-minute speech at the Arab League, he was interrupted several times by the applause from foreign ministers.

   Addressing the ministers at the organization's headquarters in Cairo, Erdogan called on Arab states to carry out reforms that would bring about justice and democracy in the region.

   "Without delay, political and social reforms should be carried out to meet people's legitimate demands to fulfill justice, security and democracy," he said.

   "We should be resilient at this moment where history is being written," he added.

   As he left the building, Erdogan stopped and shook hands with people from the cheering crowd who carried posters with his photograph.

   Erdogan addressed the Arab League meeting after his meeting with Egypt's military ruler and defence minister, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, during which they discussed political and economic cooperation.

   Later Tuesday the Egyptian and Turkish premiers signed an agreement to increase trade from the current 3 billion dollars to 5 billion dollars. Turkey will also work towards increasing its investments in Egypt from 1.5 billion dollars to 5 billion dollars.

   The two countries also signed several agreements related to electricity, natural resources, oil, tourism, education, media, culture and sports, the Egyptian cabinet announced.

   Erdogan also met the grand imam of the Al-Azhar institution, Ahmed al-Tayeb, to discuss the current developments in the Arab world, and the future of the cooperation between Turkey and Al-Azhar, which is the largest Sunni institution and university in the Muslim world.

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Arab states reiterate support for Palestinian statehood

Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) - Arab states fully support a planned Palestinian bid before the United Nations for recognition as an independent state, the head of the Arab League said on Tuesday.

   "We are waiting for the Palestinian leadership's decision whether they will address the General Assembly or the (UN) Security Council," Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi said, following a ministerial meeting of the 22-member organization.

Erdogan addressing the Arab League in Cairo

   The Arab League meeting precedes the forthcoming session at the United Nations, where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to request UN recognition for an independent state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

   Al-Arabi said that, though the General Assembly cannot announce the Palestinian state as a member without the council's recommendation, it can declare Palestine as a non-permanent member.

   "This means that talks with Israel will be between two countries discussing main issues, rather than negotiating the existence of the Palestinian state," Al-Arabi told reporters, after a closed session for the Arab foreign ministers in Cairo.

   "It also means the Palestinian territories will be recognized as an occupied land, rather than disputed areas," he added.

   The United States has said it will oppose the Palestinian proposal in the security council.

   Yet, the Palestinians will likely try to push for a vote in the General Assembly, where the US does not wield as much control.

   Addressing the foreign ministers earlier Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his support for Palestinian statehood.

   "Palestinians must announce their independent state. This is not a choice, it's a necessity," said Erdogan, who was scheduled to meet Abbas later on Tuesday.

   "We should be one hand with the Palestinians. The Palestinian flag must be raised at the United Nations," he told the meeting.

   "Let's fly the Palestinian flag to be a symbol of justice and peace in the Middle East."

   Erdogan reiterated his criticism of Israel, saying it continued taking "irresponsible steps that undermine its own legitimacy."

   Turkey downgraded its diplomatic relations with Israel and froze military and trade ties over last year's killing of nine Turkish activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship.

   The premier said that Israel has isolated itself and must "pay the price" after refusing to apologize for the raid on the flotilla.

   The head of the Al-Azhar institution, Ahmed al-Tayeb, also expressed his support for the Palestinian bid, and called on all Arab countries to pressure the United States not to vote against the Palestinian demand.

   Al-Tayeb told reporters after his meeting with President Abbas in Cairo that it was a "just demand that reflects the right of the Palestinian people to live in safety and peace with its neighbours."

   Abbas said last week that he intends to submit the Palestinian's application for UN membership once he arrives in New York on September 19 for the General Assembly session.

   He has said he is taking this path because of the lack of any discernible peace talks with Israel, which presently occupies the land that would be the independent state. That has left the Palestinians no option but to try and achieve their aims through other routes.

   Israel opposes the Palestinian UN bid, saying a Palestinian state can only come into being as the result of negotiations.

   Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke off in September last year, after Israel refused Palestinian demands to extend a partial, limited 10-month freeze on construction at its West Bank settlements.

   Palestinians have insisted that no new talks can take place until a new freeze is implemented, including the Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem.

Egypt's ex-intelligence chief testifies in Mubarak's trial

Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) - Former Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman arrived at a Cairo court Tuesday to testify in the trial of ousted president Hosny Mubarak, the state-run daily Al-Ahram reported on its website.

   The session is being held behind closed doors.

   The judge even ordered security and police outside the court hall, Al Arabiya reported.

   Suleiman was the country's intelligence chief, until he was appointed deputy to Mubarak, as part of a cabinet reshuffle introduced by Mubarak in reaction to demonstrations last January calling for his ouster.

   Suleiman's last public appearance was his televised address announcing Mubarak's resignation on February 11.

   Mubarak, 83, is being tried on charges of ordering the killing of around 850 people during a popular revolt earlier this year. Ex-interior minister Habib and al-Adli and six former ministry officials face the same charges.

   Sixty-nine per cent of Egyptians believe the trial is progressing too slowly, a government poll showed on Tuesday.

   Only 15 per cent of participants said the trial is proceeding at a reasonable rate, according to the poll released by the cabinet's think tank, the Information and Decision Support Centre.

   Judge Ahmed Refaat, who presides over the case, promised a swift trial. Sessions have been held on regular weekly basis, faster than usual trials in Egypt.

   Of all those polled, 67 per cent said they approve of Mubarak's trial, while 13 per cent said they are opposed to the trial.

   Some said that Mubarak should be tried as a lesson to future leaders, while others only expressed their desire to find out whether Mubarak is guilty or not.

   Key testimony in the trial by the head of Egypt's ruling military council, Hussein Tantawi, will be held on September 24.

   Tantawi had originally been scheduled to testify Sunday. Sources said Tantawi failed to appear because he was busy with the security situation in the country.

   The court has barred the media from all these sessions in order to "preserve national security."

   Mubarak is also facing charges of corruption and abuse of power, along with his two sons, Alaa and Gamal. All defendants have pleaded not guilty.

   The trial began on August 3 after pressure from demonstrators demanding speedy and public prosecution of Mubarak.

Ugly American - for Arabs, Obama hasn't changed the image

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) - For years, former US president George W Bush was seen in the Arab world as the Ugly American. His speeches, his foreign policy and his whole administration were the target of endless Arab criticism and wit.

   People felt that the war on terror, declared by Bush shortly after the 9/11/2001 attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center, was targeting Islam, especially as hundreds of thousands civilians were killed following the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

   When an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at Bush near the end of his days in office, it was seen as "the best goodbye kiss ever" and video games of the scene were shared from Morocco to the Strait of Hormuz.

   Cautious relief spread across the region when President Barack Obama promised a "new beginning" in his 2009 speech in Cairo.

   But a poll recently conducted by the Arab American Institute in six Middle Eastern countries reflects negative sentiment toward US policies in the region. Obama's popularity rating came in at 10 per cent or less.

   The United States has been criticised in the Middle East for failing to adopt a clear policy towards uprisings sweeping the region.

   "US interests dominate its perception of developments in the region," says Abdel-Bary Taher, a Yemeni political analyst.

   Oil, fighting al-Qaeda and relations with Israel have dominated Washington's reactions towards what is known as the "Arab Spring," he believes.

   In Egypt, Obama was attacked for his late support for the pro-democracy protesters who camped in central Cairo calling for then president Hosny Mubarak to go.

   At the time, activists accused the US of being too late in choosing sides until after it was clear the military would take over.

   Again, Washington has only recently changed its stance towards the violent crackdown in Syria, after repeatedly urging Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to lead reforms in his country rather than leave office.

   In Yemen, the US stands accused of abandoning the people for the sake of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

   "The United States believed that Saleh was their ally in their fight against terrorism in the country, but he was only fooling them to keep them on his side," Taher says.

   Taher says Yemenis believe the Obama administration is in a position to pressure Saleh to leave power. They also believe the US is able to compel neighbouring Saudi Arabia to pressure Saleh to leave and end the six-month stalemate in Yemen.

   "They can simply pressure Saudi Arabia to stop hindering a political solution and democratic transition in the country," Taher says.

   Moreover, the Middle East peace process remains one of the region's key issues. While President Obama has created the expectation the conflict will be solved, nothing has been achieved.

   The net result is that the approval ratings for US policies in the region are now even lower than at the end of Bush's second term.

Day-long session of Mubarak's trial held amid courtroom chaos

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) - The trial of former Egyptian president Hosny Mubarak was adjourned after a day-long session on Monday that was marred with chaos and clashes inside and outside the courtroom.

   The court heard testimony about whether Mubarak's regime had ordered security forces to shoot at anti-government protesters during weeks of protests calling for the longtime leader's ouster earlier this year.

   Meanwhile, dozens were injured and 22 people were arrested after clashes broke out between Mubarak opponents and supporters outside the court, being held at the Police Academy on the outskirts of Cairo.

   Although the two previous court sessions were broadcast live on state television, no cameras, phones or recorders were allowed at Monday's session, which lasted nine hours. Judges said they had banned the broadcasts to protect the witnesses.

   However, some people in the courtroom managed to post details of the proceedings on social networking websites.

   Presiding judge Ahmed Refaat adjourned the trial until Wednesday. He had insisted on hearing testimony from four senior police officers, even as many lawyers on both sides left the courtroom in the middle of the day to protest the judge's silence towards clashes inside courtroom.

   The witnesses, who were summoned by the prosecution, were in the Interior Ministry operations room during the January 25 revolution that forced Mubarak to step down.

   Mubarak and his sons, Alaa and Gamal, have been charged with ordering the killing of protesters during this year's popular uprising.

   Former interior minister Habib al-Adli and six other ministry officials face similar charges. The defendants face the death penalty if found guilty.

   At least 850 protesters were killed and more than 6,000 were wounded in the January 25 revolution.

   The first witness, General Hussein Moussa, told the court that security forces did not have live ammunition while dealing with the protesters. However, he also said that weapons were transferred in ambulances to police stationed at the Interior Ministry, prisons and police stations, to protect them against attacks.

   He denied any knowledge that al-Adli had ordered police to shoot at protesters.

   However, lawyers said Moussa had previously told prosecutors that orders were given by Ahmed Ramzy, who is among the officials charged in the case, to shoot protesters after he was ordered to do so by al-Adli.

   When asked about Ramzy's orders, a second police witness said: "He told us 'consider these protesters as your siblings,'" human rights lawyer Gamal Eid wrote on his Twitter page from inside the courtroom.

   Eid, who represents several protesters injured during the uprising, responded by calling the statement, "real lies."

   A third witness was asked if there were orders to shoot the protesters if they reached the Ministry of Interior headquarters, located near Tahrir square. He replied that "orders were to shoot at people's legs and in the air."

   Meanwhile, the fourth witness said he did not know whether there were snipers targeting protesters from rooftops of buildings overlooking the square, which had been the focal point of protesters against the Mubarak regime.

   Official media reported that the Health Ministry had placed 15 ambulances on alert and had dispatched two mobile clinics to the court amid concerns about the clashes.

   Mubarak, his sons and Hussein Salem, a fugitive businessman, also face charges of corruption and wasting of public funds. They are accused of selling Egyptian exports to Israel at prices lower than the market value.

   Mubarak was forced to resign on February 11, after an 18-day uprising across the country demanding his ouster.

   The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has been running the country since then, but faces increasing pressure from protesters and accusations of protecting figures of the former regime.

Gaddafi's gone, but life in Tripoli remains difficult

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo/Tripoli (dpa) – Battle-worn Tripoli witnessed muted festivities as Libyans cautiously celebrated their freedom from Moamer Gaddafi and the Eid al-Fitr feast at the end of Ramadan.

   But with the changes come concerns both for their present needs and the future of Libya.

   Tripoli has become a ghost city, some residents feel, after many families chose to leave the capital - which witnessed pitched battles between Gaddafi's troops and the rebels - to find a safer place with more regular access to electricity, water and fuel.

   Few shops were open in the Libyan capital Wednesday and there was only the occasional car on the streets.

   "People are exhausted and primarily need financial support," said Sifao Adraf, one of the rebels who was fighting in Tripoli.

   "After all what they went through when Gaddafi was in control of Tripoli, they now suffer from lack of cash and basic needs," he told the German Press Agency dpa by phone.

   Many towns in the southern part of the country were also grappling with power outages, lack of water and downed telephone lines, Adraf said.

   Thousands of Libyans gathered Wednesday at Tripoli's renamed Martyrs' Square for special prayers as they began their Eid celebrations. The location was significant - this was once the infamous Green Square, usually filled with Gaddafi's supporters when the "brother leader" still held sway over the capital.

   "There is no place for you Gaddafi after the people have rid
Libya of injustice and tyranny," said the imam leading the prayers.

   He described the six-month civil war as the "greatest revolution in the modern age."

   But as Libyans look ahead to return to a life of some normalcy, their immediate worries are how to get cash, fill fuel tanks, buy food and access clean water.

   When three banks opened a few days ago in Tripoli, and the rebels' Transitional National Council offered 250 dinars (about 210 dollars) for each family, people queued up to access their accounts. But the amount offered was insufficient for even a small family.

   Moreover, three banks were not enough to provide for a city of 1 million people, who have not been paid their salaries for months.

   The lack of cash is not the only problem. There has been no water in homes for weeks. Families who have wells in their houses distribute water to their neighbours for free.

   People also have to endure recurring power cuts throughout the day. Only the five-star hotels have generators powerful enough to provide their guests with electricity. But the hotels also face the risk of total darkness when the fuel for the generators runs out.

   Most of the fuel available in the city is sold on the black market, and was transported from Tunisia or Algeria.

   The gas stations are closed, and those taxis that are available charge 200-400 dollars per day. About a month ago, they used to ask for 50 dollars.

   Several other commodities are sold for double their price now, if they are available.

   On Thursday, sixty delegations from countries and international organizations are gathering in Paris for the "friends of Libya" conference, to discuss the North African nation's estimated 100-150 billion dollars in overseas assets, a proportion of which was frozen under a United Nations sanctions resolution in March.

   With Gaddafi gone, Libyans' problems persist, but they remain hopeful.

   "People here have hope in better living standards in the coming few months," one resident said.

   "You can see it on their faces," he added, "they are smiling and talking to each other on the streets, unlike before when all you could see was grim faces."

   Published here and here