Little events at the Mecca summit offer insights about how power relationships are changing
Watching the Mecca emergency summit which ended Wednesday, one finds several possible developments ahead, Abdel Bari Atwan wrote in the pan-Arab newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi.
The Mecca summit saw two striking embraces, one case of neglect, and a TV channel incident, the writer observed.
Saudi monarch King Abdullah and his guest, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, embraced each other warmly. "Who imagined that the two leaders who are in a proxy war on the Syrian ground could be this friendly to each other?"
Was this an example of political hypocrisy? Or is it the start of a détente to prevent an even bigger clash in the region, under the banner of destroying Iran's nuclear facilities, the writer asked.
The second embrace was between the new Egyptian president and Mr Ahmadinejad. This was the first time in 40 years - since the signing of Camp David Accords which led to a rupture between these states, that the heads of the two governments shook hands.
Following a successful Egyptian revolution and a Muslim Brotherhood candidate becoming president, a rapprochement between Egypt and Iran is not unlikely, especially considering the growing distance between Egypt and the US with Israel, the writer went on.
The case of neglect involved the Saudi king ignoring the Egyptian president. The king had the Emir of Qatar seated on his right and Mr Ahmadinejad on his left, while Mr Morsi was farther away.
The TV incident came when Mr Ahmadinejad made a victory gesture before the camera of the Saudi-owned satellite TV channel Al Arabiya, and asked the photographer if he had really recorded the scene - a hint at the channel's anti-Iranian policy.
"I disagree with the opinion that agreement between the two men [King Abdullah and President Ahmadinejad] could lead to a solution to the Syrian crisis and stem the bloodshed," the writer said.
This is because the two countries are no longer the leading players; other forces are. Besides, the situation on the ground suggests the presence of a powerful third party: hardline Islamists.
Due to Arab, and particularly Saudi, political mistakes in Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon, Iran has become a major regional military power.
Today, Iran pulls the strings in two-thirds of Iraq, most of Lebanon, and the Syrian regime. It also creates a strategic and military balance in its standoff with Israel, and has "dormant and active cells" in most Gulf states.
"I do not think that President Ahmadinejad … can give up these strategic assets in a passing meeting … because decision-making [in Iran] is not in the hands of one man," he noted.
The Mecca summit can, at best, result in a "media truce" or probably a political truce, but that may soon evaporate under the US and Israeli menace of war.
Rebels must have advanced weapons
Two things are certain in Syria, columnist Abdul Rahman Al Rashed argued in the Thursday's edition of the London-based paper Asharq Al Awsat: First, the regime's collapse is only a matter of time. Second, the regime and its allies are capable, in the meantime, of inflicting harm on the Syrian people and the region.
The Assad regime is infamous for sabotage. The latest setbacks for the Syrian rebels and the regime's kidnappings and conspiracies in Lebanon require that the rebels be immediately supplied with advanced weaponry, the writer noted.
The rebels could have so far been able to down only one warplane. This is only because they are short on advanced weapons to combat fighter aircrafts and armour.
"The battle is definitely disproportionate, and so this equation prevails: a wounded Assad is able to keep killing, but is doomed to fall after a while."
There are several reasons for denying the rebels advanced weapons. The rebels are disunited. Israel and its allies don't want the rebels to have anti-tank and aircraft missiles that might end up being used against Israel. And Turkey is worried that such weapons could fall into the hands of the separatist Kurdish Workers' Party. Also there is the fear of extremists.
But such worries must not cloud the fact the Assad regime is cracking, and arming the rebels would expedite the fall.
Morsi's decisions were not coordinated
While the latest moves by president Mohammed Morsi have surprised Egyptians, they have shocked Israelis, wrote Fahmi Huwaidi in the Cairo-based daily Al Shorouk.
Israeli radio reported last Monday that the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, had told his inner circle that the dismissal of top military leaders by the Egyptian president was - for Israel - worse than the toppling of former president Hosni Mubarak.
The report also said that Mr Netanyahu had halted discussions about Iran to have the cabinet study the ramifications of Mr Morsi's decisions.
Likewise, commentator Amnon Abramovic told Israel's Channel 2 that President Morsi would be a nuisance to Israel and it should therefore adapt to the new situation in Egypt.
Such views refute claims by some Egyptian analysts who had rushed to comment on the president's decision to retire top generals, claiming it had been coordinated with regional and international players, in reference to US and Israel. That is certainly not the way Israel has interpreted the move, apparently.
"The fact that Israel was shocked and annoyed … proves that Egypt is heading in the right direction," the writer said.
* Digest compiled by Abdelhafid Ezzouitni
AEzzouitni@thenational.ae
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The specs
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE squad
Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
WITHIN%20SAND
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The specs: 2019 Jeep Wrangler
Price, base: Dh132,000
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 285hp @ 6,400rpm
Torque: 347Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.6L to 10.3L / 100km
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
Pathaan
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
THE%20SPECS
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)