[Transcript]  Mosaic News - 11/16/09: World News From The Middle East

Presenter, Male #1
Seven people were killed and 24 others were wounded in a suicide bomb attack near a security checkpoint in the town of Badhaber south of the city of Peshawar. This is the latest episode in a series of bloody bomb attacks, targeting the capital of the northwest region and its suburbs. Previously, attacks were targeting in other cities. Our correspondent in Islamabad, Baker Younis, has the details in the following report.

Reporter, Male #2
The town of Badhaber south of Peshawar was targeted in a predawn bombing. The explosion took place after the Pakistani police opened fire at a car carrying nearly 200 kilograms of explosives. The driver, who was approaching a security checkpoint, detonated the car, killing several people and injuring several others. In addition, the blast caused massive property damage in the area.

Guest, Male #3
As I was letting my passengers out of the car and getting ready to park, I saw a friend of mine running in fear. Suddenly, a powerful explosion occurred. We saw rocks falling in all directions. We also saw bodies getting blown up.

Reporter, Male #2
The Badhaber suicide bombing is the fifth of its kind, targeting the city of Peshawar in the last 8 days. It comes in a series of bomb attacks targeting the public and the military institution in the region. The attacks have caused concern over the targeting of the city of Peshawar.

Guest, Male #4
The capability of armed groups has been reduced due to the military operation in Waziristan, which is being used as a reason by the Taliban to plot bomb attacks. In my opinion, the reason for redirecting attacks to Peshawar is the inability of the Taliban to launch attacks in other cities.

Reporter, Male #2
According to observers, the escalation in the level of violence inside the cities may prompt the Pakistani government to call for a truce in its war against the Taliban-Pakistan, in south of Waziristan. The latest remarks by the Pakistani Prime Minister about ending its military operation in the region of Waziristan further corroborate this claim. This shows that the Pakistani government is seeking to adopt a different strategy because of the high financial and human toll of the Waziristan offensive. It seems that the staging of security checkpoints started to pay off, as they are preventing suicide bombers from infiltrating the main cities. However, they are not, by and large, the answer to the internal security crisis. Baker Younis, Islamabad, BBC.

Presenter, Female #1
Despite the latest Israeli threats, the Palestinian Authority is determined to ask the UN Security Council for state recognition. According to Palestinian officials, this will not be their only option in the pursuit of unilateral diplomacy. They added that this is the first act in countering the Israeli policy towards the peace process and the settlement campaign. Sheruk Asa’d reports from Ramallah.

Reporter, Female #2
Israel has launched an all out war of words against the Palestinian Authority. In his latest remarks, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that any unilateral action by the Palestinians would unravel the agreements between the two sides and that could lead to one-sided measures by Israel. Netanyahu hinted that Israel could strengthen its blockade on the Palestinians and stop the transfer of money due to the Palestinian authority.

Guest, Male #1
Another point of contention is that Israel may cancel the Oslo Agreement. In addition to officially annexing all Israeli settlement outposts.

Reporter, Female #2
The Palestinian Authority made its decision, at least in principle, and has started to rally international support. The PA had previously discussed the decision with Arab, European, and even US officials. It’s a bargaining chip rather than a definite decision.

Guest, Male #2
It appears that there are talks about seeking Palestinian recognition at the UN Security Council. I support such a decision. By the same token, there are some talks at the academic level regarding other alternatives. These options have not been discussed by either the PLO or the Fatah Central Committee. Among these options are: the dismantling of the Palestinian authority and the establishment of a bi-national state. These issues and others come amidst the current political stalemate.

Reporter, Female #2
The Palestinian authority is studying its options. All the options will be proposed in the upcoming meeting of the Central Committee of the PLO next month. Sheruk Asa’d, Dubai TV, Ramallah.

The Palestinian Authority submitted an official request to the European Union to support the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State comprised of the West Bank and Gaza, with Jerusalem as its capital. But Israel has stated that such an act would be a violation of the Oslo Accords and would release it from previous agreements made with the Palestinians.

Presenter, Man # 1
Dozens of Zionist settlers attacked the villages of Bureen and Bureeneliraq south of the occupied city of Nablus. The settlers attacked Palestinian citizens with stones. When the occupation soldiers arrived to the scene, they also attacked a number of civilians including Journalists.

Reporter, Man # 2
Within the framework of a Zionist plan aimed at changing the status quo there, settlers who live on occupied Palestinian land continue their attacks on Palestinians, their lands and properties. Settlers also prevent Palestinians from cultivating their crops. Injured person on street yelling. This time the targets are villages in occupied Nablus. Zionist settlers attacked the homes of Palestinian citizens in the city of Bureem and Burremeliraq south of Nablus. Citizens confronted the settlers who launched a new attack on the village. In the occupied city of Hebron, a group of armed settlers took over a three story building of offices and clinics. The settlers wanted to transform the building into a new settlement post, but their mission failed. This village, like other West Bank villages, is attacked almost everyday by settlers. There is no hope that attacks by settlers will stop in the coming days.The occupation forces claim to be innocent from the actions of the settlers, and claim to be trying to stop them. This however is a lie. There are indications that what the settlers have been doing is organized. More importantly, the Zionist occupation paves the way for the settlers to attack Palestinians by providing them protection.

Presenter, Man # 1
Egyptian unions and national forces held a demonstration to condemn the continued attacks on the holy Al Aqsa Mosque. The demonstrators demanded that Arab and Muslim leaders act immediately to protect the holy Al Aqsa Mosque from the Zionist plans that aim to demolish it and build the alleged temple on its rubbles. Abbas’ security personnel kidnapped Journalist Tareq Abu Zide, who reports for the Al Aqsa television channel. He was a arrested for working for the channel and covering news pertaining to other kidnappings. Abbas’ security also kidnapped 6 Hamas members during the past two days including the head of the city council in TulKarem Khalid Elian. It is worth mentioning that a French newspaper conducted an investigation about torture in Abbas’ prisons and confirmed that torture against Hamas members has become common place. Meanwhile, security agencies handed over 4 Zionists who infiltrated the occupied city of Bethlehem.

Presenter, Male #1
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Turkey’s mediation in any future peace negotiations with Syria. He announced that Turkey is not an honest mediator.

Reporter, Female #1
The Israeli Prime Minister made this statement in front of his ministers and without any ambiguity: Turkey is no longer an honest mediator in any future negotiations with Syria. Benjamin Netanyahu said this several days after his visit to France, where he showed desire to resume negotiations with Syria. Turkey hosted 4 rounds of indirect negotiations between Syrian and Israel last year during the governance of Ehud Olmert, Netanyahu’s predecessor. Ankara paved the way for Damascus and Tel Aviv to enter direct negotiations. But Israel’s war on the Gaza strip at the end of last year stopped the negotiations from moving forward. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan believed that his Israeli counterpart Ehud Olmert stabbed him in the back. Several weeks later, the now famous moment of tension took place between Erdogan and the Israeli president Shimon Peres at the Davos forum. Similar events followed and increased the tension between Ankara and Tel Aviv. The Syrian President who visited France recently after Netanyahu’s visit, stressed the necessity of Turkish mediation, and underrated the importance of a meeting held with Netanyahu only.

Guest, Male #1 (Assad)
Today, there is the side of Syria, which desires peace; and there is the Turkish mediator, which is ready to play its role between the two sides; and there is…

Reporter, Female #1
So there is a conflict between the Syrian position that insists on Turkish mediation, and the Israeli position that opposes it. One way out of this contradiction may be by complying with what Netanyahu implied several days ago when he indicated his acceptance of France as a mediator, if France is willing. This may mean that the situation has regressed back to where it started and all the developments achieved by the Turkish mediation have been canceled.

Presenter, Female #1
According to our al-Arabia correspondent in Khuba near the Yemeni-Saudi border, the Saudi army has ordered the evacuation of several villages and declared the area a “closed military zone.” He added that the area has witnessed relative calm for the past few hours. The area witnessed clashes last night, after Houthi rebels fired Katyusha rockets at the Saudi army, which responded by shelling Houthi positions. Meanwhile, clashes continued to erupt between the Yemeni army and the Houthi rebels at various battle fronts in the Provinces of Saada and Harf Sufian. In addition, the Yemeni army has deployed additional troops in the area of Malahith, which is considered to be a top hotspot in the region. The Yemeni army is seeking to regain control of positions that were captured by the Houthi rebels several weeks ago.

Reporter, Male #1
The confrontations between the Yemeni army and the Houthis have escalated over the past three days at the various battle fronts in Saada and Harf Sufian. The region of Malahith, near the Saudi border is considered to be one of the top hotspot areas. Yemeni forces are seeking to regain control of positions there that were captured by the Houthi rebels several weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Yemeni air force continues to fly over the Province of Saada. According to Yemeni military sources, the Yemeni army has deployed additional troops in the area of Malahith, which is an open and rocky region. The army has begun to march toward the district of Shada in an attempt to regain control of Houthi positions. Meanwhile, confrontations are continuing to erupt at various fronts in the areas of Al-Ikab, Magash, Mt. Sama, Anad, and Khafji, Minzala, and MT Khazan. In the battlefront in Harf Sufian, fierce clashes have erupted in the areas of Amsheya, al-Ammar, Mahather, in the far-north parts of Harf Sufian. Ten Houthi rebels have been killed in clashes that have erupted in Mahather south of Saada and al-Anad in the North. A Yemeni military source confirmed that the army has captured three Houthis in the area of Alab, during an infiltration attempt into the Saudi territories. In another development, the Yemeni interior ministry has announced that its security agencies have seized nearly 234,000 military gears of various types between January 1st and November 10, 2009.The Yemeni ministry added that they have seized thousands of shells and ammunition. In addition to seizing explosive and more than 30 factories used to manufacture locally-made guns and gunpowder.

Presenter, Female #1
The participating countries in the World Food Safety Summit that opened today in Rome vowed to carry out a new strategy to fight hunger around the globe. But the participants did not promise to increase financial appropriations for it as the UN had hoped.

Presenter, Male #1
Around 60 world leaders are seeking ways to save millions of hungry people in more than 70 countries.

Presenter, Female #1
Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi criticized the leaders of the rich countries, represented by the G8, for their absence from the Food Safety Summit which opened in Rome.

Presenter, Male #1
Al-Gaddafi indicated in his speech at the Summit that the absence of these leaders means that they do not want to contribute to programs that provide aid to the poor and formulate food policies, which is the goal of the Summit.

Guest, Male #1 (Gaddafi)
The message here is very clear to all: the rich have decided not to contribute in solving the problem of food safety in the world. This message eliminates the hope of the whole world to eradicate poverty.

Reporter, Male #1
On these windy and dusty grasslands, the residents may know nothing about the gathering in Rome for the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), even though they are suffering from hunger, thirst, poverty and diseases, in addition to many other things including desperation. But the most important leaders who are absent from this meeting in Rome where FAO’s headquarters are, are all the leaders of the G8 industrial countries. As part of their responsibility, the leaders of these countries were expected to contribute in finding solutions for the problem of hunger. The African head of FAO Jacques Diouf stressed that the technical means and resources for fighting hunger in the world already exist, but that the matter revolves around having the political will, supposedly influenced by the public opinion. Dreadful official figures from FAO indicate that more than a billion people in the world go hungry, including an additional 100 million people just in the year of 2008. Every 6 seconds a child dies from malnutrition, even though the land offers more than enough to meet human needs. FAO says that hunger is no longer just a moral sin or an economical shortcoming, it has become a threat to international peace and security. It adds that the problem of hunger was already serious when the price of food was reasonable, and the world was living in a period of relative prosperity. But the global crisis in 2006 and 2008 that was followed by the economic crunch led to a catastrophic situation, when the budget of the world food program shrank from 6 billion dollars to 3 billion dollars between 2007 and 2008. Research centers indicate that 80% of those harmed are farmers who have no land, small-size farm owners or cattle herders. The other 20% are living in cities, but some of them are farmers who have escaped from the countryside to the city hoping for a better life. But the life of some of these people’s children ends at this railway, where the trains pass by whistling without caring for those on the track, like a wind that leaves its dust on the grassland.

Presenter, Male #1
During a meeting with a group of Jordanian and Arab investors in Aqaba, his majesty King Abdullah II, called for the usage of modern promotional tools to attract more investment in Aqaba, and to create projects that would have an immediate impact on the local community. In addition, his majesty marked the inauguration of three new five-star hotels in the Aqaba logistic village.

Reporter, Male #2
Over the past few years, Aqaba’s special economic zone has attracted major economic, investment, and tourism projects. Aqaba has become an important economic hub in the region, attracting local, Arab, and international investments. Today, his Majesty King Abdullah II marked the inauguration of three new five-star international hotels: The Kempinski, Radisson Blue, and the Movenpick Tala Bay. His Majesty the King took a tour of the Kempinski Hotel, which enjoys direct access to an array of leisure and entertainment facilities. These world-class hotels will help attract international investments to Aqaba.

Guest, Male #3
The newly developed hotels will help solve part of the unemployment problem in the region. The Kempinski Hotel in Aqaba is employing nearly 500 Jordanians from various regions. By comparison, the Kempinski Hotel at the Dead Sea resort is employing more than 1,500 Jordanians. The hotels don’t only hire the employees but they also train them. We have a well-trained crew working for the hotel.

Reporter, Male #2
His Majesty the King visited the Radisson Blue Hotel, where he listened to an overview of the services available to the tourists and visitors of Aqaba. The king also visited the Movenpick Hotel Tala Bay, which stretches over an area of 73 Dunams. The hotel is located on the southern shores of the Red Sea in the city of Aqaba. The King took a first hand tour of the hotel, whose employees are 60% Jordanian.

Guest, Male #4
We will continue to launch investment projects in Aqaba. God wiling, a major project will be unveiled in 2011. It’s one of the largest projects to be ever launched in the area of Aqaba. This project will help transform the tourism and economic outlook of the area. The project will include the opening of three lakes. We have been working on this project for nearly two years. Anyone looking down from a plane could easily see the physical changes in the area.

Reporter, Male #2
The hotels will help provide nearly 1,500 job opportunities for the local community. They will also help overcome the problem of hotel capacity in the area. This will give the area a competitive advantage over other tourist spots in the region. This is rather imperative for Aqaba which is hoping to win the 2011 Arab Tourism Capital contest. The total amount invested in the project is nearly 150 million Jordanian dinars, with a hotel capacity of 1,000 rooms. During a meeting with a group of Jordanian and Arab investors in Aqaba, his majesty the King called for modern promotional tools to attract more investment there. The King also called for the launch of development projects that would have an immediate impact on the local community. The King also expressed joy over what has been achieved in the area despite the challenges. In addition, he called for the creation and development of institutional programs, which will help attract investment opportunities in Aqaba. This will help achieve notable results in the area of economic development, which in turn will help improve the Jordanian standard of living. During the meeting, officials discussed the economic developments achieved in Aqaba’s special economic zone. The projects helped attract investment in the region, in which the local community is taking part of, especially in the area of tourism and business opportunities.