Deputy Attorney General Nicos Charalambous said their release was approved by President Glafcos Clerides following a recommendation for clemency by the attorney general. A government statement said Clerides' decision was ``based on the national interest of Cyprus. The continuing detention of the two men would no longer serve the national interest.'' Cyprus has been under strong Israeli pressure to release the two men. Israel has admitted the two were agents of its Mossad intelligence agency. The Cypriot government statement said ``this gesture toward the friendly and neighboring state of Israel'' was linked to the coming to power of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak last month. In Israel, Barak's office thanked Clerides for the pardons of the men -- Udi Hargov, 37, and Igal Damary, 49. ``The act of the president ... was received with great appreciation by the public in Israel and will contribute to promoting the good neighborly relations which exist between Israel and Cyprus,'' a statement said. The two men departed from Larnaca airport this morning, several hours before a decoy Israeli jet took off at midday, airport security sources said on condition of anonymity. The two men had pleaded guilty to a charge of approaching a prohibited military area near Ziyi in southern Cyprus and were sentenced to three years..." 9. Budget outline THE JERUSALEM POST 8/12/99: "After passing amid a surprisingly sizable opposition from within the cabinet, Prime Minister Ehud Barak's 2000 budget proposal received mixed reviews in economic circles as well. While one leading economist said that this is the only budget outline that could have been acceptable under the circumstances, another said that Barak's plans for an economic turnaround were doomed by the make-up of his own coalition. Minister of Industry and Trade Ran Cohen - one of the budget's opponents - took the Treasury to task for not preparing a few budget proposals from which the cabinet could choose. But according to former Treasury director-general and current financial consultant Yoram Gabbai, the government really had no other options."This was a budget with no alternatives," Gabbai said yesterday, emphasizing that there was practically no room for maneuvering within the budget framework. Adhering to the original 1.75 percent budget-deficit target would have necessitated an unrealistic NIS 12 billion budget cut, while increasing the deficit target to 3% - like Cohen proposed - would have incurred the wrath of international investors. He added that coalition constraints will force the bulk of the economic turnaround on a revival in the real estate market, the huge anticipated 2000 tourism influx, and progress in the peace process. Ezra Sadan, a former Tehiya member and Treasury director-general who now runs an economic advice company, said that Prime Minister Ehud Barak's promises of an economic revival cannot be reconciled with his current coalition - specifically Shas's presence. "Ehud Barak sacrificed his economic message for overall political concerns," said Sadan, a move he says will not pay dividends. "Without tackling the political angle, the pure economic benefits of a peace agreement will be marginal," Sadan said, citing the relatively small economies of Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. He added that Shas's presence in the coalition obviates any possibility at making more significant cuts in areas that aren't conducive to growth. Bank of Israel Governor Jacob Frenkel said he was satisfied with the structure of the budget outline, even though he would have preferred a slightly lower inflation target. "The outline is in place," he said at a press conference late Tuesday night. "Now it needs to be implemented." He added yesterday that the government's decision to set an inflation target within the parameters of the budget outline was key. Finance Minister Avraham Shohat toyed recently with the idea of not setting an inflation target altogether..." 10. Iraq HA'ARETZ 8/12/99: "Over the past few weeks, Israel has thrust the Iraqi threat high up on its list of diplomatic and security priorities. In all their diplomatic meetings, Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister David Levy voice concern over the Iraqi arms build up, nine months after the departure of UN inspectors overseeing Iraq's non-conventional weapons program. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein recently intensified his verbal attacks on Israel. In his July 17 Independence Day speech, Hussein called for Israel's destruction and the removal of Zionism from "Arab Palestine." He attacked those Arab leaders who are seeking peace with Israel and expressed admiration for "the man calling himself the new prime minister of the Zionist entity." Barak calls Saddam Hussein's Iraq a serious threat because of the Iraqi leader's drive to obtain chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. The Iraqi threat was also discussed extensively a July visit to Washington, D.C. by the IDF's Military Intelligence, Major-General Amos Malka. Gen. Henry Shelton, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to visit Israel next week and the issue of the Iraqi threat will no doubt be raised in his meetings with Barak and the heads of Israel's defense establishment. Intelligence sources estimated in the past that Iraq could regain at least a certain degree of its biological and chemical capability within nine months after the lifting of the international inspection - the period of time now coming to an end. Israeli intelligence sources also believe that the Iraqis are continuing to make headway on gathering know-how, equipment, experts and material for their nuclear program...." 11. Norwegian law HA'ARETZ 8/12/99: "The chairman of the house's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee MK Amnon Rubinstein (Meretz) yesterday announced that he had decided to vigorously oppose the adoption of the "Norwegian law", after having studied Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein's objections to the law. The Norwegian law obligates ministers to resign from the parliament, allowing the next in line on their parties' lists to become MK's. If a minister resigns his post, he re-acquires his parliamentary seat, sending the backbencher replacement to the visitors' gallery. In a letter the MK sent yesterday to Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Rubenstein requested that Barak consult with him prior to embarking on any legislative initiative regarding this law. Rubinstein, a professor of constitutional law said that the law was unneccessary, and could compromise the foundations of the country's parliamentry system. He said that the law would affect political stability, since ministers could break up coalitions on the flimsiest of pretexts, since their parliamentry seats were assured. However the newly promoted parliamentarians would do all in their power to retain their precious seats, including acting in less than good faith. He said that although these two conflicting interests would to a large extent neutralize each other, he saw no justification for the change. He also mentioned in his letter that Israel's parliamentry system and tradition is based on the interaction between the executive and legislative branches, encouraged by the fact that between 10-20 percent of the executive are members of the legislative. He said that any minister wishing to resign his seat is free to do so. The Attorney General's opposition is based on the fact that the law would significantly alter the political system (the law currently requires that at least half the cabinet be MK's), and as such requires lengthly deliberations prior to enactment. He also expressed concern at the extra costs the law would impose on taxpayers." 12. Drought damage HA'ARETZ 8/12/99: "All but 2 percent of the country's wheat crop has been destroyed by this year's drought, with only 3,000 tons remaining this year compared to 150,000 tons in an average year, according to figures collated by the Agriculture Center. Israel will have to import more wheat from the United States to make up for the shortfall. In addition to the water shortage, Israeli wheat and cotton growers are complaining that the drop in prices on the commodities markets in New York, London and the Far East threaten the economic feasibility of growing these crops in Israel..." 13. Albright itinerary REUTERS 8/11/99: "Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is expected to add Morocco, Egypt and Jordan when she visits the Middle East later this summer, a State Department official said on Wednesday. The State Department has formally announced visits only to Israel, Syria and the Palestinian territories, and the extra stops remain "notional", the official said. Egypt and Jordan, which both have peace treaties with Israel, play a key role as advisers to the Palestinians. Morocco is also a close friend of the United States that has traditionally been a quiet diplomatic intermediary in Middle East affairs. Albright is scheduled to leave for the Middle East around Sept. 1. After visiting the region, Albright will stop in Asia and then fly on to New Zealand for a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. State Department spokesman James Rubin said that between now and the start of the trip, Albright has invited senior Palestinian negotiators to Washington for preparatory talks..." ========================================= Z . I . N . C . THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA'S ISRAEL NEWS CONNECTION ========================================= Monday, August 16, 1999 8:00 AM EDT (1200 UTC) Editor: Michael C. Hoffman O&F: 301-681-0858 Email: michaelh@clark.net ========================================= To go direct to ZINC's website, Click here: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/3132 OR use our easy-to-remember but redirected address and Click here: http://over.to/zinc ========================================= TODAY'S NEWS: 1. Where's Osama? 2. El Al out of Canada? 3. Greece & Israel 4. Gambling 5. Increased trade deficit 6. Abnormal normal 7. PA negotiations 8. Syrian negotiations 9. Anchor's away 10. Sentence reduction 11. Sentence reduction? 12. Turbine crisis 13. Turbine un-crisis 14. School violence 15. CPI small increase 16. Labor debts 17. UN boycotts Israel 1. Where's Osama? Paris' AL WATAN AL ARABI 8/13/99: "What is the secret behind the conflicting reports regarding the whereabouts of the fundamentalist leader Usamah Bin-Ladin?...A senior official, who is affiliated to one of the important agencies that are entrusted with the task of following the moves of the movement of the fundamentalist who is wanted in the United States, had the answer. This official has affirmed the existence of an agreed upon agreement regarding the departure of Bin-Ladin. However, he revealed to Al-Watan Al-'Arabi the secret behind the disappearance of Bin-Ladin from the scene throughout the past period. He said: If you saw him you would not recognize him. This answer was the motive for the search for all the details about the new picture of the fundamentalist leader... The last months of the disappearance of Bin-Ladin were necessary for his cure from the scars of the plastic surgery, which he had undergone to alter his features. This surgery was secretly performed and was part of his plan to escape from the US hot pursuit that had come too close. The surgery was performed by a Russian plastic surgeon of Chechen origin and he is one most renowned doctor in his field in Russia. He had cooperated with the Soviet intelligence agency, the KGB, and he visited Beirut in the early seventies and stayed there for a while. This doctor supervised the establishment of a plastic surgery center inside the Palestinian Sabra refugee camp in an underground clinic, which was used to alter the features of Palestinian commandos who had participated in major operations abroad such as the hijacking of aircraft. During that time, he became acquainted with Dr. Wadi' Haddad, the engineer of foreign and resounding operations, and they became close friends. The Russian surgeon trained Dr. Haddad on performing plastic surgeries for which the Palestinian leader later became famous. In fact, Dr. Haddad used to define the steps of the plastic surgeries that were performed on him to alter his features and he used to choose the new faces himself. His wife used to perform the surgery on him under his guidance to ensure complete secrecy even from his closet aides. This Russian surgeon was himself responsible for altering the features of the terrorist Carlos at the request of Dr. Haddad in the wake of the operation that was carried out against the OPEC oil ministers in Vienna. After spending some time in Beirut, this Russian doctor returned to Moscow and disappeared from sight and it was said that this was due to the fact he had retired because of his age. The one who suggested the name of the doctor and contacted him in his retirement was a person who had strong links with the Palestinian resistance in Beirut. After the resistance torch was handed over to the fundamentalist movements, this person managed to establish strong links with Islamic trends. These connections paved the way for him to establish contacts with Usamah Bin-Ladin through a Kuwaiti businessman who is a friend of the fundamentalist leader. This intermediary had been following the information about the US pursuit of Bin-Ladin and became convinced that he was being cornered. The intermediary also realized that it would be impossible for Bin-Ladin to escape from the eyes that are following him and counting the number of the breaths he takes and an idea came to his mind. He thought that the only chance for Bin-Ladin was to acquire a new identity in order to escape from and mislead those giving chase to him and remembered his old friend the Russian plastic surgeon. Before making a move in the direction of Moscow however, he contacted his Kuwaiti friend, who leads one of the fundamentalist groups and put the idea to him and asked him to suggest it to Bin-Ladin... [Bin Laden] accepted the offer in principle and a meeting was held the following night to approve the details. During the following meeting, an agreement was reached on a number of basic principles. They were: The surgery has to be performed inside the base. All the technical and human facilities for performing the surgery have to be brought to the base. The new face of Bin-Ladin must be kept secret. A new passport has to be issued for Bin-Ladin bearing his new identity and from a country that does not accuse him of terrorism. An extensive camouflage plan has to be prepared in order to provide a cover for the surgery and conceal the aims of the plan. During the same meeting, two of the closet aides of Bin-Ladin were entrusted with the task of making the necessary contacts and arrangements, including the financial arrangements. Contact with the intermediary was made through the Kuwaiti businessman in Beirut and a meeting for agreement on the details was arranged between the Bin-Ladin aides and the intermediary in non-eastern Arab country. The meeting did not last long during which the intermediary asked for $5 million to be placed at his disposal, including $1 million for the doctor, $1 million for the assisting team, and $3 million for the purchase of the necessary medical equipment and transportation expenses... [Upon his arrival at Bin Laden's headquarters in Afghanistan, the] Russian doctor held several sessions with Bin-Ladin during which he studied the details of his face and he was also given several pictures of Bin-Ladin taken from different angles. The doctor studied them carefully and began to prepare draft sketches on paper for the faces of Bin-Ladin before deciding on a semifinal draft sketch. He also prepared designs for suggested shapes of the mouth and nose. The doctor also asked the computer technician who was accompanying him within the team to enter the pictures and suggested shapes of the face, nose, and mouth of Bin-Ladin into his personal computer. At the instructions of the doctor, the technician started to test out the structure of the various pictures of the new face of Bin-Ladin until he reached a picture that he deemed appropriate. The doctor presented the picture to Bin-Ladin in a separate meeting and listened to his remarks and they agreed on the shape and the date for performing the surgery after three days. The thick beard and hair of Bin-Ladin was cut and he was admitted to the operation tent alone and the only ones who were present were the assisting team and a doctor who is close to Bin-Ladin and is believed to have been Ayman al-Zawahiri. Bin-Ladin remained in the operation room for nearly seven hours after which he emerged with his face covered by bandages. He was placed in a bed in a corner in the same cave and separated from the rest of the cave by a curtain and no one was allowed to see him. While awaiting his recovery from the surgery, agreement was also reached on providing Bin-Ladin with a passport bearing his new identity and from a country that lies in northernmost Asia. Agreement was also reached on performing a plastic surgery on one of his wives so that she may accompany him also carrying a new passport during the escape after which she would also return to her country. Plastic surgeries were also performed on two of the closet aides of Bin-Ladin to escort and guard him and assist him in the journey to the new headquarters. It was also decided to put Bin-ladin on a strict diet program to increase his weight and on a physical training program to build his muscles so that absolutely no one would recognize him. At the same time, an extensive operation of camouflage and deception was launched. Information was leaked through exposed persons known to cooperate with the Pakistani intelligence that Bin-Ladin had disappeared and afterward information was leaked that he had fled Afghanistan across the Tajik or Iranian borders and then he was reported to have been killed during his escape. While Bin-Ladin was lying in his hideout and only seen by his closet men, conflicting information was pouring into the supercomputer at the US Fort Meade Base. This information was causing concern for the experts and officials at this base, which is regarded as the brain center of the US National Security Agency. This concern was further multiplied by the failure of the eavesdropping and surveillance equipment operating in earth stations and satellites to pick up or monitor any contact from or to Bin-Ladin. In fact, his name had completely disappeared from all the monitored communications. The lack of information stirred the fear of the US security agencies. This was at a time when other agencies were making contacts with the Taleban Movement in which the name of Bin-Ladin was being repeatedly mentioned. The head of Bin-Ladin was mentioned as the price for a major bargain that would lead to US recognition of the of the Taleban government as the legitimate government in Afghanistan. However, the unexpected happened when one of the Taleban members who collaborates with Western intelligence found a few torn papers scattered on the floor at the base. Those papers soon reached the experts of a Western security agency and who started to study and analyze them and try to reconstruct them. They used advanced computers to obtain an enhanced image and were astonished when they realized that this image could be that of the face of Bin-Ladin with a few changes in details. They used the pictures of Bin-Ladin that they have in their possession and the enhanced computer image to obtain an expected picture of the new face of Bin-Ladin. They became convinced that Bin-Ladin had undergone plastic surgery. However, the experts have not arrived at a decisive decision. Is the picture that had been sketched actually the new face of Bin-Ladin or one of the rejected rough drafts? At any rate, the security agency has distributed the pictures among its agents and warned them to be alert because their man has put on a new face. Moreover, the agency has become certain that he would soon leave for another country with a new alias and new identity." 2. El Al out of Canada? GLOBES 8/12/99: "The [Israel] Civil Aviation Authority last night rejected, in talks in Ottawa, the demand of Air Canada to make seven weekly flights between the countries this winter, similar to its summer flight schedule. In response, Air Canada threatened to stop El Al flights to Toronto and Montreal. Israel and Canada locked horns on this matter a year ago, too, and the dispute was resolved through government intervention. The CAA determined that Air Canada will make only four weekly flights to Israel this winter, as it did last year. CAA director Avner Yarqoni proposed that in the winter of 2000-2001, Air Canada add one more flight, making six weekly flights in 2001-2002, and only in 2002-2003 increase the number of flights to seven a week. The head of the negotiating team in the Canadian Foreign Ministry, Bill Diamond, rejected the proposal, demanding that the airline be allowed to make a daily flight to Israel regardless of season. He announced that he would advise the Canadian Government of Israel's position. The CAA maintained that El Al cannot compete with Air Canada, since it does not have code-sharing agreements with other airlines. Air Canada argued that El Al's failures do not concern Air Canada's commercial considerations...A senior source at the Canadian Aviation Authority reported: "We will ask the Israeli Government to intervene to prevent a needless crisis. If that request is turned down, the result will be that El Al will be prohibited from continuing to make flights to Toronto and Montreal." Last year, Canada threatened to forbid El Al to fly over Canada en route to the United States." 3. Greece & Israel Athens TA NEA 8/10/99: "Recently, Athens has been opening up to the avenues of so-called "military diplomacy." It is expected that two of the journeys to be made by Defense Minister Akis Tsokhatzopoulos--to Israel and the United States, which start from mid-September--will signal Athens' attempts to set right the errors and omissions of the past. Errors and omissions that led the country into "lonely" roads, in the region of the southeastern Mediterranean and to a corresponding increase in Ankara's "influence." Athens considers the election of a prime minister from Israel's Labor Party and the new opportunities being created for peace in the Middle East to constitute "opportune circumstances" for Greece to enter, with some hopes for success, into the "game" of securing conditions of stability in the wider area, a perspective of course, as the defense minister stresses to his interlocutors, that cannot but include the solution of the Cyprus problem based on the UN resolutions. At the same time, the development of better relations with Israel and the resurrection of an agreement for military cooperation that has remained on paper since its agreement in 1994, constitute in themselves the secondary aims of Tsokhatzopoulos' visit. Of course, Athens appreciates that the tightening of relations with Israel should not lead to neglecting the firm and consistently good relations with the Palestinians. For that purpose, and within the context of a three-day visit (15-17 September), Tsokhatzopoulos' officers have given specific emphasis to there being meetings with the Palestinian leadership at the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority. With the balances and multilateral cooperation that Athens is hoping will develop in the region with the participation of everyone, Athens is aiming to cancel through deeds the rationale of "axes and counter-axes" that had developed in the region at Ankara's initiative. The case of Israel and the promotion of the military, trading and diplomatic relations that Ankara was trying to and managed to develop with it, constitutes the most representative instance of this Turkish policy. Despite the constant assurances by Israel that it is not turning against Greece and Cyprus through these relations, Athens does not have any choice but to consider this development as negative, since it has acquired the character of a "military cooperation" between the two countries and has negative repercussions on Greece, in particular in the defense sector. It is not only the defense pact that was signed in 1996 and the contracts that followed: long-range Popeye missiles, modernized F-5 and later F-4E Phantoms, etc. The Ankara-Tel Aviv cooperation extended to undertaking "the task of" promoting Turkish interests by the Jewish lobby in the United States and was only recently "tied" even more tightly by the agreement to sell a large quantity of water to Israel, which moved ahead with the visit by Turkish President Demirel. The margins for development of Greek-Israeli links on commercial, diplomatic and military levels are estimated by Athens to be quite significant. In order to promote these, already Vaso Papandreou and (recently) Alternate Foreign Minister Kranidhiotis have visited Israel. Already, Israeli defense industries have signed contracts with the Defense Ministry, while they are also promoting new ones (self-defense systems, ammunition, fuses, etc)..." 4. Gambling HA'ARETZ 8/16/99: "Less than a year after the doors of Jericho's Oasis casino swung open for the first time, a new casino is on its way to Ramallah, planned by a confidante of Palestinian Authority Chair Yasser Arafat. Since the Oasis launched in September 1998, about 700,000 people have played the gambling tables in the plush hotel outside Jericho. Roughly 95 percent of the players have been Israelis and the casino employs 1,200 workers, hundreds of whom are residents of the immediate vicinity. Although diaspora Palestinians are formally listed as the shareholders in the Oasis, Arafat confidante Haled Islam, is believed to be a prime mover behind the operation. By the time the full entertainment complex near Jericho is completed, some $150 million will have been invested. Oasis draws gamblers from throughout Israel, and has even established a transportation system for gamblers to reach the Jericho venue. The Palestinian Authority recently acquired between 25 percent and 65 percent of the Ramallah Grand Park Hotel's shares, where the new casino is planned..." 5. Increased trade deficit GLOBES 8/11/99: "Israel's trade deficit increased in January-July by $1 billion, amounting to $4.3 billion, compared to $3.3 billion in the corresponding period last year. This reflects a sharp 29.6% rise, following a 25% reduction of the deficit in each of the years 1998 and 1997. This emerges from data released today by the Central Bureau of Statistics. However, half the trade deficit increase derives from the import of civilian aircraft, while another 36% derives from the import of diamonds. The increase in the trade deficit since the beginning of the year was due to the rapid expansion of import at a rate of 7%, an import increment of more than $1.1 billion, amounting, in the first seven months of the year to $17.1 billion. Export of goods posted only a slight 1% increase, an export increment of only $131 million. Total exports in January-July amounted to $ 12.8 billion..." 6. Abnormal normal Cairo's AL AHRAM 8/12/99: "The issue of normalizing relations with Israel has been the subject of wide-scale controversy in the last few weeks. Although this controversy attracts the best and worst of ideas, it is necessary to organize straightforward and open debates about this important issues in order to explore the proposed ideas...The fact of the matter is that the Egyptian position on our relations with Israel is at the core of all issues related to peace and normalization. The ancient Jewish State was nothing but a quick apparition that lasted less than two hundred years, whether as one state or two separate ones, whereas Palestine's Kanaanite and then Arab history is more than four thousand years old. Therefore, it is only logical that the Jews have no historic rights in Palestine. Yet, the failure of Arab governments to hold back the Zionist imperialist attacks launched to capture Palestine has been extremely costly. As a result of the Arab's historic failure, a huge wave of Jewish emigration from all corners of the earth converged on Palestine and fought the war with the protection, support and financial assistance of the imperialist powers in order to seize control of Palestine. After the war, new generations of Jews were born and now they have no other homeland but Palestine. Therefore, no solution can be based on removing them or throwing them into the sea. There are only two solutions to this problem. The first solution is based on the concept of right, and it calls for the establishment of a democratic, secular Palestinian state on all the historic lands of Palestine that would absorb both Arabs and Jews on equal footing. Only the Palestinians who were expelled or forced to flee their homes under the pressure of the Barbaric Zionist attacks on Palestine would be allowed to return to their homes, according to this plan. However, this solution is currently impossible to implement. The second solution is to establish two states, one Palestinian and the other Israeli, in accordance with the borders specified by the United Nations in Security Council resolution 181 for 1947. The Palestinians who were expelled or forced to flee in 1948 should be allowed to return and must be compensated by Israel for their possessions, which were seized by the Jewish State. This enormous concession of having the Arab states accept a Jewish State comprising scattered groups of Jews from scores of different nationalities on a part of Arab Palestinian territories is the price that the Arabs must pay for their failure to abort the Zionist imperialist scheme. In this case, the security arrangements adopted by Egypt and Israel would be balanced. Moreover, when Tel Aviv relinquishes the nuclear weapons it uses to blackmail other states in view of internationally-guaranteed just and balanced security arrangements, and when Egypt regains control and sovereignty over its land, where the port of Eilat is currently located, and the Strait of Tiran, it should be understood that peace does not mean succumbing to the enemy or surrendering to its hegemony under the pretext of protecting human and material resources. This would be surrender and could not protect the people or the resources or forge a future for the nation. Peace must be just and based on the restoration of inalienable rights, otherwise, waging a war to defend the security of the homeland, the resources, the people, and the national interests becomes a sacred duty. As for the connection between peace and normalization, many people combine the two -- whether on the basis of good or evil intentions -- but this sort of concoction is baseless and unacceptable because peace means the end of the state of war on the bases that guarantee resolving the differences, which led to the eruption of the conflict in the first place. Peace should be forged on the basis of right, understanding, satisfactory arrangements and justice. Moreover, internationally or regionally guaranteed security arrangements must be adopted to guarantee the two countries' commitment to the concluded peace accords. Another option would be to adopt bilateral security arrangements. This type of peace can coincide with the existence of normal official relations between the two countries, or perhaps peace could be achieved after ending the conflict without setting up normal ties between the two sides. Even in the case of establishing normal diplomatic ties between the two countries within the context of peace, this does not mean that bilateral relations have been normalized. Normalization is the transition from mere official relations between two countries to normal popular ties, including economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries, on the basis of mutual recognition and social acceptance. If peace is acceptable and efforts are exerted to make its conditions more just and balanced, normalization in the above-described sense can not be a viable option. In our case, a river of blood shed by the Egyptian soldiers and civilians who sacrificed their lives to defend the soil, people, history and future of this country against repeated Israeli attacks on Egypt bars us from forging such ties with Israel. Moreover, we have an unfair treaty with Israel signed on 26 March 1979 that stipulated demilitarizing most of Sinai, while the Israeli army lurks at the Egyptian borders. The racist nature of Israel as a religious country based on the concept that Jews are God's chosen people who are superior to everybody else stands between us and the Jewish State. Another thing that comes between us and the State of Israel is its nuclear arsenal, which is used to blackmail Egypt and the rest of the Arabs. The clash between Egyptian and Israeli visions and economic ambitions will prevent any normalization of economic relations between the two countries, because Israeli racist illusions and superior technological potentials prompt it to dream of monopolizing highly technical industries and becoming the all-important financial, commercial and touristic center in the Middle East. The Jewish States aims at exploiting the region's potentials and markets to bolster its own economy and gain negotiating leverage during talks with more advanced economic centers around the world; namely the United States, the European Union and Japan. Meanwhile, it intends to leave the labor-intensive industries that pollute the environment to Egypt and other major Arab countries... We have already pointed out the reasons behind our rejection of the economic normalization with Israel, but we can add that such normalization would add nothing worthwhile to our economic development process, because Egypt can exchange economic benefits with neighboring Arab countries or European states located in the Mediterranean Basin area. Consequently, whatever advanced technology that Israel has transferred from the West can be obtained from their original sources through balanced and just partnership agreements with the West, without paying dividends to the Israeli brokers..." [ZINC EDITOR'S NOTE: AL AHRAM is an Egyptian government-owned daily newspaper.] 8. PA negotiations AP 8/16/99: "Israelis and Palestinians negotiating the Wye peace accord have made some progress on secondary issues, but remained deadlocked today on the key question of how long an Israeli troop pullback from the West Bank will take. The high stakes were apparent as security officials from both sides searched for Islamic militants suspected of planning a bombing attack against Israelis. A bomb exploded, apparently prematurely, in the West Bank town of Hebron on Sunday. No one was injured. A spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were no closer to an agreement after a meeting Sunday on a timetable for Israel to withdraw from parts of the West Bank as mandated under the U.S.-brokered Wye agreement. However, she said, they had made some progress on other issues. They included the opening of a so-called ``safe passage'' that would allow Palestinians to travel between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and a go-ahead for construction to begin on a Palestinian seaport in Gaza. They also made headway on talks about the possible release of 750 Palestinian prisoners...Barak told his Cabinet on Sunday that the timetable dispute would be resolved within 10 days. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Israel had agreed to provide the Palestinians with a detailed list of prisoners being held and a list of those released last November by Barak's predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu. Erekat is to meet Barak's envoy, Gilead Sher, again on Tuesday... The crux of the dispute, however, remained Barak's reluctance to implement the third of three West Bank troop pullouts mandated by Wye, which calls for the Palestinians to be given another 11 percent of the West Bank. Netanyahu pulled troops out of 2 percent of the territory before freezing compliance with the pact, and Barak has agreed to a further 5 percent withdrawal beginning October 1. But he has been pushing the Palestinians to postpone the last withdrawal from 6 percent of the West Bank until February 2000 and to negotiate at the same time the complex ``final status'' issues, including the borders of any new Palestinian state, the fate of Jewish settlements and sovereignty over Jerusalem. The Palestinians have vehemently rejected that plan, and want the pullout wrapped up by mid-November. The Israeli daily Haaretz said President Clinton sent Barak a letter last week pressuring him to fully implement Wye without further delay and expressing reservations over his plan to incorporate the third withdrawal into final status talks. Barak spokesman David Ziso would not comment on the letter's content. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the message was probably similar to one relayed to Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin during his trip to Washington last week. The Clinton administration has publicly urged both sides to implement the Wye accord in a timely fashion, although it has said it would not object to minor adjustments to the schedule. A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity indicated that combining the third withdrawal with final status talks would not be considered a minor adjustment. Meanwhile, Palestinian police arrested several dozen activists from the militant Islamic group Hamas late Sunday night in Hebron, a Palestinian security source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Police were looking for two brothers who allegedly prepared the car bomb that went off Sunday, the source said. Israeli media reports said it was believed that Hamas activists intended to use the bomb against Jewish settlers in Hebron...", which has traditionally been a flashpoint for violence in the West Bank." 8. Syrian negotiations HA'ARETZ 89/16/99: "The United States believes the proposals raised by the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in his negotiations with Syria should not be ignored, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told Justice Minister Yossi Beilin in a meeting in Washington last Friday. Sources say that Albright commented that Rabin's proposals were still valid and must be addressed in the effort to renew the Israeli-Syrian dialogue. Beilin reported to Prime Minister Ehud Barak on his meeting with Albright. As a condition for renewing talks, Syria is demanding that Israel respect Rabin's "commitment" to a full withdrawal from the Golan Heights to the borders of June 4, 1967. In the past, the Syrians have asked the United States to base the renewal of talks on their interpretation of the negotiations during Rabin's term. The United States has refused the Syrian request. American sources had previously told Ha'aretz that Albright's predecessor, Warren Christopher, passed a message in July 1994 from Rabin to Syrian President Hafez Assad promising withdrawal to the June 4 lines "if Israeli demands for security arrangements and normalization are met." The same sources emphasized that Rabin's offer was not a "commitment" but rather a "basis for negotiations." In her meeting with Beilin, Albright used a less vague term, but not the word "commitment." Israeli officials are interpreting Albright's remarks as a signal that the United States is likely to support the Syrian position regarding the starting point for new talks with Israel. Beilin holds that Rabin's proposal was not an agreement and is not binding on the current government. He believes there is no point in discussing a withdrawal to the June 4 line, which is not a legitimate border. If that is the Syrian demand, then Assad does not really want peace with Israel, Beilin said. The Americans are negotiating separately with Israel and Syria in order to reach a formula for renewing talks and to guarantee the success of Albright's Middle East visit in early September. Albright hopes to announce a date for the start of Syrian-Israeli talks after she meets with Barak and Assad. Jordan is also attempting to act as a broker between Israel and Syria and to find a formula that would allow for new talks. Television's Channel Two reported last night that Barak's political adviser, Zvi Stauber, held secret talks in Switzerland about ten days ago with "international elements" about renewing talks with Syria." 9. Anchor's away ARUTZ7 8/13/99: "A ship slated to anchor at the Gaza Port was prevented from doing so when the Israeli security establishment opposed the move yesterday. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that a ship carrying members of the international boy scouts had asked for permission for its members to dock at the port. The "Ship of Peace" carried five Palestinian scouts as well. Israeli security officials noted that no agreement has yet been signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and that therefore the port cannot begin operation..." 10. Sentence reduction ARUTZ7 8/13/99: "The New York Times reported yesterday that, under continued pressure from minority politicians and human rights activists, President Clinton has agreed to commute the sentences of 16 members of a Puerto Rican nationalist group - FALN. The group, dedicated to the independence of Puerto Rico, was involved in more than 100 bombings of political and military installations in the United States some 15 years ago. The Times quotes White House spokesman Barry Toiv as saying, "The president feels they deserved to serve serious sentences for these crimes but not sentences that were far out of proportion to the nature of the crimes they were convicted for. Journalist Katharine Seelye quotes White House officials who announced that Hillary Clinton, "who has all but declared her candidacy for the Senate from New York, had nothing to do with the commutation...However, the decision could accrue to her political benefit by cementing her relationship with New York's large Puerto Rican community." Larry Dub, attorney for imprisoned Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, responded to the news today: "It seems that everyone is getting pardoned. Peurto Rican terrorists are getting pardoned, Israelis in Cyprus are getting pardoned - everybody except for Jonathan Pollard. If Clinton is interested in unfair sentences, he should examine the grossly disproportionate sentence given to Pollard, who was sentenced to life without parole for a crime (spying for a friendly country) that normally carries a maximum of 2-4 years." 11. Sentence reduction? THE JERUSALEM POST 8/16/99: "Jonathan Pollard could become an issue in next year's New York Senate contest, according to New York newspaper accounts indicating that Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani wants clemency for the convicted spy, while Hillary Rodham Clinton has yet to take a position. Giuliani, who is expected to run for the New York Senate seat, said over the weekend that Pollard's life sentence is too long compared to the sentences meted out to defendants convicted in other espionage cases. The first lady, running for the Senate spot being vacated by Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has yet to take a public position on Pollard.
President Bill Clinton has resisted releasing Pollard..." 12. Turbine crisis ARUTZ7 8/13/99: "Both Shas and United Torah Judaism MKs have announced once again this morning that if the electric company's turbine is transported over the Sabbath, they will quit the Barak coalition. Yesterday, the remaining coalition religious party, the NRP, refrained from taking a public stance on the matter. This morning, however, party leader and Housing Minister Rabbi Yitzchak Levy announced that the NRP position is identical to that of Prime Minister Barak- namely, that only the professional bodies involved in the case can decide how and when to transport the turbine..." 13. Turbine un-crisis ARUTZ7 8/15/99: "Shas has backed down on its threats to quit the coalition over the Turbine Crisis. The giant electric turbine was transported this past Shabbat from Ramat HaSharon to Ashkelon, involving the participation of many police escorts and road workers. The religious Shas party had objected to this large-scale Sabbath desecration, and threatened to quit the government - but in the end did not do so. Although the police continued throughout most of Friday to say that they were searching for alternative ways in which to transport the turbine, it was suddenly announced two hours before the onset of Shabbat that it would be transported that night. Prime Minister Barak told the four Shas ministers today that no deceit was intended, and the explanation was apparently accepted. The ministers told Barak, however, that the Shas Council of Torah Sages strenuously objects to the transport of the remaining turbines on Shabbat. The United Torah Judaism party, which gathered the required 30 signatures of MKs for a special mid-recess Knesset session on the matter, will also apparently not quit the government over this issue. MK David Azulai of Shas told Arutz-7 today that Prime Minister Barak called Shas leader Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef on Friday to tell him that he understands the gravity of the matter. Barak and Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami agreed today that the police, the Electric Company, and the Department of Public Works would continue to search for ways to transport the remaining turbines on weekdays with a minimum of disruption to the public welfare. The Knesset Interior Committee, headed by Azulai, will discuss the matter on Wednesday..." 14. School violence THE JERUSALEM POST 8/15/99: "The phenomenon of violence exists "in almost every educational institution" in the country, aided by "a conspiracy of silence;" but a systemic approach involving the schools, parents, and the local authorities can help reduce it, Science, Culture, and Sport Minister Matan Vilna'i said yesterday. In presenting the committee's recommendations to Education Minister Yossi Sarid at the Education Ministry, Vilna'i said he had first heard about the school violence problem from "the pupils themselves, who told me: 'There is a serious problem that people don't like to deal with or talk about.'"Make no mistake, there is a serious phenomenon [of violence ], but that doesn't mean our schools are jungles. That's not true...There are many principals and staff members who have taken the initiative to deal with this matter... Nevertheless, the phenomenon exists in almost every educational institution as part of the society we live in." Prime Minister Ehud Barak spoke out about the issue at the weekly cabinet session, where the outline of the report was approved. He said the document "reveals a very serious problem. All those who live with young people know how serious this problem is, especially in a nation such as ours, which throughout its history has known how to educate toward correct and moral behavior, wherever it has sojourned in the world."... 15. CPI small increase THE JERUSALEM POST 8/16/99: "The consumer price index rose last month by 0.3 percent, which was at the high end of analysts' expectations, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported yesterday. The rise means that inflation has now dropped 0.1% so far this year, the lowest figure for the first seven months of any year since 1951, when the CBS started calculating inflation by the current method. The index has risen 6.3% for the 12 months ended in July. The inflation number is unlikely to prompt the Bank of Israel to reduce interest rates at the end of the month, when it announces September's interest rate, because the central bank is concerned about a weakening of the shekel and government fiscal policy, analysts said..." 16. Labor debts HA'ARETZ 8/16/99: "The Labor Party still owes millions of shekels to professionals and suppliers who worked for the election of Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Some of the creditors are considering suing the party and the prime minister for the outstanding sums. One example is the polling firm of Teleseker, owned by Dori Shadmon, which conducted the daily polls for Barak during the long campaign. Three months after the elections, the party still owes the company NIS 300,000. Shadmon told Ha'aretz yesterday that for the moment, he does not plan to do anything except wait, although he is disturbed by the situation. He says he has met with officials in the party and discussed the matter with them..." 17. UN boycotts Israel HA'ARETZ 8/16/99: "Israel stands to lose about $30 million a year if United Nations troops in southern Lebanon continue boycotting Israeli goods, complying with a prohibition order issued last month by the Lebanese government. The Foreign Ministry, Industry and Trade Ministry and Israeli Chamber of Commerce have made inquiries to UN officials in New York to determine whether the Lebanese ban on a dues-paying member state is legal. A meeting is scheduled for this week between Israeli government representatives and UNIFIL officers to discuss the issue. The Sakal group, which has contracts to supply UNIFIL units, is also expected to be represented at this meeting. Manager Meir Sakal complained that "a political embargo has been imposed by the government of Lebanon on purchases in Israel." He rejected the Lebanese government's portrayal of the policy as a measure to prevent the smuggling of Israeli goods to northern Lebanon. "In practice, the government of Lebanon has shifted all of the UN's purchases from Israel to Beirut," he noted. Communicating with his military and civilian staff, the UNIFIL commander in Nakura wrote that "by official request of the government of Lebanon," no purchases should be made in or via Israel."