Excerpts: Iran ploy to send missiles to Gaza.Suez open to Iran's Gaza-aid
ships.Revitalizing China/Muslim World historical relationship.Turkey's
Erdogen shelves plans for Hizbullah's Nasrallah's visit.Lebanese President
Suleiman uneasy with Assad's demands. No ships to Gaza via Cyprus.United
Arab Emirates (UAE) enforsing UN sanctions on Iran.Jordan responds to
Netherlands Geert Wilders 25 June 2010

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (lebanon) 24June '10:"Netanyahu: Hizbullah, Iran
Planning
to Send Missiles, Weapons to Gaza"
SUBJECT: Iran ploy to send Gaza missiles
FULL TEXT:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iranian and
Lebanese organizers planning to send aid ships to Gaza no longer had "any
justification" to attempt to break the Israeli blockade.
He said both Iran and Hizbullah were planning to send missiles and weapons
to Gaza.
"I call on all the human rights and peace activists in the enlightened
world - go to the places where they oppress women, go to the places where
they hang homosexuals and deny rights to minorities, go to places where
there is no freedom of speech, no press freedom, no independent courts of
law, no human rights organizations. Go to Tehran," Netanyahu told an evening
press conference in Jerusalem.
"I heard about plans by Iran and Hizbullah to send additional flotillas to
Gaza. If anyone had any doubt, today there is no longer any reason or
justification to organize those flotillas," he said.
Iran's Red Crescent said two shipments of relief aid were due to set sail
for a 14-day journey to Gaza by week's end.
The Iranian vessels are expected to follow a Lebanese assistance ship due to
set sail for Gaza via Cyprus or Turkey.
"These flotillas are not organized by peace supporters, but by peace
opponents, Iran and Hizbullah," Netanyahu claimed.
He charged that the activists' "true intention was to provoke Israel and
breach -- not its civilian, but its security blockade of Gaza," accusing
organizers of the Lebanese ship of making an "absurd" and "cynical use" of
women to cover those true intentions.
"The world's darkest forces - Iran, Hizbullah -- which want to take the
world back to the days of the Middle Ages, which do not enable women to
dress, work and express themselves freely -- of all are organizing a ship of
women as a propaganda tool against Israel," Netanyahu added.

+++SOURCE: Egyptian Gazette 23 June '10:"Egypt not to block Iranian aid
ships"
SUBJECT: Suez open to Iran's Gaza-aid ships

FULL TEXT:Egypt's Suez Canal Authority said Wednesday(23 June) it would
allow Iranian aid ships to pass the waterway on their way to the
Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip although it has yet to receive a request from
Tehran.

"The Canal will not take any measure against Iranian ships, simply because
the Suez Canal Authority allows any vessel to pass whatever the flag it
raises is," a source at the Suez Canal Authority said Wednesday.
Iran had said late Tuesday(22 June) it had prepared two ships carrying
humanitarian and medical aid for Gaza and was awaiting an Egyptian response
for a route to deliver the aid.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in a press
briefing that Iran made contacts with the Egyptian Government on
arrangements to facilitate the delivery of the shipments to the impoverished
people of Gaza and that any Egyptian efforts in opening a delivery route
would be "appreciated by nations".
"We consider Egyptian efforts in opening an aid-delivery route a correct
approach," Mehmanparast was quoted by the Iranian official news agency ISNA
as saying.
He expressed optimism that Egypt would reflect on the "historic role" it can
play in making the aid delivery to the people of Gaza happen.
President Hosni Mubarak ordered the opening of the Rafah border crossing
between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, the only crossing bypassing Israel a day
after Israeli commandos late last month raided an aid flotilla, killing nine
Turkish activists.
Iranian Red Crescent youth wing director Mohamed Javad Jafarian said "no
definite" date had been set yet for departure of the ships to
Hamas-controlled Gaza.
Last week, Iran backed down from its threat to send "voluntary" marines for
the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to board the boats and defend them against
any attempt by Israel to intercept them enrooted to Gaza.

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 23 June '10:"China seeks to attend Organization of
the
Islamic Conference(OIC) meetings", Agence France Presse By Habib Shaikh

FULL TEXT:
SUBJECT:Revitalizing China/ Muslim World relationship
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (2nd R), meets with journalists in Beijing, Tuesday(22 June). The
head of the world's largest Muslim grouping, a 57-member pan-Islamic
organization based in Jeddah, met with high-level officials and visited
China's Muslim regions of Ningxia and Xinjiang almost one year after bloody
fighting in Xinjiang between Uighur Muslims and Han Chinese. - AFP
JEDDAH - The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and China have
agreed to jointly organize a seminar on the historical relationship between
China and the Muslim World in order to consolidate friendly relations
between China and the OIC and explore future possibilities.
During the eight-day official visit of the OIC Secretary General Prof.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu to China, which concluded on Tuesday, both sides agreed
that the OIC and China would work together to enhance their traditional
friendship and to increase exchanges and cooperation.
According to informed OIC diplomatic sources, the Chinese leadership
officially requested permission to attend OIC periodic meetings, as an
initial step toward the enhancement and promotion of bilateral relations.
On the basis of the fruitful interaction and discussion between the Chinese
and OIC delegations, both sides highlighted the historical dimension of the
Chinese-Muslim World relationship referring to the centuries old bond of
friendship and cooperation between the two great civilizations.
They expressed their determination to continue to cooperate to further the
existing relationship in all areas of mutual concern.
Both sides explored different avenues for enhancing the consultation and
cooperation between the OIC and China, particularly in the political,
economic, trade and cultural fields.
Both sides recalled that the OIC and China share common positions on many
international issues and highlighted the importance of support provided to
each other on issues of shared concern with particular reference to the
issue of Palestine and the Middle East peace process.
The Chinese side emphasized that it attaches importance to the role played
by the OIC as an influential intergovernmental organization.
The OIC stressed that it respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of China.
During the course of his visit Ihsanoglu was received by Wu Bangguo,
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of
China, and Yang Jiechi, the Foreign Minister.
He also held meetings with the Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun and Director
General Wang Zuoan of the National Administration

+++SOURCE: Naharnet(Leban0n) 23 June '10:"Report: Nasrallah Scrapped Turkey
Visit after Security Negotiations Dragged on"
SUBJECT:Turkey's Erdogen shelved plans for Hizbullah's Nasrallah visit

FULL TEXT:Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has cancelled
a reported trip to Ankara for fear that an Israeli hit team would
assassinate him despite a promised fourfold security shield, counter-terror
sources told the Israeli DEBKAfile website.
They said Nasrallah did not feel safe enough to take up Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's invitation to visit Ankara despite the
promised protection of the intelligence agencies of Iran, Syria, Turkey and
the party's own service.
Nasrallah found that two scenarios of his itinerary to Turkey were risky.
Under the first plan, Nasrallah would be flown to Ankara by a Syrian or
Iranian military aircraft, DEBKAfile said.
The other plan was for the Hizbullah chief to make his way to Turkey
secretly by road through Syria. Nasrallah decided that the 10-hour journey
on Syrian highways would expose his convoy to surveillance by Israeli
drones, according to the website.
As the negotiations between Nasrallah and Turkish security MIT officials in
Beirut on his personal security dragged on, Erdogan cooled on the prospect
of hosting him, DEBKAfile said.
Erdogan was convinced to shelve plans for Nasrallah's visit and order the
MIT team to return home, it added.

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 23 June '10:"Suleiman Frustrated with Assad 's
Insistence to Meet Lebanese Party Leaders"

SUBJECT: Lebanese President Suleiman uneasy with Assad's demands

Full Text: The French mission to study French-Syrian relations has
criticized in its report issued last week meetings that bring together
President Bashar al-Assad with Lebanese party leaders, the daily As-Safir
revealed Wednesday.
The mission said such meetings "weaken" the Lebanese state.

As-Safir said the Committee chaired by French Socialist leader Elisabeth
Guigou has conveyed a complaint by President Michel Suleiman, who is close
to Syria, in which he regrets his Syrian counterpart's insistence to meet
Lebanese party leaders "while relations should be confined to official
representatives of the two countries."

The report quoted Suleiman as telling the Committee that "Syria is stronger
than Lebanon and has a historical influence on a large segment of the
Lebanese people."

Suleiman added that Damascus "must not demonstrate these influences against
the interests of Lebanon."

"Things would be better off when Syria feels that Lebanon is not
antagonizing it," Suleiman thought.

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 23 June '10:"Cyprus Responds to Lebanon: No
Ships
to Gaza Via Cyprus"
FULL TEXT:Cyprus authorities responded to Lebanon, saying a ban on ships
sailing from its ports to Gaza still applies.
Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi has given permission to the aid ship "Julia"
to leave the northern port city of Tripoli for Cyprus.
The ship, carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists from
various countries, will reportedly sail to Cyprus in the coming days before
heading to Gaza.
Cyprus Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou said the ship will not be allowed
to proceed to Gaza.
"The prohibition on ships to reach Gaza from Cyprus is still applicable,"
Kyprianou said commenting on Aridi's statement.
A Cyprus police spokesman said that the police had contacted the Foreign
Ministry and would act accordingly.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 22 June '10:"UAE closes firms violating UN sanctions
on
Iran - report",A.F.P.

SUBJECT: United Arab Emirates enforcing UN sanctions on Iran

QUOTE: About 400.000 Iranians are based in UAE"

FULL TEXT:DUBAI (AFP) - The United Arab Emirates has closed down 40
international and local firms as part of a crackdown on companies that
violate UN sanctions on Iran, a newspaper reported on Monday(21 June).
These companies have been dealing in "dual-use and dangerous materials
banned under UN resolutions and the nuclear non-proliferation treaty", the
Gulf News reported quoting an unnamed UAE official.
"Operations of any company in the UAE proved to have connections with the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, other entities or individuals subject to
the UN asset freeze will immediately be shut down," the official said.
"The UAE is committed to meet its obligations toward the global effort for
non-proliferation," of nuclear weapons, the official added.
On June 9, the UN Security Council slapped a fourth round of sanctions on
Iran over its controversial nuclear drive, this time tightening the noose on
military and financial transactions.
The resolution bans the sale to Iran of eight new types of heavy weapons and
applies new restrictions on Iranian investments abroad.
For years, Iran maintained active trade relations with Dubai, one of seven
emirates making up the UAE, with the trade volume estimated at around $10
billion a year, mostly of Iranian imports.
A Western diplomat said last week that Dubai authorities succumbed to US
pressure on the federal government in Abu Dhabi to prohibit any goods bound
for Iran that could have dual civilian and military use.
About 400,000 Iranians are based in UAE.
The fresh UN and US sanctions were imposed after Tehran pressed on with
uranium enrichment for a programme that Iran insists is peaceful but the
West and others suspect is aimed at making a bomb.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 22 Lune '10:"Senate condemns statement by Dutch
politician"
SUBJECT: Jordan responds to Netherlands'Geert Wilders
FULLTEXT:AMMAN (Petra) - The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday(21
June) strongly denounced a statement by Geert Wilders, leader of the
right-wing Dutch Party for Freedom, urging the Netherlands to revoke its
recognition of Jordan and call the Kingdom "Palestine". Acting President of
the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Marouf Bakhit said: "The extremist
position is a breach of all international conventions as well as a stark
violation of Jordan's sovereignty and independence as a member state of the
United Nations.? He added that the statement does not serve relations
between Jordan and the Netherlands, stressing that the remarks will not
impact the Kingdom's efforts to support the Palestinian people and assist
them in regaining their legitimate rights, the foremost of which is the
establishment of an independent Palestinian state on national Palestinian
soil with Jerusalem as its capital as well as the right of return.
-----
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA