+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 29 July '10:"Washington Urges Assad to
'Listen'
to Abdullah"

SUBJECT:U.S.: Assad should 'listen' to Saudi's Abdullah

QUOTE:" U.S.":It would be much better for Syria to distance itself from
Iran"

FULL TEXT: The United States has said that Syrian President Bashar Assad
should "listen" to Saudi King Abdullah whose visits to Damascus and Beirut
come as part of his peace efforts.
"King Abdullah has played a significant leadership role in the region. So
his prospective travel to Syria and to Lebanon is consistent with his search
for peace, (and) his promotion of the Arab Peace Initiative," State
Department Spokesman Philip Crowley said Wednesday.
Washington also believes that Abdullah's visit "reflects his concern about
other regional security developments, including his . well-known concerns
about Iran," he told reporters.
He hoped that Syria would play a more constructive role in the region.
When asked about Damascus' ties with Tehran, Crowley said: "It would be much
better for Syria to distance itself from Iran and move in a more
constructive direction."
"We think that President Assad and other Syrian leaders should listen very
attentively to what King Abdullah will tell them," he added.

+++SOURCE: Egyptian Gazette 29 July '10:"Syria's Assad, Saudi King to go to
Lebanon"

QUOTE:"The Saudi monarch is expected to press Al Assad to use his influence
over Hizbullah"

FULL TEXT:BEIRUT--Syrian President Bashar Al Assad will accompany King
Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia on a visit to Lebanon on Friday(30
July) to ease political tensions over a UN tribunal set up after the 2005
killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
"The visit of King Abdullah and President [Al] Assad, who are coming
together on Friday(30 July), will be an answer to all the questions about
stability in Lebanon," Nohad Al Machnouk, a member of Lebanese Prime
Minister Sa'ad Hariri's parliamentary bloc told the press.

Saudi officials had said King Abdullah would hold talks with Al Assad in
Damascus before heading to Beirut. The Saudi monarch is expected to press Al
Assad to use his influence over the Hezbollah, whose leader Hassan Nasrallah
has condemned the UN tribunal set up to try suspects in the Hariri killing.
On Sunday, Nasrallah said he expected Hezbollah members to be indicted by
the tribunal, which he condemned as an "Israeli project". Any indictment of
Hizbollah members would severely strain Lebanon's unity government which
includes Hizbollah ministers.

+++SOURCE: BBC News via Egypt Daily News 29 July '10:"Iran nuclear sanctions
by
EU unacceptable, says Russia"
SUBJECT: Russia objects to added EU sanctions on Iran

QUOTE: "Russia: The use of sanctions outside the U.N.Security Council
framework 'is unacceptable' "

FULL TEXT:Sanctions are targeting Iran's energy projects such as the South
Pars gas field
Russia has branded EU sanctions against Iran as "unacceptable", saying they
undermine international efforts to rein in Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
The European Union on Monday(28 July) adopted new sanctions targeting Iran's
foreign trade, banking and energy sectors.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman has condemned the "deeply regrettable"
sanctions and vowed to continue its uranium enrichment work.

The EU measures go beyond the fourth set of UN sanctions adopted on 9 June.
They include a ban on dealing with Iranian banks and insurance companies, as
well as steps to prevent investment in Tehran's oil and gas sector.
'Disdainful'
Russia, one of six world powers negotiating with Iran, supported the UN
sanctions last month, but has objected to extra unilateral measures imposed
by the US and EU since then.
"This not only undermines our joint efforts to seek a political and
diplomatic settlement around Iran's nuclear programme, but also shows
disdain for the carefully calibrated and co-ordinated provisions of the UN
Security Council resolutions," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
LATEST EU SANCTIONS
Ban on exports to Iran of key equipment for oil and gas industry
New restrictions on Iranian banks' operations in EU, including insurance
deals
Ban on transfer of equipment that could have military uses
Ban on Iranian cargo flights to EU; inspections of ships
Last throw of diplomatic dice?

The use of sanctions outside of the UN Security Council framework is
"unacceptable," the statement said.
Iran is under four sets of UN sanctions over its refusal to heed repeated
Security Council ultimatums to suspend uranium enrichment, the most
controversial part of its nuclear programme.
Tehran says that it is enriching uranium purely for peaceful purposes, but
Western powers accuse it of trying to develop a nuclear weapon.
Iran vowed on Tuesday(27 July) to press ahead with its nuclear work despite
the latest EU sanctions, which follow similar unilateral measures adopted by
the US Congress on 24 June.
"These sanctions will not help in resuming talks and will not affect Iran's
determination to defend its legitimate right to pursue a peaceful nuclear
programme," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as
saying by Iran's official Irna news agency

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 29 July '10:"'Gaza-bound Iran MPs denied visas'
",Agence France Presse

SUBJECT: Egypt : No visas to Iranian lawmakers.

EXCERPT:TEHRAN (AFP) - Egypt has denied visas to four Iranian lawmakers who
planned to travel to the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, Iran's Press TV
reported on Wednesday(28 July). "The Egyptian government has stonewalled the
visa process... no visa has been issued for the MPs as of yet," Mahmoud
Ahmadi Bighash, one of the four lawmakers, was quoted as saying by the
English-language television's website.. . ..

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 29 July'10:"Gaza lingerie shops eyed by Hamas
",Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Safeguarding publc morality in Gaza
FULL TEXT:GAZA CITY (AFP) - Hamas on Wednesday(28 July) announced new
regulations on shops selling women's clothes as part of a campaign to
safeguard "public morality" in its Gaza enclave. The police said shops
selling women's clothes must not have dressing rooms or tinted windows, and
that the mannequins on display out front must be modestly dressed. "It is
absolutely forbidden to place any photographic device inside the shop and it
is forbidden to display revealing clothes in front of the shop," a statement
said. The edict?came nearly two weeks after Hamas banned women from smoking
water pipes in public places and is the latest step taken by the Islamist
movement to crack down on the mingling of the sexes in the conservative
territory. Hamas denies seeking to impose Islamic law in Gaza, which has
always been a conservative society, and has only taken a few limited steps
to enforce modesty since it seized power in June 2007. Last year, it ordered
women lawyers to wear the hijab, or Muslim headscarf, in court and banned
women ?rom riding on motorcycles

=========
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA
.