Excerpts: Bahrain importance to the U.S. Saudi can plug oil supply gap .
Lebanon's March 14 coalition Cabinet threat. Russia explores military
cooperation with Iran.Jordan seeks citizen-input re political reform
February 25, 2011

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 25 Feb '11:"Top US military officer Mullen arrives
in
Bahrain"

SUBJECT: Bahrain importance to the U.S.

QUOTE:"U.S.:'Obviously, Bahrain has been important to us for decades'; 'They
are a critical ally and have been for a long time' "

BAC KGOUNDER
FULL TEXT:MANAMA: Top US military officer Mike Mullen arrived in Bahrain
Thursday[224 Feb], an AFP reporter said, as anti-regime protests gathered
steam in the kingdom, where Washington’s Fifth Fleet is based.
“Obviously Bahrain has been important to us for decades,” Mullen told
reporters shortly before his arrival in Manama.
“They are a critical ally and have been for a long time,” he added.
Mullen’s visit is part of a regional tour aimed at “reaffirming, reassuring
and also trying to understand where the leaderships of these countries are
going, and in particular in Bahrain,” the admiral said.
Mullen is scheduled to meet Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa and
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, whom the United States has praised
for taking “positive steps” to reach out to protesters.
Thousands of protesters have poured into Manama’s Pearl Square daily since
Feb. 14, demanding the end of the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty which has ruled
the majority Shiite country for over 200 years. A government spokeswoman
said Thursday a prominent opposition leader will not be arrested if he
returns to Bahrain, but it remained unclear whether he was free to travel.
The possible return of Hassan Meshaima after months of self-exile in London
could mark a new phase for the protest movement as the Gulf island’s
monarchy tries to open talks to end the most severe political crisis in
decades in the strategic nation _ which is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Meshaima, head of a Shiite group known as Haq, is considered more hard-line
than the main Shiite political bloc that taken a lead among the protesters.
The opposition currently appears divided on whether to demand the end to the
Sunni monarchy or offer a chance to remain in exchange for giving powers to
the elected parliament.
The government spokeswoman, Maysoon Sabkar, said that authorities have no
plans to take Meshaima into custody if he returns.
Security and judicial officials in Lebanon, however, said they have
confiscated Meshaima’s passport on an Interpol warrant. Meshaima arrived in
Beirut on Tuesda[22 Feb]y en route to Bahrain, where protests erupted last
week inspired by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
The Lebanese officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the
sensitivity of the subject. It was unclear whether Bahrain will take steps
to lift the international arrest warrant.
Khalil Marzook, a senior member of Bahrain’s biggest Shiite opposition bloc,
Al Wefaq, called on Bahrain’s government to lift the warrant.
Sabkar, the government spokeswoman, said that Friday has been declared an
official day of mourning for seven demonstrators killed in clashes with
security forces.
On Wednesday, Bahrain released at least 100 prisoners on trial since last
year for plotting against the state. Meshaima and other opposition figure
were being tried in absentia.
– Agencies

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 25 Feb'11:"Kingdom willing, able to make up Libya
oil
shortfall"
SUBJECT: Saudic can plug oil supply gap

QUOTES:"Saudi Arabia is willing and able to plug any oil supply gap";"
'There is no reason for the price to go higher' "

FULL TEXT:RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is willing and able to plug any oil supply
gap and has the capacity to provide all types of oil, including the light,
high-quality crude produced by OPEC member Libya, senior Saudi sources said
Thursday.[24 Feb]

World oil prices have surged towards $120 a barrel as unrest grips Libya.
Italian oil major ENI said Thursday [24 Feb]the nation’s output had fallen
by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd).

Traders and analysts have said the loss of virtually all Libya’s production
is particularly serious because it is high-quality, easy-to-refine oil in
contrast to the heavier crudes often associated with the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

“Saudi Arabia is willing and capable of supplying oil of the same quality,
either Arab extra light or through blending,” one of the sources said.

“OPEC stipulates that it is able to supply all types of oil if needed,” the
source added. “There is no reason for the price to go higher.”

OPEC has yet to make any formal changes to its output policy.

The Kingdom said at talks this week the market was still adequately
supplied, but it was always ready to release some of its roughly four
million bpd of spare capacity on to the markets in the event of a shortage.
OPEC has officially held output policy steady since December 2008 when it
implemented record supply curbs totalling 4.2 million bpd. As the oil market
has risen, OPEC has unofficially increased the amount it produces above its
agreed limits.

Data supplied by Saudi Arabia showed its output reached the highest in two
years in December, although its exports had dipped from the previous month.

An industry source also said Saudi Arabia had large amounts of light crude,
although he added Saudi Aramco had not yet issued new instructions to
increase the rate of pumping. Early this week, Saudi Aramco invited
journalists to Khurais oilfield and told them it could produce up to 1.4
million bpd of light oil. For European customers, the advantage of Libya is
that it is only a short journey away across the Mediterranean.

The sources said Saudi Arabia could shorten the journey time for its crudes
by shipping them through its East-West pipeline and then to the
Mediterranean and on to Europe. Some West African OPEC crude, such as from
Angola could also be redirected to Europe, the sources said, while Saudi
Arabia could temporarily send extra oil to Asia to compensate. Following the
comment by Saudi sources, oil dropped sharply from 2-1/2-year highs near
$120 a barrel Thursday.

Brent crude hit a high of $119.79 early, dropped down to $110.51 in late
trade. At 3:05 P.M. EST (2005 GMT), Brent traded up 23 cents to $111.48 a
barrel. US crude settled down 82 cents at $97.28 a barrel, after touching
$103.41, the highest since September 2008.– Agencies

+++SOURCE: Naharnet [Lebanon] 25 Feb.'11:"March 14 MPs to Announce Over the
Weekend their Boycott of Miqati's Cabinet"
SUBJECT: Lebanon's March 14 coalition Cabinet threat

FULL TEXT:Sixty lawmakers from the March 14 coalition and its allies are
scheduled to hold a meeting over the weekend to announce their
non-participation in Premier-designate Najib Miqati's cabinet, An Nahar
daily said Friday.25 Feb]

The alliance took the decision to boycott the cabinet after Miqati didn't
officially announce that his government would remain committed to the
international tribunal and would resolve the issue of illegitimate arms –
two key demands by March 14 to participate in the cabinet.

After attending a meeting of March 14 leaders on Thursday night[24 eb],
Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan told An Nahar that the coalition's MPs would
issue a statement following their meeting at a hotel in Beirut either on
Saturday or Sunday.[26 or 27 Feb]

The statement would explain the decision of the alliance to boycott the
cabinet, Adwan said.

The meeting of the lawmakers will be followed by another conference at the
Bristol hotel next weekend. It will be dubbed the "national council of March
14" that would issue a political document prepared by a committee from the
general-secretariat and March 14 parties, An Nahar said.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 25 Feb'11:"‘Russia planning new Iran arms sales’",Agencce
France Presse

SUBJECT: Russia explores military cooperation with Iran

FULL TEXT:MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia will explore ways it can bolster its
military cooperation with Iran despite current UN restrictions over its
nuclear programme, a top Russian arms export official said Thursday. Mikhail
Dmitriyev, the head of the Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service,
told Kommersant that the fourth round of sanctions that the United Nations
slapped on Iran in June hurt Russia's defence industry. "But there are lines
that we can pursue," Dmitriyev said. "We will continue negotiating with Iran
within the framework of these possibilities." The latest UN sanctions
resolution bans the sale to Iran of eight new types of heavy weapons to
Iran, including the S-300 surface-to-air system whose highly controversial
sale Russia was forced to scrap. But Russia has been able to sell Iran the
short-range Tor air defence system, with Dmitriyev saying that Moscow
intends to supply Tehran with new missile capabilities allowed under
international law.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 25 Feb.'11: News from Jordan

1.}TITLE "Gun battles rage in Libya; US examines options"

EXCERPT:Forces loyal to Muammar Qadhafi launched a fierce counterattack on
Thursday[24 Feb] on rebels holding towns near the capital and the United
States did not rule out military action in response to the Libyan crackdown.
*******************************************************************

2.)TITLE:" (U.S.Admiral)Mullen in Bahrain as protesters stage march"

EXCERPT:Top US military officer Admiral Mike Mullen arrived in Bahrain for
talks with officials Thursday(24 Feb] as thousands of protesters staged a
march in Manama, pressing an 11-day uprising against the monarchy.
***********************************************************************************

3.)TITLE: "Yemen's President) Saleh orders protection for protesters"

EXCERPT:Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has ordered his security forces
to protect demonstrators trying to end his 32-year rule, a statement said.
**************************************************************************************

4.}TITLE:" Gaza male hairdressers barred from women’s salons"

EXCERPT:Male hairdressers in the Gaza Strip say they have been ordered by
the enclave\'s Hamas rulers to stop working in women\'s salons or face
prosecution and a large fine.

******************************************************************************************

5.) TITLE:"US arrests Saudi 'bomb plotter' "

EXCERPT:A Saudi man has been arrested for allegedly buying chemicals and
equipment to make a bomb, possibly targeting the Dallas home of former
president George W. Bush, officials said Thursday.[24 Feb]
*********************************************************************************************************

6.) TITLE:" Iraqi PM to country: Stay away from Friday[25 Feb] protest"

EXCERPT:Iraq's prime minister warned his people to boycott a planned
anti-government protest scheduled for Friday,[25 Feb] saying it was being
organised by supporters of Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 25 Feb.'11:"National dialogue seeks to engage all
segments in reform process - Odwan",By Hani Hazaimeh

SUBJECT: Jordan seeks citizen-imput re political reform

QUOTES:"The government will engage in a nationwide dialogue with various
segments of society touching on political reform";"the governmen has plans
to enhance peoples living standards in the near future"

EXCERPTS:AMMAN - The government will engage in a nationwide dialogue with
various segments of society, touching on political reform with changes to
the Elections Law and the Political Parties Law topping the agenda, the
government said Thursday [24 Feb].
. . . .“The dialogue time frame will be between three to nine months,
during which the participating groups will hopefully agree on the necessary
amendments to the laws in question,” he said. The draft pieces of
legislation will then be sent to Parliament for endorsement.
“The dialogue will be open and carried out in all governorates so that the
government listens to views and ideas from all segments of society to ensure
that any changes in the legislation enjoy the approval of citizens,” said
Odwan.
He highlighted that the dialogue will include representatives from political
parties, societies, associations, academics, university students and
independent groups.
The minister noted that the agenda will not be imposed by the government and
will be decided by the interlocutors.
Odwan added that the government plans to listen to everyone and make use of
ideas and suggestions raised during the discussion in order to ensure that
the outcome serves the interests of the country and the people.
He underlined that any political reform must touch on the economic aspect
and bring positive changes to the living conditions of citizens, adding that
regional and local protests are mainly driven by economic reasons.
“There are people who are living under difficult conditions in remote areas.
These groups are less concerned about the political reform; they are mainly
worried about making ends meet and putting food on the table,” he said.
The spokesperson reiterated that the government has plans to enhance people’s
living standards in the near future.

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