Excerpts: Sweden stops deporting Syrians. US-Egypt standoff worsens. Egypt
Army fires general to boost image.Certain GCC states ask businesses to lower
trade with Russia. Saudi can cover any oil shortages.Britain to increase
support to Lebanon. Jordan prepares for Syrian refugees January 31, 2012

+++SOURCE: Syria Report 31 Jan.’12:”Sweden Stops Deportation of Syrians “

SUBJECT: Sweden stops deporting Syrians

TEXT:The Swedish Migration Board has announced that it had stopped the
deportation of Syrians because of the “rapidly deteriorating security
situation” in their home country

+++SOURCE: The Austrailian via Egypt Daily News 31 Aug.’12 :”World US-Egypt
standoff worsens”, Associated Press

SUBJECT: US-Egypt standoff worsens

QUOTE: Foreign funding of pro-democracy protests are being investigated

FULL TEXT: Foreign funding of pro-democracy protests are being
investigatedTHREE Americans barred from leaving Egypt have sought refuge at
the US embassy over a probe into foreign-funded democracy groups.

The White House said yesterday it was disappointed with Egypt's handing of
the issue, which US officials have warned could stand in the way of more
than $US1 billion ($940m) in badly needed US aid.

The growing spat between the two longtime allies reflects the uncertainty as
they redefine their relationship nearly one year after the ouster of former
president Hosni Mubarak following an 18-day popular uprising.

Egypt's investigation into foreign-funded organisations burst into view last
month when heavily armed security forces raided 17 offices belonging to 10
pro-democracy and human rights groups, some US-based.

American and UN officials blasted the raids, which Egyptian officials
defended as part of a legitimate investigation into the groups' work and
finances.

...Last week, Egypt barred at least six Americans and four Europeans who
worked for US-based organisations from leaving the country. They include Sam
LaHood, the head of the Egypt office of the Washington-based International
Republican Institute and son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the
only Republican in Democratic President Barack Obama's cabinet.

Mr LaHood said last week that he had been told by his lawyer that he was
under investigation on suspicion of managing an unregistered NGO and
receiving "funds" from an unregistered NGO -- namely, his salary.

The US is due to give $US1.3bn in military aid and $250 million in economic
aid to Egypt this year. Washington has given Egypt some $2bn in economic and
military aid a year since 1979.

Recent US legislation makes conditional the continuation of that aid on
Egypt's taking certain steps in its transition to democracy. These include
abiding by its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, holding free and fair
elections and "implementing policies to protect freedom of expression,
association and religion and due process of law."

+++SOURCE: Egyptian Gazette 31 Jan.’12:”Egypt army fires general to boost
image”,Reuters

SUBJECT Egypt Army fires general to boost image

QUOTE: “it remains to be seen whether the change will alter the army’s
public affairs policy”

FULL TEXT:CAIRO - Egypt's military leader has sacked the general responsible
for media affairs to bolster an image tarnished by killings of protesters
and accusations that the men in uniform are undermining Egypt's democratic
revolution.

The change is the first in the military council since the generals took
power from President Hosni Mubarak during a popular uprising last February.

Although it defused a violent confrontation by ushering Mubarak out, the
military has also tried to crush subsequent protests by force, killing
dozens. It has only grudgingly agreed to hand over to a civilian president
by June, and tried to protect its privileges and avoid civilian oversight.

Major General Ismail Etman, 60, was "exempted from service and replaced by
Major General Ahmed Abu El-Dahab, the director of the artillery division," a
defence ministry source said. The decision was announced later by state
media.

Dozens died when the army tried to suppress protests on the streets of Cairo
in November and December and video of soldiers mistreating injured
demonstrators sparked widespread anger. The army said troops were also
killed.

"The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) concluded that the army's
image in the media has suffered over the past year under Etman's
leadership," said the source.

"The decision is intended to bring in new leadership to improve the armed
forces' performance," and was decreed by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein
Tantawi, who heads the council, the source added.

Etman led the army department which handled a wide range of issues ranging
from media relations to dealing with the concerns of military officers.

Little is known about Etman's successor, Abu El-Dahab, and it remains to be
seen whether the change will alter the army's public affairs policy.

Tantawi has tried to improve the military's public image, calling on
Egyptians to unite with the army and ordering the formation of a committee
of generals to ensure positive media coverage, Egyptian media reported last
week.

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 31 Jan.’12:”Slow down trade with Russia, GCC firms
urged “,By Omar Elmershedi

SUBJECT: Certain GCC states ask business to lower trade with Russia

QUOTES; “reduce trade with Russia because of its ‘arrogant’ position toward
Arab League (Syria) efforts”;; “the Russians need us more than we need them
“

FULL TEXT:JEDDAH — Businesses in certain Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
states have been asked by their governments and members of the governing
families to reduce trade with Russia because of its “arrogant” position
toward Arab League (AL) efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis in Syria, a
senior official of the Saudi Council of Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(SCCCI) has said.

The official, requesting anonymity, spoke to the Saudi Gazette at a dinner
Saturday at the Jeddah home of the head of a diplomatic mission.

The move comes in the wake of Russia indicating it will use its United
Nations Security Council veto to protect Syria from sanctions.

The SCCCI official added that he expects the Saudi government to take a
formal position at some stage with regard to trade with Russia. Asked if he
expects a decision to be taken soon, he said. “This is not how we play ba’loot
(a card game) in the Kingdom.”

The source said businessmen in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were
approached by their governments and members of the governing families, to
reassess trade relations with Russia, in the light of the “arrogant
position” the Russians have taken with regard to Arab League efforts to
resolve the crisis in Syria.

The source added that, as is normally the case in such matters, no formal
announcement will be made on the trade issue. The GCC governments are
appealing to the conscience of businesspeople and expecting the word to
spread, he added.

Assessing the current scope of business relationships with the Russians, the
source said: “Some Gulf businessmen and firms have made good inroads into
the Russian energy and mining markets, including the exploitation of iron
and aluminum deposits. There are now seven joint venture companies working
in Russia with Kuwaiti, Saudi and Emirati capital,” the source said.

“Before the current Syrian crisis, there was talk in a GCC member-state of
cooperating with Russia in the field of electricity production. This
member-state worked on behalf of the GCC, as a spearhead for further
government-to-government cooperation, to construct nuclear reactors, but now
all this is up in the air,” he added.

Asked how these developments would affect the office of the GCC Chamber of
Commerce in Moscow, the source said that the office operates within the
overall GCC trade policy. “I think they had a good chance to sign a free
trade agreement with us but obviously there have now been huge setbacks.”

“The Russians need us commercially more than we need them. The entire global
market is our playground, from Australia to Hawaii. We are traders by birth
and culture. The GCC countries produce more than 26 percent of the world’s
oil. We are gradually transforming into a global market for gas supplies and
renewable energy, in particular, solar energy. We truly could do without
them.”

On the other hand, he said, the Russian economy can benefit considerably
from goods and services available in the GCC. This includes the region’s
sophisticated and world-class financial services industry.

He said these important financial and trade matters have not been taken
seriously by both parties, despite the number of mutual visits by GCC and
Russian officials, and the signing of a number of beneficial trade
agreements.

The source said that the private sector in the GCC could benefit from
various lucrative investment and trade opportunities in the Russian market.

The SCCCI official said that the GCC is looking to adapt to recent global
economic and trade developments. This means seeking to strengthen ties with
other fast-growing and influential countries such as Brazil, China and
India, without neglecting trade relations with current primary partners.
These international changes, which include the European Union’s enforced
trade restrictions on GCC countries, require the GCC to reform its global
economic relations. __

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 31 Jan.’12:”Kingdom can cover any oil shortages”,
Reuters

SUBJECT: Saudi ‘can cover any oil shortages’

QUOTE: “Saudi is best placed to make up for any shortfall in oil supply”

EXCERPTS:LONDON – Saudi Arabia can meet any future world oil shortages
thanks to massive investment, and its rising gas output will mean crude
exports will not be affected by booming domestic energy demand, Oil Minister
Ali Al-Naimi said Monday[30 Jan.].

Growing tension between Iran and the West has led to fears of a disruption
in oil supplies from the Middle East.

The United States and European Union have raised pressure on Iran with
sanctions and a ban on Iranian oil, while Tehran has said it may cut off
supplies to some unspecified countries.

Saudi Arabia is best placed to make up for any shortfall in oil supply.

"I would like to state for the record, here in London, that the Kingdom will
continue to be a reliable, steady and dependable supplier of energy to the
world," Naimi told an oil conference.

Naimi said the Kingdom would be able to meet any future oil market shortages
because of its high levels of investment to maintain oil production
capacity.

"It is because of our ongoing investment that Saudi Arabia is able to
respond to shortages around the world - take issues with Libyan production
last year for example," Naimi said.

"And it’s because of our investment that any future shortages will be
handled."

He dismissed concerns that demand from within Saudi Arabia would limit the
amount of oil available for export.

"Saudi Arabia’s domestic growth will not impact on exports now or in the
future - of this I am very confident," he said.

"Warnings last year about what would happen to Saudi oil exports if current
levels of domestic usage were left unchecked were taken as fact," Naimi
said, "but we are not leaving domestic energy consumption unchecked.". . . .

_

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 31 Jan.’12:”(British P.M.)Cameron Sets out
Package of Support for Lebanon”

SUBJECT: Britain to increase support to Lebanon

QUOTE: “London will double the training programs to the Lebanese armed
forces”

FULL TEXT:..British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed on Monday[30
Jan.] his support to PM Najib Miqati, revealing that in addition to other
things London will double the training programs to the Lebanese armed
forces.

British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher held a meeting with Miqati at the
Grand Serail and handed him a letter from Cameron.

The letter, according to a press release issued by the British embassy, is
to open a new phase with the Lebanese government as London is keen to back
stability, growth and reform in the country.

Cameron stressed in his letter that Britain will continue its “substantial
support to Lebanon,” as Miqati was keen during his visit to London to
indicate that his government would continue to honor its international
obligations.

The British PM set out a “package to provide substantial support to Lebanon’s
future as a sovereign, independent and dynamic partner,” the embassy said.

London will “double the training programs to the Lebanese armed forces,”
according to the statement.

Cameron also expressed his support to the Code of Conduct established by the
Internal Security Forces and suggested providing expertise in order to
support the Lebanese economic growth, and increase the bilateral trade by 20
percent.

The package also includes, supporting Lebanon’s health and education sectors
and sports fields.

Miqati travelled to London in November on his first visit to Britain since
he formed his cabinet in June.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 31 Jan.’12:”Jordan braces for Syrian refugee ‘crisis’
“,

“So far, NGOs offer bulk of services but say cannot sustain them”

by Taylor Luck

SUBJECT: Jordan prepares for Syrian refugees

QUOTE:”Weeks into an official campaign to raise funds from Arab and Islamic
countries . . . has found the international community’s response
‘disappointing’”

FULL TEXT:AMMAN/MAFRAQ — Officials are nearing the completion of Jordan’s
first Syrian refugee camp as part of a series of preparations for what some
describe as a brewing “humanitarian crisis” north of the Kingdom’s borders,
according to an official source.

The Ministry of Public Works and Housing has completed the Kingdom’s first
refugee camp in Ribaa Sarhan, 14km northwest of Mafraq, as part of an
unofficial government acknowledgement that as violence continues in Syria,
Jordan may be faced with yet its latest refugee crisis.

“We have not reached emergency levels yet, but there are signs that if the
situation does not improve in Syria soon, we may see refugees in the tens of
thousands,” said a government source.

“This camp in many ways is our first line of defence.”

The camp, with a 100-family capacity, comes as the latest of a “series of
measures”, including a recent decision accepting Syrian students at the
Kingdom’s public schools, to prepare for a sudden influx of Syrian refugees.

The Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO), the charitable arm of the
government which has been recently tasked to lead Jordan’s humanitarian
response efforts, along with the Kitab and Sunna Society, are currently
finalising preparations for two more camps in the northern region, each with
a 1,000-family capacity.

According to the JHCO, the camps, to be erected in Sama Sarhan in Mafraq and
Hajaj near Ramtha, are currently being outfitted with electricity, water and
roads, in a further sign that with the Syrian crisis teetering towards civil
conflict, Jordanian officials are preparing for an extended stay for the
Kingdom’s latest wave of refugees.

“These are more permanent structures than typical refugee camp,” said Ziad
Hamad, Kitab and Sunna Society president.

The camps come as the number of Syrian refugees registered with the UN
Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has surpassed 3,000, a number UN officials admit is
“unrepresentative” of the actual number of Syrians that have sought refuge
in the Kingdom since the launch of a military crackdown on peaceful
protesters in March 2011.

“We recognise that fear of their government is still preventing many Syrians
from registering with the agency,” said Arafat Jamal, UNHCR deputy
representative in Jordan.

Unofficial figures by various local charitable societies place the number of
Syrian refugees between 4,000 and 8,000 and rising, with the Amman-based
Kitab and Sunna Society recording 500 new registrations in the last week
alone.

“We are seeing increases on a massive scale and all indicators we have
received show that this trend is only going to continue,” Hamad said.

According to humanitarian officials, the camps, which are to start receiving
Syrian refugees mid-next month, come as a bid to avoid a repeat of 2003,
when a sudden influx of Iraqi refugees following the US-invasion led to a
rise in rents and prices of basic goods in urban centres such as Amman and
Zarqa.

“We don’t want to see another Iraq north of our borders. But if we do, we
want to be prepared,” said the official source.

An emerging housing crunch in Mafraq is pushing rents to “unattainable”
levels for many displaced Syrians.

Unfurnished apartments in the northern city are going for as high as JD200
per month, well short of the JD50-JD100 charitable organisations currently
provide in housing assistance.

“The issue of housing has become the number one challenge facing relief
efforts,” said a JHCO source.

The housing crunch has led some societies, including the Islamic Charity
Centre Society, one of the largest providers for Syrian refugees in Jordan,
to cut back or eliminate their rent assistance services altogether.

“Unfortunately, there are some landlords taking advantage of the situation,
while there are simply not enough apartments,” said Mufeed Hafez, head of
the society’s Mafraq branch.

“We want to help, but we can’t interfere with supply and demand,” he said.

The rent crisis has led to a “dispersal” of Syrian refugees, with many new
arrivals passing over the northern cities of Ramtha and Mafraq, which due to
their proximity to the Jordanian-Syrian border, have been the destination of
choice for the bulk of displaced Syrians. Some have moved on to Karak, Maan
and Aqaba in the south where living expenses are lower.

“We are starting to see Syrian refugees settle wherever they can and this
poses a new challenge to relief efforts,” Hamad said.

Funds ‘lacking’

Since the arrival of the first displaced Syrians last March, local charity
societies have carried the bulk of the burden, providing for healthcare
services, tuition, housing and cash assistance. But as the numbers of new
arrivals rise and funds dwindle, these NGOs will be unable to sustain the
services “beyond one month”.

“We are currently taking funds from our general budget that are set aside
for other services to provide for Syrians,” Hafez said.

“This worked for the first few hundred families, but without outside help we
won’t be able to continue these services beyond three weeks.”

Jordanian charity societies say that in order to continue serving Syrian
refugees, international aid agencies and, particularly Gulf countries, must
step forward to carry a greater share of the burden.

“People don’t realise that our ability to provide services are based on
individual donations, while international organisations have set budgets
precisely for this purpose,” Hamad said.

Weeks into an official campaign to raise funds from Arab and Islamic
countries, the JHCO said it has found the international community’s response
“disappointing”.

“So far we have been given many promises, but until now no one has followed
through on their pledges,” said the JHCO source.

With the number of refugees still at “manageable” levels, officials say the
humanitarian plight facing the thousands of Syrian refugees that have made
their way to Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon has lacked the urgency or
international coverage required to place the issue onto the agendas of
international aid agencies and governments.

Government officials admit that the response to the Syrian crisis stands in
stark contrast to Iraq, when a host of international organisations and
governments were quick to provide assistance to help Jordan meet the basic
needs of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis that poured into the Kingdom.

Officials say that due to a limited international involvement in Syria and a
difficult global economic climate, should Syrian refugee arrivals reach the
level of a humanitarian crisis, Jordan may not find donor countries as
nearly as generous.

“If we see something similar to Iraq, there are serious questions whether
the international community will answer the call once again,” said a UN
source.

With or without international support, as the Arab League proposal goes
before the UN and clashes between the Free Syrian Army and government forces
inch towards Damascus, Jordan will be ready to once again assume its
historic role as a safe haven for the victims of the region’s conflicts, the
officials said.

“If the crisis continues, our Syrian brothers will be welcomed in Jordan,”
Hamad said
============
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA