Excerpts: Major milestones US-Saudi relations. Obama -Republicans+top
officials to meet Saudi King. Donors for Gaza failed to pay up. Oil supply
by OPEC remains unsettled. Muslims should fight extremism and terrorism.
Gaza (Hamas) readying seaport. January 27, 2015

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 27 Jan.’15:”Major milestones in U.S.-Saudi
relations”, by Staff Writer
SUBJECT:Major milestones US-Saudi relations
FULL TEXT:Saudi Arabia and the United States have enjoyed more than 80 years
of bilateral relations, beginning with the birth of the modern Arab kingdom
in the early 1930s.

Al Arabiya News Channel has compiled some of the main milestones of one of
the region’s longest and most significant alliances ahead of U.S. President
Barack Obama's visit to Riyadh on Tuesday.[27 Jan.]

1932The United States recognizes the newly unified kingdom of Saudi Arabia
under King Abdulaziz Al Saud.

1933he United States and Saudi Arabia sign a bi-lateral economic cooperation
agreement.

1942The United States appoints a representative to the kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.

1943Saudi King Abdulaziz Al Saud sends an angry letter to U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt stressing that the Jews have no rights to Palestine.

1945Saudi King Abdulaziz Al Saud meets U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
on board aircraft carrier the USS Quincy.

1947The beginning of the period of U.S.-Saudi partnership during the U.S.
administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

1973-1974The October War, or the third Arab-Israeli conflict, and the
ensuing oil embargo against the West.

1979U.S.-Saudi ties improve after the fall of the shah of Iran and the
establishment of the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

1990 During the U.S. administration of George Herbert Walker Bush, the
partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia is bolstered in the
first Gulf War.

2001Tension in relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia
following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York.

2006Chilling of ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States over U.S.
backing for the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

2012During the U.S. administration of President Barack Obama, an
understanding is established between Saudi Arabia and the United States over
the situation in Egypt.

2013Ties between Washington and Riyadh are strained over the Iran’s nuclear
program and the Syrian crisis.

2014U.S. President Barack Obama visits Saudi Arabia to boost bi-later ties
between the two countries.

Last Update: Tuesday, 27 January 2015

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 27 Jan.’15:”Obama, Republicans to meet Saudi King
Salman, Staff Writer
SUBJECT: Obama +Republicans+top officials to meet Saudi King

QUOTE:”President Barack Obama will fly a 30-member delegation… to Riyad on
Tuesday [27Jan] to meet new Saudi King Salman

FULL TEXT:President Barack Obama will fly a 30-member delegation including
top officials and Republican foreign policy veterans to Riyadh on Tuesday[27
Jan.] to meet new Saudi King Salman.

Joining Obama in paying respects following the death of King Abdullah will
be Republican statesmen James Baker, secretary of state in the George H.W.
Bush administration, and Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser to
presidents Ford and H.W. Bush, the White House said, according to Reuters
news agency.

Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state for President George W. Bush, Stephen
Hadley, national security adviser in that administration, and Republican
Senator John McCain, who is often critical of Obama's foreign policy, also
will join.

Obama's Secretary of State John Kerry and CIA Director John Brennan will be
part of the delegation, as will top Obama advisers Susan Rice and Lisa
Monaco.

King Abdullah died on Friday[23 Jan.] after a short illness and was
succeeded by King Salman.

The U.S. President later phoned the new Saudi king to offer his condolences.

World leaders flocked to the Saudi capital Riyadh over the weekend to pay
tribute to the late king.

Shortly after King Abdullah’s death, the White House issued a statement
hailing him as a “candid” leader who “had the courage of his convictions.”

“As our countries worked together to confront many challenges, I always
valued King Abdullah's perspective and appreciated our genuine and warm
friendship,” said Obama.

“The closeness and strength of the partnership between our two countries is
part of King Abdullah’s legacy.”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in King Abdullah’s death, the United
States lost “a man of wisdom and vision.”

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 27 Jan.’15:”U.N. Halts Gaza House Repairs
Saying Donors Failed to Pay Up”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Donors for Gaza failed to pay up
QUOTE: “$5.4 billion was pledged at the Cairo(aid) conference last October
and virtually none of it has reached Gaza”
EXCERPT:The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said on Tuesday[27 Jan.]
that it cannot afford to repair Gaza homes damaged in last year's war with
Israel because donors have failed to pay.

"The agency has exhausted all funding to support repairs and rental
subsidies," the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said in a
statement.

"$5.4 billion was pledged at the Cairo (aid) conference last October and
virtually none of it has reached Gaza. This is distressing and unacceptable.

"It is unclear why this funding has not been forthcoming," it added. …………..

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 27 Jan.’15:”Oil Price ‘Too Low’:Saudi Aramco
Chief”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Oil supplyby OPEC remains unsettled
QUOTE:”Saudi Aramco president:’It’s (oil price) too low for everybody’ “
FULL TEXT”World oil prices have fallen too far, the president of state-owned
energy giant Saudi Aramco said Tuesday[27 Jan.], stressing it was for the
market not OPEC producers to shore them up.

"It's too low for everybody," Khalid al-Falih told a conference.

"I think even consumers start to suffer in the long term."

Falih also said American shale oil production is important for the world's
long-term energy future and Saudi Aramco has marked an additional $7 billion
for its own shale projects.

Saudi Aramco is the world's largest oil company in terms of crude production
and exports.The kingdom is the leading exporter and top producer in the
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

In November, the cartel decided to maintain its output ceiling at 30 million
barrels per day, deepening the global price drop which began in June.

Oil was then trading at more than $100 a barrel but on Tuesday[27 Jan.]
international benchmark Brent crude for March delivery was fetching just
$48.28 in Asian trade.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi has been quoted as saying it is unfair to
expect the cartel to reduce output if non-members, who account for most of
the world's crude production, do not.

Falih reiterated that policy, saying: "Saudi Arabia will not singlehandedly
balance the market on a downturn."

The company's production has been steady over the past few years, while
domestic demand rose and exports gradually declined, he said.

"So the reason for the imbalance in the market absolutely has nothing to do
with Saudi Arabia," Falih told the Global Competitiveness Forum.

- 'The next frontier' -:The annual event, organised by the kingdom, brings
together senior Saudi officials and world business leaders.

Falih said "it will take time" for the current excess supply to be
removed.He declined to speculate on the price at which the market will
ultimately settle."It will be the price that will balance supply and demand.
I think we're going to just wait for the forces of supply and demand," he
said.

Saudi Arabia, the only producer with significant spare capacity, had
traditionally acted to stabilise the market by adjusting output.

Technological innovations have unlocked shale resources in North America and
raised U.S. oil output by more than 40 percent since 2006, but at a
production cost which can be three or four times that of extracting Middle
Eastern oil.

In an increasingly competitive market, analysts have said the kingdom is
content to see shale oil producers suffer from low prices. But Falih said:
"U.S. shale is needed, is welcome, on the global scene," because the world
will require more energy resources for a growing population.

The economy is still going to be driven by oil and gas for generations, he
said.

Falih added that U.S. shale innovation had led the way for Saudi Arabia to
pursue similar techniques.

"Saudi Aramco has invested already $3 billion in developing our
unconventional gas. We just earmarked an additional seven (billion). This is
the first time I share this publicly," he told the forum.

"Saudi Arabia will be the next frontier after the U.S. where shale and
unconventional will make a contribution to our energy mix, especially gas."



+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 27 Jan.’15:”More engagement is needed to confron
terrorism”by Mohammad Ghazal
SUBJECT:Muslims should fight extremism and terrorisms
QUOTE:”Muslims should spearhead efforts on different fronts to fight
extremism and terrorism whose overwhelming majority of victims are Muslims
themselves”
FULL TEXT:AMMAN — Muslims should spearhead efforts on different fronts to
fight extremism and terrorism whose overwhelming majority of victims are
Muslims themselves, opinion leaders and officials said Monday.[26 Jan.]

Entire Muslim communities with their political parties, academic
institutions, think tanks, government and others are required to coordinate
efforts to fight extremist ideologies, which seek to tarnish the image of
Islam, they said.

"There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. There is one Islam which is a
faith of moderation, tolerance, forgiveness and acceptance of others, and
there is extremism and terrorism, which are completely against Islam and
Islamic teachings," Hassan Kureira, head of preaching and guidance
department at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, told The Jordan
Times Monday[26 Jan/].

Muslims and Islam are the majority of the victims of extremist and terrorist
groups that seek to represent themselves as implementing Islamic teaching
and seeking to preserve Islam, the experts said.

"The entire community should stand up to face extremism and terrorism. It
starts with schools, universities, mosques and cultural institutions.
Education authorities have a key role to play. We need coordinated efforts
by all stakeholders nowadays more than any time before, especially with the
rise of extremists and terrorists groups in the region," the cleric added.

Those extremists groups also harm Muslims living in Western societies.

"Muslims should not wait for others to start such efforts. They should take
the lead to fight extremism and terrorism," added the awqaf official.

Musa Shteiwi, director of the University of Jordan’s Centre for Strategic
Studies, said ongoing efforts are not enough and there is need for more
engagement by all stakeholders across the Arab and Muslim world to eradicate
extremist ideologies.

“Media, political parties and civil society institutions, along with
governments should all be in the same boat when it comes to fighting
terrorism and extremism,” he said over the phone Monday[26 Jan.].

“At present, there is an ideological conflict and fighting terrorism should
be at the top of Muslims’ priorities,” Shteiwi added.

At the meeting with chief editors of daily newspapers Sunday[25 Jan.], His
Majesty King Abdullah said the fight against radicalism and terrorism will
be a long-term effort which should be spearheaded by Muslim and Arab
countries and supported by the international community, describing this
endeavour as a third world war by other means.

The Monarch called on Arab and Muslim countries to come together and unify
efforts to wage this war, which he said in the short-run should focus on the
military aspect, in the medium on security and in the long-term on the
ideological effort.

This multi-pronged war has to be fought simultaneously on multiple fronts
with the collaboration of all Arabs and Muslims as they are the first
concerned with fighting those who misrepresent them and distort their
religion and as the main targets and victims of radicalism and terrorism,
the King said during the meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace.

In his column commenting on the meeting, Mohammad Al Tal, Ad Dustour’s chief
editor, said His Majesty’s vision and approach to defend Islam was clear and
firm.

King Abdullah detailed to what degree the terrorist organisations and
radical groups such as the Islamic State and Al Qaeda are tarnishing the
image of Islam, said Tal, adding that the King highlighted the great
importance of fighting terrorism of all forms.

The King stressed that defending Islam is a holy mission for all Muslims
especially the major Islamic institutions such as the Egypt-based Al Azhar,
said Tal.

“With their crimes, terrorists seek to create a deep gap between the Islamic
and the Western worlds and this harms the entire Ummah,” he said.

“Muslims in the West are victims of terrorism as well,” said Tal




+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 27 Jan.’15:”Gaza [Hamas] says readying seaport for
international travel, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Gaza[Hamas] readying seaport
FULL TEXT:GAZA CITY — A ministerial committee in Hamas-controlled and
Israeli-blockaded Gaza announced plans on Sunday[25 Jan.] to ready the
enclave's sole seaport to allow Palestinians to travel abroad.

The enclave, home to 1.8 million people, has been under an Israeli land and
sea blockade since 2006. Its sole gateway to the world not controlled by
Israel is the Rafah border with Egypt, which has been largely closed since
late October.

Alaa Al Batta, spokesman for the committee formed to lift the blockade, said
preparations are under way to launch within two months a boat service for
the sick and students studying overseas.

The port in Gaza City is currently restricted to fishermen, whom Israel only
allows to fish up to a maximum of six nautical miles from the shore.

Israeli forces routinely fire on any vessel close to the outer limit.

Opening a port was one of the main Palestinian demand to be tabled during
negotiations with Israel to firm up a truce agreement which ended a 50-day
war in July and August.

But the negotiations failed to get off the ground and the demand was never
tabled.

"We are taking the necessary measures to allow maritime transport and to
prepare for the construction of a port which will link Gaza with the outside
world," Batta said.

There was no immediate reaction from Israel to the Gaza port plan.

Several ships manned by pro-Palestinian activists have tried to run the
blockade and reach the shores of Gaza, but they have all been repelled by
the Israeli navy.

In 2010, Israeli commandos staged a botched raid on a six-ship flotilla in
international waters, killing 10 Turkish nationals and sparking a diplomatic
crisis with Ankara that has yet to be resolved.

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