Excerpts:Global Islamic Conference. Russia offers Iran missiles. Investment
advice to Gulf Arabs. France aircraft carrier in Gulf.Jordan fights
extremist ideologies February 23, 2015

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 23 Feb.’15:”Formulate strategy to thefight
terrorism, King tells scholars”, by Badea Abu Al Naja
SUBJECT: Global Islamic Conference
QUOTE: “Saudi King said the entire world is threatened by the ‘Islamized
terrorism’ ”
FULL TEXT: MAKKAH — Terrorism is not only a threat to our nation but to the
entire world, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman said here on
Sunday[22 Feb.].

In a speech at the Global Islamic Conference, read out on his behalf by his
adviser and Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the King said the entire
world is threatened by the “Islamized terrorism” which kills, destroys and
commits all kinds of vices under the name of Islam.

A number of renowned scholars from the Kingdom and abroad are taking part in
the conference titled “Countering Terrorism” organized by the Muslim World
League (MWL).

The conference will debate the best methods of fighting terrorism and
extremism at its very embryo with a view to protecting the youth against its
evil.

King Salman asked the MWL to formulate a comprehensive strategy to eradicate
terrorism which is a natural child of extremism.

He expressed confidence that the recommendations of the conference will
boost the efforts to combat terrorism.

The King said terrorists, who are alleging to be Muslims, have divided
nations, dispersed and killed a large number of people.

“Terrorists have given the enemies of Islam the opportunity to malign its
more than 1.5 billion followers,” King Salman said.

“Terrorists do not at all represent Islam,” the King added.

He said the detestable crimes of terrorists were the root cause of the
hostile campaigns against Islam and Muslims.

“Many people have the misconception that terrorism is the main feature of
Islam and Muslims,” the King said, adding that many people fear Islam and
Muslims and that “they are skeptical of us and our religion.”

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques reiterated that Saudi Arabia will not
leave any stone unturned in its fight against terrorism as an ideology and
practice.

“Our security agencies have fought terrorists with determination and zeal.
They dismantled terrorist cells and networks. Many of the security men have
been martyred in these operations. Our Air Forces are part of the
international alliance against terrorism,” he said.

The King recalled that Saudi scholars have also combatted terrorists by
falsifying their invalid religious justifications.

Saudi ulema have made it clear to the world that violence and extremism have
nothing to do with Islam which is a religion of moderation and tolerance,
the King reiterated.

“Whoever dares to venture out of Islam’s noble tenets will cause misery,
dissension, disunity and hatred among nations,” he said.
The King also said Saudi universities, research centers and media have
unveiled the machinations of terrorists and exposed their dangers against
the international community.



+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon( 23 Feb.’15:”Russia Offers Iran New Missiles
despite Sanctions”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Russia offers Iran missiles

QUOTE:”(Russia-Iran) military cooperation agreement touted as a joint
response to U.S.interference’ “

FULL TEXT: Russia has offered Iran advanced surface-to-air missiles after
scrapping a similar deal in 2010 because of U.N. sanctions over Tehran's
nuclear program, the state defense company said Monday[23 Feb.].

Any such a deal is likely to go down badly in Washington as Western
countries seek to keep up the pressure on Iran to agree a comprehensive deal
on its nuclear activities.

Sergei Chemezov, head of the Rostec corporation which manages Russia's
defence industry, said Moscow has offered to supply Antey-2500 missiles, an
upgraded version of the S-300 air defence system that figured in the
previous contract.

"We have offered them the Antey-2500," Chemezov was quoted as saying by
RIA-Novosti news agency.

But he added: "The decision has not been made yet."

Moscow signed a contract in 2007 to deliver S-300 missiles to Iran worth
$800 million.

The deal was intensely criticised by the United States and Israel, and
Moscow later dropped it as being in breach of U.N. sanctions.

A U.N. resolution adopted in 2010 bans the supply, sale or transfer to Iran
of missiles or missiles systems.

Chemezov said the Antey-2500 is a more modern version of the S-300, which
Russia no longer makes. The same surface-to-air missiles were reportedly
delivered to Venezuela in 2013.

Now under Western sanctions itself over the conflict in Ukraine, Russia -- a
permanent member of the U.N. Security Council -- has strengthened its
alliance with Iran.

During a visit to Tehran by Russia's defense minister last month, the two
countries signed a military cooperation agreement touted as a joint response
to U.S. "interference".

SourceAgence France Presse



+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 223 Feb.’15:”London a fertile soil for Gulf
investments”

LONDON — London is the gateway to Europe. It is the favorite place for Arab
tourists, predominantly from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, who
fly into to it during their vacations and spend thousands of British pounds.
The popularity of the city makes it a fertile soil for GCC businesses and
investments.

There has been a growing move by London City Hall to attract investors from
the Gulf region. “People are familiar with London. They are comfortable with
the English language and the rule of law here, which is very important for
the investor. English law is very simple, straightforward and fully
understood. Not to mention that it is the right time zone here between the
Middle East and the USA,” said Sir Edward Lister, the Deputy Mayor of London
while speaking to the press at the City Hall.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, keeps a close relation with the Gulf
States. He regularly visits the region as the relationship between the two
sides is a two-way street. While thousands of GCC nationals visit London and
some reside here, the British presence in Dubai alone is the third largest
abroad. UK businesses are also encouraged to step foot in the Gulf.

“I think there are so many business links between the UK and Saudi Arabia.
It is clear that these are two countries that understand each other and are
able to do business with each other, whether it’s trade or investment,” said
Dominic Jeremy, Chief Executive of the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), a
government department which encourages overseas companies to invest in the
UK. “We are open to Saudis to come and benefit from participating in the
UK,” he told the Saudi Gazette.

Seeing Arabs from the GCC strolling the high-end neighborhoods of the Royal
Bureau of Kensington and Chelsea, in southwest London – down the street of
Knightsbridge and Sloane Square – is usual around the year. Many owned their
properties, a step that is welcome by London.

The City Hall encourages Gulf property companies to look at London for
investment purposes. After the financial crisis swarmed the area in 2008,
the banking sector dropped back, and the demand rose to find an alternative.
Construction was one of the growing strengths in the city. It is bigger than
any other city in Europe. “In fact, many of these cranes have Gulf money at
the back of them one way or another,” Sir Lister added, while pointing at
London’s landscape through the window with The Shard standing tall in the
horizon.

For the second year in a row, London is the most visited tourist city in the
world. It attracts more than 16 million international visitors a year who
spend GBP11.3 billion in total. The West End shopping area continues to
attract more people strolling down Oxford Street, to Bond Street and Regent
Street.

The retail base is strong here. As Londoners are great shoppers, so are GCC
nationals. It is the place where retailers can do well. “The fashion sector
is now one of the main drivers for London economy. It contributes with GBP8
billion,” Sir Lister said. The City Hall represented by London and Partners
help foreign investors, who wish to expand in London, get established by
connecting them with the right companies. “You can get a company registered
in this country in a matter of days. It is easy.”

As London is one of the most expensive capitals in the world, the
operational costs of setting up a business are high, but so is the
population, which boosts the potential purposes. The UK capital that is home
to a population of 8.6 million is what the deputy mayor describes as “an
even playing field.”

In 2013, West End spends were estimated at GBP8.5 billion followed by Paris
at GBP7.7 billion and Madrid at 5 billion. There are 800,000 small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in London. The UK’s luxury sector is
expected to be worth GBP12.2 billion by 2017.

Gulf retailers are having their place in the British Capital’s West End
shopping scene. Places such as Arabian Oud and Bateel, in Oxford Street and
Bond Street, moved their success stories from their home in Saudi Arabia to
achieve an offshore ambition. They bring a familiar homey feel to London’s
shopping district that is popular by Arabs and ranks first for retail spend
among 15,000 cities and towns in Europe. Qatar-owned Chapati and Karak
teahouse in Knightsbridge also sets an example of a business project that
was established in Doha and moved to London where it succeeded in provoking
curiosity of the luxurious neighborhood’s passersby to try the culinary
delights of pastry and tea within traditional ambience.

As a move to promote investment in London to business owners from the GCC,
the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) along with the British Embassy in Dubai
have launched The 2015 GREAT Business Award. The competitors should be main
shareholders in their company and must be nationals or residents of the six
Gulf states. The award will include a business development program in London
offering a mentorship session with a UK based retail leader. It will
moreover include a consultancy session with accountants and lawyers on the
logistics and technicalities of setting up business in the UK from work
visas to the taxation system.

This initiative aims to tell GCC businesspeople that London is the place to
go if they want to take their businesses and invest overseas and is the
first destination in Europe to pour their money.

Speaking ahead of the award launch, Richard Wildash, Deputy Head of Mission
at then British Embassy in Riyadh said the UK remains a highly attractive
destination for Saudi investment. Saudi companies and individuals
collectively own assets worth GBP60 billion.

“We intend to continue to do our utmost to support Saudi businesses, both
large and small, in building vibrant commercial partnerships, bringing even
more investment into the UK,” Wildash added. This competition is set to run
until the end of March 2015.


+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 23 Feb.’15:”France Deploys Aircraft Carrier in
Gulf for IS Fight”, Agence France Presse

SUBJECT: “ France aircraft carrier in Gulf

QUOTE:”part of U.S/-led military campaign against IS jihadist group in Iraq

FULL TEXT:France deployed an aircraft carrier in the Gulf on Monday[23 Feb.]
as part of the U.S.-led military campaign against the Islamic State jihadist
group in Iraq, a defense ministry official said.

"The integration of the Charles de Gaulle in the operation... (in Iraq)
begins this morning," a member of Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's
staff told Agence France Presse as his entourage made its way to the
carrier.

The first Rafale fighter jet took off in the morning from the Charles de
Gaulle as it sailed about 200 kilometers (120 miles) off the coast north of
Bahrain in the direction of Iraq.

France launched Operation Chammal in support of the US-led coalition against
IS in September.

The Charles de Gaulle left its base in Toulon on January 13 for a five-month
mission that will include several weeks in the Gulf working alongside the
USS Carl Vinson as part of the coalition launched after IS seized swathes of
Syria and Iraq last year.

The French carrier is then to travel to India, where it is due to take part
in exercises in mid-April.

Carrying 12 Rafale and nine Super Etendard fighters, the carrier will
significantly increase French air capabilities in the region.

France has nine Rafales in the United Arab Emirates and six Mirage fighters
in Jordan operating in Iraq, along with a maritime patrol and a refueling
aircraft.

French warplanes have carried out about 100 reconnaissance missions and the
same number of strike raids in Iraq since mid-September in support of Iraqi
forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters battling IS on the ground, ministry
sources said.

France is, along with Australia, one of the main contributors to the
32-member coalition effort aside from the United States, which is carrying
out the bulk of strikes.

The coalition has carried out more than 2,000 strikes since August, with
France and other Western nations conducting operations over Iraq and several
Arab nations taking part in strikes over Syria.

The campaign aims to support forces in Iraq and Syria, including rebel
fighters and Kurdish forces, fighting IS on the ground and to hit
infrastructure seized by the jihadist group such as oil facilities.

While excluding the deployment of ground combat troops, coalition countries
have also sent trainers to work with Iraqi forces.

US military officials have said they want Iraqi forces to launch an
offensive to retake the strategic northern city of Mosul from IS in April or
May.

The Charles de Gaulle strike group also includes an attack submarine, a
French anti-aircraft frigate and the HMS Kent, a British anti-submarine
frigate. In total some 2,700 sailors are involved in the mission, including
2,000 on the carrier itself.

+++Source: Jordan Times 23 Feb.’15:”Nationwide activities ‘to counter
extremist ideologies’ “, by Mohammad Ghazal

SUBJECT: Jordan fights extremist ideologies

AMMAN — Jordan will soon launch a plan to fight extremist ideologies and
raise awareness among all segments of society of their dangerous impact,
according to an Awqaf Ministry official.

Under the projected plan, several activities will be launched starting in
May to highlight that extremist ideologies have nothing to do with Islam,
Hassan Kureira, head of the guidance and preaching department at the
ministry, said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times.

“It is very important to raise awareness among people from all walks of life
on how such ideologies are far from being part of Islam, especially at this
critical time that is witnessing the emergence of several radical and
terrorist groups in the region,” Kureira said.

“We decided to launch the project with a view to strengthening the community
to make it immune to any extremist ideologies or terrorist group that seeks
to brainwash people, especially youths,” he added.

As part of the plan, the ministry will host Muslim scholars from several
countries who will hold seminars, workshops and lectures on the principles
of Islam, a religion of moderation and tolerance, Kureira noted.

“Several activities will be held across Jordan — in governorates, towns,
districts and remote areas.”

“Terrorism and extremist ideologies should not only be confronted
militarily, but also through moderate ideologies that denounce violence,
hatred and promote acceptance of others,” the official noted.

“At present, we believe that we need to exert more efforts and that the
responsibility is greater than before when it comes to defending Islam and
facing extremist ideologies.”

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Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA