Middle East

Davos, Switzerland, 24 January 2008 – Hope for peace in the Middle East has a greater chance than ever before, Shimon Peres, President of Israel, told the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 here.

“Today there is more interest in the solution than the conflict … the majority are sincerely in favour of peace,” Peres said. Without giving a specific timeline, Peres said the next 10 months leading up to the US presidential elections will be crucial.    » read more »

January 24, 2008 -- Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) sent the following letter in December 2007 to the President regarding a White House plan for a new, long-term security agreement with the Iraqi government. To date, Sen. Biden has not received a response.

December 19, 2007

The President
The White House
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President:    » read more »

25 January 2008 -- Egypt has increased security around its now open border with the Gaza Strip, as Palestinians poured into the country for a second straight day to stock up on food, fuel and household supplies.

Egyptian border guards patrolled access roads to the region Thursday, preventing Palestinians from moving beyond border-area markets. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have crossed into Egypt to visit relatives and buy goods that have been scarce since Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip last week.    » read more »

23 January 2008 -- The U.S. military in Iraq says a massive explosion in northern Iraq Wednesday killed 15 people, mostly civilians, and wounded at least 132 other civilians.

The blast occurred in a residential area in the city of Mosul after police were tipped off to a weapons cache inside a vacant building. It is not clear what triggered the explosion.

Rescue teams are searching for survivors in the rubble of the toppled three-story building and damaged nearby homes.

A U.S. military statement says three Iraqi army soldiers are among the dead.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. --- January 18, 2008 -- Freedom in the Middle East took a step backwards in 2007, Freedom House reported in a worldwide survey of freedom released yesterday.    » read more »

23 January 2008 -- Thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip poured into an Egyptian border town, early Wednesday, after militants blew a large hole in the border wall overnight that separates Gaza from Egypt.

A huge explosion signaled the latest development in the week-old Gaza crisis. Militants blew a large hole in the high metal wall that separates the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip from Egypt and Palestinians crossed into Egypt by the thousands.    » read more »

22 January 2008 -- Foreign ministers of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany said Tuesday they have agreed on the contents of a new sanctions resolution against Iran over its nuclear program. U.S. officials say it will toughen travel bans and asset freezes against Iranian leaders.

The agreement, which breaks a months-long stalemate over terms of a resolution, was announced by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a brief statement capping a two-hour meeting in Berlin.    » read more »

January 15, 2008 -- THE PRESIDENT: I'm George W. Bush, President of the United States. Thank you all for joining us. Ambassador, thanks for setting this up. It's important for the President to hear thoughts, hopes, dreams, aspirations, concerns from folks that are out making a living. And I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to come and visit with me. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.    » read more »

15 January 2008 -- A group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives is renewing objections to any sale of sophisticated U.S. precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia. VOA's Dan Robinson reports, 51 Democrats and one Republican have signed on so far to a resolution disapproving of the proposed transaction, which is part of a larger $20 billion military sale to Saudi Arabia and Gulf states aimed at countering threats from Iran.    » read more »

January 14, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement today after the Bush Administration announced that it would officially notify the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today of its intent to sell Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) to Saudi Arabia, as part of the much larger package of arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates:    » read more »

14 January 2008 -- The Bush administration officially notified Congress Monday of its intention to sell sophisticated precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia. The action, coinciding with President Bush's visit to Saudi Arabia, is part of a broader U.S. effort to bolster Gulf allies in the face of a more assertive Iran.

The Bush administration has already briefed Congress on its arms sales plans for Saudi Arabia. Monday's announcement sets in motion a 30-day period in which the House and Senate can block the plan with a joint resolution - action that appears highly unlikely.    » read more »

Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - January 14, 2008 -- THE PRESIDENT: Amazing, isn't it? This country has gotten its wealth from the ground and is now reinvesting in alternative forms of energy, sometimes joint venturing with U.S. institutions, like MIT.

* * * * *

THE PRESIDENT: It's a modern society that's using its wealth not only to educate its people, but to stay on the leading edge of technological change.    » read more »

12 January 2008 -- The International Organization for Migration says Iraq is still facing a humanitarian crisis despite decreasing levels of violence, a drop in the number of people fleeing their homes and a limited number of people returning. IOM reports nearly 2.5 million Iraqis are internally displaced and some 2 million are living as refugees in Syria, Jordan and other neighboring countries.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says the majority of Iraq's internally displaced fled their homes following the bombing of the Al-Askari Mosque in Samara in February 2006.    » read more »

01/09/2008 -- One year ago, President Bush announced a surge in U.S. forces in Iraq. Senator Bernie Sanders said Bush was making a bad situation worse. “Our soldiers and their families should not continue to pay the price for the president’s failed policies,” Sanders said on January 10, 2007, the day the surge was announced. “Our troops should come home as soon as possible. It is time for Congress to use its constitutional and budgetary authority to make that happen.”    » read more »

January 9, 2008 -- Washington, DC — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today ahead of the one-year anniversary of President Bush’s announcement of his escalation in Iraq:    » read more »