Saturday, 7 October, 2000, 12:16 GMT 13:16 UK Saudi foreign minister in Iran

The foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud al-Faisal al-Saud, is in Iran for talks on the continuing violence in the Middle East.

Iran, which is the current president of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, OIC, earlier this week called for an urgent meeting of the group's foreign ministers to coordinate a common stand against Israel.

Ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia have improved since the May 1997 election of President Mohammad Khatami, after more than fifteen years of hostility.

The Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi said the two countries were now enjoying the best of relations.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_961000/961190.stm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), October 07, 2000

Answers

My opinion.

This Israel-Palestine situation is getting out of hand. There seems to be a unified assault on Israel from the Arab world. I think this will eventually have an effect on the oil supply in the not to distance future,especially if the U.S comes to the aid of Israel as they have in the past. I am filing these stories under oil crisis.

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), October 07, 2000.

Friday, 6 October, 2000, 19:37 GMT 20:37 UK Protests spread in Arab world

Throughout the Arab world protesters have taken to the streets in sympathy with the Palestinians' day of rage against Israel. The demonstrations are said to be the most serious in years.

In the Jordanian and Syrian capitals, police used teargas to protect the Israeli and American embassies.

President Mubarak of Egypt has convened a summit of Arab leaders to discuss the crisis in the Middle East.

US embassy closed

Hundreds of police surrounded the US embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, as demonstrators expressed their rage at American policy in the Middle East.

The protesters threw stones - the police responded with teargas and water-cannon.

Gaddafi - only a war or boycott worthwhile

The embassy was closed for the day while police were also deployed to protect other American properties such as the American Cultural Centre.

Official Syrian radio attacked what it called "Israeli provocations" in the West Bank and Gaza.

"Resistance is the way to liberate the land.... and the Palestinian insurgents will do that in the same way that the Lebanese insurgents liberated southern Lebanon", the radio said.

In Amman, Jordanian police used teargas to keep angry demonstrators well away from the Israeli embassy.

Gaddafi's reaction

President Mubarak of Egypt has gained the agreement of most Arab leaders for a summit on 21 and 22 October to discuss the situation in the Palestinian territories.

But the summit has received short shrift from Colonel Gaddafi.

Police used teargas to quell riots in Amman

"What will the summit do besides issue denunciations, present condolences to the families of the victims and provide an occasion for Arab leaders to eat and drink?", the Libyan leader asked on a visit to Jordan.

"A summit must declare a war or an economic boycott against the enemy (Israel) but the Arabs are not capable of fighting or boycotting the enemy," Mr Gaddafi told reporters.

Anti- Israeli protests were held in many other parts of the Arab world including Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon and Egypt.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_960000/96017 0.stm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), October 07, 2000.

The closing of so many of our embassies in the Middle East is the first clue that there is about to be an explosion.

-- Uncle Fred (dogboy45@bigfoot.com), October 07, 2000.

I don't think there is any doubt about it. A big political disruption in the Middle East will automatically mean a big disruption in oil.

-- LillyLP (lillyLP@aol.com), October 07, 2000.

Saturday, 7 October, 2000, 20:24 GMT 21:24 UK Israel sets out ultimatum

Israeli warplanes are attacking Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon

After a day of escalating violence in the region, Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Barak has warned that the peace process in Middle East will be halted if the fighting is not brought under control within two days. He said if the Palestinians did not respond to his call, "the army will use all means to end the violence".

If we don't see an end to the violence in two days, we will consider that a halt to the negotiations Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak Mr Barak again blamed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for the violence.

A wave of deadly clashes between the Israeli forces and Palestinians have left 80 people dead so far - most of them Palestinians.

Israeli warplanes have attacked Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon after the militant group captured three Israeli soldiers in the area.

In the West Bank town of Nablus, a Jewish shrine, Joseph's Tomb, has been ransacked by Palestinian crowds after Israel withdrew its forces from the area.

In Washington, President Clinton cancelled his plans for the day to keep in touch with developments.

Palestinian anger

Reacting to Mr Barak's address, a senior member of the Palestine National Council, Hanan Ashrawi, said it was a typical Israeli reaction - blaming the victims for the violence.

She told Mr Barak to call on his army to stop shooting Palestinian people on their own land.

She said a change in mentality was needed among Israelis, to stop behaving like an occupying power and start behaving like a partner in peace.

Air strikes

According to reports the Israeli army has sent a special commando unit to the northern border area with Lebanon and put it on a state of alert.

The trouble began on the border after a riot in which Israeli soldiers shot dead at least two Palestinians.

Artillery battles have ensued along the border and Mr Barak has issued a demand to Syria and Lebanon to bring an end to the violence.

A correspondent for Reuters news agency said that Israeli jets fired rockets at the hills near a border village, Kfar Chouba, from which the guerrillas shelled Israel earlier.

It is the first time Israeli aircraft have entered Lebanon since Israel pulled all its troops out of the country in May after a 22- year occupation.

Hezbollah demands

Israel confirmed that three of its soldiers had been captured.

The Hezbollah leader Sheikh Nazrallah has called for attacks on Israel "This afternoon, three Israeli army soldiers were kidnapped during operational activity along the border fence... on the northern frontier by Lebanese elements, apparently Hezbollah," the army said in a statement.

It said the armed forces would make "every effort to locate the abducted soldiers and to return them home safely".

Hezbollah said it had captured the soldiers from an Israeli army position in the Shebaa Farms district, an area that remained in dispute after the Israeli's withdrawal from Lebanon.

It said it had launched the operation for three reasons:

To free Hezbollah prisoners held by Israel To liberate Lebanese territory To assist the Palestinian uprising Witnesses said that Israeli helicopter gunships scrambled to the air immediately afterwards, apparently to search for the missing soldiers.

Rising anger

Anti-Israeli protests have continued across the Arab world, with the most violent taking place in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

An Israeli citizen taunted at the Lebanese border Reports say several policemen and students were injured in clashes as security forces tried to stop demonstrators marching on the Israeli embassy.

For a second day, there were similar scenes in the Syrian capital, Damascus, while in Amman, the Jordanian authorities banned demonstrations after one person was killed at a Palestinian camp on Friday.

Amid mounting Arab anger, the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, has continued his efforts to convene an emergency Arab summit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_961000/96117 6.stm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), October 07, 2000.

We get most of our oil fron Venezuela. I think Japan and the Pacific rim will get hit the worst.

-- David Williams (DAVIDWILL@prodigy.net), October 08, 2000.