Gulf in the News – May 31, 2013

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Mariam Klait

Gulf countries may place Hezbollah on terror list

Gulf Arab states will consider placing Lebanon’s Shiite party Hezbollah, which is openly involved in the Syrian conflict, on its terror list, Al-Rai daily quoted highly placed diplomats yesterday as saying. Bahrain will ask foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to discuss “placing Hezbollah on the terror list” at a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the newspaper said. Bahrain currently holds the GCC’s rotating presidency. The paper did not say whether this referred to the party as a whole or just its militia, whose men are fighting alongside government troops in a fierce battle to retake the Syrian town of Qusayr from rebels.

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Upcoming Event: “Crisis Syria: Going Where?” – June 7 in Washington, DC

Posted on May 30, 2013 by NCUSAR

Syria.

On June 7, 2013, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and the U.S.-GCC Corporate Cooperation Committee are hosting a public affairs briefing “Crisis Syria: Going Where?” featuring Ms. Mona Yacoubian, Senior Advisor, Middle East and Project Director, Pathways to Progress, Stimson Center; Mr. Ian Pannell, Correspondent, BBC News; Professor David Des Roches, Senior Military Fellow, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University; Ms. Sharon Waxman, Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy, International Rescue Committee; and Professor Paul Sullivan, Professor of Economics, National Defense University and Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University. Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President & CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, will serve as moderator.

DATE & TIME:

Friday, June 7, 2013
10:00 – 10:30 a.m. – Coffee & Tea / Networking
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Specialist Remarks / Q&A

LOCATION:

Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-369
45 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20515

REGISTRATION:

The event is free but R.S.V.P. (acceptances only) via email to rsvp@ncusar.org is required.

Please note: seating capacity is limited. Include the following information when you R.S.V.P.:
Name:
Company:
Title:
Phone:
Email:

If you have any questions you can call the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations at (202) 293-6466.

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Gulf in the News – May 29, 2013

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Mariam Klait

GCC Foreign Ministers to meet in Jeddah

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

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Al-Zayani added that the GCC Ministerial Council will review issues related to the progress of GCC joint action in all fields. The Secretary General said that the meeting will be preceded by a joint meeting with GCC Ministers of Finance and Economy, noting that the council will discuss a number of memoranda and reports referred by the ministerial committees, especially those related to strategic dialogues, negotiations between the GCC and economic blocs, as well as other topics related to regional, Arab and International conditions of concern to the GCC.

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Listen to Recent NCUSAR Events

Posted on May 28, 2013 by NCUSAR

Audio recordings (“podcasts”) of National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ events are available through iTunes, FeedBurner, and the Council’s website. Links to programs from the past three months are available below.

Bahrain: A Conversation About Its Challenges and Opportunities (May 21, 2013)

Opportunities for Investment in Libyan Energy, Finance, and Infrastructure (April 22, 2013)

Rhetoric and Reality in Arab-U.S. Energy Relations (April 11, 2013)

Tunisia: Post-Revolution Political and Constitutional Transitions (March 5, 2013)

Future of Women’s Rights, Minority Rights, and Freedom of Expression in Tunisia (March 5, 2013)

Gulf in the News – May 24, 2013

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Maria Pantelis

Saudi charities face funding crisis over terror fears

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

Credible Saudi charities are facing a funding crisis because of recent measures aimed at clamping down on terrorists using charities as fronts to raise funds and launder money. A number of charity workers here are now concerned that their work in the community will suffer as wary donors hold on to their cash, and charities are limited in what they can take from donors. Mohammad Al-Samri, an administrator at a charity in Makkah, said that projects have suffered because of a lack of money and not the “weakness of its professional staff.”

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Bahrain: A Conversation About Its Challenges and Opportunities

Posted on May 23, 2013 by NCUSAR

May 21, 2013 briefing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC on “Bahrain: A Conversation About Its Challenges and Opportunities.”

On May 21, 2013, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and the U.S.-GCC Corporate Cooperation Committee hosted “Bahrain: A Conversation About Its Challenges and Opportunities” featuring Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann, President, American Academy of Diplomacy and former U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain, Afghanistan, and Algeria; Professor David Des Roches, Senior Military Fellow, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University; Ms. Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch; and Professor Paul Sullivan, Professor of Economics, National Defense University and Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University. Dr. John Duke Anthony, Founding President & CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, served as moderator.

Links to a podcast and video recording of the program are available below. The podcast, along with recordings of other National Council programs, is also available through iTunes: http://bit.ly/itunes-ncusar.

“Bahrain: A Conversation About Its Challenges and Opportunities” podcast (.mp3) “Bahrain: A Conversation About Its Challenges and Opportunities” podcast (.mp3)

Gulf in the News – May 22, 2013

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Maria Pantelis

UAE slams Iran for Bahrain interference

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

The UAE on Sunday condemned Iran for its interference in Bahrain’s domestic issues, accusing Tehran of trying to distract from its forthcoming elections. Addressing a joint Press conference, UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, along with his Australian counterpart Bob Carr, said Iran had no right to interfere in GCC regional affairs. “Our Iranian neighbors have a real problem in understanding and identifying the way in which they deal with their neighbors,” Shaikh Abdullah said.

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