Obama’s anticipated march to Saudi Arabia

Source: Al Arabiya English (Read full story)

There is little doubt that Washington and Riyadh are not seeing eye to eye on key issues in the Middle East, namely Syria and Iran. The next six months are critical given the ongoing violence in Syria with no end in sight combined with the continued negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran moving towards a possible Comprehensive Nuclear Treaty sometime during Summer 2014. A U.S.-Saudi summit reportedly announced for next month hopes to mend ties at this critical and timely juncture and to reassure both the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that their policy objectives will, hopefully, mesh nicely. It is interesting to note that the announcement comes days after the failure of the Geneva II discussions.

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Obama’s anticipated march to Saudi Arabia

Source: Al Arabiya English (Read full story)

There is little doubt that Washington and Riyadh are not seeing eye to eye on key issues in the Middle East, namely Syria and Iran. The next six months are critical given the ongoing violence in Syria with no end in sight combined with the continued negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran moving towards a possible Comprehensive Nuclear Treaty sometime during Summer 2014. A U.S.-Saudi summit reportedly announced for next month hopes to mend ties at this critical and timely juncture and to reassure both the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that their policy objectives will, hopefully, mesh nicely. It is interesting to note that the announcement comes days after the failure of the Geneva II discussions.

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Al Qaradawi’s allegations against UAE false, provocative: GCC chief

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

GCC Secretary-General Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani on Monday strongly condemned accusations levelled by Yousif Al Qaradawi in his Friday sermon on January 24 against the UAE.  Al Zayani slammed the accusations as unacceptable provocation and false allegations that only raise sedition and serve enemies of the Islamic Nation.  Al Zayani, in a statement to Wam, expressed his sorrow for such provocative charges from Al Qaradawi against the UAE, which is always known for its principled, honourable stances and supportive initiatives towards the Islamic causes as well as its assistance for Muslims regardless of their place.

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Shoura clears 40-hour week for private sector

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

The Shoura Council has endorsed a proposal to reduce the weekly working hours for employees in the private sector from 45 to 40 with a two-day weekend.  The Shoura members, who met on Monday, adopted a number of amendments to the Labor Law and agreed to reduce total weekly working hours from 45 to 40. They also agreed to make the working contract unlimited if it is renewed three times and if the total employment period had touched four years.

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Qaradawi calls on Saudi to stop backing Egypt’s army regime

Source: The Peninsula (Read full story)

The prominent Qatari-based scholar Yousuf Al Qaradawi called on Saudi Arabia to stop backing Egypt’s military-dominated authorities, accusing them of using Saudi money to kill Egyptians protesting at the overthrow in July of an elected Islamist president.  Most US-aligned Gulf Arab monarchies, rattled by the rise of Islamists in the Middle East, were relieved when the Egyptian military stepped in to topple president Mohamed Mursi after mass protests against his rule. But Yousuf Al Qaradawi said the strong backing that Saudi Arabia had provided military-backed Egyptian authorities which had crushed Islamist opposition since Mursi’s removal was wrong and should be withdrawn.

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Interim Syria govt must be free of Assad regime: KSA

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

The Cabinet on Monday reiterated the Kingdom’s stance that Bashar Assad and his regime should not have any role in the interim Syrian government. It also denounced the terrorist bombings in Egypt.  The Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, said the Geneva 2 conference should form the interim Syrian government, which should be allowed to work without any external interference.

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Widespread support for Sheikh Khalifa who is recovering from stroke

Source: The National (Read full story)

The international and local communities have expressed their support for the President, Sheikh Khalifa, in his recovery from a stroke.   …  Sheikh Mohammed assured [well-wishers that] Sheikh Khalifa was in a stable condition and thanked them for their concerns.

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Zarif trip to Lebanon includes signal to Saudi Arabia

Source: Al-Monitor (Read full story)

The most noticeable aspect of the visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Beirut on Jan. 12 were the positions he took toward Saudi Arabia and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, as they clearly contradicted those of Hezbollah, especially some of the Party of God’s recent stances.  Hezbollah has recently waged an anti-Saudi Arabia campaign, which included Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah accusing Saudi intelligence of being behind the November 2013 bombing of the Iranian Embassy in Beirut. In addition, Hezbollah has launched harsh attacks against Suleiman, be it via repudiation of the Baabda Declaration or raising suspicions about the Saudi-French initiative to support the Lebanese army, the latter of which is considered to be an achievement for Suleiman.

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