Excerpts: Egypt to restore synagogues.Israel/Arab neighbors joint nuclear
plant.Dubai financial problems continue.Turkey offers Israel/Syria mediation
March 10, 2010

+++EGYPT DAILY NEWS: 10 Mar.'10:"Egypt to pay for restoration of all
synagogues
"By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI , Associated Press
EXCERPTS:CAIRO - Egypt will shoulder the costs of restoring the country's
Jewish
houses of worship said the culture minister Tuesday(9 Mar), two days after a
historic synagogue in Cairo's ancient Jewish quarter was rededicated in a
private ceremony.
Farouk Hosny said in a statement that his ministry views Jewish sites as
much a part of Egypt's culture as Muslim mosques or Coptic churches and the
restorations would not require any foreign funding.. . . .

+++Source:Naharnet (Lebanon) `9 Mar '10:"Israel Wants Nuclear Plant with
Arab
Neighbors
"Israel unveiled plans Tuesday(9 Mar) to work with its Arab neighbors to
build a
nuclear power plant in a project aimed at meeting the region's energy needs
and promoting peace.
Israel has already chosen a site for the nuclear reactor -- the first to be
put to civilian energy use -- in the northern part of the Negev desert, said
Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau.
"Nuclear energy can be an area of regional cooperation with the objective of
promoting peace," Landau told a Paris conference on the civilian use of
nuclear power.. . . .
.
"Naturally any nuclear power plant to be built in Israel will be subject to
all the international safeguards," said Landau.. . . .
.
Israel, which has a severe power shortage, is an arid country with no option
of hydroelectric generation and no oil, and the government faces local
opposition to building more coal-fired electricity plants.
"Israel is an energy island so to speak. It has to import all its energy
resources in order to provide its energy needs," said the minister at the
two-day conference.

+++SAUDI GAZETTE 10 Mar.'10:"UAE pledges support for Dubai", Reuters
By Rania Oteify and Rachna Uppal

QUOTE:Abu Dhabi does not want to give the imression that big brother will
always be there"

EXCERPTS:DUBAI - The United Arab Emirates pledged its support for Dubai on
Tuesday(9 Mar)
but said the emirate had yet to ask for federal help, which analysts said
would come reluctantly and with strings attached.
The UAE finance minister said the federal government would support the
emirate as it negotiates a plan to restructure $26 billion in debt and said
he expected a deal to be finalised soon.
. . .Asked whether the federal government would support Dubai, Sheikh
Hamdan bin
Rashid al Maktoum said: "Of course. Dubai is part of the federation." Sheikh
Hamdan, who is also deputy ruler of Dubai, said the emirate had not yet
approached the federal government for aid."The federation hasn't reached
that far,
but the Emirates are one entity and things will be resolved soon, God
willing," ... .
.
. . . .Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest and largest of the seven members of the
UAE
federation, bailed Dubai out in December and has an active role behind the
scenes in current debt negotiations.
But the emirate, a pivotal player at the federal level, has been pointedly
silent on its plans regarding Dubai's debt restructuring. Analysts expect it
to help again but in a modest way, with little fanfare, and in exchange for
more centralised control.
"It will be calculated interference, and it will come with some conditions,"
said a prominent Emirati businessman in Abu Dhabi."Abu Dhabi does not want
to give the impression that big brother will always be there.". . . .
"If there is any plug pulling (by the creditors of Dubai World), then Abu
Dhabi will come in," said a Dubai-based risk analyst. "If lenders call
default, then Abu Dhabi will want to prevent that from happening. One, there
is the issue of the UAE reputation, and two, Abu Dhabi will want to say, if
we can help Dubai, rest assured we will look after our own."
In a sign that Dubai entities were gearing to test the market again,
state-owned utility Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) said on
Tuesday(9 Mar) it planned to launch a $1.5 billion bond, to be completed in
the
first week of April.
DEWA postponed the issue after Dubai World's November announcement. -
Reuters

+++SOURCE:Saudi Gazette 10 Mar'10:"Erdogan hopeful of reviving Syria-Israel
talks
SUBJECT: Turkey offers Israel/ Syria mediation

EXCERPTS:RIYADH - Israel might accept Turkey as a mediator to restart
stalled talks
between Syria and Israel, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
Tuesday(9 Mar.).
While Israel has not yet endorsed Syria's proposal of Ankara as an
interlocutor in their frozen peace talks, it is moving in that direction, he
told journalists in Riyadh.
"There is an interest in revitalizing these talks. Syria wants Turkey as the
mediator," he said.
"Israel has been moving on this so possibly we can restart talks, I hope,"
he said. . . . .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying
"No decision has been taken to renew the Turkish mediation." It added: "but
if these comments reflect Turkey's desire to strengthen its relations with
Israel and to contribute to peacemaking in the region - then Israel would
clearly welcome that aspiration." . . . .
==========
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA