CAIRO: Former US Ambassador to Egypt Francis J. Ricciardone’s appointment as ambassador to Turkey has been vetoed by a Republican senator who accused him of being soft on democratic reform in the Middle East. Kansas Senator Sam Brownback vetoed the appointment, delaying it till September at least after the Senate summer recess. He cited Ricciardone’s …

CHISINAU: Today, “color revolutions,” which a few years ago were seen as promising developments in the post-Soviet space, seem to be out of fashion. Around the world, disappointment with democracy promotion is widespread. Instead, consolidation of authoritarian regimes appears to be the prevailing trend. Roughly a year ago, Moldova, a country few know about, seemed …

CAIRO: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas vowed on Monday to confront Israeli military orders that could lead to deportations from the occupied West Bank. Abbas said the orders, which target West Bank residents without proper IDs, amounted to a “provocation, following a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. …

CAIRO: The State Council will hear today the resumption of the case brought by activists against the building of an underground barrier along the border with the Gaza Strip and the continued closure of the Rafah border crossing. Egypt began building the new underground barrier earlier this year, but only publicly admitted doing after pressure …

CAIRO: President Barack Obama has dramatically cut funds to promote democracy in Egypt, a shift that could affect everything from anti-corruption programs to the monitoring of elections. Washington’s cuts over the past year – amounting to around 50 percent – have drawn accusations that the Obama administration is easing off reform pressure on the autocratic …

CAIRO: The Democratic Front Party called for a boycott of all upcoming elections in Egypt if demands for constitutional and political reform are not met, a decision made by the party’s higher committee during its meeting last Friday. The party’s media spokesman Hossam Al-Amir told Daily News Egypt Monday that the decision was taken within …

CAIRO: Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that Egypt plans to stand up against an Israeli military order that paves way for the expulsion of thousands of Palestinians who lack proper identification from the West Bank, according to local news reports. After a meeting with Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat Saturday, a week after Israel …

CAIRO: Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa downplayed criticism by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, in which the latter accused him of “meddling in Egypt’s internal affairs, according to online news portal masrawy.com. Aboul-Gheit criticized Moussa’s previous statements regarding political reform in Egypt. “I would rather the secretary general [Moussa] not interfere with …

CAIRO: “The Muslim Brotherhood does not want to rule Egypt at the moment and does not have any political agenda regarding any presidential candidate, said the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme guide, Mohamed Badea’, on Dream TV’s “Al-Ashera Masa’an Wednesday. This was Badea’s first television interview since his election as the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme guide, their highest …

CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak resumed his responsibilities from Sharm El-Sheikh on Thursday morning, chairing his first cabinet meeting since undergoing surgery in Germany last month, according to state television. In less than one minute of footage, Mubarak appeared chairing the ministerial meeting. His last television appearance was on March 27 after he returned from Germany, …

JERUSALEM: Hundreds of Israeli travelers returned home after Israel warned its citizens to urgently leave Egypt s Sinai Peninsula because of a kidnapping alert, police said Wednesday. In the unusually strong wording late Tuesday, Israel s anti-terror office called on all Israelis in Sinai to leave immediately and return home, and cited concrete evidence of …

BARCELONA: Talks aimed at adopting a water management strategy for the Mediterranean failed Tuesday due to a row between Israel and Arab countries over a reference to the Palestinian territories, participants said. The stalemate was seen as a strong blow against the nascent 43-nation Mediterranean Union, which was set up two years ago to foster …

CAIRO: Egypt closed the Rafah border crossing Wednesday a day after Israel issued an alert to its citizens in Sinai requesting them to return immediately. However, later on in the day it reopened the crossing to wounded Palestinians and stated that it would remain open until Thursday as had been previously scheduled. Israel had issued …

GAZA CITY: A Hamas lawmaker said Monday that the Islamist group ruling Gaza was facing a financial crisis because of Egypt s moves to seal its border and a boycott by local banks. The government is facing a crisis, MP Jamal Nassar said in a statement. The siege on the (Hamas-run) Palestinian government has been …

CAIRO: Head of the National Coalition for Change Mohamed ElBaradei criticized the building of a steel barrier beneath the border between Egypt and Gaza, saying it has harmed Egypt’s reputation. In an interview with the Palestine Information Center Monday, the former IAEA chief said that the building of the underground wall is perceived as Egyptian …

WASHINGTON: Egypt called Monday for world powers to press both Iran and Israel on nuclear weapons, saying that the Middle East should be a zone free of the ultra-destructive arms. Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who is representing Egypt at a major summit in Washington on nuclear security, voiced hope that diplomacy rather than sanctions …

CAIRO: An emerging opposition leader in Egypt and former head of the UN s nuclear watchdog agency has called for a boycott of the upcoming elections, an Egyptian activist said Monday. Mohamed ElBaradei could not be reached for comment but his call would be the toughest challenge he has yet to issue to Mubarak s …

CAIRO: A demonstration organized yesterday afternoon by opposition group Kefaya Movement for Change drew around 200 people and saw brief clashes with the police. The protest was organized exactly a week after a demonstration by the April 6 Youth Movement was violently put down by the police. The response of the police to protests was …

CAIRO: Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit refuted allegations that there was any Egyptian involvement in the arrest and subsequent deportation of supporters of Mohamed ElBaradei in Kuwait. His statements were given Sunday before heading to Washington to attend a nuclear summit. Aboul Gheit said these allegations were “refused, unacceptable and irresponsible. He added that the …

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama s pledge to one day rid the world of nuclear weapons runs up against global realities this week when representatives from 47 countries try to craft an agreement on keeping nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands. Sweeping or even bold new strategies were unlikely to emerge from the two-day gathering that …

PARIS: Spain aims to revive the Middle East peace process, working with France and Egypt in the run-up to a Mediterranean summit in Barcelona in June, the Spanish foreign minister said Saturday. We are talking to France and Egypt . to restart the peace process in the Middle East, Miguel Angel Moratinos said during a …

KHARTOUM: Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir voted on Sunday in the first multi-party polls of his two-decade rule, but the election was marred by an opposition boycott, fraud allegations and logistical problems. Al-Bashir, wearing a traditional white robe and turban, raised his index finger to show the voting ink and shouted “Allahu Akbar [God is greatest] …

CAIRO: Egyptian human rights groups and political activists have condemned the arrest of 33 expatriate Egyptians in Kuwait attempting to create a branch of the National Coalition for Change. Elbaradei2010.com, the website of Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the National Coalition, says that the men were detained on April 8 and 9. Four men, Mohamed Farag, …

WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday promised not to surprise key Middle Eastern players with a dramatic change in strategy, following reports President Barack Obama was readying a new peace plan. The Obama administration also shrugged off Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s late decision to pull out of a nuclear security summit here next …

CAIRO: Egyptian police released 16 senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including deputy chief Mahmoud Ezzat and Essam El-Erian, who are charged with organizing terrorist groups, Ezzat said on Thursday. Ezzat and the others were freed on bail on Wednesday after the Cairo Criminal Court ordered their release. We are glad to see the authorities swift execution …

WASHINGTON: Less talk about Islamic radicalism and a lot more about doing business. In the year since President Barack Obama pledged a new beginning in the relationship with the world s Muslims, the White House has begun to change the US focus. Terrorism still dominates US security priorities, but the White House believes it does …

CAIRO: Egypt has dismissed US criticism of its detention of scores of protesters who rallied earlier this week in Cairo demanding constitutional reforms to allow more open elections. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said in a statement released late Thursday that Egyptian elections are an internal matter. The (US) remarks, without clear justification, shifted from …

CAIRO: Work on the underground barrier that Egypt is building along its border with Gaza has intensified as it nears areas famous for the number of smuggling tunnels running beneath them. Sources in the area confirmed that work on the wall was nearing populated locations such as Salaheldin where tunnels used to smuggle goods into …

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama s advisers will remove religious terms such as Islamic extremism from the central document outlining the US national security strategy and will use the rewritten document to emphasize that the United States does not view Muslim nations through the lens of terror, counterterrorism officials said. The change is a significant shift …