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Closed or open?

THE EGYPTIAN accord with Israel to re-open the Rafah border terminal that links Egypt and Gaza was approved on Tuesday by Israel's security cabinet. The agreement was negotiated for weeks following Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in September and was finalised last week during talks held in Cairo between President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz. It allows Egypt and the Palestinian Authority to operate the Rafah terminal with European observance and Israeli camera surveillance.

Palestinian officials say they are still apprehensive that Israel will actually allow a smooth-running operation of the terminal. Until Al-Ahram Weekly went to press the terminal was still reported closed.

Cross and crescent

FOREIGN Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit this week received his Swiss counterpart Micheline Calamy-Rey. Calamy-Rey was in town for consultations on the efforts of the Swiss government to convene a diplomatic conference of the Higher Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention to approve the inclusion of the Magen David Adom as an emblem illegible for equal international recognition as the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.

Egyptian diplomatic sources say Abul-Gheit told his Swiss interlocutor the time may not be opportune for the conference in view of the unfavourable developments in the Palestinian territories.

Moscow talks

FOLLOWING the visit by Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit to the Russian capital, the Russian Foreign Ministry delegated Alexander Saltanov, the deputy foreign minister, to brief Cairo on the results of a recent trip by Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, to Israel and the Palestinian territories. The Egyptian-Russian talks, in Cairo and Moscow, were also dedicated to the developments in Syria. Both Cairo and Moscow are in favour of trying to persuade Damascus to cooperate fully with the international committee investigating Syria's alleged involvement in the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri. However, both capitals are strictly opposed to imposing international economic and diplomatic sanctions on Syria for fear that such punitive measures could destabilise the ruling regime.

The talks reviewed the situation in Iraq in view of the recent Arab initiative to promote national accord in the war- torn country.

Africa hopefuls

AFRICAN states are again meeting to discuss who will represent the continent if the UN Security Council is expanded. An extraordinary African summit opened in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Monday to specifically address the matter.

The continent is split between three candidates: Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa.

Before flying to Ethiopia on Monday, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, head of the Egyptian delegation, underlined the need for all African states to reach a common stance to avoid falling into inter-African disputes. Egyptian diplomats argue that Cairo's determination to secure representation of the African continent is primarily related to Egypt's keenness to maintain its leading role in Africa.

The enlargement of the UN Security Council is still being discussed at the UN. Some New York-based diplomats predict it will not happen any time in the near future.

In the lead-up to the African summit, Abul-Gheit delegated a senior aide on a limited African tour to stress Egypt's commitment to the interests of the continent. Meanwhile, Cairo is planning to host the third round of inter-African trade in November.

One year for Qatari emir

A QATARI court has sentenced Soudi Bin Salman Al-Thani, the Qatari emir accused of taking part in an illegal road race near Cairo airport that ended with five Egyptian bystanders killed and nearly 20 injured, to one year in prison. The 18- year-old emir had fled the scene and returned to Qatar on a chartered flight shortly after he ran into a crowd of onlookers in early October.

Prosecutor-General Maher Abdel-Wahed made the announcement on Sunday after speaking with his Qatari counterpart who had overseen the interrogation. Al-Thani was also fined 150,000 Qatari riyals for each Egyptian injured in the incident.

The Qatari prosecutor-general will appeal the ruling. Those injured and the families of the five killed could also appeal in civil courts.