Abu Dhabi Camel Festival

The Mazayin Dhafra Camel Festival 2008 will take place in Abu Dhabi’s Western Province 2-5 April. It is part of efforts to promote local culture and folklore.

The festival will take place in Zayed City under the sponsorship of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. During the festival there will be a ‘camel beauty contest’, musical performances, sporting events, and displays of Emirati handicrafts.

The event will attract a large number of participants for other Gulf States (mostly from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait). Abu Dhabi hopes to make the festival into a large annual event as a way to preserve the role of the camel as an important part of Arab heritage.

The festival will have special shows for ‘Asayel’ (pedigree) and ‘Majahim’ (dark-colored) camels. Participating camels will be judged based on age groups. Breeders/owners can show more than one camel.

Similar Camel Festivals take place throughout the Arab world. Well known ones include the fairs at Goulimine, Morocco and Douz, in southern Tunisia. Most of the Gulf States hold major camel races as well.

Turkey invades Iraq in surprise wintertime attack on the PKK

Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has protested Turkey’s military incursions into Northern Iraq aimed at guerrillas of the Kurdish PKK terrorist group that is fighting for an independent Kurdish state. Zebari, himself a Kurd of Mr. Barzani’s Kurdish Democratic Party, decried the infrastructure damage and a lack of coordination and notification concerning the attacks. He said five bridges, including an important bridge over the Zab river, had been damaged despite previous Turkish assurances to Iraq that they would not damage infrastructure in their on-going battles with the PKK. He said Iraq had not been informed about the attacks.

It should be noted that the American White House acknowledged that the U.S. had been informed of the attack ahead of time but had urged restraint on the Turks. This will undoubtedly put some strain on the recently established arrangement under which Iraq, Turkey, and the United States share intelligence on the activities of the PKK.

The attack started just before noon on Thursday with a multi-hour air and artillery bombardment of suspected PKK facilities in isolated areas of northern Iraq. The attack reportedly caught the PKK completely by surprise and Turkey said more than a score of guerrillas were killed in the bombardment and many leaders were noted to be fleeing the border region to the south. Turkey has never before conducted a major operation against the PKK in mid-winter. Both sides usually sit out the winter and resume their operations when the snows melts in the spring.

Just after dusk, Turkish troops crossed the border on land. Some were also transported by helicopters into the rugged, snow covered mountains. Fighting has been centered around Hakurk and Sidekan, just south of the Turkish border town of Cukurca. Additional fighting has been reported in and around Bamerni, which is about 25 miles further west.

Turkish press reports say as many as 10,000 troops were involved in the multi-day operation but Zebari said only several hundred had crossed into Iraq. In what may have been an attempt at deception, the Turkish news also announced the return of their troops to their barracks on Friday, but afterwards Turkish artillery attacks resumed that evening and some fighting has been reported on Saturday.

Turkey claimed to have killed at least 79 members of the PKK and to have lost five soldiers in the fighting. The PKK say they have killed 24 Turks and had five of their fighters wounded. Given that much of the fighting has taken place by aerial and artillery bombardment, it is safe to say that neither side has a good idea of what damage they have inflicted on the other side. Turkey said nearly 4,000 PKK fighters had been in winter camps in the otherwise mostly uninhabited and inhospitable terrain.

Two Assassinations, a Summit, and Syria

A funeral took place in Beirut today for the few charred remains of the ruthless terrorist, Imad Mugniyah, of Hizballah, who was killed yesterday in a car bomb in Damascus. It took place on the third anniversary of the yet unresolved assassination of Rafiq Harriri, Lebanon’s the Prime Minister. Both murders remain unsolved although there is ample speculation as to who is responsible for both events.

Yesterday, a bomb shattered the normally peaceful Syrian Kafr Soussa neighborhood. The blast and plume of dark smoke could be seen and heard at the America Embassy. But so far no one has walked in there to claim the $5 million dollar reward offered by the USA for Mugniyeh’s arrest. Since assassination is forbidden by US law, it is not a suspect, despite more than ample justification for wanting to see Mugniyeh dead.

The main suspects are listed by most MidEast pundits as Israel (a natual and automatic suspect), Lebanese anti-Syrian forces, and Syria itself. Ironically, Syria is suspected of killing Mugniyeh to eliminate an embarrassing link to terrorism and thus win some appreciation from those who think Syria was behind the Harriri killing. The timing would suggest someone in Lebanon trying to embarrass Syria over Harriri and the blocking of Presidential elections.

The Arab League’s Chief Amr Mousa has been trying to resolve the political impasse between Syria and Lebanon for some months without the slightest iota of success. Meanwhile, bombings in Lebanon have targeted anti-Syrian and American personalities.

Bombings of any kind are rare in Syria. This latest one follows close on the heels of an Israeli bombing attack on a yet to be explained facility in the desert. That attack and now a bombing in a populated area under score Syria’s shady dealings with the likes of Hizballah, Iran and North Korea. Mugniyeh was also known to be in contact with al Qaeda in Iraq.

Syria has been very mute in its response. Hizballah has threatened war and retaliation on Israel. Given the damage done to Hizballah and Lebanese infrastructure in the last war with Israel, there won’t be much enthusiasm for that by any but a few.

Two unresolved assassinations, political turmoil, and risk of war. These are just some of the subjects to be confronted by the 2008 Arab Summit in Damascus next month. Hopefully, the wise leaders among the Arabs will look at the region’s chaos and question the value of allowing terrorists to remain in their midst and will vote to free their societies of the blight of terror and assassination.

Egyptians went crazy this week

Thousands of Egyptians went wild in the streets this week but it was not a political protest. They were celebrating Egypt’s win in the 2009 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament in Accra, Ghana. Sunday, the Egyptian Pharaohs beat Cameron 1-0. As news of the victory spread millions of Egyptians went into the streets to celebrate. Fireworks erupted in Cairo as cars honked their horns. Police struggled to control traffic and at times joined in the festivities. Egypt has won the tournament six times, more than any other nation. They last won in 2006 when Egypt hosted the event.

Lebanese election delayed 14 times

Despite an apparent agreement to elect Army Chief of Staff General Michel Suleiman, Lebanon’s Parliament has delayed its vote to elect a president for the 14th time. Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, said the vote would take place on 26 February. By then Lebanon will have been without a president for over three months.

The Arab League’s Amr Musa has made a number of trips to Lebanon and Syria to try and resolve the issue but always without success. He has advocated GEN Suleiman’s election and the forming of a national unity government. The election of a President will be much easier than getting the parties to form a united government. In the meantime bombs and assassinations and riots take place as the parties play full-contact politics. The Saudis and Iranians as well are working behind the scenes to advance their agendas.

For its part the United States is choosing this critical time to replace its Ambassador. The highly effective Jeff Feltman, who had stayed in Lebanon six months longer than planned, departed just days after a bomb attack on an Embassy vehicle left two dead. He is being replaced by Ambassador Michele J. Sison, a career diplomat. Ambassador Sison, pictured here, just completed a four year tour of duty as American Ambassador in the United Arab Emirates. Upon her arrival see made the following comments about the Presidential election impasse:

“The United States strongly supports the election of a new president of Lebanon. It is regrettable that a vacuum continues, and that presidential elections have been postponed twelve times. An agreement on a consensus president was reached long ago. Outside forces must stop obstructing Lebanon’s democratic process. The Parliament should meet and elect a president now, without conditions. It is tragic that this vacuum has been marked by violence and the loss of many lives.”

“I look forward to offering the congratulations of the U.S. government soon to a new Lebanese president– one who is elected freely and according to Lebanon’s constitution.”

American Golfer wins in Dubai

Tiger Woods won the 2008 Dubai Desert Classic golf tournement earlier this week at the twenty year old Majlis Golf Club course. He won $416,660 (U.S.) in prize money which is pretty good money for just a couple of days work. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented Woods with his trophy. Last year's winner was Henrik Stenson. Woods also won in 2006. The course is played on natural grass. Woods shot a blistering 65 in the final round.