SYRIA: Crisis may hurt economies of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq

Editor’s note: This post is from analyst Ibrahim Saif, below left, with the Carnegie Middle East Center. Neither the Los Angeles Times nor Babylon & Beyond endorses the positions of the analysts, nor does Carnegie endorse the positions of The Times or its blog.

Current events in Syria are expected to impact other states economically, especially neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan. The first potential effect is on bilateral trade between Syria and its neighbors. Turkey comes to the fore here, since its trade to and from Syria was valued at $2.27 billion last year.

The situation in Syria affects Turkey in two ways. The first is the potentially large drop in trade volume, especially since demand for imports and Turkish commodities –- which used to be high –- has dropped sharply since the beginning of the events. Some sources estimate that trade volume has dropped between 30% and 40%, and that these percentages could drop even lower with the expiration of prior arrangements and the continued state of chaos.

Meanwhile there is an absence of desire on both sides, Syrian and Turkish, to renew these contracts before matters become clearer. During 2010, Syrian exports to Turkey were valued at $1.6 billion, while Syrian imports from Turkey were around $630 million.

JORDAN: Pro-democracy demonstrators show little sign of letup

After six months of Egypt- and Tunisia-inspired protests, Jordanian pro-democracy demonstrators calling for reforms and a wider public say in politics remain persistent and show little sign of ceding their demands.

Though demonstrations in Jordan have failed to generate the large numbers seen in other Arab countries such as Egypt and Yemen, hundreds and perhaps thousands continue to take to the streets of the Jordanian capital, Amman, in weekly anti-government rallies after Friday prayers to demand reforms.

"It is a consistent peaceful protest that is very stubborn," 29-year old Khaled Kamhawi, a member of the activist group March 24 Youth Movement, told Babylon and Beyond. "There is no compromise. Jordan is a small country suffering from big problems -- all due to political, administrative and financial fraud. The status quo is unsustainable."

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JORDAN: Press freedom group condemns club-wielding mob's raid on news agency

Press freedom groups are calling attention to a raid on the office of the Agence France-Presse news agency in the Jordanian capital earlier this week after it reported that the motorcade of Jordanian King Abdullah II was pelted with bottles and stones during a tour in a southern city. 

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders "strongly condemned" the attack in a statement on Saturday.

On Wednesday, AFP's Amman bureau became a scene of chaos and violence when a group of club-wielding men descended on the office, storming the facility and smashing furniture and office phones, according to Reporters Without Borders. 

AFP's Amman bureau chief Randa Habib told the group that she had received threats since the bureau reported the alleged stone attack on the king's motorcade.

EGYPT: Pipeline blast halts gas exports to Israel, Jordan

An attack on a pipeline in the northern Sinai peninsula on Wednesday sent flames and a massive plume of smoke into the sky and cut off Egypt's natural gas supplies to Israel and Jordan for the second time in less than three months, according to the Egyptian Natural Gas Co. (GASCO).

The blast, which rocked the gas terminal of Al Sabil in the early hours of the morning, was described by Gov. Abdel Wahab Mabrouk as an “act of sabotage that didn’t claim lives.” Eyewitnesses said that flames from Al Sabil’s blast reached 65-feet high and startled residents, some of whom fled their homes.

"Valves controlling the flow of gas around the point of explosion were sealed to control the fire,” GASCO chief Magdi Tawfik was quoted as saying by state news agency, MENA. GASCO later announced that the fire was extinguished.

Mabrouk said an investigation found that five saboteurs drove a four-wheel-drive vehicle into the gas terminal, before planting and detonating explosives. They escaped.

GAZA STRIP: Suspect in killing of Italian activist dies in standoff

Hamas rulers in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday that a man suspected of killing an Italian pro-Palestinian activist in the territory committed suicide during a tense police standoff.

The suspect, a Jordanian citizen, shot himself after he hurled a grenade at two of his partners, critically injuring one of them, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said in a statement published on its website.

Three policemen were injured during an exchange of fire, the statement added.

JORDAN: Protests turn violent, scores reportedly injured [Updated]

 

Demonstrations turned violent as government supporters clashed with protesters in the Jordanian capital Friday, hurling stones at each other. Scores of people were injured, according to news reports from Amman.

[Updated at 11:45 a.m. PST: Hamza Mansour, leader of the opposition Islamic Action Front, said 26-year-old party member Khairi Jamil Saeed was "killed as a result of brutal police beating on his head and body," the Associated Press reported. It was the first reported death of a protester since the unrest began.]

Inspired by popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, protesters have been pressing King Abdullah II to hand over more power to the parliament. But most of the demonstrations have been peaceful and relatively small.

Friday's violence started when several hundred government loyalists attacked more than 1,000 demonstrators who had vowed to camp out in a central square in front of the Interior Ministry until their demands were met, the Associated Press reported.

Police fired water cannons to disperse the crowds. Hundreds of officers then stormed the area, hitting anti-government demonstrators with batons, AP said.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said police were caught between the two sides and several officers were injured, CNN reported.

"Things have gotten a little out of hand," he was quoted as saying on CNN.com. “But we have a leadership that initiates reform.”

-- Alexandra Zavis

Photo: Government loyalists hold national flags during a rally Friday in Amman, Jordan. Credit: Nader Daoud / Associated Press

MIDDLE EAST: Turkey's arms exports not affected by unrest, report says

Is Turkey's role in the Middle East centrist, or just plain cynical?

Ankara's arms trade with Middle Eastern and North African countries is thriving, according to local reports, despite popular uprisings across the region against governments described by the protest movement and others as repressive and corrupt.

One senior procurement official with knowledge of defense contracts described the current industry climate as "business as usual" to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News.

"Egypt is a market and partner with previously signed contracts," he said.

"Tunisia and Libya were prospective markets. They still are for the longer term," he added. "As the dust settles we will roll up our sleeves to help the [Turkish] industry for new contracts...future contracts will come up as soon as stability has been restored."

Turkey's total arms exports are expected to reach $1.5 billion this year, with the Middle East and North Africa accounting for a significant chunk.

JORDAN: Clashes erupt at pro-democracy rally in Amman [Updated]

 

Jordan has had regular peaceful protests in recent days, pressing King Abdullah for political reforms, but a Friday demonstration outside the Husseini mosque in Amman turned unexpectedly violent when a gang of more than 100 pro-government counter-demonstrators rushed in and began beating the protesters with metal and wooden clubs.

An estimated 300 demonstrators fled quickly onto side streets to escape while hundreds of police stood by and did not intervene, according to witnesses. At least eight people were injured.

"The police allowed those thugs to beat us up," said Muafak Mahadine, a leftist columnist who was injured along with his son, a film director, who is hospitalized with a concussion.

JORDAN: Officials confident in Egypt's military, transition government

Jordanian government officials said Friday they were confident Egypt's military would facilitate the country's transition toward a new era of stability and prosperity.

"Jordan expresses its confidence in the ability of the Egyptian armed forces to shoulder its huge responsibilities … in ably running Egypt's affairs towards the new phase that ensures Egypt continues to play its central role in the Arab region … and ensure stability and prosperity," a statement released by the state news agency Petra said.

"The government expresses its deep respect for the Egyptian army and its big nationalist role," said the statement, released after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation.

--  Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Photo: Protesters celebrate in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Amman, Jordan, after the announcement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation Friday. Credit: Ali Jarekji/Reuters

JORDAN: Tribesmen slam Queen Rania, warn of revolt

Three dozen members of powerful Jordanian tribes have lashed out at the country's glamorous Queen Rania and denounced what they called a "crisis of authority," calling for political change and justice against those involved in corruption in the Arab kingdom.

in a joint statement issued over the weekend, the 36 tribal figures also issued a stern warning: If political reform isn't implemented soon, Jordan is likely to face a popular uprising similar to those in Egypt and Tunisia. 

"Political reform is now an urgent matter that cannot be delayed, holding the corrupt and thieves accountable and freezing their assets, prohibiting them from traveling are all part and parcel of political reform," said the statement carried on the Jordanian website Ammon News.

On the topic of corruption, 40-year-old Queen Rania drew particularly harsh criticism from the tribal figures, who accused her of stealing from the country and manipulating and interfering in national politics.

JORDAN: Hundreds protest against prime minister

Inspired by Egypt's uprising, hundreds of Jordanians on Friday staged a protest against their prime minister, installed just days earlier in response to anti-government marches, the Associated Press reported.

Friday's turnout was much smaller than previous protests against rising prices.

Jordan's King Abdullah II tried to preempt further unrest by removing his Cabinet earlier this week and installing a new prime minister, Marouf Bakhit, amid promises of political reform.