Mubarak meets Israeli minister on ME peace crisis. Kabila son takes over Congo amid death reports. Opec agrees 1.5 million bpd supply cut to defend oil price. Israeli poll campaign dives into dirt. Afro-French summit opens today in Cameroon.
Israeli agents assassinate Palestinian TV chief.
Although Ramadan's visit is aimed mainly at boosting trade ties, it also reflects an important political message. Press reports that the new US administration is planning to take a hard line on Iraq and back opposition groups seeking to overthrow the regime are causing considerable anxiety in this part of the world. The last thing the Arabs want is instability caused by raids on Iraqi cities under the pretext of removing the Iraqi dictator. Some observers even expect that the new American president will seek to settle his father's old accounts with the man who hailed Clinton's 1992 presidential victory. Several members of Bush's team made their reputation as Gulf War heroes.