Gambia, Iran’s good trade partner: Minister

Tehran, Dec 1, IRNA – The minister of cooperatives said Tuesday that the African country of Gambia is a good trade partner for Iran.

Mohammad Abbasi, head of the Iran-Gambia Joint Commission, made the remarks while talking to IRNA.

He said Gambia is a state playing an effective role in both international and African arenas.

Abbasi added the existing economic potentials in Banjul have led Tehran to plan joint ventures with the African state.

The cooperatives minister also said the two countries are capable of expanding bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture and fisheries.

First woman minister ignites hopes

Hassna’a Mokhtar, Arab News

JEDDAH: History was made yesterday with the appointment by royal decree of a Saudi woman, Nora bint Abdullah Al-Fayez, as the deputy education minister for girls’ affairs.

“This is an honor not only for me, but for all Saudi women. In the presence of a comprehensive operational team, I believe I’ll be able to face challenges and create positive change,” Al-Fayez told Arab News.

Al-Fayez began her career as a schoolteacher in 1982 working her way up to become in 2001 the director general of the women’s section at the Institute of Public Administration. Her long experience in the educational sector and her husband’s encouragement and support paved the way for her to reach this position.

Many Saudis welcomed the new deputy minister expressing hope in her appointment. A woman educator working in a supervisory position said this was a wise decision to serve and develop the Kingdom’s educational sector.

“This is a successful step. We’ve always suffered from having a man occupy the position. A woman knows what problems and challenges her peers face. It’s a change for the better,” said the educator.

Ali Al-Twati, a Saudi academic and writer, said having a woman occupy the position of deputy minister is a must. “It is compulsory, not optional, to have women occupy leadership positions. Since the number of schools in Saudi Arabia exceeds 10,000, girls need a reference in the ministry to listen to their issues and understand them,” said Al-Twati.

He also said that segregation makes it easier for women in the Kingdom to reach high leadership positions. There are more women in key positions in the country than in developed countries, he added.

Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, dean of Effat College, expressed her delight, adding that the appointment serves as an impetus for women to get into leading positions to contribute to the development of Saudi society.

“This is not just about having the first woman deputy minister. It’s about having more women in important positions. Al-Fayez’s presence in the Ministry of Education will make women’s voices heard,” said Al-Lail.

Despite optimism for a better future, Khaled Al-Radihan, assistant professor of anthropology at King Saud University in Riyadh, said it would not be easy. “There is a conservative stream of people who won’t accept the situation easily. If the deputy minister proves herself and succeeds, then things might take a different turn. However, it’s a positive change and a good opportunity for a better future,” said Al-Radihan.

Asma Siddiki, associate dean for development at the Dubai School of Government, congratulated Al-Fayez, describing her appointment as a milestone for women in Saudi Arabia.

“Our government is to be commended for recognizing women’s achievements. Given the remarkable progress women are making in the Kingdom, and the investment the government is making in education, I don’t doubt there’ll be many such senior appointments in the future,” said Siddiki.

Turkey in talks with Russia, Ukraine to end gas dispute

Ankara (ANTARA News/Xinhua-OANA) - Turkey`s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Mehmet Hilmi Guler said on Saturday Turkey was holding talks with Russia and Ukraine to end their natural gas dispute.

Turkey continued its mediation to solve the natural gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine, Guler was quoted as saying by the semi-official Anatolia news agency.

"We have talked with Gazprom (Russia`s gas company) and Naftogaz (Ukraine`s gas company), and the energy ministers of two countries," Guler said.

Guler said he met Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Korsunsky to Turkey on Thursday, and discussed recent developments and proposals for a settlement.

Korsunsky conveyed him a letter signed by deputy prime minister of Ukraine, head of Naftogaz executive board and European commissioner for energy, which is about Ukraine`s demands from Turkey for a settlement, Guler said.

Turkey knew well about its responsibilities to provide natural gas for not only its citizens but also for Europe, and hoped that the dispute would be solved as soon as possible, according to the minister.

On Jan. 6, Guler announced the flow of natural gas from the western line of Russia to Turkey via Ukraine completely stopped.

Russia cut off gas supply to Ukraine on New Year`s Day after the two countries failed to come to terms on Ukraine`s payment of arrears and prices for 2009.

A week later, Russia stopped pumping all gas to Europe through Ukraine, saying it had been forced to do so because Ukraine closed down all gas transit routes to Europe.

European Union (EU) energy experts urged European producers on Friday to hike production as Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine remained cut-off.

"The extent of the current gas crisis is unprecedented in European history," energy experts from the 27 EU member states said in a statement after a meeting with industry representatives under the framework of the EU`s gas coordination group on Friday in Brussels.

They discussed the impact of the current gas crisis and evaluated each country`s situation.

As a short-term measure, EU energy experts called for the increase of production in Norway, the Netherlands, Britain, Romania and Poland to compensate the loss of Russian gas, to the maximum capacity of production and transport means.

"For example, the Netherlands said (it) could increase its production by 10 percent during two weeks," they said.

Another proposal is to increase the withdrawal from gas storage to the maximum capacity, which many EU countries had already been forced to do.

Some most affected EU countries have also implemented fuel switching, replacing gas with other energy sources, while Bulgaria and Slovakia introduced limitation of gas consumption for industry and Hungary temporarily limited gas supplies to large consumers.

EU energy experts said the current crisis showed the need for the quick implementation of mid-long term measures, such as to improve interconnectivity between member states, diversify energy sources and increase investment in storage.

All Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine were shut down on Wednesday as a gas row between Russia and Ukraine escalated, causing a supply crisis for a number of EU countries.

At least 15 European nations, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, had reported a halt in Russian gas shipments by Wednesday.

Caught up in the gas row and hit by freezing weather, several EU countries were faced with a serious gas crisis, with factories shut down, schools closed and thousands of people left without gas for heating.