Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques discusses with King of Morocco regional, int'l developments

Brown informs House of Commons British troops in Iraq will change fundamentally next year

Obama: It's difficult to have solution within Palestinian division, unstable Israeli government

EU countries stresses diplomacy on settlement with Iran

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz received in Casablanca King Mohammad VI of Morocco.

At the outset of the audience, the Moroccan king offered condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on the death of Prince Fawaz bin Abdulaziz.

The Moroccan king wished the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques good stay in Morocco

. In turn, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques thanked the Moroccan king for the condolences

. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also thanked the Moroccan king for the hospitality

. Then, they discussed regional and international developments topped by the Palestinian cause's development and the situation in Iraq.

The audience was attended by Prince Saud Alfaisal, the Foreign Minister, Prince Miqrin bin Abdulaziz, the Chief of General Intelligence, and a number of other princes, ministers and senior officials.

Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud performed funeral prayers for the soul of the late Prince Fawaz bin Abdulaziz after Sunset Prayers in the Holy Mosque.

The prayers were also performed by Prince Bandar bin Abdulaziz, and Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Interior Minister.

The prayers were also performed by a number of princes, scholars, ministers, senior officials and a group of citizens.

Then, the Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques accepted condolences on the late prince from princes, scholars, ministers and worshippers.

Then, the body of the late prince was moved to Ala'dl cemetery in Makkah where he was buried.

The burial was carried out by a number of princes and ministers and a group of citizens.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a cable of congratulation to Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak on the anniversary of his country's National Day.

In his own name and on behalf of the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the King wished the President permanent good health and happiness and his people steady progress and prosperity.

Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a cable of congratulation to Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak on the anniversary of his country's National Day.

In his cable, the Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques wished the President permanent good health and happiness and his people steady progress and prosperity.

The first regional meeting of the heads of Saudi diplomatic missions in Europe was concluded in London. The three-day meeting was hosted by the Saudi Embassy in Britain and attended by a number of senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Saudi embassies in Europe.

The conferees sent a cable of condolence to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, on the death of Prince Fawaz bin Abdulaziz.

The meeting reviewed the recommendations made by the general meeting of Saudi ambassadors, particularly with regard to Saudi embassies in Europe. The meeting also exchanged ideas for the development of embassies' services.

Britain will begin a major troop withdrawal from Iraq in early 2009, if security continues to improve and work to train local security forces is completed, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

Britain currently has around 4,100 troops in Iraq, based mainly on the outskirts of the southern Iraqi city of Basra, and will keep current numbers in place for several months, Brown told lawmakers.

But Brown said Britain's role in Iraq will change fundamentally next year, switching from a focus on combat and military training to tasks aimed at boosting the economy of the oil-rich southern region.

He said that from early next year Britain's troops will begin to complete missions to train Iraqi soldiers, police and military specialists, meaning troops can be withdrawn.

«As we complete these tasks, and as progress continues across these different areas, we will continue to reduce the number of British troops in Iraq, » Brown told lawmakers, making a statement to the House of Commons.

Brown, who visited Baghdad and Basra, gave no specifics on the number of troops likely to be pulled out, but stressed Britain's role in Iraq would be markedly different from in the past.

«We would expect a further fundamental change of mission in the first months of 2009, as we make the transition to a long term bilateral partnership with Iraq, » Brown said.

Brown's remarks follow comments from Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup _ the head of Britain's armed forces _ earlier this month. Stirrup said it was likely that Britain will substantially scale back its troop numbers in Iraq during 2009.

An official in Brown's office said the leader was reluctant to specify how many soldiers would likely be withdrawn as security in the region could deteriorate, meaning more British troops would need to stay in place.

Brown said that from next year Britain's relationship with Iraq would become similar to ties between the U.K. and other countries in the Middle East _ where smaller numbers of military advisers offer training and run military academies.

Britain has steadily reduced the number of troops it has in Iraq from about 40,000 at the height of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, to around 4,100 in September.

Plans to cut British troop levels to about 2,500 earlier this year were postponed after a spike in militia-linked violence around Basra. But Brown said security in the southern city had improved dramatically following a major offensive by Iraqi, U.S. and British forces in March to root out Shiite militias with suspected links to Iran.

"The security situation in Basra has been transformed, » Brown told lawmakers.

Still, Brown urged Iraq's neighbors to stop the flow of insurgents and weapons into Iraq.

"Syria should clamp down on the movement of foreign fighters, and Iran must stop the provision of arms and training to those who attack the democratically elected government of Iraq, the coalition forces ... and the Iraqi people, » Brown said.

He said that Britain expected Iraqi officials to take over full control of Basra's airport by the end of 2008, to turn the site over to civilian use.

US President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have agreed to set a "time horizon" for US troop withdrawals as part of a long-term security pact. But White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said any reduction in the US force presence "would be based on continued improving conditions on the ground and not an arbitrary date for withdrawal."

Eager to attract technological know-how and investment, Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq appealed to German industry to put aside reservations over security and help modernize Iraq's energy infrastructure.

Maliki, who was given military honors in Berlin before he met Chancellor Angela Merkel, said it was time for Germany and Iraq to open a "new chapter" in relations, an indication that Germany's staunch opposition to the U.S.-led war against Iraq in 2003 was no reason to prevent investment by German companies.

"We do not judge our partners on the basis of whether or not they were militarily involved in toppling Saddam," Maliki said during an interview with the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel before his state visit. "The decisions back then corresponded to the national will of the countries, and we respect that."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks for more than an hour with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Berlin, discussing enhanced economic ties between the two countries.

Berlin made clear ahead of Al-Maliki's first visit that it was seeking stronger ties with Baghdad.

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on his stop in the kingdom during his world tour. The two discussed Middle Eastern politics on a one-on-one discussion.

The King met Obama in his royal palace in Amman. During their talks, Abdullah II told the Senator that an evenhanded U.S. policy would boost America’s credibility in the Middle East. In addition, the King told Obama that achieving Palestinian statehood was essential for ending the Arab-Israeli conflict, according to a royal palace summary cited by the Associated Press.

After the discussion, a dinner was held which included Queen Rania, and two Senators - Jack Reed and Chuck Hagel - whom accompanied Obama. After the dinner, King Abdullah drove the presidential hopeful to the airport, where Obama continued to Israel for his world tour.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said there was "no doubt" the top U.S. commander in Iraq opposes setting a deadline for withdrawing American combat forces, but said the situation there is improving and that the United States urgently needs to turn its attention to Afghanistan.

Noting that the job of president and that of Gen. David Petraeus were different, Obama said he was setting "a strategic vision of what's best for U.S. national security" that he believes must include a mid-2010 target for removing American combat forces.

"There's no doubt Gen. Petraeus does not want a timetable. ... In his role he wants maximum flexibility to get done" what he thinks is necessary to the military mission.

Obama acknowledged that security in Iraq had improved, but said "now we need a political solution."

Speaking in Amman, Jordan, during the first news conference off his highly publicized trip abroad, Obama said Afghanistan is now the "central front in the war against terrorism." He was joined by traveling companions Sens. Chuck Hagel, a Republican from Nebraska, and Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island. Both are critics of the Iraq war.

Obama's plan for the pullout within 16 months of his taking office, should he defeat Republican John McCain, won conditional support during talks Obama and two Senate colleagues held in Baghdad with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders.

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said Obama's news conference remarks showed that "his goal remains unconditional withdrawal rather than securing the victory our troops have earned."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received the U.S. Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama at his office in Ramallah.

There was no scheduled joint news conference between Abbas and Obama, an aide to Abbas told reporters in Ramallah, adding that both held talks for about one hour and discussed the Middle East peace process.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told reporters at the end of the meeting that Obama has assured Abbas that he will get involved in the Mideast conflict quickly if elected U.S. president.

Erekat said that Obama is willing to engage immediately in the protracted conflict, adding that "Obama confirmed to Abbas that he will be a constructive partner in the peace process."

"President Abbas welcomes this important visit and considers it evidence of the importance of the Palestinian issue in American foreign policy," he said, adding "Obama told Abbas he would not waste a minute if elected."

Obama caused outrage among the Palestinians in early June when he told a major U.S. pro-Israel lobbying group that Jerusalem must remain the "undivided" capital. The Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of their state.

The international community including the U.S. does not recognize the city as the eternal capital of the Jewish state. Israel claims that Arab east Jerusalem, which was annexed in the 1967, is part of the undivided city.

Obama, however, corrected his statements and said that the future of the city can be resolved through peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama tried to say all the right things, affirming that as president he would preserve the close relationship between Washington and Jerusalem, and pledged that Israel's security would be a top priority in his administration.

"I'm here on this trip to reaffirm the special relationship between Israel and the United States and my abiding commitment to Israel's security and my hope that I can serve as an effective partner, whether as a U.S. senator or as president," Obama said during a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres.

He visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem and held meetings with Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

Obama held a breakfast meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak. According to a statement released by the Defense Ministry the two held a "vigorous and intense discussion touching on all the basic issues and future challenges facing Israel and the free world in the region."

The opposition Likud chairman and former prime minister said, following their talks, that Obama vowed never to seek to damage Israel's security. Both men agreed on the "primacy" of preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power, Netanyahu said.

In an interview with CBS News conducted shortly before he embarked on his trip to Israel, Obama reiterated Israel's right to defend itself and asserted that an IAF attack on an alleged nuclear facility in Syria in September of 2007 was "appropriate."

"Yes," Obama said. "I think that there was sufficient evidence that the [Syrians] were developing a site using a nuclear blueprint that was similar to the North Korean model."

"Ultimately," he continued, "these are decisions that the Israelis have to make."

"I will not hypothesize on [an Israeli attack in Iran]," he said. "I think Israel has a right to defend itself. But I will not speculate on the difficult judgment that they would have to make in a whole host of possible scenarios."

Obama said, "I'll never compromise Israel's security. Terrorism is not theoretical, it's right here a block away from this hotel, and it must be fought with full force and strength." He was referring to the bulldozer attack in Jerusalem just a few hours before he arrived at the King David Hotel, just up the street from the site of the attack.

The Democratic presidential candidate praised Peres's contribution to Israel's development which he called "a miracle": "For most of Israel's 60 years, you have been deeply involved in this miracle that has blossomed and we are extremely grateful, not just as Americans but as world citizens, to your outstanding service to your country and the insight that you have shared with us," said Obama.

Obama also complimented the 84-year-old Israeli president on his relatively youthful appearance. "I also want to get his recipe for looking as good he does," Obama said. He added: "You have forgotten more than I will ever now," apparently a compliment, but disturbing to many Israelis who associate Peres with policies that ignored Palestinian attacks and agreement violations in the blind pursuit of peace that has ultimately proven deeply disappointing.

Later in the afternoon, Obama returned to Jerusalem to meet Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and then flew by helicopter to the southern town of Sderot -- the target of frequent Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks.

Obama said that Israel had every right to defend itself against attacks on its civilians. "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything to stop that, and would expect Israel to do the same thing," he said.

He referred again to the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran as "game-changing," with profound negative repercussions across the globe. "A nuclear Iran would be a game-changing situation, not just in the Middle East, but around the world," he said. "Whatever remains of our Non-Proliferation Treaty would begin to disintegrate."

"I don't think that Ms. Livni or Mr. Barak or Bibi [Opposition leader Benjamin] Netanyahu or the others, President Peres, when they spoke to me got any sense that I would be pressuring them to accept any kinds of concession that would put their security at stake," he said in response to a question posed by a journalist.

Later, he was driven back to Jerusalem by helicopter to meet Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

A senior Jerusalem official noted that Olmert briefed Obama on a range of issues, including Iran and the state of the negotiations with the Palestinians and with Syria.

The source said Olmert gave Obama a full picture of Israeli intelligence vis-à-vis Iran, stressing the need to take rapid action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability.

After arriving at Ben-Gurion International Airport, Obama condemned an attack a few hours earlier by an Arab tractor driver who went on a rampage on a Jerusalem street not far from the King David Hotel where Obama was to stay. The driver smashed into a bus, overturned a car and seriously injured an Israeli before being shot dead by a civilian and a police officer. "It's just one more reminder why we have to work diligently, urgently and in a unified way to defeat terrorism," Obama said. "There are no excuses."

On the occasion of the 56th anniversary of the Revolution in Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak congratulates Egyptians and Arab nations.

Following are his words:

In the name of Allah Most Gracious and Compassionate

Dear citizens,

I speak to you on the occasion of the July 23 Revolution celebrations... a national day for Egypt on which we celebrate a glorious day for our nation and a crucial juncture in our contemporary history.

The 56th anniversary of the Revolution comes at a time when our national action march is forging ahead.

The Revolution was the fruit of the struggle of our people for ending occupation and obtaining our freedom, independence and sovereignty.

The Revolution has inspired several national liberation movements in the four corners of the globe. It was confronted with several inside and outside challenges. It passed through phases of failure and success and progress and regression and victories and defeat. But it proved all the time that it was aware of the movement of the world around us and demonstrated its ability to control and streamline its track and draw lessons from its mistakes to rectify its course of action.

Brothers and sisters,

Egypt has seen several changes since the occurrence of the Revolution at a time when other changes took place at the regional and international levels.

Egypt now has a reality which is different from that 56 years ago, a new reality that has its own priorities, challenges and aspirations. Egypt's population has increased three folds since 1952 and the priority is now lent to attaining the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people for a better life in present and in the future.

The priority is now to guarantee food security and water and energy supplies to promote production and services sectors and establish more projects and investments and provide job opportunities.

We are well aware of the difficulties and challenges posed by the gap between the ceiling of our aspirations and our limited resources.

We are well aware that we are moving along the right path and despite all these challenges we realized high growth rates over the past few years.

We have no alternative but to keep up these rates in the face of the current crushing international economic crisis.

We have no alternative but to forge ahead with the economic reform programs without which we would have neither been able to stand up to the consequences of the international economic crisis nor attain these high economic growth rates.

We are convinced that economic, political and social reforms should go side by side with a determination to boost our democracy and liberalize our economy in a bid to attain more social justice.

Dear Brothers

Egypt has seen several changes since the start of the revolution but the inalienable principles of the Revolution remained unchanged. We have retained our identity and the independence of our will along with our support of the Arab causes.

We are exerting all efforts for the stability of our region which is suffering from instability. Our region is facing successive crises and conflicts along with ambitions and threats.

There are also angry feelings in the absence of just peace in our region.

While we are celebrating the anniversary of the revolution we are more determined to maintain our role and efforts for establishing peace and securing better future.

We protect Egypt's national security and defend its interests and ward off dangers of terrorism and extremism away from our people.

We will not allow anybody to harm our national unity between Muslims and Copts.

We face challenges at the local level and challenges at the regional level but we forge ahead in our march.

On this occasion, we greet the leader of the Revolution late president Gamal Abdel Nasser and his companions.

We also greet late president Anwar Sadat who took over the helm after Nasser.

We greet the Egyptian people... the real hero of our national action before and after the Revolution.

May God keep Egypt safe and sound

And happy returns

The Sudanese government has agreed to bring to justice all those who are accused of committing crimes in Darfur and to seek a political resolution to the conflict in the province, the Arab League said.

The Cairo-based league adopted in an emergency meeting of its foreign ministers a plan to defuse the crisis between Sudan and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The crisis erupted after the ICC chief prosecutor Luis-Moreno Ocampo asked the court to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Darfur war crimes charges.

The league Secretary-General Amr Moussa held talks in Khartoum to coax the Sudanese government into accepting a plan that tackles the political and legal aspects of the conflict in Sudan's western province.

Sudan has agreed to continue its examining of crimes and violations of human rights committed in Darfur that were proven by investigations conducted by the government, an Arab League statement said.

It is not clear, however, if two Sudanese officials indicted by ICC last year would stand trial within the Sudanese judiciary system.

Sudan has also agreed to form special courts and appoint a special prosecutor to deal with Darfur cases and to harmonize its own criminal laws with international human rights law.

Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader and one of the world's most wanted men, has been captured by Serbian security services.

The office of Boris Tadic, the Serbian president, said that Karadzic had been "located and arrested".

A statement said that he had been taken to a war crimes court in Belgrade, the Serbian capital.

Police officials said he was arrested in a Belgrade suburb after weeks of surveillance of a safe house.

Karadzic is accused of organizing the 1995 massacre of more than 7,500 Muslims in Srebrenica and other atrocities in the Bosnian war.

The UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia confirmed his arrest.

Olga Kravan, of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, said that Karadzic's initial appearance in front of the judges should occur in the "near future".

He will have to answer to all the charges against him, "including genocide, complicity in genocide, exterminations, murders, and many other crimes", she said.