http://rawstory.com/news/2006/No_headscarf_for_German_chancellor__01312007.html
No headscarf for German chancellor during Arab tour By Anne-Beatrice Clasmann dpa German Press Agency Published: Wednesday January 31, 2007 Cairo- German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not be packing a headscarf in preparation for her tour of four Arab countries which kicks off on Saturday. Even though Saudi law stipulates that Saudi and foreign women may only appear in public wearing a headscarf and a long black garment, Germany's most powerful woman will not risk incurring the wrath of the religious police when she appears in Riyadh wearing a trouser suit and with her hair uncovered. Merkel is following the precedent set by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who reportedly agonized over the decision not to cover her head for talks in Riyadh, thus paving the way for Merkel's unconstrained appearance. "The times have changed, foreign guests are not obliged to wear the headscarf any more," a Saudi journalist explains. "All the same, Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles, wore a headscarf during her visit last year." Among others, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and the former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright also opted to cover their heads for Riyadh talks during their time in office. Saudi King Abdullah is a strict Muslim. However, this has not prevented the monarch from shaking hands with women politicians from foreign countries. In Saudi Arabia where women are not permitted to drive and require the written consent of their male "custodians" for every decision, even a handshake is a radical gesture with which all Saudis would not agree. Talks with women are not on Merkel's agenda, which is hardly surprising considering the brevity of the trip. Besides, the talks will focus primarily on economic questions, the Middle East, violence in Iraq and other perennial regional issues. Although several Saudi women have inherited positions of influence and have gained a certain amount of power through business activities, there are no powerful women in Saudi Arabia. The chancellor will not have any time for cultural pursuits on her tour, which begins on Saturday in Egypt, takes her to Saudi Arabia on Sunday and then on to Kuwait and the emirate states of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In Egypt, however, she is scheduled to have a quick look at the Pyramids of Giza by night. She has been warmly invited to a foundation concert of the first Richard Wagner Society in Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately, according to the organizer, the rigours of her schedule prevent her from attending. © 2006 dpa German Press Agency +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
