20 MARCH 1!)81 MEED

Syria's power programme is on schedule law 74 74 to manage a TD 47 million (2 117.9 million) farm machinery scheme m (MEED 4 4 80). S Syri;i has more than doubled its per Impianti all'Estero (GIE), should CMT's head, Slaheddine Pacha, says electricity output since 1977, keeping be completed by the end of 1981, as proposals for shiny the factory in a it on target for a planned fourfold planned. The station's cost appears to "decentralised, interior /one" will be increase by 1990. Output for 1930 was have risen to £Syr 700 million (2176 submitted to the government soon. 4,020 million kWh, and is expected to million) from the original S140 rise steadily during the next five years Local consultant Tunisie Consult has million estimate. been examining several possible sites. to meet estimated needs of 7,826 Operational tests on a new 64-MW Project studies by Banque de Developpe- million kWh m 1985. By 1990, when unit at the Qattinah power station all 5,400 are planned to be ment Economique de Tunisie are being should start later in March, Electricity updated; negotiations with West German connected to the electricity grid, use Minister Ahmad Yousef said in is targeted at 20,622 million 'kWh technical partner Kloeckner Humboldt February. The minister added that Deutz will start soon. (MEED 13:2:81). electricity transformer stations - at The daily Times A contract for the scheme could be Adra, , Shaikh Miskin, Fairouxa, signed "before the end of April," Pacha reports that the Electricity Ministry , Banias and -will be com is preparing tender documents for the says. This would enable the original pleted in two years. They are believed timetable to be kept. Factory construc construction of a new power station to be part of an order for 20 such near Damascus. Tenders for the tion is planned to start in 1982, with stations placed with East Germany's the first tractors to be produced the two by 150-MW station had been VEB Starkstrom-Anlagenbau. following year. The complex will expected to go out in August or Syrian officials also announced that September 1980 (Syria, MEED Special eventually produce 2,200 tractors, in 1980 366 villages were connected to 6,000 diesel engines, 100 combine Report, March 1980, page 20). the electricity supply, bringing the However, the two by 170-MW Banias harvesters and 700 small farm machines total to 1,947. The Electricity a year. power station, being built by Italy's Ministry's 1981 budget is set at Gruppo Industrie Elettromeccaniche The scheme will create 1,000 jobs and £Syr 1,400 (S353 million) save considerable foreign exchange, as about 1,800 tractors are imported links between Syria and Europe in annually. It will also entail considerable local subcontracting (60 per cent for SYRIA particular, and between Europe and the eastern Arab countries in general. tractors) and speed up the development of an integrated local mechanical in Baathist anniversary marked The Public Telecommunication dustry. Pacha says. The government has announced further Establishment has announced plans to projects to commemorate the 18th install 174,500 new lines between 1981 Work to start on fertiliser complex anniversary of the Baath party's rule and the end of 1983. Syria has 263,900 lines, compared with 54,900 in 1963. Site work is to start in June on a TD 45 (MEED 13:3:81). Schemes include: million (2 112.9 million) fertiliser com • Tartous governorate: Construction plex near the Gafsa phosphate mines in IN BRIEF the south. The scheme is to be managed of 100 homes at Ajamieh at a cost of o The wife of one of President Asad's most £Syr 11 million (S2.7 million); construc prominent critics was shot dead at her home by the newly created Industrie Chimique tion of 120 homes at (£Syr 17 in the West German town of Aachen on 17 de Gafsa (ICG). million - S4.2 million), construction of March. Issam al-Attar is regarded as the chief The complex will comprise a 400,000- a further 200 homes (£Syr 18 million - leader-in-exile of the Muslim Brotherhood, ton-a-year triple superphosphate plant, S4.5 million), and completion of 170 an Islamic fundamentalist movementseeking a 500-ton-a-day phosphoric acid plant homes at Ajamieh (£Syr 20 million - the downfall of the Asad government. He was and a 1,500-ton-a-day sulphuric acid S5 million); not at home when three gunmen killed his plant. Studies are being done by ICG, wife, Banen.as she opened the door. • Aleppo governorate: Opening of Industries Chimiques Maghrebines and electricity generating and water o Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has Societe Industrielle d'Acide Phosphorique pumping stations for 118 villages between won a 2,000 million yen (S9.7 million) order & d'Engrais. for 410 large trucks and tractors. Client is the ICG expects to invite international the river and Manbej (MEED state-owned Foreign Trade Organisation for 6:2:81); equipment supply tenders in June. This Machinery & Equipment (Aftomachinel. In is Tunisia's first non-turnkey fertiliser • governorate: Opening of an July 1980, Mitsubishi won a 3.500 million yen scheme. electricity generating station and drinking (S 17 million) contract from Aftomachine for 540 trucks and buses. water supply system for Al-Salamiye, IN BRIEF and o The Ibn Hani Meridien hotel in Latakia was o Telephone transmission equipment contracts • governorate: Start of construc opened on 11 March by Tourism Minister - George Radwan. The 300-room hotel, operated valued at about TD 20 million (250.2 million) will be awarded soon. Transport & Communi tion of 40,000 workers' homes at Raqqa by Meridien Hotels - an affiliate of Air and water supply network for five cations Ministry officials say. Swedish, French, - cost £Syr 200 million (S50 million). Meridien Japanese and UK firmsare reported to be nearby villages. hotels plans to open its next Syrian hotel at on 4 April (MEED 27:2:81, Travel). among bidders in an eight-lot restricted tender Tartous-Crete cable opens invited in December 1980. The tender is thought oA total of 8 m,ll,on fish fingers were pro to be linked with telephone exchangecontracts duced iocally m 1980 Tne new coaxial cable between Syria and awarded in 1980 to France's CIT-Alcatel and Crete was ooened on 10 March in Tartous Sweden's LMEricsson (MEED 24 1080 by Communications Minister Raafat 18:80; 27 6:80). Kurdi The 65 "• --ule — TUNISIA 0 Foreign exchange earnings from tourism which has 48C egraph rose to TD 250 million (S627.4 million) in circuits —was im of 1980 from TD 205 million (S514.4 million) Prance, a sub; .are/. Farm machinery scheme goes ahead in 1979, according to Office National du The cable cc ,n and is A new company, Complete Mecanique 1ourisme & du Thermalisme estimates. The resigned ?o • tmunications de Tunisie (CMT), has been set up under number of tourists is estimated to have risen oy 18 Per cent to 1.6 million. Algeria tocoed