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Recent Appearances...

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Kuwait ruler, longtime diplomat Sheikh Sabah, dies at age 91

2020-09-30

Let's see how this shakes out
[AYPEE] Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the ruler of Kuwait who drew on his decades as the oil-rich nation’s top diplomat to push for closer ties to Iraq after the 1990 Gulf War and solutions to other regional crises, died Tuesday. He was 91.In a Middle East replete with elderly rulers, Sheikh Sabah stood out for his efforts at pushing for diplomacy to resolve a bitter dispute between Qatar
Qatar

...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
and other Arab nations that continues to this day.

His 2006 ascension in Kuwait, a staunch U.S. ally since the American-led war that expelled occupying Iraqi troops, came after parliament voted unanimously to oust his predecessor, the ailing Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, just nine days into his rule.

Yet as Kuwait’s ruling emir, he struggled with internal political disputes, the fallout of the 2011 Arab Spring protests and seesawing crude oil prices that chewed into a national budget providing cradle-to-grave subsidies.

"He represents the older generation of Gulf leaders who valued discretion and moderation and the importance of personal ties amongst fellow monarchs," said Kristin Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington who studies Kuwait. "No question he has suffered from the lack of deference and respect shown by the younger and more brash young princes holding power today."

State television announced his death after playing Koranic prayers, with Royal Court Minister Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al Sabah reading a brief statement, his hands shaking.

"With great sadness and sorrow, the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the friendly peoples of the world mourn the death of the late His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, emir of the state of Kuwait who moved to the realm of the Lord," the sheikh said, without offering a cause of death.

Courtesy of Frank G, ZeroHedge adds:

In the past, 83-year-old Crown Prince Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, an elder statesman and the deceased emir’s half-brother, has been appointed acting ruler when the Sheikh was indisposed, as per the country’s constitutional law. Sheikh Nawaf has held high office for decades, including top positions. As ruler, his brother pushed a policy of diplomacy to solve regional problems, while also leading the 2017 boycott of Qatar by members of the GCC.

And 3dc gives us Peter Zeihan and the Wall Street Journal in one efficient tweet:

Kuwait will now go through something similar to the Saudi succession struggles of the 2000s. I don't think it'll be nearly as cloak and dagger, as the Kuwaiti royal family is so much smaller. https://t.co/Eioppevtja
— Peter Zeihan (@PeterZeihan) September 29, 2020

Link

Arabia

Trump Gives Award to Kuwait's Ruling Emir

2020-09-19

[USNews] WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has bestowed a top U.S. honor on Kuwait's ruling emir, who has played a central role in resolving a yearslong four-nation boycott of Qatar and is now ill and receiving treatment in the U.S., the White House said Friday.

Trump awarded the Legion of Merit to Kuwait’s Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who, along with Oman, has sought dialog to end the dispute that has torn apart the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been part of the boycott that’s targeted fellow GCC member Qatar since June 2017. Egypt also joined the boycott, which saw nations close their airspace and borders to Qatar.

"A leader in the Middle East for decades, the emir has been a truly unwavering friend and partner to the United States," the White House said in a statement. "The emir is also an unparalleled diplomat, having served as his nation’s foreign minister for 40 years. His tireless mediation of disputes in the Middle East has bridged divides under the most challenging circumstances."

The Legion of Merit is a rarely awarded decoration that can only be bestowed by the president, typically to chiefs of state or heads of government of other countries. The honor was last awarded in 1991.

The emir’s eldest son, Sheikh Nasser bin Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah of the State of Kuwait, was to accept the award on behalf of the emir in a private ceremony.

In July, Sheikh Sabah flew across the world in a U.S. Air Force C-17 flying hospital, just days after undergoing an unspecified surgery at home. The dramatic airlift to the Mayo Clinic reflected the close ties between the two nations but also raised concerns over the ruler’s medical condition. The clinic declined to discuss his condition on Friday.

Link

Arabia

Kuwait’s ruler, 90, in US hospital; cancels Trump visit

2019-09-10

[DAWN] Kuwait’s 90-year-old ruling emir has cancelled a visit on Thursday with President Donald Trump

...Oh, noze! Not him!...
at the White House after being admitted to a US hospital following an earlier health scare last month.

Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah will undergo unspecified tests during his hospitalisation, the state-run Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported late Sunday, without elaborating.

It quoted Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al Sabah, the minister of the emir’s diwan council, as saying Sheikh Sabah would reschedule his visit with Trump.

"Sheikh Ali prayed to Allah the Almighty to bestow His Highness the Emir with good health," Kuna said.

A White House statement said Trump was aware of the emir being hospitalised.

"The president wishes his friend, the Emir, a speedy recovery and looks forward to welcoming him back to Washington as soon as he is feeling better," the statement said. "The Emir is a well-respected leader and has been a tremendous partner of the United States in tackling challenges in the region."

On August 18, Kuwait acknowledged the emir suffered an unspecified medical "setback".

That came after visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter that he was "praying for emir’s speedy recovery".

Link

Arabia

Qatar FM in Kuwait to respond to demands

2017-07-04

[Al Jazeera] Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates...
has delivered its response to a list of 13 demands from Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
and three other Arab countries that cut have ties with it and imposed a land, air and sea embargo amid a major diplomatic crisis.

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's foreign minister, was received by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Monday to hand over a letter from Qatar's emir, according to state-run Kuwait News Agency.

Kuwait is mediating in the dispute. The content of the letter has not been released.

Qatar's response will be the focus of a gathering in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Wednesday of foreign ministers from the four blockading countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Al Jazeera's Saad al-Saeedi, reporting from Kuwait City, said there was "a sense of relief, tinged with caution" in Kuwait.

"Qatar's response to the demands was handed to the emir, followed by an extensive meeting between the Qatari foreign minister and his Kuwaiti counterpart for more than one and half hours. After that, the Qatari foreign minister headed to the emir of Kuwait's residence to attend another meeting over lunch before his departure," he said.

Link

Arabia

Kuwait ex-MP held over Iran tweet

2015-05-03

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait on Friday arrested a former opposition lawmaker for alleging Iran was pressuring the emirate to change the crown prince, the government and relatives said.
The Interior Ministry said Waleed Al-Tabtabai had been “arrested on the orders of the public prosecution for spreading false news about the internal situation and undermining the status of the crown prince on social media.”

The former lawmaker, a long-time critic of the Islamic republic, would now be referred to prosecutors for questioning, it added.
In comments posted Thursday on Twitter, Tabtabai wrote that Iran had been putting pressure on Kuwait to replace Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, 76, with a new heir who has strong relations with Tehran.

He said he hoped the attempts would fail.

Under the Kuwaiti constitution, the crown prince is proposed by the emir and approved by Parliament. Sheikh Nawaf, half brother of Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, was appointed to the post in 2006.
Tabtabai’s brother Anwar said the ex-lawmaker was arrested by secret service police.

Link

Arabia

Kuwait pledges $500 mn in Syria humanitarian aid

2015-04-01

[Gulf News] Kuwait City: Kuwait's emir announced Tuesday $500 million to help alleviate war-torn Syria's humanitarian crisis, which he called the worst in "modern history."

Stressing the gravity of the situation, the UN chief

the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
told participants at a Tuesday meeting to raise $8.4 billion (7.9 billion euros) this year for Syrian aid efforts, that four out of five Syrians are living in poverty.

"I am pleased to announce the pledging of $500 million from Kuwait's government and private sectors to support the humanitarian efforts in Syria," Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah said as he opened the conference.

"We are meeting here to face the biggest humanitarian catastrophe in the modern history of mankind," the emir said, calling on global powers to find a political solution to a civil war now in its fifth year.

He urged the UN Security Council, especially the five permanent members, to "abandon differences and find a political solution to the destructive conflict".

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

UN warns of Syria 'catastrophe' as NGOs pledge donations

2015-03-31

[ARABNEWS] A UN envoy warned Monday of a "horrifying" humanitarian situation brewing in Syria as non-governmental organizations pledged more than $480 million for refugees on the eve of a major donor conference.

The United Nations
...a formerly good idea gone bad...
aims to raise $8.4 billion at the Syria donor meeting, which starts on Tuesday in Kuwait.

"Failing to meet the required funds risks resulting in a horrifying and dangerous humanitarian catastrophe," Abdullah al-Maatuq, UN special envoy for humanitarian affairs, told a meeting of NGOs.

Among the aid groups which gathered on Monday, ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
's IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation made the largest pledge of $100 million. Other donors included Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates...
's Red Islamic Thingy Society and Kuwait's International Islamic Charity Organization.

UN humanitarian affairs chief Valerie Amos said the donor response at Tuesday's conference "needs to be comprehensive."

She said that the humanitarian situation had deteriorated in Syria with no reduction in violence and children particularly affected.

The aid is urgently required to provide life-saving assistance to half of Syria's population as several UN aid agencies have said they remain underfunded and warned they could halt or downsize their operations.

The Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference to be held on Tuesday will be chaired by UN Secretary General

the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
and will be opened by Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

At the first and second conferences, also hosted by Kuwait, pledges of $1.5 billion and $2.4 billion were made, but the United Nations has complained that not all pledges were honoured.

In a report on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Syria released last week, Ban said devastation from the fighting had left around 7.6 million people internally displaced.

Another 3.9 million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

"Every day brings more death, displacement and destruction," the UN report said.

Link

Arabia

Kuwait's emir rebukes opposition at parliament opening

2012-12-17

[Al Ahram] Kuwait's emir criticised the opposition for stirring "chaos" on Sunday as activists demonstrated outside parliament during a speech in which he opened the newly elected assembly.

All "condemn these practices and the actions that breached the law, norms and values, worried citizens and caused chaos," said Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in clear reference to opposition demonstrations.

The emir also praised the security forces for handling the protests with "patience and wisdom."

The session was held under tight security with coppers, special forces and national guard units backed by armoured vehicles stationed around the parliament building.

Police cordoned off a square opposite the assembly where the opposition planned to protest against the opening, but a small number of activists still managed to get close to the area.

They left the site for a square outside the nearby Palace of Justice when special forces were called in ahead of the emir's arrival. Police incarcerated
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
two protesters.

On the eve of the inauguration, hundreds of opposition activists staged a night time sit-in in Kuwait City to demand the dissolution of the new parliament.

Braving unusually cold weather, the activists camped out overnight before leaving of their own will in the morning. Several then headed to the parliament building before police drove them away.

Link

Arabia

Kuwaiti govt calls for Parliament dissolution

2012-10-04

But I think we all saw this coming...

KUWAIT: Kuwaits Cabinet has asked the countrys ruler to consider dissolving Parliament, state news agency KUNA reported yesterday, in a widely expected bid to clear the way for a new election and end months of political deadlock.

Kuwait has been unable to hold a parliamentary session for several months after its Constitutional Court effectively dissolved the opposition-dominated assembly which was elected in February, basing its decision on a technicality.

The ruling in June reinstated the previous Parliament, originally elected in 2009 and which contained more government supporters, but the body has not been able to convene due to a boycott by lawmakers.

A draft decree to dissolve the 2009 parliament was submitted to the emir ... because it was not possible to hold sessions of the National Assembly due to a lack of quorum, Information Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said, according to KUNA.

The 2009 pro-government Parliament was dissolved in December after youth-led street protests and allegations of corruption against some of its members but was reinstated by the constitutional court in a June 20 ruling.

Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah is expected to issue a decree dissolving Parliament today which would pave the way to hold fresh elections within 60 days, according to the constitution.

Link

Arabia

Kuwait opposition seeks gains in Parliament vote

2012-02-03

KUWAIT CITY: Opposition groups in Kuwait urged for high voter turnout Thursday in parliamentary elections that could increase the voice of government critics including hard-line factions in the country.

The outcome is widely expected to bring gains for groups that include both liberals inspired by the Arab Spring and Islamic-guided blocs that favor strict rules such as banning women from taking part in international sporting events. A stronger political hold by the hard-liners also could complicate Kuwaits close relationship with the US military, which now has its main contingent of ground forces based in this country after the withdrawal from Iraq in December.

Wonder how much longer we'll be there.

Kuwaits ruling family controls all key affairs in the oil-rich state. But its 50-seat Parliament is one of the few elected bodies in the Gulf that openly challenge the countrys leadership and that has the ability to bring no-confidence motions against government officials as high as the prime minister.

Opposition leaders were out in force trying to mobilize supporters on a blustery day with sandstorms in some areas. Security forces were deployed in many districts, but there were no reports of unrest after a turbulent run-up that included arsonists torching a rivals campaign tent and mobs storming a TV station during a debate.

Results from the hand-counted ballots are expected early Friday.

Kuwaits emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, dissolved Parliament and called elections in December after months of political showdowns that included opposition lawmakers demanding to question the prime minister over an alleged payoff scandal and protests that culminated in anti-government crowds storming Parliament.

Officials said 400,296 Kuwaitis are registered to vote in what will be the first parliamentary election since May 2009. The more than 280 candidates include 23 women, including re-election bids by four lawmakers who were the first women in the assembly. Pro-government lawmakers had a slight edge in the last Parliament.

Opposition groups have gained strength in recent years over complaints that the country has failed to keep pace with the Gulf powerhouses Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in the past decade.

In late November, the emir selected Defense Minister Sheik Jaber Al-Hamad Al-Sabah as the new prime minister, replacing the long-serving Sheik Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah. He had survived several no-confidence votes in Parliament, but was the target of a growing campaign for his dismissal over allegations that government officials funneled payoffs to bank accounts outside the country. He has denied the charges.

While the expanding array of opposition candidates are expected to do well collectively, the election is a particular test of strength for the hard-line factions after similar groups dominated post-revolution elections in Tunisia and Egypt.

Link

Arabia

Kuwaiti parliamentary election set for Feb. 2

2011-12-19

KUWAIT: Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Sunday decreed that a parliamentary election would take place on Feb. 2, the privately owned Al-Rai television reported.

The decision comes nearly two weeks after the emir dissolved Parliament following the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah last month in one of the deepest political crises in the oil-exporting state. At the time, the emir had set no date for an election, which under the constitution must be held within two months from the date Parliament is dissolved.

The OPEC member and US ally has been locked in a long-running political battle between the government and the 50-member Parliament.

Opposition lawmakers and protesters stormed Parliament last month to demand the resignation of Sheikh Nasser, amid allegations of mismanagement and corruption, which he denies. The raid on Parliament came after the Cabinet blocked an opposition request to question the prime minister. The opposition said the Cabinet's move was unconstitutional.

The crisis forced Sheikh Nasser and his Cabinet to step down, and the emir has since named outgoing Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, another member of the ruling family, as the new prime minister.

The emir last week swore in a new government consisting mainly of ministers from the previous administration of Sheikh Nasser, to prepare for the election.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Abu Mazen to visit Kuwait for coordination -- PA spokescritter

2007-10-29

The visit to Kuwait by President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Mahmoud Abbas due on Monday would be within framework of coordination and consultations between the Palestinian and Kuwaiti leaderships, the PNA spokesman said.

Nabil Abu Rudainah, the official spokesman of the authority, described in a statement to KUNA on eve of the visit that the Kuwaiti-Palestinian relations were very good. "We value Kuwait's unwavering stance in support of the Palestinian people," he added.

Abbas is due to travel via Jordan to Kuwait, where he would hold talks with HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

Abu Rudainah confirmed that Abbas' mission would serve the continous coordination and consultations between the Kuwaiti and Palestinian leaderships regarding current regional conditions and affairs, namely the forecast conference for peace in the Middle East. Regarding the talks with Israel, he indicated that the Palestinian and Israeli sides have not worked out a common document, but the negotiations in this respect were continuing.

Israeli and Palestinian officials have held inconculsive talks in a bid to draw up a joint document ahead of the fall conference for Mideast peace. The Palestinians have been seeking to include major issues in the aspired paper -- namely final status of Jerusalem and the question of Palestinians in diaspora, among other topics.

He also indicated at continous US efforts, namely the forthcoming regional tour by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, to find common ground for a possible settlement to the regional question.

Link

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