Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the State of Kuwait

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Kuwait News

Kuwait Defence Minister: Ready to dispatch more troops to Bahrain
Kuwait confirmed its commitment to support security and stability in GCC countries and taking necessary military and political measures for realizing it. In confirmation to that stance, the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak said that Kuwait marine forces present in Bahrain are part of the Peninsula Shield forces participating in defending the Kingdom. He reiterated Kuwait readiness to dispatch more troops to keep security of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Al-Mubarak said in a press statement following the graduation ceremony of officers of Ali Al-Sabah Military College that “dispatching forces to support Bahrain is a duty and we are pleased to do so”. Replying to a question on whether Kuwait will send more forces, Sheikh Jaber said that the issue is in the hand of the military leadership and the request of officials in Bahrain and Peninsula Shield and in case they asked for more forces, we will be ready to meet their demand”. (Al-Seyassah)

National Alliance submitted a grilling request against Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad
MPs Marzouq Al-Ghanem and Adel Al-Saraawi, at the National Assembly session held on Tuesday, filed a motion requesting interpellation of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah. The grilling included four aspects related to encroaching public funds through tenders of the public authority for housing care, facilitating expropriation of public funds through the contract of the Olympic Council, violating relevant laws of the development plan in addition to violating sports laws and loss of the state’s dignity. (All Newspapers)

Kuwait pursues zero tolerance against advocates of sectarianism 
Kuwait's Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Information Roudhan Al-Roudhan said Tuesday his government adopts the policy of zero tolerance in dealing with those who advocate sectarianism among the Kuwaiti society or seek to harm any of the sisterly Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.
Speaking to KUNA, Al-Roudhan said the Ministry of Information took "legal proceedings" against local newspaper, satellite TV channel, website and SMS provider for fomenting sectarianism and defaming a GCC country.
"The government will never hesitate in enforcing law on any media outlet that could be found guilty of such gross misconduct," the minister warned.
"Kuwait is for all Kuwaitis. The government will never let any extremist from the opposite ends of the spectrum to achieve a political gain at a cost to the national unity," he made clear. Al-Roudhan urged the audiovisual mass media to give precedence to the national interests over the personal narrow-minded interests that could damage the coherence of the social texture of the country. He also called for dealing with the ongoing incidents in the region through professional objective approaches and never damage relations between the State of Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council members. (Al-Anba)

Kuwaiti diplomat meets head of Australian-Gulf Council
Kuwaiti Ambassador to Australia Khaled Al-Shaibani met Tuesday with Chief Executive of the Australian-Gulf Council (AGC) Michael Yabsley. Al-Shaibani told KUNA that his meeting with the official focused on means to bolster economic ties between the GCC states and Australia. He lauded the strong developing relations between Kuwait and Australia, noting that such ties would help further enhance relations between the GCC and AGC via mediation between the two nations. Yabsley, on his part, commented the Kuwaiti official on his efforts to promote relations on all levels, especially when the economic and commercial domains. The AGC is an invitation only council that brings together corporate, political and diplomatic representatives at the highest level to facilitate the two way flow of capital along with greater levels of political, economic, and cultural understanding. The organization works closely with embassies and other officials to provide the link between government and business. (KUNA)

Islamic art expo hits resounding success
Envoy of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Minister of Oil, and Minister of Information Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah expressed his honor for opening the Islamic Art Civilization on behalf of HH the Amir. The previous remark was made by Sheikh Ahmad in a statement to KUNA made upon his leaving the Austrian capital of Vienna heading to his home country Kuwait. The visit of Amir's Envoy to Austria culminated in great success as he inaugurated last night with Austrian President Heinz Fischer the exhibition of Islamic Art Civilization at the halls of the Vienna-based time-honored Austrian National Museum of Art History, along with the participation of Director General of Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyya Sheikha Hussah Al-Sabah.
Sheikh Ahmad said that he had the honor of representing HH the Amir in inaugurating such distinctive art exhibition which displays 350 masterpieces of Islamic art including manuscripts, carpets, wooden and stone works of art, weaponry, and jewels, noting that displayed items cover a period extending from the eighth century B.C. to eighteenth B.C. Further, the Envoy of HH the Amir expressed his happiness over the attendance of the Austrian President in person of the exhibition's opening, noting that the visit made by Fischer to Kuwait in 2009, and what it led to of positive results on the bilateral ties between the two countries, deeming such exposition one of the fruits of this momentous visit, and serving the reciprocal cultural exchanges. The Kuwaiti official also hailed the attention paid by the Austrian President to the Muslim communities, particularly his keenness along with other officials on holding celebratory banquets to Muslims at the Austrian Presidential Palace, and Vienna's Municipality and Chancellery out of Fischer's realization of the significance of various Islamic religious occasions, and to ensure coexistence among the believers of various religions in Austria. The Kuwaiti Minister expected the exhibition to draw thousands of visitors who will be keen on knowing the Islamic art and civilization at close quarters.
On the expected visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah -- an event which is long sought by the Austrian side -- Sheikh Ahmad said that he does not the exact date of this visit, though he hoped that it will be made in the coming period.
Envoy of HH the Amir was seen off at the end of his visit to Austria by Kuwait's ambassador to Vienna Mohammad Saad Al-Sallal along with senior members of the Kuwaiti embassy.(Al-Watan)

Applying fingerprint system at the airport soon
A security source at the Ministry of Interior – Exits Department announced that the Ministry will start within the coming few days applying the fingerprint system for incoming and outgoing passengers. The system is expected to conclusively bring an end to the return of deportees after forging passports in their home countries and also avoid departure of some people with others’ passports. He confirmed that the fingerprint devices are already installed at the airport. The source added that initiating work with that system will start gradually. (Al-Watan)

Kuwaiti aid convoy to Libya next week
The Kuwaiti Popular Committee in Support of the Libyan People is intending to send aid convoy to the Libyan people by next week. The campaign coordinator, Mr. Faleh Al-Mutairi said that first money was collected from donations of Kuwaiti people. The coordinator of Public Relations, Mr. Bader Al-Mutairi said that the convoy will move by next week including medical materials and medicines, food stuffs and others. (Al-Qabas)

Mutual respect, interests foundation of Kuwaiti-Chinese relations
Mutual respect and interests are the foundation of relations between Kuwait and China, said Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah. His remarks came in a speech on the occasion celebrating 40 years of diplomatic ties between the State of Kuwait and the People's Republic of China, which dates back to March 22, 1971.
At a reception held last night, and attended by senior officials of the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry and hosted by Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Huang Jiemin, Al-Jarallah said "we acknowledge China's "great" contribution in building Kuwait's sectors, especially oil and investment. "We look at the Chinese experience with pride and we can feel its direct impact on the course of international relations," he noted. For his part, Ambassador Huang said "March 22, 1971 is a date worth mentioning, as it marked the launch of diplomatic ties between Kuwait and China at the ambassadorial level." "Forty years ago, the two leaderships took a sound decision to hold diplomatic ties, which reflected their fine wisdom and political insight, shooting from the two peoples' mutual interest. By this, Kuwait became the first Arab country of the Gulf region to hold diplomatic ties with China," the Ambassador pointed out. "In the last 40 year, many regional and international developments took place, as well as inner affairs of both Kuwait and China saw major transformations. The Chinese government fully and adamantly supports Kuwait's efforts to maintain its independence and sovereignty, as well as legitimate demands resulting from consequences of Kuwait's Liberation. "At the same time, Kuwait is all for One-China Policy, and is encouraging; with utmost enthusiasm, other states of the Arabian Gulf to develop their relations with China and launch strategic dialogue between China and the Gulf Cooperation Council. We appreciate such approach. "The last 40 years of Kuwaiti-Chinese relations saw continuing development in economy, commerce, energy, transportation and infrastructure. Trade volume reached USD 8.5 billion in 2010; 40 times more compared to the beginning of official diplomatic relations," he added.
He carried on saying "last year, China imported some 10 million tons of crude oil from Kuwait; a world record in history, and by that Kuwait became of the major oil exporters to China. "Currently, there are more than 20 Chinese companies operating in Kuwait and contributing to its economic growth. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) opened an office in Beijing and more than 10,000 Kuwaitis travel to China each year for commercial and touristic purposes. "Since 1982, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, had been beefing up Chinese-Kuwaiti ties, as it offered 34 loans to China so far, with a total value of USD 8.8 billion, all channeled to developmental and infrastructural projects, which strongly supported social and economic development, especially in poor areas, a thing that embodied warm feeling the Kuwaiti people has for the Chinese people. We will never forget that. "Cultural exchange also saw an uphill expansion, with the two sides signing a number of agreements in the fields of culture, education, sport and healthcare. Since 1976, China has sent 16 medical teams to offer services to Kuwaiti citizens, which contributed in furthering human relations between the two peoples." Ambassador Huang noted that China has been always calling for peaceful coexistence among all countries, large or small. "Based on this, China had always seen developing relations with Kuwait as a strategic approach. "In May 2009, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah paid a successful visit to China and reached a significant consensus with President Hu Jintao on means to deep-root bilateral relations even further. "This year coincides with Kuwait celebrating the 50th anniversary of Independence, 20th anniversary for Liberation and the 5th anniversary for HH the Amir accession to power, as Special Envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao, and sport chief Liu Peng, took part in the celebrations held earlier this year and delivered a congratulatory letter from the President to HH the Amir.
"I am honored to be the 10th ambassador to Kuwait and to witness the 40th anniversary of holding diplomatic ties between Kuwait and China. I wish friendship between the two peoples to be eternal," the ambassador concluded. The reception was attended, among others, by Amiri Diwan Advisor Mohammad Abu Al-Hassan, in addition to former Kuwaiti ambassadors to China; Ghazi Al-Rayess, Abdulhamid Al-Bueijan and Faisal Al-Gheis. (KUNA)

Economy

Follow-up report shows 34 pct increase in Kuwait's expenditure
Secretary-General of the General Secretariat for Planning Dr. Adel Abdullah Al-Waqayan said on Monday that the third quarterly follow-up report of the first annual plan showed a 34 percent increase in the financial expenditure on the development plan. Al-Waqayan told KUNA that the report on the medium-term development plan and the first annual plan was submitted to the Cabinet earlier which included many of the indicators that measure the performance of project developers. He said the report showed an increase of financial expenditure on the plan's projects recorded on the follow-up system in the General Secretariat of up to 1.719 billion Kuwaiti dinars, out of 4.998 billion dinars, up 34 percent from the figure recorded in the semi-annual report which reached 14.7 percent. He pointed to the high number of projects that have moved from the preparatory stages to advanced final stages to more than 500 projects out of 884 projects included in the first annual plan. Al-Waqayan added that the report also included a description of the obstacles facing the application as referred to by government agencies as well as the most important global and local variables that have impact on the plan.(Al-Watan)

International News

• Eighteen Palestinians were injured early Tuesday morning when the Israeli air-force conducted several raids over Gaza Strip. According to local media outlets, the operation mainly targeted areas within the Gaza Strip with many civilians, especially women and children were injured in the attack. The raids had resulted in damages to public and private properties. On its part, the Hamas-led government of Gaza called on Palestinians factions to remain calm and not to retaliate the Israeli operation. Similar attacks were carried out late Monday night with the Israeli air-force claiming that the operation was aimed at Hamas strongholds within the strip.
• The confirmed death toll from a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami on March 11 that hit northeastern and eastern Japan rose to 9,079 and 12,645 people remained missing as of Tuesday noon, the government announced. Of the total, 5,507 people were killed in the hardest-hit Miyagi Prefecture alone, and 2,773 deaths were confirmed in neighboring Iwate Prefecture, the National Police Agency said. In some cases, entire families or communities in coastal areas were swallowed by tsunami and disappeared without a trace, according to the agency. About 310,000 people continued to endure cold weather at 2,200 shelters, including Tokyo. Meanwhile, restoration of basic infrastructure in the disaster-stricken areas and fuel shipments have accelerated, making relevant personnel easier for transporting relief goods to the areas. Shinkansen bullet train services between Morioka and Shin-Aomori resumed in the morning, while construction of temporary housing units also continued in some areas.  
• Abnormal levels of radioactive materials have been detected in seawater were detected in seawater near Japan's disaster-hit nuclear power plant, its operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said Tuesday amid continuing concern over radiation leak into the surrounding areas.
• Visiting Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-khalifa held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Nabil Al-Araby Tuesday on efforts by the government of Manama to restore stability in the Arab Gulf kingdom. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Menha Bakhoum said Al-Araby asserted to Sheikh Khaled Egypt's support to Crown Prince Salman's call for dialogue to address the political tension in Bahrain. Al-Araby emphasized importance of being distant from "sectarianism." Sheikh Khaled, said Bakhoum, said Bahrain was committed to political reforms, and that the peninsula shield forces in Bahrain would only be protecting vital installations and to defend the Kingdom from external aggression. Sheikh Khaled, meanwhile, met with Prime Minister Esam Sharaf and discussed how Bahrain's government was working on involving all parties in political and democratic dialogue. 
• The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Tuesday reiterated support to the Bahraini leadership's initiative for a comprehensive national dialogue aimed at reaching conciliation between the parties.
  The OIC called on all parties in Bahrain to "react positively" with the initiative and to put aside differences for the sake of the higher interests of Bahrain. The OIC asserted importance of not interfering in Bahrain's internal affairs and to respect its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Bahraini foreign minister Sheikh Khaled Al-khalifa called OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu yesterday and discussed the current situation in Bahrain. Ihsanoglu, said OIC, welcomed the Bahraini measures to achieve security and stability in the Kingdom.
• The situation in Bahrain is returning back to normal due to the government's swift move in dealing with the recent unrest that occurred, Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa said. Sheikh Khalid, who arrived in Ankara late Tuesday on an two-day visit, said that the government's steps to bring back security and peace in Bahrain had began to bring on positive results. He also noted during a joint press conference with Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu that the GCC countries' support during the crisis also contributed to bringing back security in the country, adding that the deployment of the Gulf's Peninsula Shield Force was to protect vital structures and locations in Bahrain and was not a step aimed at civilians. The government is willing to conduct reform in the country via dialogue with the opposition, stated the official. Sheikh Khalid thanked Turkey for its support to Bahrain and lauded Ankara's keenness on containing the tension to prevent it from spreading on a regional scale. 
• The chair of the European Parliament's delegation for the relations with Iran, Barbara Lochbihler, welcomed the decision by the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday to extend sanction to human rights violators in Iran. "The EP delegation for the relations with Iran welcomes the Foreign Affairs Council's decision to introduce restrictive measures targeted against human rights.  
• US President Barack Obama called President Nicolas Sarkozy of France Tuesday to discuss the evolution of the Coalition campaign in Libya and the overall situation in that country, Sarkozy's office said. They also discussed the future NATO command of the Libyan operation and the French leader apparently eased his tough stance against this. "The two Presidents noted with satisfaction that the operations carried out by the Coalition have already allowed for limiting the number of victims in the civilian population and reduced the capacity of Colonel Gaddafi to use force against his people," a statement from the Elysee Palace said. Obama and Sarkozy also "agreed on the necessity to pursue these efforts to ensure the full implementation of resolutions 1970 and 1973" of the UN Security Council.  
• Permanent delegates of Arab countries convened on Tuesday an emergency consultative meeting at the headquarters of the Secretariat under the chairmanship of the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa to consider the conditions that prevail in the Arab world, especially the developments of events in Libya. A diplomatic source in the League said in a statement that this meeting comes in the context of consultations and discussions to discuss the latest developments in the Arab region, especially in Libya in light of the continued escalation of the situation in this brotherly country.
  The source did not rule out that the meeting would address the latest developments in Arab countries such as Yemen and Syria. This meeting will be of a great significance as it coincided with the start of military operations against forces of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi by the international coalition forces in order to impose air embargo and the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution No. 1973.  
• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said Tuesday he is confident that the conflict in Libya will end soon and Col. Muammar Gaddafi cannot fight the whole world alone. Speaking to reporters in Carthage at the end of a visit to Tunisia, the UN chief said justice will be done in the end since the international community is working decisively to enforce the UN Security Council Resolution 1973 on the Libyan conflict. Ban said Libya's prime minister told him by phone that Gaddafi is committed to the ceasefire with "the rebel forces." He added that his special envoy for Libya Abdel-Elah Al-Khatib held his first meeting with leaders of the Libyan transitional national council last night the eastern city of Tobruk in order to listen to their views and positions on the situation in Libya.