Kuwait's forces mobility is normal, GCC won't let Bahrain fall: Expert

Sunday,26 June 2011

By : Jameel W. Karaki KUWAIT: Security Expert Colonial Fahed Al-Shelaimi said in his comment on the current situation in the Middle East that the political elites in some countries are not recognized or mature yet.      Al-Shelaimi indicated that most of the countries in the Middle East are in revolutions except for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area,     where he explained that the current situation in Bahrain is occurring due to a large number of Shiites and low economic conditions which created a revolt against the ruling family. He noted that GCC countries won't let this monarchy fall since this action has a domino effect on the region.     Regarding the Legitimacy and the legal side of moving forces from one place to another, he explained that the mobility is normal; recalling that the head quarter of the Kuwaiti navy during the Iraqi invasion was in Bahrain. He went on to say, "In Kuwait, we asked for foreign troops, so its normal that Bahrain asks the GCC for help despite the fact that some urge that these forces were used for internal affairs," noting that "the GCC including Saudi Arabia want to secure their back yard."     "There is no doubt that Bahrain is part of the GCC where the Gulf Arab States are providing 20 billion US dollars to Bahrain and Oman," he said, adding that "in Bahrain, there will be no revolution but a compromisation." Al-Shelaimi asserted that GCC countries will not allow things to go beyond control and that Bahrain is a part of the United States Fifth Fleet. He said explained that the problem is economical and was accepted, however caused the GCC countries to panic when it reached the stage of regime change.     Moreover, the official expert said that Iranian fingerprints and signatures in Bahrain are present in the slogans, attitude and language which led the Sunni's to become frustrated, not to mention that some people from the Sunni side have blown some matters out of context. According to Al-Shelaimi, "those people, who were trying to get their constitutional rights, lost their direction and (the demonstrations) ended up with a (demand) for regime change which is unacceptable given the GCC's mindset, therefore, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE) sent some troops."     Furthermore, in his assessment of the situation regarding some countries in the Middle East, he pointed out that the Yemen's president is leaving, the situation in Syria is vague, the Muslim brotherhood will gain 20 percent to 25 percent of votes, and that the Moroccan King is doing his best toward to provide legitimate constitutional changes, noting that the area is living in a turning point which will revolve around political elites.     Regarding the situation in Syria, he believes that since 1967, there was not a single shot fired from the Golan Heights and no commando operations were executed towards Israel in any way, therefore the Israelis and Europeans view the existence of Basher Al-Asaad's regime as essential for the security of Israel.     As for Egypt, Al-Shelaimi predicts that religious parties will be successful in its achievements because of the weak bases of well known parties such as Wafd Party and National Democratic Party which many people are renouncing from it, while other parties are considered small in representation. However, the Muslim Brotherhood has charitable bases in some areas which can be transformed into electoral bases.     As for the current situation in Yemen, he described Ali Abduallh Salah's regime as a "groggy regime" which if remains in power for long, causes a buffer zone between the people and the system. He noted that the world was hesitant in taking a common decision about Yemen since the political elites in this country were not recognized. However, these political elites have been recognized in addition to the GCC initiative.     He concluded, "It is a matter of time ... the opposition provided the current president with many options such as allowing the vice president to become a president for a transformation period," noting that this is considered as an encouraging sign that can help changes in Yemen.