Al-Roumi: Kuwait doesn't want escalation with Iraq

Egypt celebrates 59th anniversary since 1952 Revolution

Friday,22 July 2011

By : Jameel W. Karaki Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Ahmad Al-Roumi stressed that Kuwait did not want to increase tension with Iraq over the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port Project. He added that Kuwait seeks to establish good relations with Iraq, noting that the project does not only serve Kuwait but will serve Iraq, Iran and Central Asian region, as well as many other countries.

 

 

The Acting Undersecretary's comments were made during the Egyptian embassy celebration of the 59th anniversary of the July 23, 1952 revolution on Wednesday at Salwa Al-Sabah Hall. The even include the participation of Taher Farhat Egyptian Ambassador to Kuwait and Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Dr. Fadhil Safar, as well as other officials, citizens, and expats.

 

 

Ambassador Farhat asserted that the July 23, 1952 Revolution took place to achieve the legitimate demands for freedom, social justice and democracy, the very same principles which the January 25, 2011 revolution represented.

 

 

When asked about the position the ambassador will be responsible for after he ends his post in Kuwait, Farhat said that he will be appointed as the Director of the Israeli Department within the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, explaining that he will study the files in an accurate way where he will benefit from the expertise of his predecessors and will make his utmost to protect Egypt's interests.

 

In addition, Farhat told reporters that Abdul Karim Suleiman will be assigned as the new Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Kuwait where he will take up his assignment in early September.

 

On his part, Minister Fadhil Safar praised the Kuwait- Egyptian bilateral relationships, noting that Egypt contributed in the development of many sectors in Kuwait such education, construction, labor and the judicial system.

Minister Safar discussed the preparations undertaken by his ministry to fight any spoiled food during Ramadan, calling on citizens and residents to abide by laws of advertising, food condition and the public safety. He added that the ministry is exerting all efforts to tighten the control in this regard. In addition, Minister Safar stated that there is a comprehensive inspection campaign to take place during the next two days, calling the press to attend and watch the process of rotten food disposal.

 

When asked about the announcement of Eng. Jenan Bushehri, Municipal Council Member about archiving maps, the minister stated, "We are already archiving maps electronically where the municipal diagrams plots have been completed in various areas of Kuwait, except for three regions with interferences as Al-Asimah, Salmiya and Al-Fahaheel."

Moreover, with regard to Aswaq-Alqurain (Al-Qurian Markets) he explained that the ministry will apply the provisions of the appeal made in favor of the municipality.

Mohammed Al-Kandari, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor expressed his happiness to participate in this occasion. He wished Egypt stability after the recent January Revolution. In his response on a question related to the rotations at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Al-Kandari described this a as a normal procedure where he personally worked for different sectors at the ministry during his term.

 

In regards to the law of residency violators who submitted their paper during the amnesty period, yet their paper work was disrupted, Al-Kandari stated, "The brothers at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor will take this into consideration according to what I have read in newspapers and we at the Ministry do not have any objection and our doors are open to anyone who wants to reside in Kuwait in a legal manner."

 

For his part, Ambassador Ahmad Al-Roumi, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that Kuwait does not want to escalation with Iraq related on what is happening now related to Mubarak Al Kabeer port, stressing that Kuwait is seeking to establish good relations where this project in the first place is economical. He also noted that this project will benefit Iraq, Iran, Central Asia and many countries.

He went on to say, "Kuwait has five ports, while Iraq has six ports, in addition to the Faw Port which is still under construction. However, the region demands more ports and eventually there is no harm if ports will be next to each another."

 

Regarding the statements of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki who said, in an official statement issued by his office, that Kuwait did not inform Iraq about its implementation plans of Mubarak Al Kabeer project, Al-Roumai denied these comments, saying, "This is not true, in May, an Iraqi delegation visited Kuwait where documents, records and images proves it where the port is visible for everyone."

 

When asked about Iraqi objections related to the Kuwait intention of building a nuclear reactor on Warba Island he said, "This topic doesn't deserve a comment."

Finally, in respect of the future activities of the ministry, Al-Roumi said that next October will

witness the launch of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue at the level of foreign ministers, which will coincide with marking the tenth anniversary of establishing this Asian group. He added that 30 Asian countries and some specialized organizations in the region as well as the UNISCO and UNISEF will take part in the event.

Rupert Murdoch's phone-hacking humble pie

Rupert Murdoch defiantly insisted on Tuesday he was not responsible for what he called "sickening and horrible invasions" of privacy committed by his company, claiming he had been betrayed by disgraceful unidentified colleagues and had known nothing of the cover-up of phone hacking.

To read more click on
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/19/rupert-murdoch-phone-hacking-pie

الحر يتسلم تصريح السفير الإيراني بعد لقائه صاحب السمو أمير البلاد

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

تصريح سعادة السيد روح الله قهرماني

سفير الجمهورية الاسلامية الايرانية لدى دولة الكويت

بعد تقديم اوراق اعتماده اليوم لصاحب السمو اميرالبلاد

انه لمن دواعي سروري و اعتزازي أن أمثل بلادي في دولة الكويت و ان التقي بصاحب السمو امير البلاد لتقديم أوراق اعتمادي كسفير فوق العادة و مطلق الصلاحية للجمهورية الاسلامية الايرانية .

ان مسيرة العلاقات بين بلدينا الجارين المسلمين مزدهرة و متنامية و ان انتخابي من قبل فخامة الرئيس د. احمدي نجاد كسفير في دولة الكويت يأتي انطلاقاً من حرص فخامته على تطوير التواصل الثنائي و تعزيز التشاور و التفاهم و مضاعفة تبادل الزيارات بين المسئولين أملا ً ببناء غد مشرق يسود فيه الأمن و السلام في ربوع منطقتنا .

لاشك بأن مهمتي ستكون حاسمة و هامة لكني بعد التسديد الالهي ،‌ وثقتي بحكمة و حنكة القيادتين الحكيمتين في بلدينا و الدعم الذي أحظى به من قبل أبناء هذا الشعب الأبي و في طليعتهم المسؤولين و رجال الدولة آمل أن أقدم صورة نموذجية وفريدة للتعاون المثمر بين بلدينا لتكون قدوة و نموذجاً تحتذى به بقية الدول ،  و هذا هو هاجسي و طموحي .

ان العدوان الذي شنه  المقبور صدام حسين على ايران و الكويت أدى الى تعزيز التضامن و الوفاق بين بلدينا و لابد من توظيف هذه الفرص لمضاعفة التنسيق بين البلدين في القضايا الاقليمية و الدولية . ان الرئيس احمدي نجاد أكد لي بأن سقف التعاون مع الكويت لاحدود له و مجالاته مفتوحة و لا حصر لها .

ان سمو الامير كان اول شخصية سياسية عربية تلتقي بسماحة الامام الخميني الراحل لتهنئة الشعب الايراني بانتصار الثورة الاسلامية المباركة ؛ كما نددت ايران بالغزو الصدامي للكويت وكانت من اولى الدول التي اعترفت باستقلال الكويت وعزتها وهذه القواسم المشتركة ستبقى خالدة و ابدية في اذهان شعوبنا.

 

Republicans are saints and democrats are devils

Republicans are saints and democrats are devils

Jameel W. Karaki

Presidency at this time does not need someone with a wise future vision to manage his nation, its resources and foreign affairs. It also doesn’t need a man who is honest with himself but for a candidate who can attack his rival within the context of the alleged American democracy which requires a candidate to  flatter AIPAC  in order to become the US president.

Recently, the Former  governor of Minnesota and Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty ,in his addresses to the State Department and the AIPAC policy conference , argued that  Obam’s Middle East policy 'breaks his heart' since he considers obama  as wrong  g in  his belief that 'Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies at the heart of every problem in the Middle East.

Pawlenty approach says that he would never undermine Israel’s negotiating position, nor pressure it to accept borders, which jeopardize security. He also believes that it is unproductive to pressure Israel into negotiations with “Hamas or a Palestinian government that includes Hamas.

 Moreover, he called Obam’s administration to take action in Syria and demanding that the U.S. take a stand in the war-torn Middle East country and to withdrew the American ambassador from Syria

Pawlenty also accused Obama of failing to present a coherent response to the Arab Spring, describing his actions as slow, and too often without a clear understanding of the American interests.

As an observer, I would like to highlight some facts in this regard, that the major reason behind the culture of heat against the United States in the Middle East and the Muslim world is the American support to Israel and terrorism behavior of the Zionist regime by killing many Palestinians like flea by using American weapons. There are some other reasons behind this hate against USA that doesn’t need a political science graduate from University of Minnesota.

Regarding Hamas, it is an organization that represents a lot of Palestinians where in 2006 former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said the elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were “completely honest”   and That Hamas had won so overwhelmingly and fairly. As a result Hamas is a part of the government and it is a good investment for USA to negotiate a government that contains both of Fatah and Hamas rather than watching the Israeli skies rained with rockets.

It is a also a well known  fact  that  the pace of events in the Arab spring countries was faster than the light to the extent that diplomats in these countries were shocked while preparing their reporters  like local citizens unless, there was an American intervention in these revolutions which helped American diplomats to report.

 In addition to the current situation in Syria, I do agree with Mr. Pawlenty that many massacres are being committed against Syrians. However, 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 existence of Basher Al-Asaad's regime as essential for the security of Israel.

In general, there is neither two state solutions nor a peace between Israel and palatines unless a brave American president  dares to think about considering Israel as a problem under the pressure of an organized militant and resistance operations against Israel.

Moreover,  the conflict in Middle East is like a snake with a head called the American Support and a tail named Israel that has diverse mechanisms  of disrupting the whole region through its toxins and what’s happening now between the republicans and democrats is a partisan war which  is a major threat to Israel.

In a word, if Obama made the American sky rains gold, and granted every single American a place in the heaven he would remain a devil in the eyes of republicans but at the end the American foreign policy against the Palestinian cause is just a placebo.

UNDP launches its Twitter Account

KUWAIT: In a press the United Nation Development Porgram (UNDP) in Kuwait

has registered and launched its Twitter account at @UNDPKuwait.

 

The account is set to make information about the organization’s on-going projects available and create a forum from which the public can have an understanding of UNDP Kuwait’s work, aspirations, initiatives and goals.

The Twitter account can be found at: http://www.twitter.com/UNDPKuwait

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As

they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of

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.

Social media networks: Where does the margin of freedom stand?

Friday,24 June 2011

By : Jameel W. Karaki (Me)        Staff Writer KUWAIT: The recent technological advancements brought to the surface many new concepts that include expressing an opinion or even reporting news through social media networks or blogs.  These media channels have become a global phenomenon, particularly in the Arab World in the current climate. Disputes have emerged among people, journalists and activists, in regards to whether there should be laws or regulations to organize and control these media outlets. Nasser Abul, Kuwaiti citizens and a Twitter user, was arrested almost two weeks ago for criticizing Bahrain and Saudi Arabia's ruling families in tweet posts. This is not the first time a blogger has been detained in Kuwait over expressing their opinion. For his part, Daham Al-Ghatni, a journalist and a political analyst who believes that social media networks should present a medium of freedom of expression, said that there is a difference between freedom of expression when it brings matters in a logical and objective way and between statements that can be called "indecent", which occur by insulting people and their legal positions without any evidence, also known as libel. He went on to say, "For instance, when I describe a human being to be an animal and I get arrested, I can't speak about freedom," noting that a journalist should be prosecuted according to the printing laws, and not by state security laws. In addition, Al Ghahtni said that till now there is no law that governs blogging in Kuwait, yet insulting dignities is not acceptable, adding that the detained blogger should be dealt with in a legal framework. "Sometimes governments don't harm freedoms, but some people who are practicing are present a bad example about blogging, therefore, as bloggers we should present the positive impression." said Dahem. On his part Jaafar Rajab, a Kuwait writer believes that freedom of expression shouldn't be restricted on social media, printing press media or even public places, indicating that there are relevant laws that deal with libel. Rajab referred to social media outlets such Facebook and Twitter as a "big diwenya." When asked about legalizing laws related to social media networks, he said: "It is not appropriate to legalize such a law to restrict freedoms", noting that Kuwait should keep pace with development around the world since given that it's the 21th century. Regarding the case of Nasser Abul he said that "even if he committed a mistake, what is happening in his case is that there is an abuse of power because it doesn't make any sense that until now he has no charges against him." He went on to say, "Abul is a regular guy who is not a politician or has previous police records. He is just a guy who was involved in a dialogue. There is a legal reference for such an action which doesn't include his arrest for weeks." Rajab also compared the journalism law in Europe to the Arab World's, saying that European laws talk about rights and the access of information while media laws in the Arab World speak about taboos and crimes, ignoring the rights of the journalists as well as the bloggers.