Amir works to heal rifts
‘HH deserves peace Nobel’
“THROUGH a choice of words besetting all meanings of appreciation, love, keenness and concern over the future of the nation, the wise ruler of the nation HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, has summarized the current situation in the entire region,” columnist and the Editor-in- Chief of Annahar Dr Emad
Bu Khamseen wrote for the daily. “In his speech to mark the advent of the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan HH the Amir said this situation can be attributed to unexpected and regretful differences among some of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member States.
“The content of this speech is rife with transparency particularly when he talked about the associations and the repercussions of the current crisis among some of the GCC countries and its danger for the security, safety and the unity of the GCC member States.
“This, he said, although the latter had showed every possible steadfastness throughout the years in spite of all the problems and the disasters that were witnessed by the region to such an extent all the people are currently in agreement that the GCC experiment, can be deemed as the most successful Arab unity experiment.
“In his speech, HH the Amir was keen to use the phrase ‘Our Gulf Home’ in order to emphasize that all the countries in this part of the world are linked to each other through the bonds of kinship, love, fraternity and cooperation.
“As a matter of fact, the concern shown by HH the Amir over the future of the GCC member States, can be attributed to the fact that he was one of the first pioneers to significantly contribute to the foundation of the fort of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Moreover, he spared no efforts to develop this council and confront all the attempts that were made to scuttle this council.
“Nowadays, we see how HH the Amir in his blessed march through his noble good offices is working round the clock to heal the rifts among some of the sisterly GCC countries.
“This emphasizes the keenness of HH the Amir to protect the unity and cohesion of the GCC countries. He is currently working silently using all his political experience, wisdom and thought to contain and end the differences among the brothers.
“The good offices and efforts exerted by HH the Amir -- we pray to Almighty Allah to protect him – have been praised and appreciated by all concerned parties.
“Moreover, the entire world including the United States of America and the European Union (EU) in addition to international organizations topped by the United Nations has realized the true intentions and the keenness of HH the Amir to protect international peace and security, particularly since we know that the Gulf region enjoys the concern of the entire world.
“These noble good offices and laudable efforts as well as the sublime and the great initiatives made previously by HH the Amir may push us to honor HH the Amir in a manner that should keep abreast with his sublime initiatives, political and humanitarian attitudes to spread peace in the world.
“This has resulted in many personalities and organizations throughout the world calling for granting HH the Amir the Noble Peace Prize because His Highness deserves it following years full of noble efforts, achievements and accomplishments to boost peace on our planet.
“We in Kuwait, are proud to see Almighty Allah bestowing upon us an efficient leader, wise Amir, a compassionate father and a sophisticated politician to lead us under such circumstances which HH the Amir always used to describe as ‘delicate, dangerous and critical’.
“We pray to Almighty Allah to help our Amir to use his good offices to protect our security, safety and unity as GCC States -- the security, safety, stability and luxury which the peoples are looking forward to crown with full success.”
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“The speeches of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad to mark the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan over the past years were totally different from the speech this year,” columnist Tariq Boresli wrote for Al-Anba daily.
“We say the above, because the recent speech constitutes a roadmap not only for Kuwait but the entire region.
“Through wisdom HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad has addressed both the Kuwaiti people and peoples of the region at large, lest to say this speech has taken many other dimensions.
“In his speech, HH the Amir in brief referred to the various aspects of the problems currently facing the region. Not just that, HH the Amir has suggested solutions for these problems through some selective phrases befitting his wisdom.
“The sublime address of HH the Amir should make all Kuwaitis proud because this speech represents us all by all means. HH the Amir talked about the recent Gulf differences and the role to be played by diplomacy to solve them and the role given to him and the necessity to protect national unity.
“Apart from the above, HH the Amir called for paying attention to the youth as a basic nation building block. For that, we say his recent speech constitutes an integrated roadmap for the State of Kuwait as well as for the entire Gulf region, lest to say the speech represents a salvation card to end the current crisis.
“In his speech, HH the Amir said ‘we hope the recent differences will be surmounted and handled within our Gulf home and create the necessary atmospheres to solve these differences’.
“He confirmed ‘the Gulf Cooperation Council, represents our home’ and this is a clear cut indication to promote cohesion among member States.
“Meanwhile, HH the Amir, has referred to the deeprooted historical bonds liking all GCC States and this emphasizes the bosom fraternal relations among the peoples in this part of the world as well as the unified fate linking all member States and this means that the cohesion among these States is an inevitable choice.
“In conclusion, we say the importance of HH the Amir’s recent speech embodies this concern shown by the entire world. All international news agencies have carried HH the Amir’s sublime speech and broadcasted by various media means as important news because this speech has been delivered by a man who is currently playing the role of mediator to end the Gulf crisis. We hope this crisis will end soon for the benefit of all sisterly countries.”
“The recent Gulf dispute has affected the peoples of the Gulf in general and the Kuwaitis in particular. The surprise and the timing of its announcement in the holy month and the steps taken by the brotherly countries were totally unexpected,” columnist Waleed
Abdullah Al-Ghanim wrote for Al-Qabas daily. “All the Gulf events that took place during this year at least did not suggest any disorder among them to the absolute state of estrangement we have reached and it is proved by their reaction to the events unfolding in the region.
“The first is the position taken by the peoples who did not rush to cut social ties between the sons of the Gulf and the second is Kuwait’s careful and wise position to heal the rift and close the gap between the brothers in the Gulf.
“We have experienced in Kuwait the power of the Gulf Union among the governments and the people and the great benefit of the harmony of the regimes and peoples during the treacherous Iraqi invasion.
“Kuwait and the Kuwaitis, thanks to God and the brothers in the Gulf, succeeded in restoring the country and expelling the invaders and bringing together the Arab states with help from the international coalition to liberate Kuwait.
“In Kuwait, we witnessed this expensive Gulf coalition which banks on legitimacy and international interests, and intertwined with reality among the Gulf peoples in blood, marriage and brotherhood.
“This crisis revealed many masks and showed us the hidden reality, and certainly there are those who benefit from fanning the flames of fire and prolonging it, whether regimes or groups or individuals, just as mercenaries of wars.
“We appeal to the Gulf states to reform the situation and restore the situation with sincere cooperation, make appropriate concessions with wisdom to protect the future of the region and to respond to the wishes of the Gulf peoples who are looking forward for more integration, cooperation and beware of countries, regimes and groups which are waiting to attack us.”
“In the last ten days of the month of mercy and forgiveness, the civilized world is still far from compassion and humanity. The world continues to bow with all its burdens to the tragedies of humanity in different parts of the globe,” columnist and attorney Riyadh AlSane wrote for Al-Kuwaitiah daily. “Perhaps this deliberate disregard draws one conclusion: utilitarianist economy and political mutual interests, and that the exchange rate and the trade of balance and the price of black and white gold are more important than human lives and tragedies of humanity.
“Those who observe the situation in Somalia will find this very difficult to swallow. In the Arab League this is one of the poorest countries in the world and the most backward in the economic and social fields.
“Even the development index is non-existent due to the tragic situation that followed the end of the rule of President Mohammad Siad Barre in 1991. The country has been in a devastating civil war that has led to the displacement of millions and the destruction of the infrastructure of the country’s structures and economy.
“The regional and international interventions have exacerbated the situation, leading to the development of the crisis and the failure of all efforts and endeavors and reconciliation conferences to form an effective Somali government that deals seriously with the results of the civil war, especially when the Islamic Courts took control of most of the country.
“The central government found no solution but sought the help of the Ethiopian troops which restored power to the central government, but nevertheless faced several challenges in the administration of the country, especially in economic terms, as the economy of Somalia is based on farming, herding and fishing, all resources dependent on rainfall.
“While fishing is semi-disabled as a result of excessive poaching by foreign fishing companies that violate the sanctity of the territorial waters of Somalia and add to this the menace of the Somali sea pirates who have brought the presence of a large number of global marine fleets in Somalia’s territorial waters under the pretext of protecting international shipping and waterways from the pirates.
“All of these conditions have produced unemployment estimated at about 75 percent of the total population, and the poverty rate of 80 percent and an average per capita income of about two dollars a day, while the main source of income is becoming expatriates who are estimated to be 1.2 million.”
“There is no question that education is a human right and the state has a duty to provide it to all, free of charge, especially during the first compulsory stages,” columnist Dr Bader Al-Daihani wrote for Al-Jaridah daily.
“It is also the duty of the state to facilitate access to the university level and beyond. In both economic and security aspects, the equation is very simple. The state is much more educated than the educated person, which is a positive addition to the benefit of society, and the percentage of crimes of various types among the uneducated or lowly-educated groups is increasing due to the spread of ignorance, low level of awareness and high rates of unemployment.
“In the 1970s based on the proposal submitted by the then MP Dr Ahmad Khatib and his colleagues, the government had naturalized a number of high school graduates from among the ‘bedoun’.
“This has had a significant positive impact, but this policy was stopped shortly after its implementation but in the 1980s some commercial banks had provided opportunities for some of the bedoun as part of unsustainable social responsibility.
“Now, without getting bogged down into the issue of naturalization and its complexities and excessive sensitivities, why does the state not accept high school bedoun graduates and provide them with university seats in the government higher education institutions or through scholarships?
“On the other hand, the private sector institutions and companies, especially those in the fields of education, training, services and manpower management, should be required to provide university education opportunities for young bedoun men and women, as part of their social responsibility that they must not abandon.
“The policy of providing distinguished university education opportunities to the high school bedoun graduates in certain disciplines will not only fundamentally solve the tragedy of bedoun, but it will certainly reduce the living and psychological suffering of quite a few of them.”