What if I were ambassador?
Other Voices
KBy Ahmad alsarraf
uwait’s independence in the early 1960s coincided with the demand of Abd al-Karim Qasim to annex Kuwait to Iraq. There was a need to fortify the home front and wage an external diplomatic war to clarify Kuwait’s position on Qasim’s claim. I remember that I took part in a demonstration in vehicles carrying a white cloth written on it: ‘bullet in the body of the leader’, means Qasim.
Kuwaiti diplomacy in those days played a distinctive role in explaining our legitimate rights in a secure and independent homeland. The elite among the ambassadors played a prominent role in various cities and international forums such as the United Nations and the Arab League and some of these ambassadors were non-Muslim Kuwaitis and perhaps this was the cause that none of them were honored by naming any streets or diplomatic halls or edifices after them.
After their death with the increasing role of Kuwait in its Arab and international surroundings, the need for qualified ambassadors to represent the country in an honorable manner increased. Most of them discovered they were subjected to injustice, as they were spending most of the lifetime abroad, but did not benefit from the surge in land and stock prices. Some of them also lost the chance to establish companies or have shares in them and banks which were almost offered free by the state at the beginning and multiplied in value later.
Some did not even care to own land or a house, and when they returned home after years of long service abroad they had no choice but to rent an apartment. With the growing need for new blood, many distinguished diplomats were sent into retirement, some of whom were at their peak of activity.
They also discovered that there is no society, association or diplomatic club that brings them together, or a body that benefits from their distinctive experiences, among those prominent ambassadors is Faisal Rahed Al-Ghais and I cite his name as an example, not limited to.
This experienced diplomat has a lot of qualities, in addition to being a university graduate with a long experience and a strong memory and large stock of public information; he also has a talent to learn anguages. He is proficient in speaking and writing Arabic, and has mastered Portuguese, English, French, German and Spanish, and a reasonable ability to speak Chinese, Persian, and Italian.
He used his knowledge of these languages in his work and in his defense of the issues of his homeland, where he gave many lectures, participated in a large number of seminars and wrote articles, and he did so often in the languages of the countries where he represented Kuwait as an ambassador such as Brazil and a number of South American countries and when he served as ambassador In Austria, Germany and a number of other European countries.
He also served as ambassador to China, a resident representative of Kuwait to OPEC in Vienna, and a distinguished ambassador in many other countries, before retiring, after receiving certificates of appreciation and honors from heads of state and organizations. Ambassador Al Ghais retired almost 10 years ago while he was at the height of his giving.
The failure of the State Department to use the extraordinary expertise and skills of this and other distinguished ambassadors is puzzling. Therefore, we hope the Minister of Foreign Affairs, known for his broad-mindedness will seriously consider utilizing their experiences in many sensitive areas.