Kuwait arrests suspected Islamist after truck attack on Americans

Sat Oct 8, 2016 | 4:11 PM EDT Kuwait arrests suspected Islamist after truck Kuwaiti security forces have detained a suspected Islamist militant who rammed a truck believed to be carrying explosives into a car carrying five Americans, state news agency KUNA reported on Saturday. The agency quoted an interior ministry statement as saying the Americans were unhurt, but the assailant, identified as Egyptian national Ibrahim Suleiman, was injured and was taken to a hospital under security escort. "After an initial investigation of the suspect Suleiman, who was born in 1988, by specialized security apparatus, a hand-written note was found indicating that he had adopted the terrorist Daesh ideology and pledged allegiance to this organization," KUNA said, referring to Islamic State. The agency published a photo of a bearded man. It said a belt and materials believed to be explosives were also found in the vehicle, "suggesting he was plotting a terrorist act". It was the second time in three months that Western-allied Kuwait had announced it had captured suspected militants. In July, the OPEC oil exporter and home to U.S. military bases said it had foiled three planned Islamic State attacks on the country, including a plot to blow up a Shi'ite mosque. Kuwait suffered its deadliest militant attack in decades in June last year when a Saudi suicide bomber blew himself up inside a packed Shi'ite mosque, killing 27 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility. A U.S. ally and neighbor of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Kuwait is part of a 34-nation alliance announced by Riyadh in December aimed at countering Islamic State and al Qaeda in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan. (Reporting by Sami Aboudi; editing by Andrew Roche)

"Autocratic rule in Kuwait :coup against the constitution"

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Kuwait has been torn by a power struggle between the government, controlled by the ruling Al-Sabah family, and the elected parliament. The turmoil has blocked development plans and paralyzed the political system. The Kuwaiti government, at an extraordinary meeting in Kuwait city of Saturday, ordered elections to held on December 1, and decided to amended the election law to allow each voter to choose only one candidate instead of four. The opposition, including Islamists, liberals and tribal figures who won a majority in the 50-seat parliament in the last election in February, rejected the changes and called for a protest march on Sunday, said Ahmed al-Dayen, an opposition politician. Kuwait's oil wealth and a generous welfare state have helped it avoid the "Arab Spring" protests that forced out leaders elsewhere in the region. But there have been regular demonstrations in the country since last year. Opposition leaders, meeting at a guest house owned by former parliament speaker Ahmed al-Saadoun, blamed the government for the political crisis and warned it was driving the country towards "autocratic rule". "We call on the proud and free people of Kuwait to ... boycott the upcoming election, both by (refraining) from running in it or casting ballots," a statement after the meeting said. It asked Kuwaitis to join a protest march on Sunday, and warned the interior minister against committing "aggression" against it. "We will hold him personally responsible for that," the statement said. Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Kuwait's emir, dissolved parliament on October 7, and under Kuwait's constitution elections are supposed to be held within 60 days. It was the sixth dissolution of parliament since early 2006 in the oil-rich state, an ally of the United States. RECURRING CRISIS Sheikh Sabah, in a televised speech on Friday night, instructed the government to change the election law in what he said was a move to stem recurring crisis. He also said the constitutional court had issued a ruling that allowed for any necessary changes to be made to the country's electoral system. Kuwaiti authorities arrested two opposition politicians on Thursday and interrogated a third after they made comments seen as criticizing the emir. The former members of parliament spoke at an opposition-led rally of about 5,000 people on Monday, at which Kuwaitis later clashed with riot police close to parliament. The arrests have prompted protests in Kuwait, including one late on Friday, when some 1,000 people had gathered in the centre of the capital to demand the release of the detainees. The events prompted the Al-Sabah family to issue a rare statement on Thursday calling for obedience to the emir. The Al-Sabah dynasty has ruled Kuwait for more than 250 years. The 83-year-old emir has led the country since 2006. Although Kuwait allows more freedom of speech than some of its fellow Gulf states, the emir is seen as untouchable and is referred to as "immune and inviolable" in the constitution. Sheikh Sabah warned in his speech on Friday the recent political turmoil in Kuwait could lead to "strife that could be about to erupt and destroy our unity, disfigure our identity and tear apart our society into fragmented groups". He said he had instructed the government to establish a national electoral committee and to organize election campaigns "to guarantee the integrity of the electoral process." (Reporting by Ahmed Hagagy, writing by Angus McDowall, editing by Sami Aboudi) UPDATE 2-Kuwait ruler orders electoral system changes Fri, Oct 19 17:10 PM EDT * Opposition fear changes could help pro-govt candidates * Emir says recent turmoil could "destroy our unity" * Opposition threatens boycott of next elections By Ahmed Hagagy KUWAIT, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Kuwait's emir said on Friday he had ordered partial changes to the Gulf Arab state's electoral system to fix deficiencies ahead of expected elections, prompting opposition threats to boycott the vote. Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved parliament last week to pave the way for new election which many hoped would end a persistent political turmoil that had held up development projects in the major oil producer and U.S. ally. The opposition, which won a parliamentary majority in a February poll, had said it feared authorities would try to push through new voting rules that could help pro-government candidates. "I have directed the government to issue a draft law to make partial amendments to the electoral system, aimed at improving the voting mechanism to preserve national unity and to strengthen the practice of democracy," the ruler said in a speech aired on state television. Kuwait's constitutional court had issued a ruling that allowed for any necessary changes to be made to the country's electoral system, he said. He did not elaborate on what the proposed changes should be. Kuwaiti opposition politicians criticised the decision and said calls for boycotting the elections were growing. "We have announced our position that if there was any meddling, there will be a boycott of the election, and what happened was meddling with the constitution of Kuwait," Hamad al-Matar, a former member of parliament, told Reuters after an opposition meeting. "I believe there will be big reaction," he added. Faisal al-Mislem, another former MP, said: "There is no need for issuing any decree and we refuse to participate in the elections." Dhari Al-Rujaib, a youth activist, said there were calls being issued for protests against the emir's decision. "The street is not happy with the decision," he said. Kuwait oil wealth and a generous welfare state have helped it avoid the "Arab Spring" protests that forced out leaders elsewhere in the region. But there have been regular demonstrations in the country since last year, stemming from a struggle between the government dominated by the ruling family and mainly Islamist and tribal lawmakers in parliament. Tensions increased as Kuwaitis waited for the emir to fix a date for the election, which must be held within 60 days from the date of parliament's dissolution. Kuwaiti authorities arrested two opposition politicians on Thursday and interrogated a third after they made comments seen as criticising the emir. The former members of parliament spoke at an opposition-led rally of about 5,000 people on Monday where Kuwaitis later clashed with riot police close to parliament. The arrests have prompted protests in Kuwait, including one late on Friday, where some 1,000 people had gathered in the centre of the capital to demand the release of the detainees. The events prompted the Al-Sabah family to issue a rare statement on Thursday calling for obedience to the emir. The Al-Sabah dynasty has ruled Kuwait for more than 250 years. The 83-year-old emir has led the country since 2006. Although Kuwait allows more freedom of speech than some of its fellow Gulf states, the emir is seen as untouchable and is referred to as "immune and inviolable" in the constitution. Sheikh Sabah also warned in his speech On Friday that the recent political turmoil in Kuwait could lead to "strife that could be about to erupt and destroy our unity, disfigure our identity and tear apart our society into fragmented groups". He said he had instructed the government to establish a national electoral committee and to organise election campaigns "to guarantee the integrity of the electoral process". Kuwaiti politician: amending the election law serves the silent majority 2012, October 21 - 05:46 Politics | World News | B Level | Vیspoک Kuwait (World) 21/10/2012 confirmed the chairman of the Democratic Development Association Nasser al-Abdali to amend the election law in Kuwait serve the silent majority, because the previous law served major tribes, expressing his belief that the issue has been resolved now will not be able to so-called parliamentary majority change, indeed, something. The Abdali in an exclusive interview with Al-Alam News on Saturday evening that the decision to Emir of Kuwait to amend the electoral law apparently seems to be in the interest of the ruling family, but in fact things that the silent majority in the Kuwaiti society would benefit from reducing the number of votes, because the electoral system in Kuwait, especially After that has been modified to five and four votes, served major tribes in Kuwait. He added: There are three tribes very large in Kuwait number voters each to 100 thousand votes, so are the monopoly of seats within the National Assembly does not allow tribes other to participate, so that whole regions were represented in the National Assembly disappeared because of tribal alliances, no alliance also between the tribal trend and the Islamic trend, and therefore most of the seats in parliament endorsed to this alliance. He continued: electoral process in Kuwait must be understood through the Constitution, the Kuwaiti Constitution speaks of a party inherent in governance and party involved is the National Assembly, which is different from democracies in the West, where the ballot boxes are determined prescribed It governs, but in Kuwait only Council Nation regard to legislation and control over the performance of the government, which are often led by one of the ruling family. The Abdali stressed the need to be all the tribes and all sects and all regions are represented in the National Assembly until the hearing to the largest possible number of opinions. He Abdali to that decree was issued today by reducing the number of votes for voters to one vote and that the election would be at the beginning of December, expressing his belief that the so-called parliamentary majority is not of one mind with regard to participation or boycott, and that there is a majority talk about participating in the upcoming elections. And that there is the experience of previous similar occurred in Kuwait in 1981, where a decree similar to the decree, which issued on Saturday to amend the electoral districts of 10 districts to 25 constituencies and from 5 votes to two, and the opposition at that time participated in the elections and did not object to the issuance of the decree need According to Article 71 of the Constitution, noting that the current opposition is an extension of the previous opposition. He said: It may be the case not just issue a decree necessity or amend the electoral law, may be a much bigger issue than that, there may be a conflict on issues other than the issues the Constitution, there is considerable disagreement very between the parties, and may not be able to "parliamentary majority" to continue the same momentum and the same atmosphere after the issuance of this decree, and I think that the issue is now resolved this majority will not be able to change the reality of a thing. AM - 20 - 18:20 Police fire teargas at opposition protesters in Kuwait Sun, Oct 21 16:13 PM EDT By Ahmed Hagagy KUWAIT (Reuters) - Police in Kuwait used teargas and stun grenades on Sunday to disperse demonstrators as thousands marched in a protest against changes to the electoral law which the opposition has called a constitutional coup by the government, Reuters witnesses said. Demonstrators had gathered in various parts of the capital, Kuwait City, to march towards the government's headquarters, but riot police swiftly surrounded some groups and used teargas and stun grenades to disperse them, witnesses said. A medical source said at least 29 people had been admitted to hospital, most of them suffering from teargas inhalation or from baton bruises. At least six people, including a former MP and a reporter, were detained. An opposition activist estimated that up to 50,000 people had gathered in different locations. The opposition decided to take to the streets after the government - which is dominated by the ruling Al-Sabah family - announced last week it was calling elections for December 1 and would change the electoral law "to preserve national unity". The announcement was the latest move in an intensifying power struggle between the ruling establishment and parliament that has seen eight governments come and go since the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, came to power in 2006. The 83-year-old dissolved parliament on October 7. It was the sixth time the oil-rich state and key U.S. ally had disbanded its legislature since early 2006. Its oil wealth and a generous welfare state have helped Kuwait avoid the kind of "Arab Spring" protests that toppled leaders elsewhere in the region. Before Sunday's protest got underway, the authorities had promised to "decisively confront" demonstrators. Witnesses said protesters who had initially been dispersed later regrouped to form a crowd estimated at more than 20,000 at a main road near Kuwait Towers, a seaside landmark in the Gulf oil producer. There were unconfirmed reports that police tried to break up the Kuwait Towers protest using rubber bullets, teargas and stun grenades, forcing some people to leave and join another protest outside the parliament building in the centre of the capital. "The decree is void, void," some protesters chanted, referring to the emir's order for a change to the election law. Demonstrators said they had were motivated by a feeling of injustice. "We are entering a dark tunnel," said Salem al-Ajmi, a 30-year-old man, after police blocked him from reaching Kuwait Towers where the main protest was taking place. Kuwait has been convulsed by regular demonstrations since last year, and the opposition - including Islamists, liberals and tribal figures who won a majority in the 50-seat parliament in the last election in February - have rejected the emir's proposed changes and said they will boycott the vote. The opposition has called the changes - which allow voters to choose only one candidate per electoral district - "a coup against the constitution", saying the reform would prevent its candidates from winning the majority they won in the last vote. Forging an electoral alliance, which depends on supporters of one candidate voting for another in exchange for reciprocal support, would become unfeasible under the new system, they say. CRITICISM OF THE EMIR Kuwait's opposition has been emboldened after Arab protests toppled four heads of state. Some have been demanding a constitutional state and for the emir to resign but for governments to be formed by majority groups in the 50-member assembly. Others have made more modest demands for the government formed by the emir to be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny. The Al-Sabah dynasty has ruled Kuwait for more than 250 years and although Kuwait allows more freedom of speech than some Gulf states, the emir is seen as untouchable and is referred to as "immune and inviolable" in the constitution. Kuwaiti authorities arrested two opposition politicians on Thursday and interrogated a third after they made comments seen as criticizing the emir. The events prompted the Al-Sabah family to issue a rare statement on Thursday calling for obedience to the emir. On Monday, police and protesters fought over a barricaded street after 5,000 people demonstrated outside parliament. Security forces arrested at least five people, including two former members of parliament. The deepening crisis has taken its toll on the stock market, which dropped as much as 3.4 percent on Sunday, heading for its biggest daily fall since mid-2009, when shares were hit by the global financial crisis. The crisis escalated in June this year when the top court annulled the last election which had been held in February, reinstating the previous, more government-friendly assembly. Unlike other Gulf Arab states, Kuwait enjoys a more open political system that allows some parliamentary scrutiny over government decisions. But the emir still holds key levers of power, including appointing the prime minister. The turmoil has not only paralyzed the political system but also blocked major economic development plans. Sheikh Sabah warned in a speech on Friday that the recent political turmoil could lead to "strife that could be about to erupt and destroy our unity, disfigure our identity and tear apart our society into fragmented groups". (Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

MIDEAST STOCKS-Kuwait sinks 3.1 pct before protest; Gulf mostly down Sun, Oct 21 10:36 AM EDT By Nadia Saleem DUBAI, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Kuwait's bourse tumbled 3.1 percent on Sunday, its biggest daily drop since July 2009, ahead of a demonstration called by opposition leaders to protest against planned changes to the electoral law. Market participants said they believed state-linked funds were buying blue chips in an effort to support the market, as they have done during some periods of weakness in the past. But selling pressure was very heavy in small-capital stocks favoured by retail traders, who cut their exposure because they feared a confrontation between police and protesters on Sunday evening. "The government was trying to stabilise the market today through the National Portfolio Fund, but the sell-flow was heavy," said a Kuwait-based trader who asked not to be identified. "There's only so much selling they can absorb." Kuwaiti opposition groups accuse the government of mounting a "a coup against the constitution". Sunday's protest was to start from a number of locations in Kuwait City after Muslim evening prayers and gather outside government offices. State news agency KUNA reported Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Hamoud al-Sabah had instructed security forces to "decisively confront" any attempt to hold protests outside designated areas. The ministry also said special forces were on alert to deal with any unrest. Kuwait has avoided the uprisings that have forced four Arab heads of state out of office since last year, thanks partly to its generous welfare system, but the protests may indicate parliamentary elections scheduled for Dec. 1 will not end a political deadlock between the cabinet and parliament that is blocking economic policy-making and development. The benchmark stock index slumped to 5,729 points, near an eight-year low of 5,661 points hit in August. Its last daily fall of this magnitude occurred when the global financial crisis was affecting the market. Blue chips recovered in late trade with the three largest stocks, National Bank of Kuwait, Zain and Kuwait Finance House, ending flat. But among smaller caps, Gulf Finance House and National Ranges dropped 6.9 and 11.4 percent respectively, while Abyaar Real Estate lost 5.8 percent. Trading in these three stocks accounted for more than a third of overall volume on the bourse. "Kuwait's index is approaching the strong support zone of 5,660," said Mohabeldeen Agena, head of technical analysis at Cairo's Beltone Financial. "We are expecting the index to move flat between 5,650 and 5,800 before rising again. Any dip below 5,600 means that we are going to see lower lows." SAUDI In Saudi Arabia, the bourse declined for a second session, down 0.4 percent from last Wednesday's 10-day high as investors cut risk with the approach of a long holiday. Banks were lower with the sector's index down 0.4 percent. Heavyweight Al Rajhi Bank shed 0.4 percent, Arab National Bank fell 1.2 percent and Bank Albilad lost 1.8 percent. Saudi Telecom Co (STC) weighed on the market with a 3.5 percent drop after missing third-quarter profit estimates. "We believe higher operating expenses, particularly outside of Saudi, and a poor performance on the non-operating line led to the net income miss," NBC Capital said in a note. Bucking the trend, Refining & Petrochemical Co (PetroRabigh) soars its daily 10 percent limit after announcing it has swung to a quarterly profit. Shares close at their highest since Sept. 19. The firm made a net profit of 409.3 million riyals ($109 million) in the third quarter compared to a 280 million riyal loss in the year-ago period, because of improved gross margins on refined products and higher sales, PetroRabigh said. Saudi Arabia's market will close on Oct. 25 for Eid al Adha holidays and resume trade on Nov. 3. In the UAE, Dubai's benchmark eased away from Thursday's 25-week closing high, ending 0.3 percent lower. Investors booked recent gains in Emaar Properties, which slipped 0.8 percent. Emirates NBD shed 0.7 percent and Dubai Islamic Bank declined 1.0 percent. Elsewhere, Abu Dhabi and Qatar's measures ended essentially flat, while Oman's market eased 0.1 percent. SUNDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS KUWAIT * The benchmark dropped 3.1 percent to 5,729 points. SAUDI ARABIA * The index dipped 0.4 percent to 6,780 points. DUBAI * The measure slipped 0.3 percent to 1,650 points. ABU DHABI * The benchmark ended flat at 2,652 points. QATAR * The measure eased 0.05 percent to 8,538 points. OMAN * The index edged down 0.08 percent to 5,709 points. BAHRAIN * The measure declined 0.4 percent to 1,067 points. ============= UPDATE 1-Kuwait grants bail to ex-MP accused of insulting emir Thu, Nov 01 11:01 AM EDT * Crowd celebrates release of opposition politician * Tension rising in run-up to Dec. 1 parliamentary election By Sylvia Westall KUWAIT, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Kuwaiti authorities freed a prominent opposition politician on bail on Thursday after charging him with insulting the ruling emir, accusations which his lawyer said were fabricated. Musallam al-Barrak, an outspoken former member of parliament, was picked up from his home on Monday night, two weeks after a protest rally where he appealed to the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, to avoid "autocratic rule". Although OPEC member and U.S. ally Kuwait has avoided the kind of mass pro-democracy unrest seen in other Arab countries, tensions have mounted between the elected parliament and the government, dominated by the Al-Sabah family, ahead of a December election. Police in the oil-producing Gulf state used tear gas and smoke bombs on Wednesday to disperse protesters marching on a prison where Barrak was being held, witnesses said. Barrak's lawyer Mohammed Abdulqader al-Jassem said the politician was released on bail of 10,000 dinars ($35,545), adding the charges against him were fabricated and his comments had been twisted. Around 200 of Barrak's supporters gathered outside the central prison on the outskirts of Kuwait City to welcome his release. The jovial crowd lifted him on their shoulders and chanted "The people want Musallam al-Barrak". "I trust the emir... but maybe he has received bad information from those around him," Barrak told the crowd. MINISTRY WARNING Although Kuwait allows more freedom of speech than some other Gulf states, the emir, who has the last say in state affairs, is considered "immune and inviolable" in the constitution. Demonstrations about local issues often occur, but violence has been rare. On Oct. 22 police used tear gas and baton charges to break up another demonstration, witnesses said. On Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said security forces had scattered rioters who had blocked streets and assaulted police with stones and bottles, according to a statement published by the state news agency KUNA. It said drivers had tried to run over members of the special forces, injuring five in two separate incidents. The ministry said some arrests were made. On Thursday, the ministry said it would "deal firmly" with any gathering that violated the law, KUNA said. The government has banned unregistered gatherings of more than 20 people on roads or in other public locations. The opposition plans a protest rally on Nov. 4 over changes to the election law which some have criticised as an attempt to give pro-government candidates an advantage in the parliamentary election on Dec. 1. The government says the amendments were needed to preserve national unity. The opposition politicians have said they will boycott the vote, the second this year, which was ordered by the emir after months of political deadlock. An opposition bloc, made up of Islamists, liberal and tribal lawmakers, won a majority at the last elections in February. ============= MIDEAST STOCKS-Kuwait sinks to 8-yr low on political upheaval; most Gulf mkts up Thu, Nov 01 08:16 AM EDT By Nadia Saleem DUBAI, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Intensifying political turmoil in Kuwait, where police used teargas to disperse protesters a day earlier, triggered another sell-off on the country's main index on Thursday, dragging it down to its lowest level since August 2004. Most other Gulf bourses ended higher ahead of the weekend. Kuwait's benchmark fell 1.9 percent to 5,658 points, falling below the previous eight-year low hit in August this year. "The political instability is directly impacting the short-term and long-term outlook for Kuwait," said Fouad Darwish, head of brokerage services at Global Investment House. "In the past, we had day traders who were willing to gamble on a quick resolution of the political scene. But unfortunately, the problem is becoming fiercer and the opposition is becoming more vocal." Kuwaiti police used teargas and smoke bombs on Wednesday night to disperse thousands of protesters marching on a prison where an opposition leader is being held on charges of insulting the emir, witnesses said. The Ministry of Interior, in a statement on state news agency KUNA, said security services must intervene to disperse violent protests and arrest rioters. Retail investor-dominated small-caps were hardest hit. Of the three most traded stocks, Gulf Investment House dropped 4.1 percent, Abyaar Real Estate fell 5.0 percent and Ithmaar Bank shed 5.0 percent. In the UAE, Dana Gas shares gained 2.4 percent, rising from Wednesday's six-week low as bargain hunters returned. The stock accounted for more than half of shares changing hands on the Abu Dhabi bourse. After markets closed, the bourse said it would suspend Dana shares pending clarification on its Islamic bond. Dana said on Thursday it failed to pay the outstanding $920 million on an Islamic bond that matured on Wednesday, as well as a $18.75 million accrued profit payment due on Oct 30, adding it is in ongoing discussions with sukuk holders to amend and extend the terms. ============== Kuwait warns against unlicensed protest planned for Sunday Sat, Nov 03 16:43 PM EDT KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait said on Saturday it had not issued a permit to allow a planned protest against new voting rules and the prime minister warned police would use force if the nation was under threat. Kuwait outlawed unauthorized gatherings of more than 20 people last month after an opposition-led demonstration by thousands ended in clashes between protesters and police in which at least 30 people were taken to hospital. Although OPEC member and U.S. ally Kuwait has avoided the kind of mass pro-democracy unrest seen in other Arab countries, tensions have mounted between the elected parliament and the government, dominated by the Al-Sabah ruling family. Demonstrations about local issues often occur in the major oil producer, but violence has previously been very rare. Security forces used tear gas and smoke bombs at protests last month, witnesses said. Protesters, which include opposition politicians, youth groups and their followers plan a protest march on Sunday in central Kuwait. Kuwaitis have been protesting changes to an electoral law, announced last month by ruler Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah. Some opposition politicians have said the changes are an attempt to give pro-government candidates an advantage in the parliamentary election on December 1. The government says the amendments were needed to preserve national unity. "The state does not ... want to use violence, but when the security of the homeland is endangered and the safety of its citizens at risk, it will not hesitate to use force in the framework of the law and the constitution," state news agency KUNA quoted Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah as saying. Opposition politicians have said they will boycott parliamentary elections next month, the second time Kuwait goes to the polls in 2012. An opposition bloc, made up of Islamists, liberal and tribal lawmakers, won a majority at the last elections in February. But that parliament was effectively dissolved by a court ruling in June which reinstated a more government-friendly assembly. However the old parliament was unable to meet due to a boycott by MPs, leading to another dissolution and a call by the emir for snap elections as a way out of the political deadlock. The Information Ministry said it had not issued any demonstration permits or received any applications for them for Sunday's march and added that the security forces had an important role to enforce the law and to protect citizens. On Thursday, the Interior Ministry said it would "deal firmly" with any gathering that violated the law. Rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday that Kuwait must ensure its citizens are able to express their opinions, including about the electoral law, in a free and peaceful manner. "The security forces must abide by international policing standards and refrain from using unlawful force in response to peaceful demonstrations," it said. Kuwait has one of the most open political systems in the Gulf and is home to an elected parliament with legislative powers. However, the 83-year-old emir has the final say in state affairs and picks the prime minister, who in turn selects a cabinet. Major portfolios are held by Al-Sabah family members. (Reporting by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Jon Hemming) =============== Specialist firefighters approach a burning well in a Kuwaiti oil field as they prepare an attempt to cap it in March 1991. HIDE CAPTION Rehabilitating a war zone << < 1 2 3 4 5 > >> STORY HIGHLIGHTS Kuwait was ecologically devastated during its annexation by Iraq in 1990-1 Environmental scientists have been working to rehabilitate the environment Iraqi troops dug extensive military fortifications in the desert, upsetting the ecosystem On retreat, they destroyed 700 oil wells in a "scorched earth" policy Kuwait (CNN) -- A former military bunker in the desert is one of the last places you might expect to find nature bloom. But above a maze of abandoned foxholes to the north of Kuwait's capital lies a landscape that shimmers green and purple with vegetation, attracting foxes, migratory birds and other wildlife. The Sabah Al-Ahmad nature reserve occupies land that once served as an important base for Saddam Hussein's army during its invasion of Kuwait from 1990-1. Iraq's annexation of its southern neighbor, which began in August 1990 and lasted until the liberation the following February, had a devastating impact not only on Kuwait's people, but its ecology, said Dr Samira Omar Asem of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. Can Kuwait restore its desert? One of Kuwait's leading environmental scientists, with three decades experience in resource conservation, Asem has played a major role in restoring Kuwait's war-ravaged ecosystems as head of the United Nations Compensation Commission's environmental remediation program. The body was established in 1991 to process claims and pay compensation damages suffered as a result of the occupation of Kuwait, and processed its final claim in 2005. The war, said Asem, resulted in "a lot of aggression against the environment" -- most infamously, the destruction of Kuwait's oil fields as part of Hussein's "scorched earth" policy on retreat. More than 700 wells were destroyed, choking the skies with black smoke in an inferno that raged for eight months before firefighters eventually extinguished the blaze. But substantial damage was inflicted during the occupation as well. As the Iraqi army swept through the country, it built an elaborate system of fortifications, destroying the fragile desert ecosystem. About 24,000 fortifications were built in the area of the reserve alone, she said. "I saw these bunkers immediately after liberation," she said. "They had services established under the ground. So you can imagine ... a natural reserve is being converted into a headquarters for military activities. The whole reserve was full of ammunition." The abandoned, unexploded ordnance, combined with oil from leaks or deliberately flooded trenches, has left a hazardous environment for rehabilitation workers to operate in. "All this heavy machinery and vehicles caused a lot of soil compaction, changed the landscape, and allowed more sand to move and caused a lot of erosion," she said. At the Sabah Al-Ahmad nature reserve, environmental remediation has involved planting trees and building ponds to bring back wildlife, resulting in a flourishing desert ecosystem. There was a lot of aggression against the environment Dr Samira Omar Asem, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research "This is a major achievement for the government of Kuwait, to preserve the natural history for the new generations and the existing generations," she said. "It is our contribution for the international community to say that we are serious about protecting our environment." But the reserve is only a first step. More than one billion barrels were burned and spilled in the oil field destruction at the end of the war, and the country still bears the scars of that legacy. Outside the reserve, the deserts remain affected, with large lakes of oil -- caused by leaked crude oil mixing with the billions of gallons of seawater used to extinguish the flames -- contaminating the sands across about 100 square kilometers of desert. The clean-up effort, says Asem, still has a long way to go. Follow the Inside the Middle East team on Twitter: Reporter: Zain Verjee: @zainverjeecnn, producer Jon Jensen: @jonjensen, producer Schams Elwazer: @SchamsCNN, writer Tim Hume: @tim_hume and digital producer Mairi Mackay @mairicnn. ============== الرئيسية راسلني عني 3-12-2012 نُشرت في سياسي, فيديو | لا تعليقات فيديو+صور: تغطية شاملة لمسيرات الكويت المطالبة بإسقاط المجلس والمرسوم والقوات الخاصة تقمعها بالقوة .. إنطلقت عدة مسيرات في شوارع الكويت اليوم 3-12-2012 في الساعة 10 ليلاً لليوم الثاني على التوالي (لمشاهدة مسيرات اليوم الأول اضغط هنا واليوم الثالث هنا) في عدة مناطق من مختلف محافظات الكويت إحتفالاً بنجاح المقاطعة الشعبية للإنتخابات التي قاطعها نحو 72% من المواطنين والمطالبة بإسقاط المرسوم والمجلس الجديد الذي جاء بنظام إنتخاب تم تغييره بمرسوم أميري، وقد قامت القوات الخاصة بقمع المسيرات في مختلف المناطق بإستخدام القنابل المسيلة للدموع والدخانية والرصاص المطاطي … فيديو: شيلة لـ الشاعر أحمد سيار (يا بلادي ثوري ثوري.. مانبي مجلس صُوري) من مسيرة الصباحية: رابط بعض الصور من المسيرات: (مقاطع الفيديو اسفل الصور) اعتقال المحامي خالد الهاجري من جمعية حقوق الإنسان أثناء قيامه بعمله برصد ومراقبة الأحداث: صورة من مسيرة “أم الهيمان”: دخول القوات الخاصة بين بيوت منطقة العارضية: دهس أحد الأطفال من قبل مركبات القوات الخاصة: احتراق أحد المنازل في منطقة “صباح الناصر” بسبب قنابل القوات الخاصة: اصابة عباس الشعبي برأسة بعد ضربة من قبل القوات الخاصة: صورة أحد القنابل المسيلة للدموع التي استخدمتها القوات الخاصة وكتب عليها “قد تسبب الموت” !! قنبلة دخانية للقوات الخاصة تم إلقائها بمحطة وقود في الفحيحيل: مواطن يساعد أحد رجال الأمن بعد تعرضه لقنبلة غازية من القوات الخاصة: حمود البراك ابن شقيق مسلم البراك بعد أن تم دهسه من قبل مركبات القوات الخاصة: … مقاطع الفيديو للمسيرات والقمع: مسيرة “الجهراء” رابط يا بلادي ثوري ثوري.. مانبي مجلس صصوري | من مسيرة الجهراء: رابط جانب آخر من مسيرة الجهراء: سلمية سلمية رابط لحظة هجوم القوات الخاصة بالقنابل على مسيرة ” الجهراء”: رابط مسيرة “منطقة الصباحية”: رابط جانب من مسيرة “منطقة الصباحية” وهتافات الشعب يريد اسقاط المجلس: رابط رمي قنابل مسيلة للدموع على بيوت “منطقة الصباحية” رابط مسيرة منطقة “الفروانية” رابط تصوير آخر لمسيرة منطقة “الفروانية” رابط مسيرة منطقة “الرقة” رابط تصوير آخر لمسيرة منطقة “الرقة”: رابط ملخص لأحداث قمع مسيرة الرقة مع أحد شباب المسيرة يشرح فيه ماحدث: رابط مسيرة “ضاحية صباح الناصر: وهتافات لن نسمح لك رابط فيديو شامل لأحداث ضاحية صباح الناصر: رابط لحظة احتراق أحد منازل ضاحية صباح الناصر بقنابل القوات الخاصة: رابط اختفالات أبناء ضاحية صباح الناصر بعد إنسحاب القوات الخاصة: رابط فيديو كلمات نواب كتلة الأغلبية بعد وصول مسيرة “الفروانية” إلى ديوان المناور حيث كان ينعقد اجتماع الاغلبية: رابط كلمة د.وليد الطبطبائي من الفروانية: رابط تصريح د.جمعان الحربش عن أحداث قمع المسيرات: رابط تصريح مسلم البراك عن أحداث قمع المسيرات وأسباب خروج المواطنين: رابط You might also like: فيديو: هتافات مسيرة كرامة وطن 2 وتدخل آليات القوات الخاصة ... فيديو: كلمة “مسلم البراك” بعد أحداث قمع مسيرات تطالب بإسقاط ... فيديو+صور: مسيرات لليوم “الثالث” في الكويت للمطالبة بإسقاط ... فيديو: لقاء د.فيصل المسلم مع “قناة روسيا اليوم” عن نجاح ... فيديو: المحامي عبدالله الأحمد و د.فواز الجدعي عن الطعن في ... LinkWithin اترك رداً لن يتم نشر عنوان بريدك الإلكتروني. الحقول الإلزامية مشار إليها بـ * الاسم * البريد الإلكتروني * الموقع تعليق Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. إعلان ابحث في الموقع تابعني الأحدث الأشهر تعليقات فيديو: أفراد القوات الخاصة يرمون الحجارة على المتظاهرين !! 5-12-2012 فيديو: نائب مجلس مرسوم الضرورة “صالح عاشور” ينتقد “ملك البحرين” لقيامه بمفرده بتغيير النظام الإنتخابي .. 5-12-2012 فيديو: د.عبيد الوسمي: شكوى صاحب المنزل المحترق بقنابل القوات ستُسجل رُغماً عنك يا وزير الداخلية 5-12-2012 فيديو+صور: مسيرات لليوم “الثالث” في الكويت للمطالبة بإسقاط “المرسوم” والمجلس الجديد .. 4-12-2012 فيديو: لقاء د.فيصل المسلم مع “قناة روسيا اليوم” عن نجاح المقاطعة الشعبية للإنتخابات ومطالب المعارضة.. 4-12-2012 فيديو: “أكثر الناس” مع د.محمد العوضي عن الثورة السورية بعنوان “سوريا.. المسكوت عنه” .. 4-12-2012 فيديو: كلمة “مسلم البراك” بعد أحداث قمع مسيرات تطالب بإسقاط المجلس في عدة مناطق بمختلف المحافظات .. 4-12-2012 فيديو: المحامي عبدالله الأحمد و د.فواز الجدعي عن الطعن في المرسوم في المحكمة الدستورية | توك شوك الوشيحي 4-12-2012 فيديو+صور: تغطية شاملة لمسيرات الكويت المطالبة بإسقاط المجلس والمرسوم والقوات الخاصة تقمعها بالقوة .. 3-12-2012 فيديو: افتتاحية توك شوك الوشيحي 3-12-2012 | عن كلمة فلاح بن جامع وتخوين صفاء الهاشم للمعارضة 3-12-2012 تصنيفات إسلامي تكنولوجي ثقافي رياضي سياسي شخصي عام فيديو قصائد كوميدي الأرشيف اختر شهر ديسمبر 2012 (39) نوفمبر 2012 (365) أكتوبر 2012 (292) سبتمبر 2012 (268) أغسطس 2012 (85) يوليو 2012 (3) يونيو 2012 (3) مارس 2012 (1) يناير 2012 (2) سبتمبر 2011 (1) مايو 2011 (6) أبريل 2011 (21) مارس 2011 (26) فبراير 2011 (23) يناير 2011 (40) ديسمبر 2010 (34) نوفمبر 2010 (4) أكتوبر 2010 (3) سبتمبر 2010 (2) أبريل 2010 (1) مارس 2010 (1) ديسمبر 2009 (7) يوليو 2009 (1) مايو 2009 (1) أبريل 2009 (1) haDyyWP | Powered by WordPress =========== Kuwait's government resigns to make way for new cabinet Mon, Dec 03 07:23 AM EST KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait's ruler accepted the government's resignation on Monday, the state news agency KUNA said, a step designed to make way for a new cabinet in the Gulf Arab state after parliamentary elections boycotted by the opposition. The election on Saturday was the second this year in the oil-producing nation, where a series of assemblies have collapsed due to a long-running power struggle between the parliament and the cabinet, in which the emir's ruling family holds the top posts. "The emir accepted the resignation of the government," KUNA said in an SMS news alert, adding that the ministers would serve in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet was formed. Under the constitution, a new government must be formed before the first session of the new parliament. Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah said the new parliament would convene on December 16, KUNA said. Sheikh Sabah is expected to pick his prime minister next week, who will in turn form a cabinet that will be announced on December 14, said Kuwait's al-Watan daily, which is owned by a member of the ruling family. More than half the members of parliament elected on Saturday are newcomers to the 50-seat National Assembly. The chamber is expected to be more cooperative with the government than its predecessor because of the opposition boycott of the vote, and protests that divided the U.S.-allied, OPEC member state. (Reporting by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Mark Heinrich) ================ RPT-UPDATE 1-Kuwaitis protest on outskirts of capital after vote Thu, Dec 06 04:46 AM EST * Interior Ministry takes firm line on marches * Pockets of street unrest since Saturday's election * Youth groups, opposition plan demonstration Saturday By Sylvia Westall KUWAIT, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Hundreds of young Kuwaitis chanting protest slogans gathered at a roundabout outside the Gulf Arab state's capital on Wednesday in the latest snap demonstration since a parliamentary election on Saturday. Police have broken up several marches outside Kuwait City since Saturday, part of protests triggered by changes to voting rules the opposition said were designed to skew elections in favour of pro-government candidates. The opposition, which includes Islamist and populist politicians, refused to stand in the election in protest at a decree issued by Kuwait's ruler which reduced the number of votes per citizens to one from four. The young men protesting on Wednesday, wearing surgical masks, balaclavas and scarves wrapped around their faces, marched along a main street in a district southwest of the capital and were followed by scores of cars honking their horns. The men let off fireworks and chanted "One, one, one, we don't want one vote!" Small groups of police gathered in the surrounding streets. Tens of thousands marched peacefully in the capital on Friday in what organisers said was the largest protest in Kuwaiti history, to urge people to shun the election. The authorised march, attended by men, women and children, was organised by youth groups and backed by opposition politicians on the eve of the election. They plan another march on Saturday. Rallies outside parliament have been held regularly and peacefully in the major oil producer for years, but police broke up three big marches in October and November with tear gas, saying organisers did not have a permit. BAN ON UNLICENSED GATHERINGS Protesters in those marches said they were pushing for reform, not an Arab Spring-style revolution like those that have ousted four Arab autocratic rulers since early last year. Kuwait, a U.S. ally and OPEC member, allows more political freedom than other Gulf Arab states but has been more readily reinforcing a ban on public gatherings of more than 20 people without a permit. The Interior Ministry said late on Tuesday it would take all necessary measures to prevent "unauthorised assembly" after dispersing protesters it said threw stones and tried to mow down police with cars. "The Interior Ministry will never allow any unauthorised gatherings whatever their aims and needs are." It said several police were hurt on Monday when some protesters in cars attempted to run over police. Others were hit by stones. The government had made it clear last month it would suppress unauthorised street protests to protect public safety, but analysts say the hard line could provoke deeper unrest. The ruling emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, announced the change to the voting rules six weeks before the poll. He said it would fix flaws in the voting system and would help ensure national unity and stability. The opposition said the new rule was designed to prevent it winning the majority it held in the last parliament and has called for more demonstrations. ====================

RPT-Kuwait national oil firm eyes Ithaca Energy-report

Sun, Mar 25 14:38 PM EDT

LONDON, March 25 (Reuters) - Kuwait's national oil company is in advanced takeover talks with North Sea-focused oil and gas explorer Ithaca Energy , the Sunday Times reported.

Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration, the international arm of the Middle Eastern state's oil operation, has been in negotiations with Ithaca Energy for several months, the newspaper reported.

Earlier this month, Ithaca said it had received unsolicited interest from several parties, which analysts estimated could result in a deal valued at about C$868 million ($869.52 million).

Neither company could be immediately reached for comment.

$6.3bn Grand Faw Port Tender by End-2011

Posted on 11 March 2011. Tags: Grand Faw, Ports, Technital, tenders


Reuters, quoting Iraq’s Minister for Transport, reports that a tender will be issued by the end of this year for the building of the multibillion-dollar ‘Grand Faw’ port south of Basra.

Talks are ongoing with investors from Australia, France, Germany, Italy and the UAE to help finance the project.

After a presentation of the project’s designs made by Technital, the Italian company that won the design contract, Minister Hadi al-Amiri said: “There are many mechanisms to (fund) the project, maybe through (foreign) investment, or soft loans … from the government.”

According to Iraq’s plan, goods unloaded at the new port would then be loaded onto a new railway system and reach Europe overland more quickly than ships might reach Egypt’s Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.

“God willing, the first stage of the project will be finished by the end of 2013,” Amiri said.

The project will be built in two stages and is expected to take about four years to complete. It will include 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) of dock to receive container ships. The dock for general cargo would be 3,500 metres (11,500 feet).
The commercial port will also include two docks for unloading oil products.

Alberto Scotti, president of Technital, put the estimated cost of the project at around 4.5 billion Euros [$6.31 billion, 7.38 trillion Iraqi dinars].

(Source: Reuters)

===

Iraqi politicians, officials, reject Kuwait’s Mubarak Port, call for defending Iraq’s rights
5/29/2011 10:25 AM

BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq: A group of Iraqi politicians, experts and officials, have agreed that Kuwait’s building of the so-called Mubarak Port, shall affect the activity of Iraqi ports, especially the Grand Faw Port, calling for taking a decisive position to defend Iraq’s rights.



“Mubarak Port shall cut the water course, used by trade vessels heading for Iraq’s Um-Qasr Port, because its construction and area exceeds the so-called Taluk line, dividing Iraq’s waters with Iran and Kuwait,” the Iraqi Overseas Captain, Kadhim al-Hamami told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Sunday.



He said that “the waves-breakers and naval constructions in the (Gulf) waters, shall represent a nucleus for mud remains, acting with other factors, thing that shall have a passive affect on the Iraqi coasts,” adding that the Mubarak Port “shall minimize the water area, allocated for fishing, depriving Iraqi fishermen for their only source of life.”



“There will be other constructions, along with the said Port, including the gigantic Aluminium Plant, Kuwait had decided to build in the same area, thing that shall have its passive impacts in Iraq’s Khor-Abdullah Port, also affecting the naval environment,” Hamami said.



He said that the Mubarak Port “shall compete directly with the Faw Port, Iraqi has decided to build,” pointing out that “the canal that shall be used by steamers heading to the port, will be the same canal, used by the ships heading towards Um-Qasr Port, taking into consideration that the joint use of the same naval course shall create direct frictions and confrontations between both sides.”



On his part, a high-level Iraqi official, with a State Minister’s post, who asked not to named, told Aswat al-Iraq that “the construction of Mubarak Port is considered a legal violation for the Treatment for Drawing the Borders between Iraq and Kuwait.”



“Mubarak Port shall deprive Iraq from the passage of any ship, with 10-meter depth capacity, to pass through the area, because the said depth shall be on the Kuwait side,” he said.



He stressed that “from the economic aspect, the said port shall deprive Iraq from one of its most important gates to the sea, thus completely squeezing on its main Faw Port, whilst Kuwait possesses a ‘port prosperity,’ due to its possession of 5 ports, whilst the Mubarak Port shall represent a ‘murder’ for the Iraqi ports.”



“Iraqis hope that the said problem would be settled through diplomatic means, being added to the suspended dossiers between both sides,” the official said.



The Deputy Chairman of southern Iraq’s Basra Province’s Council, Ahmed al-Sultany, has laid the passive impacts of Mubarak Port on Iraq’s Faw Port, saying that “this port shall cause the tightening of

Naval canal, and thus strangle the only naval course for Iraq’s Um-Qasr and Khor al-Zubair Ports.”



“There are other technical problems that shall affect Iraq’s Faw Port, in the event of its construction, being an attempt to make Kuwait’s ports substitutes for Iraqi Ports,” he said.



On his part, Iraq’s Parliament Member from al-Ahrar (Liberals) Bloc, Uday Awad, said: “We have good relations with Kuwait, but we can’t stay hand-aloof if Iraq’s interests be affected by anybody.”



“After the return of the fact-find committee about Mubarak Port, it was made clear that it affects Iraq’s Faw Port, and that there is a violation by the Kuwaiti side on Iraq’s naval rights, and there will be a different response towards that; and we, al-Ahrar (Liberals) Bloc won’t be satisfied by mere condemnation!”



“We condemn the positions of some Iraqi political blocs, that have strong relations with the Kuwaiti side, thing that made them take passive attitudes towards the issue of Mubarak Port, as stated by the statements made by some of them,” Awad said.



The Director of Iraqi Ports, Salah Khudhier Abboud, had announced at the end of last week, in a joint press conference with the Iraqi Minister of Transportation, Hadi al-Amiry, that “the change of the position of Mubarak Port to the Kuwait territories won’t affect Iraq, but our problem is that this port’s position shall passively affect the Iraqi territorial waters.



On his part, Iraq’s Transport Minister, Hadi al-Amiry, said that “non-implementation of the Grand Faw Port is considered a treason for Iraq and its future generalsions,” threatening to resign “if the government does not allocate enough money to built the port,” pointing out that Kuwait’s Mubarak Port, that hampers navigation in the joint naval waters stands counter to the UN Security Council’s Resolution 833, and Iraq would not accept that.



“The building of the Grand Mubarak Port stands counter to UN Security Council Resolution 833, and we won’t accept that at all; and Iraq may report to the Security Council if Kuwait insists to build the port,” the Ministers said.



He expressed “surprise for Kuwait’s selection of the said place for building its new port,” adding that “there is another place inside the Kuwaiti territories, where it can build the Mubarak Port on it, thus achieving the necessary economic interest, without passively affecting the Grand Faw Port, Iraq is planning to build, according to Italian designs at the beginning of next year.”



Iraq’s Parliament Speaker, Usama Abdul-Aziz al-Nujeify, had announced that the Parliament would invite in the forthcoming few days both Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Transport & Communications, to explain the problems of the ground and naval border problems between Iraq and Kuwait, after the decision of the Kuwaiti government to expand its Mubarak Port to cover (Iraq’s) Bubian Island, and follow up the developments about the Faw port.



Noteworthy is that the Iraqi Transport Ministry had laid on April 4, 2010, the foundation stone for the Grand Faw Port, covering a 2-million-meter area, and another area of 600,000 square meters for other purposes, with an annual capacity of 99 million tons, whilst the total cost for its construction will be 4 billions and 400 million Euros, and the port is expected to be connected with a railway line, linking the Arab Gulf through Iraqi and Turkish ports, as well as northern Europe.

===

Deal to sell Iraqi land to Kuwaiti oil company - Parliament Sources
7/8/2011 4:39 PM

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: A "deal" is expected to sell 280 thousand donums of land in Seeba, Basra province, to a Kuwaiti company, Parliamentary Oil and Gas Commission member disclosed today.

Eng.
Udai Awad added that "we discovered a deal to sell Iraqi land, within an investment contract in Seeba area with Kuwaiti Energy company".

He pointed out that "the contract with the company is for a limited time, which does not mean selling the land to a non-Iraqi company".

He charged vice-premier for energy affairs Hussein al-Shahristani "the responsibility of signing the contract with its negative effects on the future of Iraq, ignoring Iraqi public feelings for Kuwaiti government negative stands".

Awad added he will "refer this dossier to the parliament with the documents of the selling deal to be discussed and put into account who were behind it".

Shahristani and Iraqi minister of oil signed, few weeks ago, a contract with Kuwaiti Energy company to exploit Seeba gas fields in collaboration with a Turkish company within the bids to exploit oil and gas fields in Iraq.

==

Kuwait port question may be referred to UN Security Council - MP
7/8/2011 5:07 PM

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: A Foreign Relations Parliamentary Member said today that his commission is waiting a detailed opinion form the Cabinet on the Kuwaiti Mobarak port, pointing out that Iraq may refer the question to the UN Security Council, because "the patience of Iraqis has limits".

MP Hassan Khudhair Shiwairid told Aswat al-Iraq that "if the Commission was able to reach positive results through negotiations, for both countries' interests, that will be good, otherwise we will refer the matter to the UN Security Council or to International Accords".

Vice-Premier Saleh al-Mutlaq stated last Wednesday, during a conference on the effects of Mobarak Port on Iraq, that "the neighboring countries should not gamble on Iraqi patience".

Kuwait is trying to build a big port to enhance its trade position.
The port is due opposite to the port Iraq is intending to build, which matter aroused the indignation of Iraqi specialists and politicians, because the port will affect Iraq ports and stra

===

Unresolved disputes mar Iraq-Kuwait relations
Protesters in Basra demonstrate against Kuwait's plans to build a nuclear reactor near the Iraqi border and a port that might congest Iraq's commercial waterways. (ALI ABU IRAQ/Iraq Oil Report)
By Ben Lando, Ali Abu Iraq and Staff of Iraq Oil Report
Published July 14, 2011

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said he will take a Basra parliamentarian to court over accusations the ex-oil minister sacrificed territorial integrity to Kuwait in a gas field contract.

The impending lawsuit is the latest controversy stemming from contentious relations between Iraq and Kuwait, which remain hyper-politicized after years of unresolved disputes dating from the Saddam Hussein era.

Earlier this week, accusations flew between Shahristani, who was oil ministe...

====


Iraq reacts to Kuwait nuclear plans
Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:42AM
Iraq and Kuwait have locked horns over a new nuclear reactor that Kuwait plans to build near Um Qasur port in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.


Kuwait says it is planning to build four nuclear reactors near Iraqi coasts by 2022 and it needs to go ahead with the project to generate enough electricity to meet its growing domestic demand, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The Iraqi officials, however, have expressed concerns about the sheikhdom's nuclear projects, accusing Kuwaiti officials of acting as US instruments to weaken Iraq's economic and political status.

“What Kuwait is doing is part of a US plan to weaken Iraq. The move gives a justification for the US occupation forces to extend their presence in Iraq. We want them to stop this project,” Iraqi lawmaker Jawad al-Bazuni said.

Members of Basra Provincial Council have also urged Kuwait to stop its project, planned to be launched in Warbh island less than four kilometers away from the Iraqi coasts south of Basra.

They say the Iraqi government must adopt a strong position regarding the issue.

“We have discussed Kuwaiti projects like the Mubarak port and the nuclear reactors. We consider them as dangerous projects that would affect our economy and security,” said Vice-President of Basra Provincial Council Ahmad al-Sulaiti.

The Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh has said that the foreign ministry will do its best through diplomatic channels to block Kuwait's nuclear project.

Iraqi officials in Basra also insist that the Kuwaiti nuclear project would have damaging environmental consequences for Iraq.

The contentious relations between the two Arab states remain highly politicized after the former regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the Persian Gulf state in 1991.

Ironically, The invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein forces came despite the US-backed Kuwaiti regime offered tens of billions of dollars in aid to the Iraqi dictator to support his war effort against neighboring Iran. The eight-year Iraqi war against the Islamic Republic was fully backed and supported by all of the US-backed Arab dictatorships in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East.

===

Aswat Al Iraq / Politics , Baghdad
Kuwaiti government insists to build Mubarak Port "till the end"
7/27/2011 12:02 PM



BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Kuwaiti government has announced on Wednesday its intention to build the Mubarak Port “till the end,” whilst Kuwaiti diplomatic sources said that the port’s project had been settled politically and won’t be discussed with the Iraqi side in the next meeting of the High Kuwaiti-Iraqi Committee, scheduled to convene in Baghdad after the month of Ramadan, according to the Kuwaiti al-Siyasa newspaper.



Al-Siyasa, in its Wednesday issue, has quoted the Official Spokesman for the Kuwaiti government and the State Minister for the Kuwaiti Council of Ministers, Ali Al-Rashid, as saying that “the Kuwaiti government is marching forward, without stop, to build the Mubarak Port’s project ‘till the end,’ denying that explosions have taken place close to the Port 10 days ago.



On the other hand, the Kuwaiti newspaper quoted high-level Kuwaiti diplomatic sources in the Foreign Ministry as saying that “the Grand Mubarak Port has been settled politically and won’t be discussed by the Iraqi side, during the next meeting of the High Kuwaiti-Iraqi Committee, scheduled to be held in Baghdad after the month of Ramadan.”



It pointed out that “the schedule of the Committee’s works shall include dossiers that were not settled till now, including the maintenance of the border signs, the restoration of the remains of the prisoners-of-war (POWs) and the issue of the compensations.”



The same sources pointed out that “the Iraqi delegation that shall visit Kuwait soon, according to an announcement by Iraq’s Foreign Minister, Hoshiar Zibary, shall discuss some technical matters, related to the Port, without discussing Kuwait’s right in building a port on its territories and within its territorial waters.”



As regards to the UN Security Council’s Resolution 833, the said sources stressed that the “Resolution confirms cooperation between Kuwait and Iraq, regarding the safe passage through Khor-Abdullah and the sea navigation freedom, on basis of which the Iraqi Delegation for Cooperation & Coordination would be received, and not to discuss Kuwait’s constant right in the construction of the Port, works for which are continuing well.”



Kuwait had announced on April 6th last the beginning of works to construct the Mubarak Port after one year of Iraq’s announcement of its intention to build its Grand Faw Port, whilst the Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and the Development Minister, Ahmed al-Fahad, had stated that the project, construction of which was agreed upon with the South-Korean Hondai Company, would be “friendly to environment.”



The Kuwaiti Ministry also confirmed that the project “includes major goals to achieve hopes and ambitions of the Kuwaiti people, who have always wished to build a port in the said strategic and active location, in order to make Kuwait a financial and trade center on both Regional and International levels.”



Noteworthy is that Iraq’s Transport Ministry had laid down the foundation stone for the Grand Faw Port’s project, designs of which point out to its compromise of a containers terminal stretching to 39 km and a pavement extending to 2,000 km, as well as a square container with an area of more than one million square meters, along with a field of multi-purpose area of 600,000 square meters, with a capacity of 99 million tons annually.



The Ministry had estimated the total cost for the construction of the said Port would reach 4 billions (b) and 400 million Euros, with the hope that the connection of the port, through the railways would link the Gulf area through the ports of Iraq and the ports of turkey in northern Europe.



SKH (FT)

==

Kuwaiti newspaper: two bombs exploded near the port of Mubarak

Reported, "today's world," KUNA said two hand grenades to two explosions occurred near the port authorities plan to Mubarak, who built near the Iraqi border by about ten days.
The newspaper published on Wednesday that the threat of the armed group to strike the interests of those who carried out the port of Mubarak, coincided with the fall of two missiles at the Kuwaiti embassy inside the Green Zone in Baghdad, making the Ambassador to the insured to leave Iraq to his country, and that the workers at the site of the port were transferred to the Kuwaiti authorities, the story that that the explosions of grenades and hand-signed near the port about ten days before the Kuwaiti authorities suppressed the news.
It is worth mentioning that a group Hezbollah had fired the Iraqi threats to attack the port of Mubarak in the case of the Kuwaiti side's insistence on continuing to work with this project.

==

Iran conducting seismic scans in Kuwaiti waters

Published Date: July 31, 2011
KUWAIT: Iranian geologists have been trespassing into Kuwait's territorial waters to conduct seismic scans in the Durra and Lulu offshore oil fields, according to a senior Kuwaiti oil sector official.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that Kuwaiti authorities are aware of the Iranian scientists' intrusion into Kuwaiti waters, "which happen at least once a month," suggesting that the scans aim to assess the oilfields' reserves.

The Iranians' incursions into these areas "violate the privacy of work on the fields' premises," the official asserted, warning that the information gained during these trips "could be used to put pressure on Kuwait to share the fields with Iran.

Kuwait's state oil company, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), plans to utilize the offshore fields as part of its current five-year plan, which concludes at the end of 2013, the official explained, adding that Kuwait already spent more than $40 million on seismic scans and other procedures in the two fields prior to beginning the drilling process.

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Kuwait’s Ambassador to Baghdad denies knowledge of plan to undermine stability in southern Iraq
8/9/2011 11:49 AM

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Kuwaiti Ambassador to Baghdad, Ali al-Mo’amin, has denied having any knowledge about a plan, claimed by certain sources, that a member in Kuwait’s ruling family was leading a plan aimed at undermining stability in southern Iraq, al-Sharq al-Awsat Newspaper reported on Tuesday.



The Newspaper quoted the semi-official Iranian Mehr news agency as reporting that “sources in the Iraqi Council of Ministers had said that a meeting was held in Baghdad last Sunday of Iraq’s National Security Council, chaired by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Roz Nouri Shawes, Foreign Minister, Hoshiar Zibary, Finance Minister, Rafi’e al-Issawi, along with the National Security Advisor, Faleh al-Fayadh, Intelligence Director, Zuheir al-Gharbawi, the Army’s Chief of Staff, Babakir Zibary and Commanders of the Security Bodies.”



“Prime Minister Maliki had informed the conferees, who attended the said meeting that he had received information that one of Kuwait’s ruling family’s Sheikhs (Chieftains), steering its Intelligence Body, is planning to conscript certain elements to undermine security in Southern Iraq!,” Mehr reported.



It quoted the Iranian Agency as saying that “Maliki had also informed the conferees that he had informed the Emir of Kuwait, during his visit to Kuwait last April, that the said Sheikh’s plan depends on conscripting terrorist groups inside Iraq to undermine the situation in the country, especially in Southern Iraq.”



Al-Sharq al-Awsat quoted the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Baghdad, Ali al-Mu’amin, as saying “he did not possess any information in this respect and he can’t issue an opinion of a position about something he did not have any information about,” promising to “follow up the issue with different Kuwaiti parties, especially that such information seems to be out of his authorities, and had involved certain officials, higher than him.”



The Newspaper quoted an Iraqi official source as saying that “Iraq deals with Kuwait through the principle of goodwill and it is actually trying to close the painful page of the past between both countries,” charging that “the said information had been fabricated and that the New Iraq does not deal with such intelligence tactics.”



“Such information could be dealt with inside certain bodies here-and-there, stemming from their sources, whether they were true or not; but they must be followed up,” he stressed.



Kuwait had announced on April 6th last the beginning of the construction of its Mubarak Port, one year after Iraq’s announcement of its intention to build its Grand Faw Port in the Gulf.



Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and the Minister of Development, Ahmed al-Fahad, had stated that the project, contract of which was concluded with the South-Korean Hondai Company “would be a friend for the environment,” stressing that it “includes great motives, aimed at achieving hopes and ambitions of the Kuwaiti people, who had always wished to build a port in such strategic and active position, aimed at making Kuwait a financial and commercial center on both Regional and International Levels.”

===


Kuwait’s Army mobilized in Bobian Island to “protect Mubarak Port”
8/10/2011 1:34 PM

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Kuwait’s Defense Ministry has taken huge security precautions, represented by the mobilization of a military force in Bobian Island, close to the end of Iraq’s Shatt al-Arab Waterway close to southern Iraq’s Basra Province, to protect its so-called Grand Mubarak Port, the Kuwaiti al-Watan Newspaper reported on Wednesday.



“The Kuwaiti Defense Ministry has taken very huge security precautions in the Grand Mubarak Port, since the moment of the beginning of its construction,” the newspaper stressed, pointing out to the presence of “a military force in Bobian island, including Military Police of ‘Amoun Defense Orgnanization,’ the Intelligence, Air Defense, 35th Companies, the 6th Brigade and the Naval Force,” in the area.



Al-Watan quoted a Kuwaiti military source as saying that “the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense had striven to secure the Port in the ground, sea and air, since the beginning of its construction,” adding that “such measure had been followed by a number of states, before the beginning of any vital project, close to the borders of other states,” stressing that “the said force had not noted any security violation for the Port and its surrounding areas.”



In a related development, al-Watan quoted the British Ambassador to Kuwait, Frank Baker, to have stated that “Kuwait has the right to implement and build the Port, stemming from its full legitimacy and sovereignty on its territories.”



The Ambassador told a news conference in Kuwait that “the thing that effects the Iraqi side towards the project is not logical, because the port is being built inside Kuwaiti territories,” confirming “necessity to settle the differences between both sides through direct negotiations and away from escalation of those of conflicts.”



Kuwait had announced on April 6th last, the beginning of building the Grand Mubarak Port, one year after Iraq’s announcement to build its Grand Faw Port in the Gulf.



Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and its Development Minister, Ahmed al-Fahad, had stated that the “project, it had agreed upon for its construction with the South-Korean Hyundai Company, shall be ‘friend for the environment’ pointing out that it comprises “great motives, achieving the hopes and ambitions of the Kuwaiti people, who had always looked forward towards building a port in that strategic and vital position, making Kuwait a financial and commercial center on both Regional and International levels.”


====

الكويت تنشر صواريخ قرب الحدود وتعرقل الملاحة في خور عبد الله

بغداد-وارع- ندد نواب من كتل مختلفة بالتحشيد العسكري الكويتي في جزيرة بوبيان قرب الحدود العراقية، معتبرين اياه عملا استفزازيا وغير مبرر.يأتي ذلك في وقت وصفت فيه مصادر أمنية حدودية من البصرة، تمركز القوة العسكرية الكويتية في جزيرة بوبيان بأنه "يثير الشكوك ويهدد أمن المنطقة"، فيما كشفت شركة الموانئ عن قيام الكويت بانشاء محطة انتظار للبواخر العاملة بمشروع ردم الممر الملاحي وميناء مبارك ما قد يتسبب في اغلاق الممر الملاحي في خور عبد الله.

فقد اكد النائب عن التحالف الوطني علي شبر ان التحشيد العسكري الذي قامت به دولة الكويت في جزيرة بوبيان امر غير مقبول وغير مبرر، معتبراً انه اجراء استفزازي وبامكان العراق ان يقوم باجراء مشابه، الا ان هذا التصعيد لا يصب في مصلحة البلدين.

واعلن رئيس الوزراء نوري المالكي الجمعة الماضي، ان "العراق طلب رسمياً من الكويت إيقاف العمل بميناء مبارك، إلى حين التأكد من عدم إضراره بالملاحة العراقية، إلا أن الجانب الكويتي لم يرد رسمياً على هذا الطلب"، مهدداً بـ"اللجوء إلى الأمم المتحدة وإقامة دعوى قضائية لوقف عمل المشروع في حال ثبت أنه يسبب ضرراً للعراق". من جهته، قال النائب عن القائمة العراقية حيدر الملا: "ان في ما يتعلق بملف التهديدات الخارجية فكلنا ائتلاف دولة قانون وكلنا التحالف الوطني وكلنا العراقية لان الامر يمس سيادة العراق كما سنعضد موقف رئيس الوزراء لحل المشاكل والقضايا العالقة مع الكويت، ولكن بالطرق الدبلوماسية واللجوء الى الحوار الصادق البناء، وان لم تكن مثمرة فيمكننا اللجوء الى قوانين وقرارات الامم المتحدة".وفي البصرة، قال مصدر أمني من المحافظة في تصريح صحفي : ان "الكويت دفعت على مراحل جزءا من قواتها البرية قبالة جزيرة بوبيان، فيما شرعت بنصب قواعد صاروخية لم يتم التحقق من طبيعتها ما اثار الشكوك بشأن النوايا الحقيقية من وراء تلك التعزيزات".

وفي سياق متصل، قال رئيس اللجنة الامنية لمجلس محافظة البصرة علي غانم المالكي : ان "دولة الكويت من خلال قيامها بالتصعيد العسكري تبحث عن ذرائع لتبرير تجاوزاتها على الحدود وفرض امر واقع جديد تمثل بانشاء ميناء مبارك على المسطح المائي لخور عبد الله وحفر مئات الابار النفطية على طول الشريط الحدودي بين البلدين البالغ 190 كم الممتد من خضر الماي شمال غرب البصرة الى مدينة ام قصر جنوبا".

وحذر من ان البصرة النفطية باتت تقع تحت تهديد الخطر العسكري الكويتي، وان أي اخطاء في التقديرات السوقية ستكون البصرة مدينة تحت مرمى تلك القوات التي لا تبعد الا خمس كيلو مترات عن الحدود الجنوبية.

كما لفت معاون مدير عام شركة الموانئ العراقية الكابتن عزيز هاشم العبيدي الى ان الكويت خالفت القوانين والادميرالية البحرية ومنظمة الايمو الدولية بانشاء محطة انتظار لبواخرها العاملة بمشروع ردم الممر الملاحي وميناء مبارك والتي تهدد باغلاق الممر الملاحي الى خور عبدالله لكونها تقع في منطقة ضيقة ملاحيا ما ينذر بتصادم البواخر فيها.


===

Kuwait deploy missiles near the border and impede navigation in the Khawr Abd Allah

BAGHDAD - babysit - denounced the deputies of the different blocks Balthhid Kuwaiti military on the island of Bubiyan near the Iraqi border, considering him an act of provocation and justification. This comes at a time and described the sources of security border from Basra, the concentration of military force, the Kuwaiti island of Bubiyan that "raises doubts and threatens security of the region, "while the company revealed the ports for the establishment of the Kuwait station waiting for the ships working a project to bridge the waterway and the port of Mubarak, which may cause the closure of the waterway in the Khor Abdullah.

The MP for the National Alliance on the military build-inch that the State of Kuwait in Bubiyan is unacceptable and unjustified, considering it a provocation and the possibility of Iraq to carry out a similar, but this escalation is not in the interest of the two countries.

And Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki last Friday, that "Iraq has formally requested from Kuwait stop working port Mubarak, until make sure that does harm to the navigation of Iraq, the Kuwaiti side has not formally responded to this request" and threatened to "resort to the United Nations and the establishment of a lawsuit a lawsuit to stop the project if it is established that causes damage to Iraq. " For his part, MP for the Iraqi List, Haidar al-Mulla said: "in the file of external threats we are all a coalition of state law and all the National Alliance and all of Iraq because it affects the sovereignty of Iraq as Snedd position of the Prime Minister to resolve the problems and outstanding issues with Kuwait, but through diplomacy and resort to sincere dialogue building, and were not fruitful, we can resort to the laws and UN resolutions. "In Basra, a security source said of the province in a press statement:" Kuwait is paid in stages as part of its ground troops off the island of Bubiyan, while embarked on basing missile has not been verify the nature of raising doubts about the real intentions behind those enhancements. "

In a related context, the head of the security committee of the provincial council in Basra, Ghanim al-Maliki: "The State of Kuwait through its military escalation looking for excuses to justify the excesses at the border and impose a new reality is the establishment of the port of the president on the body of water to the Khor Abdullah and the drilling of hundreds of oil wells on along the border between the two countries of 190 km stretching from Mai Khader northwest city of Basra to Umm Qasr in the south. "

He warned that Basra's oil is now located under the threat of the military threat of Kuwait, and that any errors in the estimates the market will be under the city of Basra against those forces which lies only five kilometers from the southern border.

As pointed Associate Director of Iraqi ports, Captain Aziz, Hashim al-Obeidi said Kuwait violated laws and Aladamiralah Navy and the Emo international establishment station waiting for Bwaka working a project to bridge the waterway and the port of Mubarak, which threatens to close the waterway to the Khor Al Abdullah of being located in the narrow shipping failure and chattering ships there.


====


UPDATE 1-Iraq awards $471.7 mln contract to Saipem
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL5E7JH0X420110817?sp=true

Wed Aug 17, 2011
* Saipem to build a third export terminal

* Work involves building a sub-sea pipeline

* Duration of the $471.7 mln contract is 24 months (Adds more details, background, byline)

By Ahmed Rasheed

BAGHDAD, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Iraq has awarded a $471.7 million contract for an oil export facility expansion and sub-sea pipeline to Italian group Saipem , Iraqi oil sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

Saipem will build a single point mooring buoy (SPM) with an export capacity of 900,000 barrels per day and construct a 50-kilometre pipeline to transport crude from storage depots in Iraq's southern Faw peninsula to the new floating terminal, according to the sources and to documents obtained by Reuters.

Saipem should complete engineering, procurements and construction work within 24 months. The order is the second phase in a wider expansion project announced last year..

Tender documents show that three other companies submitted bids for the contract, including Leighton Offshore Private Ltd, National Petroleum Construction Co. (NPCC) and J. Ray McDermott, a part of U.S.-based engineering and construction company McDermott International Inc. .

The whole expansion project, for which Foster Wheeler AG is handling the project management consultancy services, involves building two marine pipelines and one onshore pipeline and installing four single point moorings for loading oil tankers at a total cost of about $1.3 billion.

In the first stage, Australian construction contractor Leighton Holdings last year had signed a $733 million contract with Iraq's South Oil Company to install moorings and pipelines in the Gulf, off Iraq's coast.

Iraq has awarded a series of massive oilfield development contracts to majors such as Shell and BP with the ambitious target of expanding its oil production capacity to 12 million bpd by 2017. Most analysts see 6-7 million bpd is more realistic.

Current export infrastructure is out-dated and lacks the capacity to handle Iraq's future expected output raise. Iraq is currently exporting an average of 2.2 million barrels per day and expects to export 2.5 mln bpd in 2012.

After completing the export facility expansion project, Iraq would start renovating two existing oil terminals in south Basra with a plan to build a strategic pipeline from the southern Basra fields through Syria and Turkey. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; editing by Patrick Markey and Keiron Henderson)

===

Aswat Al Iraq / Politics , Baghdad
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry charged with treating Mubarak Port’s crisis with illegal manner, according to MP
8/22/2011 11:37 AM

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Legislature of the White al-Iraqiya Bloc, Alia Nuseif, has demanded Iraq’s Foreign Ministry to deal with the crisis about Kuwait’s Mubarak Port, according to International laws and not on “non-committing correspondence and documents.”



“The Foreign Ministry is following a wrong direction, through dealing with correspondence and documents with the Kuwaiti side, that have no legal value, thinking that such documents might oblige the Kuwaiti side that its Mubarak Port won’t affect Iraq’s navigation movement,” Nuseif said in a statement on Monday.



Nuseif said that “the Iraqi Foreign Ministry must deal with Kuwait according to the International laws, especially that the Seas Navigation Law includes a condition that the building of ports must not affect the navigation movement.”



“The Mubarak Port shall highly affect the navigation movement and cause continuous accidents by steamers, after its narrowing of this water passage,” she said, “charging that Kuwait would stand behind such accidents in the event of its insistence to build its port, without taking any other facts into consideration.”



She said that the Iraqi Foreign Minister “shall fall into a great embarrassing in the event of such accidents that might occur in the said narrow water passage, because it did not depend on International laws in dealing with this serious dossier, bearing the legal and historic responsibility for the results of such ill-treated and unserious trends.”



Kuwait had announced on April 6th last the beginning of works to build its Mubarak Port, after one year of Iraq’s announcement to build its Grand Faw Port in the same area.



Iraq had strongly criticized the Kuwaiti project and its government and Parliament officials have considered the project as harming to the interest of Iraq, due to its closing the narrow water passage leading to the Iraqi ports, demanding Kuwait to change the site of the Port, in such a way that does not undermine Iraq’s interests.

===

Three rockets hit area near Kuwait-Iraq border -TV

26 Aug 2011 01:42

Source: reuters // Reuters



(Adds details, source)

By Martina Fuchs

DUBAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Three rockets have hit the border area between Kuwait and Iraq, Al Arabiya TV reported early on Friday quoting diplomatic sources.

The pro-Gaddafi TV channel Al Orouba reported the rockets had targeted Kuwait's Mubarak port, which is under construction and has been the subject of arguments between oil-producing Iraq and Kuwait, which share a small border.

The Dubai-based channel said the Katyusha rockets did not target the port.

Kuwait is building the $1.1 billion port on Bubiyan Island. Iraq says the port interferes with shipping lanes to its own ports.

There was no immediate independent confirmation of the rockets being fired, or immediate comment from Iraq or Kuwait.

A Kuwaiti security source told Reuters he heard attackers from Iraq had launched three rockets at 00:30 a.m on Friday which landed on Iraqi territory without reaching Kuwait.

On Thursday, Kuwait's state news agency KUNA reported that a Foreign Ministry official denied Iraq had summoned the Kuwaiti ambassador in Baghdad and handed him a protest message over the building of the Mubarak port in Kuwait.

The official said the Mubarak port was being built on Kuwait territories and the dispute with Iraq over it was being handled through official contacts between the two countries.

Kuwait was invaded by Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 1990 and a shaky relationship has continued even since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam in 2003. (Reporting by Martina Fuchs in Dubai and Sami Aboudi in Cairo; Editing by Alison Williams)
===

Three rockets hit area near Kuwait-Iraq border -TV

26 Aug 2011 01:42

Source: reuters // Reuters



(Adds details, source)

By Martina Fuchs

DUBAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Three rockets have hit the border area between Kuwait and Iraq, Al Arabiya TV reported early on Friday quoting diplomatic sources.

The pro-Gaddafi TV channel Al Orouba reported the rockets had targeted Kuwait's Mubarak port, which is under construction and has been the subject of arguments between oil-producing Iraq and Kuwait, which share a small border.

The Dubai-based channel said the Katyusha rockets did not target the port.

Kuwait is building the $1.1 billion port on Bubiyan Island. Iraq says the port interferes with shipping lanes to its own ports.

There was no immediate independent confirmation of the rockets being fired, or immediate comment from Iraq or Kuwait.

A Kuwaiti security source told Reuters he heard attackers from Iraq had launched three rockets at 00:30 a.m on Friday which landed on Iraqi territory without reaching Kuwait.

On Thursday, Kuwait's state news agency KUNA reported that a Foreign Ministry official denied Iraq had summoned the Kuwaiti ambassador in Baghdad and handed him a protest message over the building of the Mubarak port in Kuwait.

The official said the Mubarak port was being built on Kuwait territories and the dispute with Iraq over it was being handled through official contacts between the two countries.

Kuwait was invaded by Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 1990 and a shaky relationship has continued even since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam in 2003. (Reporting by Martina Fuchs in Dubai and Sami Aboudi in Cairo; Editing by Alison Williams)
=============

Iraqi official says rockets landed in Iraq, not Kuwait

26 Aug 2011 08:05

Source: reuters // Reuters



BAGHDAD, Aug 26 - Three rockets fired in Iraq's southern oil port city of Basra landed inside Iraq and were not aimed at Kuwait or the Mubarak port, an Iraqi official said on Friday.



"The rockets targeted the (former) Bucca prison building, which is used by foreign companies," Ali al-Maliki, head of the Basra provincial council's security committee, told Reuters.

Maliki said the rockets' range was only one kilometre.

Basra police spokesman Colonel Kareem al-Zaidi also denied that any rockets had been fired at Mubarak port. (Reporting by Aref Mohammed in Basra; Writing by Serena Chaudhry; Editing by Jon Hemming)

===

Could War Flare Again Between Iraq and Kuwait?

Written by John Daly

Wednesday, 07 December 2011 00:17

Message : Investors: Get a free copy of our latest investment report: The Biggest Upside Stock in the Bakken Oil Formation. This junior company already has great operational success on its huge Bakken land position… and could very well be the next "Bakken Buyout."CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 12-PAGE REPORT. According to Iraqi Council of Representatives Oil and Energy Committee member Furat al-Sharei, the 10 oil fields that spread across the Iraqi-Kuwaiti frontier are still waiting to have a line drawn through them to delineate the border, more than eight years after a coalition led by U.S. forces toppled the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. According to al-Sharei, the two countries must first collaborate in developing legislation for equitably sharing the fields before oil extraction can begin, noting, "The problem of the common fields can be resolved by developing legal mechanisms." While Iraq and Kuwait are now at peace, many of the border issues that led to conflict two decades ago remain, which no amount of diplomatic bonhomie can completely paper over. In 1993 the United Nations Security Council Resolution 833 precisely delineated the previous borders between Iraq and Kuwait following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of his neighbor in August 1990. Iraqi forces were summarily expelled by a 34-nation coalition led by the United States during Operation Desert Storm, which began in February 1991. That conflict left Iraq with a $22 billion reparations bill to Kuwait that it is still struggling to pay off, tithing 5 percent of its oil revenue to its tiny plutocratic southern neighbor. What were some of Saddam Hussein’s grievances against Kuwait? By the time Iraq signed the ceasefire in its punishing eight year war with Iran in August 1988, Iraq was virtually bankrupt, owing $80 billion in debt to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which now pressured Baghdad for repayment with interest. Iraq pressured both nations to forgive the debts, but they refused. Iraq also accused Kuwait of exceeding its OPEC quotas and driving down the price of oil, thus further hurting the Iraqi economy, as collapsing oil prices further decimated the Iraqi economy. Baghdad also repeatedly protested to no avail about what it claimed was economic warfare waged by Kuwait’s slant-drilling into disputed border regions, which reached as far as Iraq's Rumaila oil field Despite the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in March 2003, two years later Kuwait began the construction of a 125-mile metal barrier along its land borders with Iraq in early 2005. But with a new administration in Baghdad, on 23 November 2006 Kuwait's Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled al-Jarallah told reporters following talks with Iraq's Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Mohammad al-Haj, “We have signed a deal ... after which Kuwait will be able to complete the construction of the security fence,” noting that as the arrangement calls for the payment of "compensation to Iraqi farmers" on the border, the requisite amount "had been deposited with the United Nations." Al-Haj added, "We have completed the practical requirements for the demarcation of borders," based on UN Security Council Resolution 833. Five years later, little has moved since "the practical requirements for the demarcation of borders." The reestablishment of bilateral Iraqi-Kuwaiti diplomatic relations has been even more glacial. Kuwait reopened its embassy in Iraq in 2008 after nearly 19 years of broken diplomatic relations, while the Consulate of Iraq was again opened in Kuwait only last year. Local Iraqis based in Basra have a very different view of UN Security Council Resolution 833, stating that it led to the transfer of a significant amount of Iraqi land, hosting both oil wells and agriculture such as tomato farms to Kuwait, as well as the establishment of a wide zone of neutrality between the two countries which again favored the emirate. A high-ranking Iraqi government official in the Safwan border region, who had had some of his own land confiscated when the new border was marked out, commented that the locals describe “the unjust demarcation of borders as well as their government’s reluctance to put an end to this injustice.” Once again, local Iraqis two decades later are complaining that Kuwaitis are “stealing” Iraqi oil in border areas by using directional drilling techniques. Local Basra government officials say that they have proof of the Kuwaiti theft and have forwarded it to Baghdad, offering as proof the fact that pressure in some oil reservoirs near the border has dropped significantly, which local Iraqi government officials believe has been caused by Kuwaiti drilling to tap the same reservoirs. Ratcheting up the tension, Kuwait's ambassador to Baghdad, Ali al-Mu'men recently denied Iraqi allegations and instead, accused Iraqi companies of extracting oil from Kuwaiti oil reserves. For Farid Khalid, head of the energy committee of the Basra provincial council, the issue is simple - “No oil work was done on the Iraqi-Kuwaiti-Iranian borders by the Iraqi government for years which is why the oil reserves were open for looting.” So, as in the immediate aftermath of Operation Desert Storm, Kuwait has the cash and the backing of the U.S. government – hardly a recipe for regional stability. Further weighting the scales in Kuwait’s favor, as some of the U.S. forces leaving Iraq by year’s end are due to redeploy there, with the Pentagon discussing shifting a combat brigade team of about 3,500 troops and possibly other units to Kuwait to join the roughly 20,000 U.S. forces already there. For those seeking to read the tea leaves about Iraq’s oil future, Iraq also has ten common oilfields on its eastern border with Iran that are waiting for the demarcation process to be completed before extraction can begin, but that’s another story for another time. By. John C.K. Daly of Oilprice.com ===================

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Iraq Resolves Long-Running Disputes With Kuwait

Posted on 15 March 2012. Tags: Iraqi Airways, Kuwait, Kuwait Airways
Iraq Resolves Long-Running Disputes With Kuwait

Iraq announced on Wednesday that it had finalised several agreements with Kuwait on long-running disputes, including the issue of of compensation to Kuwaiti Airways from Iraqi Airways.

Under the deal, Iraq will pay Kuwait $300 million in cash and will invest another $200 million in a joint Iraqi-Kuwaiti airline venture, to settle a claim by state-owned Kuwait Airways that Iraq owes it $1.2 billion for planes and parts stolen after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

The airline dispute had led to several seizures by Kuwaiti authorities of overseas Iraqi assets.

“We have achieved a breakthrough in the relationship,” said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

The two countries also reached an agreement on a border dispute, in line with a U.N. Security Council resolution. The move reportedly brings Iraq closer to release from restrictions imposed on it by the United Nations when the Persian Gulf War ended after a U.S.-led intervention in 1991.

Other disputes, including over the proposed construction of a vast port in Kuwait that Iraq fears would threaten traffic to its port in Basra, remain unresolved.

The agreements mark the latest in a series of friendly moves toward countries in the region ahead of the Arab League summit in Baghdad, which is set to begin on 27th March, and which the Emir of Kuwait, Sabah Ahmed al-Sabah, will attend.

(Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, Washington Post)

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Foreign Investment in Iraq Soars

Posted on 15 March 2012

In 2011, foreign firms and investors reported $55.67 billion in investments, service contracts and other commercial activities across Iraq - an estimated 40.3 percent increase in total deal value over the previous year.



So say Dunia Frontier Consultants (DFC) in their latest report on foreign commercial activity in Iraq. But did you know also that:

The total number of reported investments, service contracts and other commercial activities by foreign firms in Iraq increased 80.4% to 294;
Activity was much less volatile, with deal flow varying only 10% on average from month to month, as opposed to an average of 50% per month in 2010; and,
At least 45 countries were active in Iraq.

While the bad news about Iraq still makes the headlines, and with good reason, we shouldn't forget that not all the news from Iraq is bad.



In good times and in bad, Upper Quartile and AAIB are here to help you. For more information please contact Gavin Jones or Adrian Shaw.

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Uticensis Risk ‏ @IraqiPolitics

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Shahristani's man wins a legal fight in #Basra over ISCI's man. Deputy gov restored to office by legal order. http://international.daralhayat.com/internationalarticle/375785
15h Reidar Visser Reidar Visser ‏ @reidarvisser

محكمة القضاء الإداري تقرر إعادة نائب محافظ البصرة إلى منصبه بعد اقلته

قررت محكمة القضاء الإداري إعادة النائب الاول لمحافظ البصرة نزار الجابري الى منصبه بعدما أقيل مطلع العام الحالي.
وقال الجابري ان"المحكمة الادارية في بغداد اصدرت قراراً باعادتي الى منصبي بعد الطعن بقرار مجلس المحافظة"،مبينا ان"القرار وصف في النص الذي صدر من المحكمة بأنه بات ناجزاً أي لا يجوز لمجلس المحافظة نقضه أو تمييزه".
واضاف ان"قرار إقالتي جاء بعد جلسة إستجواب إستطعت الرد على ما جاء فيها من تساؤلات إلا أن القرار جاء خلافاً للواقع".
وكان مجلس محافظة البصرة قد اقال الجابري من منصبه بتهمة التقصير في أداء واجبه في 30 كانون الثاني الماضي.
وقال عضو الكتلة الصدرية في المجلس كاظم الموسوي إن"قرار إقالة الجابري لم يتضمن شروط الإقالة ولا ينسجم مع البنود التي نصّ عليها الدستور وقانون إدارة المحافظات غير المنتظمة في إقليم".
وتابع ان"الكثير من أعضاء المجلس لم يكونوا مقتنعين بالإستجواب ولا بنتائجه،مضيفا ان"قراراً بعودة الجابري يؤكد أن القضاء منصف وعادل وغير منحاز"،حسب قوله.

@IraqiPolitics This is the MoJ "court". Ruling not on website yet. Legal arguments somewhat hazy in most reports, eg http://www.radiodijla.com/cgi-bin/news/news_item.pl?id=2012-03-18%2008:29:31
11h iraqoilforum iraqoilforum ‏ @iraqoilforum

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@reidarvisser @IraqiPolitics fyi, head of council Bazouni was on TV yesterday, confirmed court ruling and said council will appeal it
Reidar Visser Reidar Visser ‏ @reidarvisser

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@iraqoilforum @IraqiPolitics Thanks. Interesting intra-Shiite dimensions to this little affair!
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10h iraqoilforum iraqoilforum ‏ @iraqoilforum

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@reidarvisser It has more to do w Basra politics,was even discussed when Maliki & Shah were in Basr hence the court decision @IraqiPolitics

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