Gulf in the News – February 4, 2014

Al Qaradawi’s allegations against UAE false, provocative: GCC chief

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

GCC Secretary-General Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani on Monday strongly condemned accusations levelled by Yousif Al Qaradawi in his Friday sermon on January 24 against the UAE.  Al Zayani slammed the accusations as unacceptable provocation and false allegations that only raise sedition and serve enemies of the Islamic Nation.  Al Zayani, in a statement to Wam, expressed his sorrow for such provocative charges from Al Qaradawi against the UAE, which is always known for its principled, honourable stances and supportive initiatives towards the Islamic causes as well as its assistance for Muslims regardless of their place.

Iraqi forces kill 57 militants in Sunni province

Source: The Peninsula (Read full story)

Iraqi troops and allied tribesmen killed 57 Islamist militants in Anbar province yesterday, the Defence Ministry said, in advance of a possible assault on the Sunni Muslim rebel-held city of Fallujah.  There was no independent verification of the toll among the militants, said to be members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a jihadi group also fighting in the civil war in neighbouring Syria.  ISIL militants and other Sunni groups angered by the Shia-led Baghdad government overran Fallujah and parts of the nearby city of Ramadi in the western province of Anbar on January 1.

Kuwait condemns “terrorist” bombings in Lebanon

Source: Kuwait Times (Read full story)

Kuwait condemned the two “terrorist” bomb attacks that took place in Lebanon Monday and last Saturday killing that injuring a number of people, wishing Lebanon would enjoy security and stability.  The government, in its weekly meeting chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, condemned the “terrorist bombings which took place in Hermel last Saturday and in Choueifat today in Lebanon,” Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said in a statement.

OIC seeks rights debates based on Islamic values

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

One of the major challenges of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is finding ways to enrich global human rights debates with Islamic values and principles, said Iyad Madani, the newly appointed OIC secretary-general.  In a statement issued at the fourth session of the OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC), on Sunday here, Madani said that current international human rights laws are based on Western values.

Yemeni PM lauds Kuwait”s firm support

Source: Kuwait Times (Read full story)

During his meeting with Director General of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) Abdulwahab Al-Bader, [Yemeni Prime Minister Mohammad Salem] Basendwa said the two countries maintained “sisterly ties and mutual support over the last decades.” He welcomed the agreement signed earlier today by Al-Bader and Yemeni Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Mohammad Al-Saadi by virtue of which the Fund will offer USD 60 million to the project to construct community colleges in 12 Yemeni governorates.

Kingdom biggest loan provider for industrial projects in GCC

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

The Saudi governmental financial institutions provided 92 loans worth $1.51 billion (SR5.66 billion), or 92.3 percent of the total values of loans in the GCC countries, the report said.  The number of government-supported loans in the GCC countries stood at 133 valued $1.64 billion (SR6.15 billion) by the end of 2012, the Riyadh-based GCC secretariat general said.