Qatar: Israel must be punished for aggression
Source: Arab News (Read full story)
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Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani warned that Israel’s deadly raids on the Gaza Strip must not go unpunished, state news agency QNA reported yesterday.
“This vicious attack must not pass unpunished,” QNA quoted the premier as saying at a meeting of GCC nations and Russia.
“The UN Security Council must take up its responsibility to secure peace and security in the world,” he said, adding the latest escalation of violence in Gaza is likely to “promote extremism.”
“We reject extremism and terrorism but such irresponsible and unjustified attacks must be condemned by the world,” he said.…
Saudi Aramco Opens Head Office in Beijing
Source: Fox Business (Read full story)
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The new offices will provide crude oil and chemicals marketing services, joint venture coordination, procurement, inspection, research and development, project management, human resources development and communications in the region, according to the press release.
Aramco already has two joint ventures in China with China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (SNP), or Sinopec Group, and ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM). It holds a 22.5% stake in retail oil products distributor Sinopec SenMei Petroleum Company, and a 25% stake in the Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Company, which operates a 240,000 barrel-per-day refinery. The province of Fuji also has a 25% stake in the operation.
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Gulf states, Russia differ on solution to Syrian crisis
Source: Arab News (Read full story)
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Both the Russian and the Bahrain foreign ministers have condemned the escalation in Gaza where an Israeli airstrike killed Hamas military chief Ahmed Jaabari.
Lavrov arrived in Riyadh for talks with his Arab counterparts in the Gulf on Wednesday to try to narrow down differences on the conflict in Syria. He said differences between Russia and the Gulf states on Syria shouldn’t influence trade and investment relations between the two. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani said no breakthrough was made in the talks. “We have spoken at length on the situation in Syria and how to find solutions,” Sheikh Hamad told journalists after the talks. “We have a point of view and our friends in Russia have a point of view and they did not converge.”…
Kuwait backs Palestinian reforms with $50m grant
Source: Kuwait Times (Read full story)
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Kuwait and the World Bank signed on Wednesday a $50 million grant agreement to support the ongoing Palestinian Reform and Development Program (PRDP). The agreement was signed by Kuwait’s Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa regio, Inger Andersen. World Bank Executive Director and Dean of the Executive Board Merza Hasan witnessed the signing.This amount is in addition to the $180 million that Kuwait provided to the PRDP World Bankadministered multi-donor trust fund since 2008. In remarks to KUNA, Sheikh Salem reiterated Kuwait’s steadfast and continued support for the Palestinian cause, affirming that Kuwait’s support for the Palestinian people will remain steadfast as it is a main issue for the Kuwaiti leadership and people.
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