Secretary of State Kerry Set for Saudi Arabia Visit
Source: SUSRIS (Read full story)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will embark on his first trip abroad as America’s top diplomat on a wide-ranging itinerary to Europe and the Middle East for 11 days starting Sunday, February 23rd. The trip will include a visit to Saudi Arabia where he will have discussions with Saudi leaders and meet with GCC foreign ministers. Kerry was sworn in as the 68th Secretary of State following the departure of Hillary Clinton who completed four years in the post. He resigned his seat in the U.S. Senate, where he served 28 years, and as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to accept the appointment by President Barack Obama.
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What We Face
Source: Gulf Daily News (Read full story)
Police last night revealed details of a terror plot to attack highly sensitive civil and military sites and target public figures. Members of this terror cell were trained in arms, explosives, collecting data and recruiting militias. Eight Bahraini suspects were arrested on January 24 this year in this connection but a hunt is going on for four others, revealed Public Security chief Major General Tariq Al Hassan during a Press conference at the Officers’ Club in Gudaibiya.
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Securing the Gulf: Key Threats and Options for Enhanced Cooperation
Source: CSIS (Read full story)
The US and its Arab Gulf allies face the steadily increasing threat that some form of conflict may occur with Iran in the coming years, and accordingly, they must develop the most effective possible deterrent to Iran’s military ambitions. The Arab Gulf states are already making major progress in developing suitable deterrent and war fighting capabilities which offer the best hope of pushing Iran into meaningful negotiations, as well as containing it any conflict if it begins.
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Grillings delayed till next term amid protests – Court reinstates pro-opposition Al-Youm channel
Source: Kuwait Times (Read full story)
The National Assembly yesterday approved with a comfortable majority a government request to postpone the debate of two grilling of the ministers of communications and interior until the next term starting late October as the prime minister praised the decision as “wise”. Shiite MPs Hussein Al-Qallaf and Faisal Al-Duwaisan, who filed the two grillings respectively, strongly protested against the government request and later against the Assembly’s decision, accusing MPs of being tools in the hands of the government.
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Disabled awaiting implementation of improved rights
Source: Saudi Gazette (Read full story)
A number of disabled people have claimed that government decisions to improve their rights that were issued years ago have still not been implemented. They said they were dissatisfied that a body that could monitor the implementation of decisions had not been set up, adding that they still struggle to find suitable job environments, adequate transportation and social acceptance. Abdul Fatah Saleh, a disabled man, believed that the lack of penalties for any person or company who failed to implement the directives was the main reason why handicapped people are not benefiting yet.
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PM urges ‘strong resolution’ by Security Council on Syria
Source: Gulf Time (Read full story)
HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani, the chairman of the Arab Ministerial Committee on Syria, has said Monday’s European Union decision taken to amend the arms embargo to allow “non-lethal” aid and “technical assistance” to flow to the Syrians is “inapposite”. Responding to a question about the impact of the EU decision and the international inaction on the crisis in Syria, the Prime Minister told Al Jazeera that the Syrian people were paying the price, pointing to the fact that while the number of people killed as a result of the crisis continued to rise, the Syrian government was refusing to change its approach.
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