GCC welcomes transfer of Kuwaiti prisoners’ file

Source: Kuwait Times (Read full story)

GCC foreign ministers welcomed UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2107 which referred the file of missing Kuwaiti and thirdcountry nationals and Kuwaiti properties under UNAMI’s responsibility. Resolution 2107, adopted on July 24, extended mandate of UN Assistance Mission for Iraq until July 31 2014, “acknowledging” its responsibility in future to handle the missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and the Kuwaiti property, mainly the national archive. This change formally transferred the two Kuwait files to UNAMI, under Chapter VI, instead of Chapter VII, and put an end to the post of the High-Level Coordinator which was created in 1999. The UNSC resolution is the “fruit of positive development of relations between the State of Kuwait and Iraq, and the exchange of visits between officials of the two countries, and the outcome of these visits of the signing of important agreements over bilateral issues and international obligations,” the foreign ministers said in a statement following their one-day meeting.

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Gulf ministers to weigh measures against Syria

Source: Gulf News (Read full story)

The GCC supports taking international measures ‘to deter the Syrian regime’.  Foreign ministers of the Gulf states will meet on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss measures against Syria, as Washington drums up support for its plan to strike Damascus, a diplomat said. Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council “support taking international measures to deter the Syrian regime”, the diplomat told AFP on Monday. The ministers will meet in Saudi Arabia’s western port city of Jeddah. The GCC, which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has openly voiced support for the rebellion against President Bashar Al Assad.

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GCC to weigh measures against Syria

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

Foreign ministers of the Gulf countries will meet on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss measures against Syria, as Washington drums up support for its plan to strike Damascus, a diplomat said.  Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council “support taking international measures to deter the Syrian regime,” the diplomat told AFP on Monday. The ministers will meet in Saudi’s western port city of Jeddah. The GCC, which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has openly voiced support for the rebellion against President Bashar Al Assad.  On Saturday, GCC chief Abdullatif Al Zayani urged the international community to intervene immediately to “rescue” the Syrian people from their government’s “oppression”.

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Bahrain opposition boycotts national dialogue session

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

Bahrain’s opposition has boycotted a National Consensus Dialogue session in protest against restrictions imposed on political societies to hold meetings with diplomatic missions in Bahrain. Bahrain’s Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry issued an order on Tuesday that all requests of political societies to interact with foreign organisations or diplomatic missions should be done in coordination with the ministry. According to the new rule, the ministry’s Political Societies’ Affairs Office will receive requests from societies and will refer them to the foreign ministry for required procedures. The order also states that foreign ministry’s representatives have the right to attend meetings between political societies and foreign organisations.

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Obama battles to overcome G20 splits on Syria strike

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

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With pressure mounting on the G20 to make concrete progress towards ending the conflict, the United Nations announced that its special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was on his way to attend the summit to push for peace talks. The UN’s desperate bid for peace talks came after Obama cleared the first hurdle in his race to win domestic congressional backing for punitive strikes over the alleged use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Al Assad’s regime. He is also seeking broader international support. On the eve of the summit, Russian President Putin bluntly warned the West that any military action without UN Security Council approval would be an “aggression” and once again demanded watertight proof of chemical weapons use

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UAE moves into top 20 of world’s most productive global economies

Source: The National (Read full story)

The UAE has moved into the ranks of the 20 most productive global economies for the first time, according to the World Economic Forum (Wef). The Wef’s latest “Global Competitiveness Report” – its annual survey of the most efficient and dynamic economies – puts the UAE at 19th, up five places from last year. For the fifth consecutive year, Switzerland was ranked the most competitive economy in the world, ahead of Singapore, Finland and Germany. The United States regained its top-five status, while the highest-ranked Middle East country was Qatar, at 13th. The Wef, best-known for the annual congress of business and political leaders held at Davos, said: “The UAE’s competitiveness reflects the high quality of its infrastructure, as well as its highly efficient goods markets. Strong macroeconomic stability and some positive aspects of the country’s institutions – such as strong public trust in politicians and high government efficiency – round up the list of competitive advantages.”

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Kuwait calls on UN to end Syria bloodshed – Use of chemical weapons in Syria deplored

Source: Kuwait Times (Read full story)

Kuwait called on the UN and the international community to shoulder their responsibilities to end the bloodshed in Syria and prevent the usage of chemical weapons there. Speaking after the cabinet’s meeting, chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of Health Sheikh Mohammed Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said that a briefing on the Arab Foreign Ministers meeting with regards to Syria was provided by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said that the meeting in Cairo on Sunday focused on the use of chemical weapons in Syria which led to the death of hundreds of innocent civilians, said Sheikh Mohammed Al-Abdullah.

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Gulf markets plunge overstates Syria risk

Source: Gulf Times (Read full story)

Gulf economies are not as vulnerable to the effects of a widening of the conflict in Syria as steep falls in their stock markets this week suggest.  Rising tension over a potential US-led military attack against Damascus over a chemical weapons attack last week triggered a 7% plunge in Dubai’s stock market on Tuesday, its biggest one-day fall since the emirate’s corporate debt crisis of 2009; the market fell a further 1.3% on Wednesday.  Saudi Arabia’s share market, the Arab world’s biggest, is down 5.4% this week. Its drop on Tuesday was the largest since late 2011.  But it is not clear that any expansion of the Syrian conflict would have much impact on the six economies of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). Gulf States have strengthened their finances and made contingency plans since a dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme flared up three years ago.

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