Two Kuwait Senior Ministers Resign After Clash With Parliament
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Good day from REEDNEWSARABWORLD for Thursday, February 17, 2022!
Kuwait has the only elected parliament among Gulf states, and that's where the trouble begins for the government. Now two senior cabinet members including a deputy prime minister are quitting, one because he is frustrated by sharp questioning from parliament, something the lawmakers are allowed to do, but can do in excess. Parliament also regularly calls for votes of no confidence in several ministers, including the defense minister who resigned after surviving a vote. The questioning sessions had become arbitrary and abusive and hurt the government's work, Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah said.
The ministers who quit are members of the royal family that rules Kuwait, and their government was only formed in December, the third last year and the fourth in 18 months as divisions continued between parliament and the government.
Turkey’s president is back in Ankara after a successful visit to the United Arab Emirates and now plans a visit to Saudi Arabia. And senior Turkish officials are going to Israel to h arrange a visit to Turkey this month by Israel's president, Isaac Herzog. The leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon says they're producing drones and ready to sell to anyone, and the governor of Lebanon's central bank was working in his office when subpoena-servers couldn't find him.
Egypt is lengthening the Suez Canal, and there's news about how much Saudi Arabia owns in U.S. Treasury bonds (multi-billions), how Iraq and its Kurdish minority dispute who owns the oil, how the U.S. is pressing Saudi Arabia to help lower gas prices, without much success, and More.
Two senior members of Kuwait's cabinet have quit, with the defense minister saying he was tired of being abused by parliamentary questioning. Defense Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Mansour Al-Sabah are both members of the ruling Al-Sabah family, and the defense minister had survived a no-confidence vote by Kuwait's parliament in January.
The defense minister, who was also deputy prime minister, said he was resigning because of "arbitrary" questioning by parliament, which he said impeded the government's work. The interior minister had not been questioned by parliament. Kuwait's parliament is elected, has a diverse membership including a vocal opposition, has the right to question ministers, and has been in almost continual conflict with the government, represented by a prime minister and 23 cabinet members.
Opposition members of parliament recently filed motions for no-confidence votes against a number of ministers, including Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, who survived a vote just last week.
Associated Press, Kuwaiti cabinet ministers submit resignations amid tension.
Reuters, Kuwait's defence and interior ministers submit resignations - local media.
Alarabiya, Kuwait's defense, interior ministers resign over 'abuse of interrogations.'
Kuwait's emir accepted the resignations of the ministers of defense and interior. The two ministers, both members of the Al-Sabah ruling family, had submitted their resignations in protest against recent questioning of ministers in parliament. The Emiri decree appointed Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah as caretaker defense minister and Oil Minister Mohammad Al-Fares as caretaker interior minister.
Reuters, Kuwait's emir accepts resignations of defence, interior ministers.
Turkey's president wants to advance his relationship with Saudi Arabia after mending ties with the United Arab Emirates. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was on his plane home to Ankara, fresh from a successful trip to the UAE, when he called for continuing "our positive dialogue with Saudi Arabia." He said Turkey is waiting for "progress through tangible steps," without giving specifics.
Erdogan has said he expects to visit Saudi Arabia this month, but no official statements or dates have come from either country. Asked earlier about a trip, he said:
"He is expecting me in February. He made a promise, and I will make my visit to Saudi Arabia in February." Erdogan did not say who in Saud Arabia had promised him, but presumably it was either King Salman or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Relationships between Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been strained since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Reuters, Erdogan says Turkey continuing 'positive dialogue' with Saudi Arabia - media.
Alarabiya, Turkey's Erdogan says dialogue with Saudi Arabia continues as Ankara expects progress.
The Biden administration has sent two senior advisers to Saudi Arabia in an effort to stabilize gas prices in the United States. Brett McGurk, Middle East coordinator at the National Security Council, and Amos Hochstein, the State Department's energy adviser, were in Riyadh to discuss with Saudi officials how to contain soaring gas prices amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Saudi Arabia has been resisting any changes in its oil production, staying aligned with the OPEC+ program for smaller, gradual monthly increases. The trip by McGurk and Hochstein follows a phone call between Biden and Saudi King Salman, in which they discussed "ensuring the stability of global energy supplies."
CNN, Biden officials dispatched to Saudi Arabia to discuss energy concerns amid Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Saudi officials say they won't pump more crude oil to ease gas prices, despite U.S. calls for more production. Saudi Arabia is facing a dilemma, whether to help the West by pumping more crude oil and taming the market, or stand by the OPEC+ program, which includes Russia, for small monthly adjustments in production. With world oil prices approaching $100 a barrel, and gas prices subsequently continuing to rise, Saudi Arabia so far is sticking with the OPEC+ production levels.
Mint/Wall Street Journal, As oil nears $100, Saudis snub US, stick to Russian pact amid Ukraine crisis.
Lebanon's central bank governor, Riad Salameh, being sought to answer a court subpoena, has been working normally in his office and isn't missing or on the run, sources say. Security services said they unsuccessfully sought him for a court hearing over alleged financial misconduct, but Salameh was reported to be staying at an apartment in the central bank building and chairing a meeting at the bank. Judge Ghada Aoun issued an open-ended subpoena for Salameh after he failed to attend court hearings. She also has banned him from travel. Salameh has denied all allegations against him.
Reuters, Lebanon cenbank governor working from office despite legal pressure: sources.
An investigative judge in Lebanon is suing the country's police chief, accusing him of preventing security forces from delivering Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh to her court. The unusual move by Judge Ghada Aoun came a day after she said a police force had prevented members of State Security, an intelligence agency, to bring Salameh from his home for questioning.
Judge Aoun said she had sent a formal letter to Maj. Gen. Imad Osman, chief of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, asking him for an explanation of the incident. The division between Internal Security and State Security mirrors the rivalry between Lebanese politicians. Gen. Osman is considered close to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and President Michael Aoun backs the head of State Security. Judge Aoun has also been reported to be close to President Aoun; they are both from the same family but are not related.
Associated Press, Lebanese judge sues police chief over central bank governor.
The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said Hezbollah has been producing drones and is capable of making precision missiles. "We have been producing drones in Lebanon for a long time and whoever wants to buy them, submit an order," he said. Nasrallah also claimed Hezbollah has the capability of transforming thousands of standard rockets into precision missiles with the cooperation of "experts from the Islamic Republic of Iran.".
Reuters, Hezbollah can turn rockets into precision missiles, make drones - Nasrallah.
Associated Press, Hezbollah chief boasts of drones, precision-guided missiles.
Al Arabiya, Hezbollah has started producing drones, can create precision missiles: Nasrallah.
Lebanon's interior minister criticized Hezbollah for hosting an anti-Bahrain event. Bahrain had designated Al Wefaq as a sponsor of terrorism, and Lebanon's government had sought to prevent a meeting by the group in Beirut. A hotel complied and turned the group down, but Hezbollah, which owns a suburban theater, hosted Al Wefaq at the theater. The interior minister had banned the meeting, and the political party Lebanese Forces issued a statement:: "How is it in the Lebanese people's interest for such an event to be hosted in spite of the will of the state?"
Asharq Al-Awsat, Lebanon's interior minister slams Hezbollah for hosting event offensive to Bahrain.
Saudi Arabia has $119 billion of U.S. Treasuries. The holdings include long-term bonds worth $100.5 billion, representing 84% of the total, and short-term bonds worth $18.5 billion. The U.S. Treasury Department released the data, which showed the holdings as of December 2021.
Argaam, Saudi holdings of US Treasuries up to $119 bln in December 2021.
The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is working with Saudi Arabia and Egypt to help the countries develop nuclear power. IAEA head Rafael Grossi made the announcement at a conference in Saudi Arabia, saying the organization will help the Arab countries with infrastructure for a nuclear power program. Saudi Arabia has large reserves of uranium ore that it plans to use to generate power.
Reuters, IAEA says it is helping Egypt and Saudi Arabia with nuclear power.
Arab News, IAEA helping Saudi Arabia to develop nuclear power, says its chief.
Iraq's Kurds say they won't let Baghdad control their oil, defying a Supreme Court order. The Kurdistan Regional Government condemned the court ruling as "unjust" and said it "violates the rights and constitutional authorities of the Kurdistan region."
"The Kurdistan Regional Government will not forfeit the rights of the Kurdistan region as codified in the Iraqi constitution," a statement said. The court ruled that all Kurdistan contracts with oil companies were invalid, including agreements on exploration, extraction, exports, and sales.
Middle East Eye, Iraq: Kurds denounce 'unjust' oil and gas ruling as energy feud escalates.
A surprise oil ruling by Iraq's Supreme Court is threatening to drive a wedge between the Iraqi government and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
The court ruled that Kurdistan must turn over all its oil to the central government in Baghdad, and the Kurdistan president, Nechirvan Barzani, said the ruling will "further exacerbate" disputes on oil and gas issues, and that the decision comes in a "turbulent political period" as Iraqi efforts to form a new government have stalled.
Associated Press, Surprise ruling threatens wedge between Iraq, Kurdish govts.
An Iraqi commission says nearly 12,000 officials were involved in corrupt deals, including 54 ministers. The country's Integrity Commission announced that 11,605 officials were investigated last year and 15.290 charges brought against them, but that conviction rates typically ran low. Only 632 people were convicted in corruption cases in 2021.
The National, Iraq government watchdog says nearly 12,000 officials involved in corruption.
Nearly a third of United Nations aid programs in Yemen have closed or are cutting back. The UN's aid chief, Martin Griffith, said the humanitarian operation in Yemen is "about to start doing a lot less." He said aid agencies are running out of money, forcing them to slash programs. In 2021, the UN received only 58% of the funds the organization had requested from donor countries for help in Yemen.
Reuters, Yemen aid cuts to deepen as funds dry up, U.N. warns.
Iran's President Ibrahim Raisi will visit Qatar Thursday. Raisi will attend a gas forum in Doha. Qatar and Iran are joint holders of the South Pars gas field, the world's largest, and Iran has invested about $150 billion in the field.
Financial Tribune, Raisi to visit Qatar Thursday.
Israel has confirmed that President Isaac Herzog will travel to Turkey for a visit on March 9 and 10. Senior Turkish officials will go to Israel soon to plan the visit. Turkey is currently battered by an economic crisis, and it is seeking investments from friendly countries. The Turkish relationship with Israel, however, has undergone strains.
Israel continues to be concerned by Turkey's support of Hamas, the militant Palestinian organization that controls the Gaza Strip, and Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel when the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem.
Reuters, Turkey sending senior officials to Israel ahead of Herzog visit.
Times of Israel, Israel confirms Herzog to visit Turkey as relations thaw.
Turkey is experiencing an unusual number of strikes because worker pay hasn't kept up with wage increases for civil servants and retirees. The country's currency lost 40 percent of its value against the United States dollar in 2021, following central bank interest cuts that were championed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Union organizers say as long as workers' wages fall behind inflation, they won't back down from calling a series of strike actions.
Al Jazeera, As Turkey's inflation rate climbs, workers strike for pay hikes.
The United Nations special envoy for Syria said he expects talks on constitutional reforms to resume next month. Geir Pedersen met with Syrian officials, including Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, and said that he is "more optimistic that it will be possible to convene the seventh round of the drafting body of the constitutional committee." Talks were last held in Geneva in October, and Syria refused to negotiate on revisions to the constitution.
Associated Press, UN envoy says Syria constitutional talks to resume.
A Berlin-based group has investigated the bombing of a water pumping station in Syria, and Russian planes are suspected to be behind the strikes. Russian forces in Syria support the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, and the attack took place in January near the last enclave of opposition fighters in Idlib province. "It's more than an attack," said Haneen, project manager for the Syrian Archive in Berlin. "It has a significant negative impact on the possibility of life in such an area.” The manager gave only her first name, Haneen, saying she did not give her full name for security reasons.
Deutsche Welle, Russian strikes on farms in Syria could be war crimes: report.
Egypt is adding 10 kilometers to the Suez Canal, lengthening its route for two-way traffic. Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie said it would be too expensive to lengthen the entire waterway, which links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, but that the two-way section would be lengthened to 85 kilometers, about 53 miles.
Reuters, Egypt lengthening two-way portion of Suez Canal by 10 kilometres.
MORE: Russia sends hypersonic-armed fighter jets to Syria for naval drills - report, Reuters... Israeli energy ministry okays gas flow to Egypt through Jordan, Reuters... Egypt breaks LNG export records with eye on Europe, Al-Monitor... Egypt's economy grew 8.3% in Q2,full fiscal year GDP seen above 6% - PM, Reuters... Russian defence minister meets Syria's Assad for talks, Al Jazeera... Pakistan, Iran to form joint working group on border issues, Al Jazeera... India-UAE deal on Friday to double bilateral trade to $100 billion, Business Standard.
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