Al-Kharafi said "Democracy is the best possible solution to formulate social and intellectual diversity into a framework of unity, and to convert political diversity into a form of harmony and integration." "It is our national option to achieve stability, progress and development. The national interest requires all of us to ensure that our democratic practice is going on within this framework," he added. "Thus, we can settle our differences as per the constitutional institutional framework and democratic procedures and on the basis of mutual respect. We, further, should be keen on establishing constructive democratic future traditions and norms," he continued. During the third ordinary session of the 13th legislative term, which winds up on Wednesday, the National Assembly (parliament) discussed a total of 117 proposed laws submitted by members of parliament and 42 draft laws referred by the government. Out of this figure, 27 bills were passed by the assembly, thus contributing to resolving several issues, he said. The assembly, further, debated a total of 662 parliamentary queries, 385 of which were answered by cabinet ministers, he said. It also created 22 probe committees, and considered nine interpellations, including four against His Highness the Prime Minister, while the remaining motions were made against the deputy prime minister for economic affairs and minister of state for development and housing, deputy prime minister and foreign minister, minister of oil and minister of information, Al-Kharafi added. This showed a quantum shift in the use of this supervisory tool, which is a means for reform and remedy, rather than a political agenda that could disrupt the relationship between the assembly and the government, he said. But, he regretted that the government had failed to respond to parliamentary questions within the set time or even completely, hoping that this would not recur in the future.
He also urged the government to be tolerant with the use of parliamentary supervisory tools provided that this take place as per constitution. Although Al-Kharafi was proud of his country’s democracy, he regretted that there were some unacceptable exercises and supervisory tools were abused. In this context, he quoted His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as having expressed, in his recent speech, much concern about this situation and its risks to the country’s democratic march. He concluded by wishing that during the next parliamentary session there would be better democratic practices so as to regain the Kuwaiti people’s confidence in the national democratic experiment.
GCC mulls troops withdrawal from Bahrain
Arab News: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states are discussing the possibility of withdrawing troops from Bahrain although no timeline has been decided so far, said a GCC official in Riyadh on Tuesday. "The withdrawal, possibly to begin next week, will be done in consultation with the Gulf countries, mainly with Saudi Arabia and the UAE," said the official on condition of anonymity. The official, who has intimate knowledge of the affairs of Gulf states, was reacting to reports that the Kingdom will withdraw most of its security forces from Bahrain starting on Monday after considering the current situation in the country. The Saudi troops, part of the GCC Peninsula Shield, will be withdrawn starting on Monday, said a Reuters report posted online late Tuesday. The report said that all GCC troops would not leave at once. On the other hand, a Saudi official was quoted by AFP as saying that the Gulf troops are to be redeployed. All troops will not be withdrawn because the danger is not yet over in Bahrain, said the AFP report. About 1,000 Saudi soldiers entered Bahrain to protect government facilities early this year. Another member state, the UAE, backed Bahrain’s efforts to quell the violence in mid-March and sent some 500 police officers to the country, while Kuwait sent a small contingent of naval forces. Referring to the common objective of the Gulf states that have signed an agreement to safeguard
security and stability across the GCC region in a collective manner, the GCC official said that a process of national dialogue will begin in Bahrain on Saturday in a renewed bid to restore peace in the tiny Kingdom. He said that normalcy in Bahrain was badly needed for the sake of revitalizing the economy including trade and tourism. The state of emergency imposed by Bahraini rulers was lifted on June 1. Iran has been involving itself in the affairs of Bahrain and the GCC that eventually led to strained relations between Tehran and the Gulf bloc in recent months. The troops sent by the Kingdom and the UAE within the framework of the common security program and the deployment of Peninsula Shield was approved by all Gulf states at that time. The Arab League also approved sending the troops into Bahrain.
UAE mulls expanding electoral roll
The Peninsula: The United Arab Emirates may consider extending the vote to more of its citizens, a senior official was quoted as saying yesterday, amid protests across the region demanding a greater say in government. The world’s third biggest oil exporter has been spared the kind of protests that rocked some of its neighbours. But it has joined other Gulf Arab states in offering concessions to try to stem the tide of unrest lapping its shores. Earlier this month, the number of Emiratis eligible to vote in a September election for the Federal National Council (FNC) was raised more than ten-fold from fewer than 7,000 to 80,000 – less than a tenth of the state’s estimated 1 million citizens. “The next step might be to have 150,000 voters, and then after that everyone,” Minister of State Anwar Mohammed Gargash was quoted as saying by the Gulf News newspaper, adding there would be no changes before the poll. Analysts say the FNC is largely an advisory council with little power of its own. Turmoil in the Arab world had prompted the UAE to consider the move, Gargash said. Tunisians and Egyptians calling for reform toppled their long-serving presidents earlier this year, while leaders in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Bahrain continue to grapple with opposition to their rule.
call for free polls “Political events in the Arab world showed that political participation might surge ahead suddenly, which calls for a plan to safeguard our country’s security and social and political stability,” Gargash said. In March, a group of UAE intellectuals collected 160 signatures on a petition calling for free and democratic elections in a sign the country is not insulated from regional political currents. One of the activists who signed the petition is now on trial along with four others charged with “insulting the president, vice president and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi” and committing “acts that threaten state security and public order”. The 40-member FNC held its first election in 2006 when about 6,500 people, less than one percent of the UAE’s citizens, elected half of its members. The rest were appointed. The pool of electors is handpicked by the rulers of the seven emirates and can either run for office themselves or vote for others. The electors choose half the FNC’s members while the remainder are directly appointed by the rulers.
5 Oman protesters get short jail terms
Gulf Times: A court in Oman sentenced 55 people to prison terms ranging from one month to one year yesterday for taking part in protests demanding jobs, the public prosecutor said. The Gulf state was rocked by months of protests starting in February, inspired by pro-democracy revolts that toppled long-serving rulers in Egypt and Tunisia. The Omani protests focused on jobs, higher wages and an end to corruption. “The 55 protesters were accused of offences including robbery, unlawful gathering and vandalising government departments in the Jaalan Bani Bu Ali,” the public prosecutor said in a statement, referring to a town in eastern Oman. Most of the sentences ranged from one month to three months in jail, with only one person receiving a year’s sentence, the statement said. The protesters were among hundreds arrested between March and May, when the demonstrations stopped after two people died and more than 100 were injured in clashes with security forces. Most of those detained were later pardoned. The protest by about 100 youths in Jaalan Bani Bu Ali turned violent in May, with demonstrators
chanting “Where are the jobs?” and breaking into businesses and government buildings. A total of 80 people were arrested, but 25 had been released. Sultan Qaboos bin Said promised a $ 2.6bn spending package in April after the protests.
‘Israel, US bases in Gulf within reach of Iran’s missiles’
Arab News: A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander claimed on Tuesday that his country is capable of producing even longer range missiles than the ones it now has but won’t make them because Israel and US bases in the Gulf are already within its reach. The remarks by Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Guard’s Aerospace Force, came as Iran is conducting 10 days of war games, its latest show of military force amid a standoff with the West over the country’s controversial nuclear program. Hajizadeh said the Guard’s arsenal already includes missiles with a range of about 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) — putting Israel, US bases in the Persian Gulf and parts of southeastern and eastern Europe within Iran’s reach. The missiles, he said, were specifically designed for Israeli and US targets. Iran’s known missiles of such range are the Shahab-3 and the Sajjil. Iran considers Israel and United States its top enemies. “There is no threat from any country to us other than the US and the Zionist regime,” Hajizadeh was quoted by the semiofficial Fars news agency. “The range of our missiles has been designed on the basis of the distance to the Zionist regime and the US bases in the Persian Gulf region.” Hajizadeh said Iran “possess the technology” but will not manufacture missiles with a range over 1,250 miles. He gave no details. “We have no intention to produce such missiles.” Western intelligence reports say Iran is seeking to acquire the capability to produce inter-continental missiles with a range of up to 3,750 miles (6,000 kilometers), a claim Iran has denied. Hajizadeh said some US bases in Iraq and Afghanistan are as close as 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Iran’s borders and can easily be hit by Iran in case of an attack. The powerful Guard, which is in charge of Iran’s missile program, kicked off the war games on Monday by unveiling an underground smart missile silos for the first time, claiming that medium- and long-range missiles stored in them are ready to launch if Iran was attacked. The silos are widely viewed as a strategic asset for Iran in the event of a US or Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities.
As part of the exercise, Iran on Tuesday also fired 14 missiles, including Shahab-1, Shahab-2 and Shahab-3 as well as Zelzal missile. Iran remains locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program, which the US and its allies suspect is aimed at developing atomic weapons. Iran rejects the charges, and says the program is only for peaceful purposes.
