HIS-KUWAIT-YEARENDER Major political events in Kuwait during 2008
By Lubna Maarafi
KUWAIT, Dec 23 (KUNA) -- Kuwait saw many developments and events during 2008, including the filing of two interpellation motions and the cabinet resignation twice, parliamentary elections, the passing away Father Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.
The following are some of the major events that occurred locally this year: H.H. the Amir ============.
-- March 29-30: H.H. the Amir heads Kuwait's delegation to the 20th Arab Summit in Damascus, Syria. In his speech, he calls for tackling all issues affecting Arab solidarity and proposes holding an Arab economic summit.
-- March 30-April 5: H.H. the Amir visits Turkey and holds talks with President Abdullah Gul. Bilateral agreements in the political, economic, environmental and industrial fields are signed.
-- April 5: H.H. the Amir visits Saudi Arabia and holds talks with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz that focus on means to boost bilateral ties, as well as regional and Arab issues of mutual concern.
-- April 29: H.H. the Amir inaugurates the Fourth World Islamic Economic Forum.
-- May 20: H.H. the Amir heads Kuwait's delegation to the 10th Consultative Meeting of GCC Leaders in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
-- July 21-22: H.H. the Amir visits Uzbekistan. Bilateral agreements are signed in the fields of economy, health, education, cultural, art and tourism.
-- Oct 21: H.H. the Amir inaugurates the second session of the parliament's 12th legislative term. He calls in his speech for the development and investment of human resources.
-- Nov 8: H.H. the Amir heads to New York to participate in the High-Level UN General Assembly Meeting on Inter-Faith Dialogue.
Demise of the Father Amir ========================.
-- May 13: Kuwait loses its Father Amir, Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, who passes away at the age of 78. A three-day mourning is declared and flags are flown at half-mast.
Sheikh Saad was born in 1930 and was educated at Al-Mubarakiya school. He was appointed in the General Police Department in 1949, and was sent to the UK to study police sciences. He returned in 1954 as a graduate officer upon which he was appointed deputy head of the Police Directorate. He remained in that post until 1959 when and was appointed Deputy Chief of Police and Public Security.
He became Kuwait's first Minister of Interior in 1962, and was appointed Defense Minister in 1964. He was nominated as Crown Prince on January 31, 1978. And on February 8, 1978, an Amiri decree was issued appointing him as Prime Minister.
On February 16, 1978, he was charged with forming the tenth government in the history of Kuwait.
During the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the late Sheikh Saad worked hard to fend for the interests of citizens and residents in Kuwait and declared a government guarantee for all bank deposits and savings, in addition to its obligation to pay the salaries of all employees in the government sector retroactively. He also ordered payment of indemnities to reward all expatriates who have left the country.
Sheikh Saad also played a large role in the reconstruction of the country following the liberation of Kuwait in 1991.
H.H. the Crown Prince ====================.
-- Feb 17: H.H. the Crown Prince represents H.H. the Amir at the inauguration of the "Education: Path to Development" conference and calls in his speech for using modern educational tools in order to invest in Kuwait's youth.
-- March 2: H.H. the Crown Prince represents H.H. the Amir at the inauguration of the Euro-Asian Hetro-Cyclic Chemistry Conference.
-- Nov 22: H.H. the Crown Prince heads to Qatar to attend the inauguration of the Islamic Arts Museum on behalf of H.H. the Amir.
H.H. the Prime Minister ======================.
-- Feb 11-14: H.H. the Prime Minister embarks on an Arab tour that sees him in Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
-- April 29: H.H. the Prime Minister delivers a speech at the Fourth World Islamic Economic Forum in which he reaffirms that the fundamental developments in global economy required a revision of international economic relations in order to accommodate growth of free markets.
-- May 18: H.H. the Prime Minister represents H.H. the Amir at the Economic Conference for the Middle East and North Africa, held in Sharm El-Sheikh resort in Egypt.
-- May 27: H.H. the Prime Minister is granted the medal of highest honor by Spain's King Juan I in appreciation for his role in boosting bilateral relations.
-- June 1: H.H. the Prime Minister delivers a speech at the inauguration of the first session of the parliament's 12th legislative term in which he calls for resolving issues that hindered cooperation between the legislative and executive branches of the authority.
-- July 24-Aug 14: H.H. the Prime Minister embarks on an Asian tour that sees him in Brunei, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines.
-- Sept 14: H.H. the Prime Minister heads to Washington to hold official talks with US President George W. Bush.
-- Sept 26: H.H. the Prime Minister delivers a speech at the UN General Assembly's 63rd session in which he underscores the importance of consolidating efforts to face the hike in prices of food and oil.
-- Oct 21: In a speech at the inauguration of the second session of the parliament's 12th legislative term, H.H. the Prime Minister calls for cooperation between the government and parliament.
-- Nov 11: H.H. the Prime Minister delivers a speech at the National Dialogue Conference, organized by Kuwait Transparency Society, in which he said that Kuwait's development was based on its constitution.
-- Nov 17: H.H. the Prime Minister inaugurates the Third Conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption.
Cabinet formation ================.
-- May 19: H.H. the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and his cabinet tender their resignation.
-- May 20: H.H. Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah is re-appointed as Prime Minister and tasked to form a new cabinet.
-- May 28: The 25th cabinet in Kuwait's history is formed, comprising 15 members of which seven were new faces, and including two female members. This is the fourth government headed by H.H. Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
-- Nov 25: The cabinet tenders its resignation to H.H. the Amir, who postpones looking into it.
-- Dec 14: H.H. the Amir accepts the resignation of the government.
-- Dec 17: H.H. the Amir re-appoints H.H. Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and tasks him with forming a new government
Foreign policy =============.
-- Jan 4: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah heads Kuwait's delegation to the emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, which discusses the situations in Lebanon and Palestine.
-- Jan 15: The foreign minister heads to Tehran where he holds talks on economic cooperation with Iran and the Gulf state's desire to obtain gas from the Persian state.
-- Jan 26: The foreign minister heads to Cairo to participate in the meeting of Arab foreign ministers on developments in Lebanon.
-- Feb 2: The foreign minister heads to Bahrain to take part in the Joint Higher Committee meeting. Bilateral relations are discussed and economic agreements are signed.
-- Feb 16: The foreign minister embarks on a tour that takes him to the Comoros, South Africa and Argentina, where he takes part in the meeting of Arab and South American foreign ministers. He also visits Morocco and Tunisia.
-- March 1: The foreign minister takes part in the 106th meeting of GCC foreign ministers in Riyadh.
-- March 4: The foreign minister takes part in the 129th meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo.
-- March 13: The foreign minister delivers a speech on behalf of H.H. the Amir at the inauguration of the 11th Islamic Summit in Dakar, Senegal, in which he reiterates Kuwait's commitment to supporting the Organization of the Islamic Conference and its affiliate organizations.
-- March 30: Kuwait signs eight agreements with Turkey during a visit by H.
H. the Amir. The agreements include cooperation between the two governments, exchange of labor, an MoU on environmental preservation, economic cooperation, an MoU on industrial exports, customs cooperation, cooperation in science and technology, and an MoU for technical cooperation.
-- April 20: Kuwait signs several agreements with Algeria on the sidelines of a visit by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The agreements include an MoU for cooperation between the two foreign ministries, an MoU for training and vocational education, cultural cooperation in 2008-2010, media cooperation, economic and technical cooperation, and prevention of double taxation and tax evasion.
-- April 20: The foreign minister participates in the 6+2+1 meeting of foreign ministers in Manama, to discuss the Middle East peace process and developments in Lebanon and Iraq.
-- April 22: Kuwait hosts the third expanded meeting of countries neighboring Iraq in which H.H. the Prime Minister expresses his country's keenness for Iraq's security and stability.
-- April 30: Kuwait demands that Israel immediately joins the Non-Proliferation Treaty, during a speech at the conference held in Geneva for revision the NPT.
-- May 26: Kuwait and Spain sign a number of agreements during a visit to Kuwait by King Juan I, including deliberation between the foreign ministries, cooperation in tourism, preventing double taxation and tax evasion, as we3ll as cooperation in the cultural, educational and scientific fields.
-- May 26: The foreign minister participates in the 19th meeting of GCC and EU foreign ministers held in Brussels.
-- May 27: The foreign minister visits Austria, where he discusses bilateral relations and Middle Eastern issues.
-- June 4: The fourth meeting of the Higher Kuwaiti-Omani Committee is held in Kuwait.
-- June 8: Kuwait and Benin sign several agreements on the sidelines of a visit by President Thomas Yayi Boni.
-- June 9: The foreign minister embarks on a tour to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, where he takes part in the meeting of GCC foreign ministers in Jeddah.
-- June 16: Kuwait and Central Africa sign several agreements, including deliberations between the two foreign ministries, as well as economic and technical cooperation.
-- June 17: The Foreign Ministry declares the establishment of direct relations between Kuwait and Liechtenstein.
-- June 21: Kuwait and Uzbekistan sign several agreements on the sidelines of a visit by H.H. the Amir.
-- June 24: Kuwait signs a protocol agreement with Laos for establishing diplomatic relations.
-- June 29: The foreign minister participates in the 15th meeting of foreign ministers of the member states of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in Tehran.
-- Sept 2: The foreign minister takes part in the 108th meeting of GCC foreign ministers in Jeddah.
-- Sept 7: The foreign minister takes part in the 130th meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo.
-- Sept 19: Kuwait expresses deep concern over the violation of the rights of Palestinians, at a meeting of the Human Rights Commission.
-- Sept 16: Lieutenant General Ali Al-Momen (ret.) takes the constitutional oath after being appointed as Kuwait's ambassador to Iraq.
-- Oct 18-19: The foreign minister takes part in the Fifth Forum for the Future in Abu Dhabi.
-- Nov 4: Kuwait and Singapore sign several agreements, including one to set up a joint committee, an MoU for open skies, and another for e-government cooperation.
-- Nov 10: Kuwait makes a one million dollar donation at a UN conference for volunteered donations.
-- Dec 4: Kuwait and Cambodia sign an agreement for opening diplomatic missions.
-- Dec 6: Kuwait denounces piracy and all acts of terrorism.
-- Dec 10: Kuwait announces the donation of one million dollars to the UN Refugee Agency.
National Assembly ================.
-- Jan 9: The parliament approves a draft law for transforming Kuwait Airways Corporation into a shareholding company.
-- Jan 9: The parliament approves the establishment of companies for warehousing activities at the borders.
-- Jan 22: The parliament refuses to lift immunity from MPs Dr. Nasser Al-Sanae and Musallam Al-Barrak over press offenses.
-- Jan 22: The parliament denounces Israeli violations against Palestinians in the occupied territories, especially in Gaza Strip.
-- Jan 24: The parliament approves a law on regulating open land for housing care purposes.
-- March 4: Speaker adjourns parliament session for lack of quorum, in protest of a law for a KD 50 pay raise.
-- March 19: H.H. the Amir dissolves the parliament.
-- April 9: H.H. the Amir calls for holding parliamentary elections.
-- May 1: A decree is issued redrawing constituencies from 25 to five, with ten seats for each of the districts.
-- May 17: Eligible Kuwaiti voters head to polling stations to elect representatives for the parliament's 12th legislative term.
-- May 19: H.H. the Amir calls for the adjourning of parliament on June 1.
-- June 1: H.H. the Amir inaugurates the first session of the parliament's 12th legislative term. Jassem Al-Kharafi is elected speaker and Fahad Al-Mae as his deputy.
-- June 17: The parliament denounces the US accusations of the Islamic Heritage Revival Society, saying that Kuwait's charitable organizations do not support terrorism or extremism.
-- June 24: The parliament approves a KD 50 pay raise for citizens with salaries below KD 1000.
-- June 26: The parliament concludes the first session of its 12th legislative term.
-- Sept 8: An extraordinary parliament session is called for on Sept 10 to discuss the issue of expatriate labor.
-- Sept 10: The parliament issues a statement supporting all efforts to break the siege on Gaza Strip.
-- Sept 17: The Constitutional Court ruling annuls the membership of Mubarak Al-Walaan and Abdullah Al-Ajmi in the parliament, and considers Askar Al-Enizi and Saadoun Hammad as the rightful holders of the parliament seats.
-- Oct 21: H.H. the Amir inaugurates the second session of the parliament's 12th legislative term, and MPs Askar Al-Enizi and Saadoun Hammad take the constitutional oath.
-- Oct 29: The parliament approves a draft law for guaranteeing funds in local banks.
-- Nov 17-19: Kuwait hosts the Third Conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption.
Interpellations ==============.
-- Jan 8: The parliament deliberates an interpellation motion filed by MP Saad Al-Shuraiya to the Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Nouriya Al-Subeeh.
-- Jan 22: The parliament reinstates confidence in the education minister after a vote of 27 for and 19 against, with two abstaining.
-- Nov 18: MPs Waleed Al-Tabtabaie, Abdullah Al-Barghash and Mohammad Hayef Al-Mutairi file an interpellation motion against H.H. the Prime Minister -- Nov 25: The cabinet resigns, and H.H. the Amir accepts the resignation on December 14, thereby dropping the interpellation.
Parliamentary conferences ========================.
-- Jan 26: Speaker tales part in the fifth conference of parliaments of member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, held in Cairo.
-- Jan 30: The parliament discusses the challenges facing Palestinians and calls on the international community to take immediate action to halt Israeli aggression in the Palestinian territories.
-- Feb 16: A parliamentary delegation visits Jordan.
-- Feb 24: A parliamentary delegation visits Belgium.
-- March 10: Speaker participates in the 50th meeting of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union and the 13th conference of the union in Irbil, Iraq.
-- May 15: A delegation of the National Assembly Secretariat takes part in the Conference of the Asian Parliamentary Association meeting in Moscow.
-- June 12: A parliamentary delegation takes part in a meeting of the Asian Parliamentary Association on combating poverty, held in Jakarta. (end) lm.ema