News
Latest News
news bulletin
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Other News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Beirut
20
o
Mount Lebanon
20
o
Metn
21
o
Keserwan
21
o
North
21
o
South
20
o
Bekaa
19
o
Live
Video
Audio
Schedule
shows
العربية
watching now
The Stage
SUBSCRIBE
Home
Notification
Live
Video
Audio
shows
Beirut
20
o
Mount Lebanon
20
o
Metn
21
o
Keserwan
21
o
North
21
o
South
20
o
Bekaa
19
o
News
Programs
The News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Programs
Documentaries
Lebanon’s Centennial
News Bulletin
The Untold History
Talk Show
Series
Sports
Variety
Other
Comedy
Oldies
Breaking News
Latest News
Highlighted News
Most Read
Videos
العربية
Watch the latest programs and the latest developments on your favorite screen
Shows
Join millions of followers
Who We Are
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Careers
Channel frequencies
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Kuwait backs alliances against Islamic State, but no troops
Breaking Headlines
2016-02-09 | 11:37
High views
Share
Share
6
min
Kuwait backs alliances against Islamic State, but no troops
Kuwait backs international efforts against hardline Islamist groups in Iraq and Syria although the Gulf Arab state's constitution prevents it from sending troops to fight abroad, a senior Kuwaiti official said.
Kuwait, a U.S. ally and neighbor of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, is part of a 34-nation alliance announced by Riyadh in December aimed at countering Islamic State and al Qaeda in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan.
Several Gulf Arab states including Kuwait also provide varying kinds of support to a U.S.-led coalition that has been fighting Islamic State in Syria since 2014.
The issue of Gulf Arab participation in Iraq and Syria has come to the fore because Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it was open to sending special forces to Syria, and the United Arab Emirates has said it would be willing to send troops to train and support a U.S-led coalition against Islamic State.
"Kuwait stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our brothers in Saudi on all fronts. We are always ready and able to provide what is needed to our Gulf partners within the confines of our constitution," said Sheikh Mohammad al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Kuwait's minister for cabinet affairs, in an interview in Dubai.
Speaking late on Tuesday, he said this could be "intelligence-sharing, the provision of establishments required by the coalition to facilitate their activities". He did not elaborate.
AIRFIELDS
Diplomats in the region have said Kuwait has permitted some foreign air forces participating in the U.S.-led coalition to use airfields in its territory.
Major OPEC oil producer Kuwait, which was invaded by Iraq in 1990, can declare defensive war if under direct threat but offensive war is prohibited by the constitution.
Home to several U.S. military bases, Kuwait suffered its deadliest militant attack in decades in June when a Saudi suicide bomber blew himself up inside a packed Shi'ite mosque, killing 27 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility.
"It's very difficult to stop a lone, deranged person from doing something like that," Sheikh Mohammad said, when asked about security measures since the attack.
"However many new procedures have been put in place in public areas in order to make it more difficult ... be it religious venues or commercial or social venues."
This included new legislation requiring government buildings to install closed-circuit television and for private institutions to have CCTV with a data log in public areas.
He described the attack as a failed attempt to stir up sectarian tensions in Kuwait, which is home to a sizeable Shi'ite minority active in business and politics.
"If anything, that bombing showed the world, and showed specifically the deranged people who adhere to this skewed doctrine, what it is to be Kuwaiti," said Sheikh Mohammad, a member of the ruling Al Sabah family.
"It brought us closer together," he said, because it had reawakened the idea of Kuwaiti national identity.
IRAN
Kuwait, which sits across the Gulf from Shi'ite Muslim power Iran, welcomed Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers and hoped it would bring greater regional security.
But, like other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, it stood beside Saudi Arabia in a flare-up of tensions between Riyadh and Tehran. That erupted when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi'ite cleric on Jan. 2 and Iranian protesters retaliated by attacking Saudi diplomatic missions.
Iran should respect Saudi Arabia's implementation of its sovereign law, Sheikh Mohammad said.
"What occurred in the aftermath, specifically the abhorrent infringement of the Vienna convention and the bullying tactics with the Saudi embassy and consulate ... were and are a great cause for concern in Kuwait, the GCC and the wider diplomatic world."
Sheikh Mohammad, who is also acting minister of electricity and water, said Kuwait's widening budget deficit had made urgent economic reforms necessary, including reducing subsidies for utilities, which he said would help prevent waste. Most Gulf states are planning economic reforms as low oil prices strain their finances.
Kuwait needed to protect its welfare programme over the longer term, to ensure it is enjoyed by those who need it, by cutting out "free-riders" from the system, he said. The plan, which would be Kuwait's biggest subsidies reform since the 1980s, is being discussed by the government and parliament this week.
Thanks to subsidies it costs just over $10 to fill a car's 50-litre petrol tank while electricity costs less than 1 U.S. cent per kilowatt hour, a fraction of what it costs to produce.
"One of the issues that is worrying for us, is within the next 10-15 years, if electricity and water consumption remains at present levels, more than a quarter of installed oil production will have to go to the power plants, irrespective of what the price of the barrel is," he said, adding it was important to maximise oil exports.
REUTERS
Breaking Headlines
Kuwait
Islamic State
Next
Grand Mufti Derian travels to Saudi Arabia for Hajj
Recommended For You
d-none hideMe
0
Middle East News
2024-04-25
Over 430 settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque on third day of Passover holiday: Al Jazeera reports
Middle East News
2024-04-25
Over 430 settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque on third day of Passover holiday: Al Jazeera reports
0
Lebanon News
2024-04-23
Hezbollah announces launching 'dozens of rockets' at Israel in response to civilian deaths
Lebanon News
2024-04-23
Hezbollah announces launching 'dozens of rockets' at Israel in response to civilian deaths
0
Lebanon News
2024-04-21
Breaking: Israeli airstrike hits Naqoura, reports NNA
Lebanon News
2024-04-21
Breaking: Israeli airstrike hits Naqoura, reports NNA
0
Lebanon News
2024-04-21
Shelling from Lebanon hits Western Galilee: Israeli Channel 12 reports
Lebanon News
2024-04-21
Shelling from Lebanon hits Western Galilee: Israeli Channel 12 reports
Subscribe to our VOD
SUBSCRIBE
Our visitors readings
d-none hideMe
0
Israel-Gaza War Updates
2024-04-25
80,000 to 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza arrive in Egypt since start of war
Israel-Gaza War Updates
2024-04-25
80,000 to 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza arrive in Egypt since start of war
0
Sports News
2023-07-27
Saudi Arabia vs Jordan, Qatar vs Kuwait and difficult draw for Syria against Japan
Sports News
2023-07-27
Saudi Arabia vs Jordan, Qatar vs Kuwait and difficult draw for Syria against Japan
0
Middle East News
2024-04-21
Fire in crude oil pipeline east of Furqlus in Syria
Middle East News
2024-04-21
Fire in crude oil pipeline east of Furqlus in Syria
0
Middle East News
2024-01-17
Iran reports sharing intelligence on Mossad with Iraq
Middle East News
2024-01-17
Iran reports sharing intelligence on Mossad with Iraq
Videos
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
2023-12-11
Breaking: Israel launches raid north of Litani on Monday (Video)
Lebanon News
2023-12-11
Breaking: Israel launches raid north of Litani on Monday (Video)
0
Lebanon News
2023-11-02
Exclusive to LBCI: U.S. State Department's Wooster Stresses Lebanon Must Avoid War, Sees Renewed Push for Two-State Solution
Lebanon News
2023-11-02
Exclusive to LBCI: U.S. State Department's Wooster Stresses Lebanon Must Avoid War, Sees Renewed Push for Two-State Solution
0
Lebanon News
2023-10-18
Protests Erupt near US Embassy in Awkar Against Israeli Attacks on Al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza
Lebanon News
2023-10-18
Protests Erupt near US Embassy in Awkar Against Israeli Attacks on Al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza
0
Lebanon News
2023-10-05
ATFL's Ambassador Edward Gabriel on Navigating Through Economic, Political, and Refugee Crises
Lebanon News
2023-10-05
ATFL's Ambassador Edward Gabriel on Navigating Through Economic, Political, and Refugee Crises
0
Sports News
2023-08-31
Amir Saoud Powers Lebanon to Victory Over Cote d'Ivoire: A Deep Dive Into The Numbers
Sports News
2023-08-31
Amir Saoud Powers Lebanon to Victory Over Cote d'Ivoire: A Deep Dive Into The Numbers
0
Sports News
2023-08-29
France Edges Past Lebanon in a Nail-Biter at FIBA World Cup 2023: A Statistical Deep Dive
Sports News
2023-08-29
France Edges Past Lebanon in a Nail-Biter at FIBA World Cup 2023: A Statistical Deep Dive
0
Lebanon News
2019-02-28
Pierre el-Daher, the man who defeated the Lebanese Forces
Lebanon News
2019-02-28
Pierre el-Daher, the man who defeated the Lebanese Forces
Most read
d-none hideMe
24 hours
7 days
Month
1
Lebanon News
00:31
Hezbollah's ambush: Targeting an armored convoy in Kfarchouba Hills
Lebanon News
00:31
Hezbollah's ambush: Targeting an armored convoy in Kfarchouba Hills
2
Middle East News
11:19
Al Jazeera, citing Yedioth Ahronoth: National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's car overturns in a traffic accident near stabbing attack scene in Ramla
Middle East News
11:19
Al Jazeera, citing Yedioth Ahronoth: National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's car overturns in a traffic accident near stabbing attack scene in Ramla
3
News Bulletin Reports
12:32
Pascal Sleiman's abduction and murder: Six suspects charged
News Bulletin Reports
12:32
Pascal Sleiman's abduction and murder: Six suspects charged
4
Lebanon News
04:37
Aboul Hosn to LBCI: Addressing Hezbollah's visit and Syrian displacement crisis
Lebanon News
04:37
Aboul Hosn to LBCI: Addressing Hezbollah's visit and Syrian displacement crisis
5
Lebanon Economy
02:15
Fuel prices decrease in Lebanon
Lebanon Economy
02:15
Fuel prices decrease in Lebanon
6
Middle East News
00:12
Houthis target MSC ship in Gulf of Aden
Middle East News
00:12
Houthis target MSC ship in Gulf of Aden
7
Lebanon News
05:18
Waddah Sadek to LBCI: The Parliament is the primary reason behind Lebanon's crisis
Lebanon News
05:18
Waddah Sadek to LBCI: The Parliament is the primary reason behind Lebanon's crisis
8
Middle East News
06:45
CENTCOM: Missile launched from Houthi area, no injuries reported
Middle East News
06:45
CENTCOM: Missile launched from Houthi area, no injuries reported
Download now the LBCI mobile app
To see the latest news, the latest daily programs in Lebanon and the world
Google Play
App Store
We use
cookies
We use
cookies
to make
your experience on this
website better.
Accept
Learn More