Kuwait's 31st Liberation Day
People of Kuwait recall the country’s liberation from the Iraqi occupation on the occasion of the country’s 31st Liberation Day. They remember the great sacrifices made by the patriots for freedom of the homeland. Although, Kuwait’s invasion on August 2, 1990, was quite a brutal one, the Kuwaiti people rebuffed the aggression affirming their solidarity with the legitimate leadership that had been headed by the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for defending the homeland’s sovereignty and freedom.
The late Amir, despite enormous challenges at the time, masterminded a national campaign to rally international support for the just Kuwaiti cause. In his historic address to the United Nations, Sheikh Jaber had stated, “I have come with a message from people who love and have worked for peace, aiding those in need and reconciling adversaries.” Their security and stability have been jeopardized due to their belief in the ideal message of our religion Islam that is also stipulated by international charters.” I came with a message of people whose territories were a minaret for peaceful co-existence and brotherhood and nowadays they lost their land but refused to surrender to the occupation no matter how brutal and repressive it may be.”
Sheikh Jaber had succeeded in drawing solidarity from various states and organizations, namely the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), that proved to be the core for diplomatic efforts against the aggression, demanding unconditional withdrawal of the occupiers. GCC foreign ministers held an emergency meeting in Cairo on August 3, 1990, and lobbied for holding an extraordinary Arab summit in the Egyptian capital on August 10.
Thanks to efforts by GCC countries, other brotherly and friendly states, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) issued a series of resolution namely resolution 660 that condemned the aggression demanding unconditional pullout of the occupiers and resolution 678 that supported necessary means to implement the relevant resolutions, restore regional security and peace in addition to several others that called for wiping out the repercussions of the aggression.
Moreover, the brotherly and friendly countries put military and material resources at the disposal of liberating Kuwait. Worth recalling was also the crucial role played by late Father Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah who commanded the liberation heroes and facilitated settlement of the Amir Sheikh Jaber in Saudi Arabia where he set up a government in exile securing honorable livelihood for Kuwaitis in and outside Kuwait as well as supporting the national resistance.
For his part, the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah employed his diplomatic expertise for securing international sympathy that led to driving the aggressors out of the country. Furthermore, the Kuwaitis recall, on the occasion, the pivotal role played by the late Saudi King Fahad Bin Abdulaziz who hosted the Kuwaitis in his country and contributed with material and military support. Other GCC states had followed suit supporting the Kuwaitis during the hard times and rejecting the flagrant aggression on their homeland.
The late US President George Bush senior had instantly declared siding with Kuwait in the face of the aggression and Washington lobbied for holding an emergency session of the UNSC during which resolution 660 was adopted, demanding withdrawal of the aggressors from Kuwait. On January 19, 1990, Bush persuaded the US Senate of the necessity to employ military force for liberating Kuwait, declaring a war on the Iraqi occupiers and the commitment to free the country.
Although the Kuwaiti people were deeply bruised with the aggression, a campaign was launched in 1993 to aid the Iraqi people. The Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society (KRCS) upon instructions by the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad dispatched aid to the Iraqi refugees in Iran as of April 1995, choosing to side with the stricken Iraqi people from humanitarian considerations and sentiments. Additionally, Kuwait in the wake of the fall of the defunct Iraqi regime provided relief supplies, in 2003, to the Iraqi refugees and the displaced elsewhere.
In July 2016, Kuwait pledged $176 million worth of aid for Iraq at an international donors’ conference. Kuwait, after it was designated as “the center for humanitarian action” by the UN, hosted, in February 2018, an international convention for supporting Iraq’s reconstruction. Stakeholders pledged $30 billion in aid to help the Iraqis who had suffered from a series of wars. The late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad visited Iraq on June 19, 2019, seeking to preserve brotherly ties and fold files of sticking issues, an approach maintained by the current Amir, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. – KUNA
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The State of Kuwait has called for international cooperation to secure fair distribution of vaccines against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to all states.
Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi, the State of Kuwait Permanent Representative at the United Nations, pledged continuing and constructive efforts, in coordination with partners, for contributing to the international response to the pandemic.
"We are convinced that no one is safe from this virus and the discussion today is held two years after outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic that has constituted the greatest challenge facing the world since World War II," said ambassador al-Otaibi, addressing a senior-level session held by the UN General Assembly on means of boosting comprehensive immunization against the virus worldwide.
The pandemic has taken some six million lives, infected more than 400 million people throughout the world, inflicted horrific damage and caused massive repercussions in social, economic, health and political sectors.
It is still widely spread, claiming many lives and mutating into various clusters such as Delta and Omicron renewing hazards of the virus and adding to pressure on health systems in many states, the Kuwaiti envoy said.
Development of vaccines rapidly renewed hope for stemming its spread in a better manner. However, the mechanism of distributing the vaccines to the states was unjust, widening the gap between advanced and developing countries amid forecast expansion of poverty and longer lasting effects of the pandemic.
Ambassador Al-Otaibi called fior coordinated efforts for international response to the pandemic where it might ensure just distribution of the vaccines and pave the way for global immunization. He also urged the international community to shoulder the humanitarian and ethical responsibility and aid the developing nations at this level.
At the national level, Kuwait has succeeded in immunizing 85 percent of its population and there has been increasing desire to get the booster jab, he said, also indicating at start of a vaccination campaign for children aged between five and 11. Abroad, Kuwait has made generous financial contributions to agencies tasked with combating the pandemic.
He reaffirmed the necessity of aiding all countries in the fight against the communicable disease and attain the objective set by the World Health Organization; vaccinating 70 percent of the world's people by the middle of 2022.
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Kuwait sets new Guiness record
Kuwait has set a new Guinness record for raising the biggest Kuwaiti flag (2,742 square meters) on the summit of Oman's Jebel Shams, the highest mountains in the Arab World.
In a statement to KUNA on Saturday, head of the voluntary team (KFlag) Fuad Qabazard said he was proud for raising the flag on the summit standing at 3,028 meters above the ground.
He dedicated this big achievement to the Kuwaiti leadership, government and people, while thanking the Omani authorities for facilitating all measures.
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Expo 2020 Dubai
Kuwait pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai organized on Thursday national parade to mark the country's 61st National Day and the 31st Liberation Day.
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Amir’s Letter - A Treasure
Joseph Panicker, a member of Adangapurathu family, who hailed from Puramattom, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India, was working as a maintenance engineer in Bayan Palace, where The Amir of Kuwait was residing. Eng. Joseph was involved in the electrification work related to the Bayan Palace complex. He was one of the tens of thousands of victims of the invasion and occupation of Kuwait.
Just a day before the invasion, a meeting had been arranged between the then Amir of Kuwait, HE Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, in the palace.
Joseph temporarily took charge of the electrical maintenance team of Bayan Palace.
For unknown reasons, Yasser Arafat’s visit to Kuwait was canceled and thus the meeting also.
The very next day, August 2, 1990,Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and the miserable days of Kuwait had begun.
Although the stay and travel were miserable, he was able to witness many unpleasant situations.
He was returning to the native country via Jordan to save his life from the country where gunfire and the roar of military vehicles were common.
During the long hours of waiting in the Amman Airport, Joseph decided to jot down the incidents he had witnessed.
The face of the Amir of Kuwait came to mind after the confusion of what to write. Joseph wrote a letter thanking the Amir of Kuwait who has providing food and shelter for all these days. First he had congratulated Amir of Kuwait for God’s grace and then thanked Him for the comforts and safety he and his family had experienced during their stay in Kuwait.
Before flying to Mumbai on September 20, 1990, Joseph had posted the letter in Amman airport, Jordan. About three months later after reaching his native place, an airmail arrived at the home address mentioned in the letter he had sent. In the airmail, a text of thanks was mentioned for the solidarity shown during the crisis in a letter signed on December 2, 1990, by the then Under Secretary, Ahmed Al Aradi, of Amiri Diwan, the official office of the Amir.
The reply which we received at my home town, Kerala, India reads, "The State of Kuwait will never forget your noble stance and your sincere feelings towards the people of Kuwait and their legitimate Government”.
The Amir's reply is unique, highly appreciable and extraordinary as it portrays His consideration towards expatriates and citizens.
Joseph Panicker kept this letter as a treasure and values it more than any award he has received in his life. Joseph Panicker collects scientific materials from all available sources and arranges his residence in Riggae as a small museum. He, his wife Laila, daughter Merin, and son Andrew, find the letter most valuable in their collections.
We congratulate the Amir, Council of Ministers, Members of Parliament and the people of Kuwait on their 61st National Day, which marks years of accomplishments, achieved by wise policies that gave Kuwait a unique position in everybody’s heart.
We ask God Almighty to protect the Nation of Kuwait.
God bless Kuwait.
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Indian president’s greetings to Kuwait H. H Amir on the occasion of Kuwait National and Liberation Days
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