Vital Perspective

Kuwait Arrests Fugitive From Peninsula Lions Terror Group; Links to al-Qaeda

Kuwait has arrested Hamad al-Harbi, a fugitive sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison for his part in clashes between the Peninsula Lions and police last year. He was arrested in the Kuwait City suburb of Farwaniya.

According to experts, the Peninsula Lions have been tentatively linked with the Saudi-based al-Haramain Brigade, a subgroup of the al-Qaeda Organization of the Arabian Peninsula, which has claimed to be behind a number of bombings and violent attacks in the Kingdom.

Harbi was one of 37 suspects tried last year on charges of belonging to the Peninsula Lions, calling for attacks on state facilities and trying to kill Kuwaiti security forces and members of "friendly forces" in the country. Six members of the group received death sentences in December.

Al-Anbaa newspaper quoted Harbi on Wednesday as telling investigators he believed two other leading group members tried in absentia, Khaled al-Dossari and Mohsen al-Fadli, were in Iraq.

Saudi Wahhabi Sheik Issues Fatwa Against Hezbollah; Rally Planned in Cairo

Eli Lake, reporter for the New York Sun in Cairo, reports that one of Saudi Arabia's leading Wahhabi sheiks, Abdullah bin Jabreen has issued a strongly worded fatwa declaring it unlawful to support, join or pray for Hezbollah.

The day after Hezbollah kidnapped two IDF soldiers, Sheik Hamid al-Ali issued an informal statement titled "The Sharia position on what is going on." In it, the Kuwaiti based cleric condemned the imperial ambitions of Iran regarding Hezbollah's cross border raid.

Lake writes that "the surprising move demonstrates that Sunni Muslim fundamentalists in the Middle East are deeply divided over whether they should support Hezbollah. While the Gulf's ascetic Wahhabi sects, who are closer to the ethnic fighting between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, have opposed Hezbollah in its stand against Israel's forces, other Sunni fundamentalist groups, such as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, have pledged their solidarity. On Friday, the brothers will host a rally in support of Hezbollah at Cairo's most influential mosque, Al-Azhar."

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Pledge Millions to the Siniora Government in Beirut

Saudi Arabia has pledged $50 million in immediate aid to Lebanon, after Lebanon's government appealed for international help, SPA official news agency reported Sunday. "In response to the appeal of Lebanon's PM Fuad Siniora, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has ordered an immediate transfer of $50 million to be at the PM's disposal," it said. SPA said the aid package is aimed at helping the Lebanese government provide relief and needed services "to reduce the suffering of our brotherly Lebanese people."

Oil-rich Kuwait later announced it was sending urgent relief aid worth $20 million to Lebanon, an official statement said. "The cabinet decided to allocate $20 million to send urgent relief aid to brothers in Lebanon to help them confront the impact of this barbaric (Israeli) aggression," the statement said following the weekly cabinet meeting.

On Hezbollah, Arab League Divided Over Legitimacy of Attacks; Syria Supports

Foreign ministers of 18 Arab countries held an emergency summit in Cairo on Saturday over Israeli action in Lebanon, but squabbles over the legitimacy of Hezbollah's attacks on Israel --including the kidnapping of two IDF soldiers-- appeared likely to keep participants from reaching a consensus, delegates said.

The Saudi foreign minister appeared to be leading a camp of ministers criticizing the Hezbollah's actions, calling them "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts."  "These acts will pull the whole region back to years ago, and we cannot simply accept them," Saudi al-Faisal told his counterparts. It appeared that Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, the UAE and the Palestinian Authority were in agreement.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, however, lashed back al-Faisal, asking "How can we come here to discuss the burning situation in Lebanon while others are making statements criticizing the resistance?" Moallem called Hezbollah's action "legitimate acts in line with international resolutions and the UN charter, as acts of resistance," delegates said.

Ahmadinejad Calls on Islamic Countries to "Remove" the "Zionist Regime"

The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria, attending a meeting on Iraq in Iran, slammed Israel for the "increasing aggression against the Palestinian people," and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on Islamic countries to mobilize against Israel and "remove" the "Zionist regime."

"The basic problem in the Islamic world is the existence of the Zionist regime, and the Islamic world and the region must mobilize to remove this problem," Ahmadinejad said at the opening of the two-day conference.

"Today there is a strong will... to remove the Zionist regime and implement a legal Palestinian regime all over Palestine. The continued survival of this regime means nothing but suffering for the region... The biggest threat today for the region is the existence of the fake Zionist regime," he said.

Arab League S-G Amr Mussa also went on the offensive, condemning Israel for its "increasing aggression against the Palestinian people" and the international community for its "silence".

"The Arab foreign ministers participating in today's Tehran meeting expressed their strong condemnation of this continuing and increasing aggression against the Palestinian people," Mussa said in a statement on behalf of officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria. The statement said the officials also "voiced sorrow over international silence, and held United Nations Security Council members responsible for the dangerous violations of international laws and treaties."

United to Fly Nonstop to Kuwait City Despite Growing Relations with Iran

Despite a growing diplomatic relationship with the Ahmadinejad regime in Iran, United Airlines will launch service to Kuwait this fall, becoming the only U.S. carrier to serve the Middle Eastern country. United plans three departures a week from Dulles (Washington, D.C.) to Kuwait City starting in October, pending approval from the Kuwaiti government.

"It's obviously a very important region of the world, a growing region of the world," said Kevin Knight, United's vice president of resource planning. "If you're going to be a global airline, you're going to have to serve those important parts of the world."

There are few options right now for a direct commercial flight between the U.S. and Kuwait. Kuwaiti Airways flies three times a week from JFK. United decided to serve Kuwait from Washington because it anticipates strong government demand for travel, and Dulles is very accessible from the rest of United's network, Knight said.

"We think this is a market that has reached a point that it can support non-stop service," he said. "And we've seen interest from our shipping customers as well as our passengers."

Kuwait's Emir Dissolves Parliament, Calls New Elections in Political Crisis

Kuwait's emir dissolved parliament and called for new elections on June 29, saying he was forced to act to safeguard security and national unity amid a deep political crisis. Elections were originally scheduled for summer 2007. The emir's move was the latest example of the stormy relationship between Kuwait's parliament and ruling family as it tries to respond to demands for greater democracy.

"I had to take a difficult decision that I had wanted to avoid, but I concluded that it was my duty to dissolve parliament to safeguard the security of our nation," the emir said in a televised address to the nation. "Pursuant to decree 146 for the year 2006, parliament will be dissolved," read the decree carried by the official KUNA news agency. "Voters are invited to elect new members of parliament on Thursday June 29, 2006."

Kuwaiti women, who gained suffrage only a year ago, will be able to vote and run for public office for the first time ever. A number of women activists have already said they would contest the polls.

Since its inception in 1962, the Kuwaiti parliament has been dissolved three times -- in 1976, 1986 and 1999 -- as a result of conflicts with the government.

Concern Mounts Among Gulf Arab States On Iranian Nuclear Program

Kuwaiti FM Sheikh Mohammad al-Salem al-Sabah announed on Sunday that Iran's Gulf Arab neighbors -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait -- plan to send a delegation to Iran to voice concern about its nuclear program.

"The team will reiterate the need for Iran to completely cooperate with the international community and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," the Foreign Minister told a joint news conference with visiting German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier.  "The Gulf's concerns are authentic, well-known and were clearly expressed at the Abu Dhabi summit last year and the consultative meeting in Riyadh," he added.

A meeting of U.S.-allied Gulf Arab leaders in Riyadh earlier this month called on Iran to do more to show it was not trying to obtain an atom bomb.

U.S. Participating in Massive Military Exercise with Middle East, Gulf States

The largest military exercise this year in the Gulf region is underway to improve skills and confront conventional and insurgency threats. Until May 18, the U.S., Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE will all be participating in the exercise "Eagle Resolve".

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait Pledge $97.5 Million to Hamas-led Government

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait promised Tuesday to send $97.5 million in emergency aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority as unrest grows over unpaid government salaries and a sagging economy.

While the Authority has promises of money, none has actually arrived because banks in the region are unwilling to transfer funds in the face of warnings from the Bush administration that they could be breaking U.S. laws, according to Palestinian officials and Western diplomats.

Arab league bank accounts in Egypt now hold about $70 million for the Palestinian Authority, in addition to the pledges from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The league said it intends to transfer $50 million on Wednesday, but it's not clear how it will be done.

Palestinian officials say the government would not object to having all foreign funds funelled through the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Up to now, the U.S. has not blocked money from flowing to Abbas.