Kuwait gives $180 million to Libyan rebels

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — Kuwait on Sunday gave 50 million dinars ($180 million) to the Libyan opposition Transitional National Council (TNC), its chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil said.

"This amount will help us pay part of the salaries of employees," Jalil told reporters after talks with Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah. "We are in need of urgent assistance."

Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah said "Kuwait will provide large and urgent humanitarian aid through the national council."

Sheikh Mohammad said Kuwait and the TNC "will work closely so that it becomes the legitimate channel of the Libyan people," but stopped short of officially recognizing the council.

"Recognition is a secondary issue," Abdel Hafiz Ghoqa, spokesman for the TNC in Benghazi told reporters, adding that the quality of cooperation with Kuwait showed the friendly nation's "approval" for east Libya's nascent government.

France, Gambia, Italy and Qatar are the only countries so far to have recognized the TNC, Libya's parallel government.

The Kuwaiti foreign minister also said the emir informed Jalil that Kuwait fully complies with UN Security Council resolution 1973 which called for using all means necessary to protect Libyan civilians.

Jalil, on his first visit to Kuwait, said the TNC welcomes any initiative that would lead to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi and his sons leaving the country, "but there is no initiative on the ground right now."

He also repeated allegations that Kadhafi used Algerian planes to fly African mercenaries to fight with his forces.

"We have evidence that there are mercenaries from Mauritania and Serbia, military experts from Russia and women from Columbia," Jalil said.

Libyan rebels have not received any weapons or military training from Arab neighbors Egypt or Tunisia, said Jalil, adding that the TNC understood their situation.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

Kazakhstan to host OIC meet in June, no invite for KMR separatists

Astana, Kazakhstan, Apr 24: Kazakhstan will host the 38th Session of the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in capital Astana from June 28-30 mainly to discuss the crisis in the Arab World and will not invite Kashmiri separatists, the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Umarov said here.

Mr Umarov told UNI that all the 57 member-countries would be invited to attend the meet which would be "the first of its kind".

Asked whether Kashmiri separatists would also be invited, Mr Umarov said they would not be invited.

Kashmiri separatists are a regular participants of the OIC meets.

"We are not going to take up such (Kashmir) issues...

Real necessity for Islamic countries is to modernize," he added.

Officials said the Foreign Ministers and Heads of Delegations of the OIC Member States will discuss a wide range of political, economic, cultural and other issues of interest to Member States, including Palestine and the Middle East, Implications of Islamophobia, ten-Year Program of Action, Statutory, Organic and General Matters, Legal Affairs, Conditions of Muslim Minorities and Communities in non-OIC Member States, Information Affairs, Administrative and Financial Affairs, and Humanitarian Affairs.

They will adopt, in addition to Astana Declaration, a set of resolutions on these issues.

The country will also host the next Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana.

Although a secular State, Kazakhstan has nevertheless historically considered itself part of the global Muslim community.

For that matter, Astana desires to further expand mutually advantageous cooperation with Islamic countries and is committed to more active engagement in the OIC activities during its leadership in 2011.

Source: New Kerala.
Link: http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-195796.html.

Syria closes border with Jordan

April 25, 2011

A Jordanian security official says Syria has sealed the border with Jordan and is preventing people from leaving the country.

The Jordanian border crossing lies close to the southern Syrian town of Daraa, where government forces were launching a sharp crackdown on protesters Monday. Some of the fiercest protests against the Syrian regime have taken place in Daraa.

The official spoke on customary condition of anonymity.

The border closure may aim to prevent Syrian demonstrators and activists from feeling to nearby Jordan.

The head of Syria’s Customs Department denied that Damascus has closed its land borders with Jordan.

Mustafa al-Bouqai told The Associated Press that crossings across the frontier are open as normal. AP

Source: Ya Libnan.
Link: http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/04/25/syria-closes-border-with-jordan/.

Syrians in Jordan call on Assad to step down

AMMAN, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of Syrians residing in Jordan staged a sit-in on Sunday, calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

The participants, who demonstrated in solidarity with the people killed during the clashes in Syria, called for immediate halt of attacks against civilians.

Holding banners that called for the toppling of the president, the demonstrators burnt pictures of Assad.

"People want the toppling of the regime ... Bashar you should leave and make people live in comfort and peace," chanted the demonstrators.

Anti-government protests erupted in major Syrian cities on Friday. Reports said dozens of people were killed as the security forces using live bullets and tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-04/25/c_13843929.htm.

PRC announces meetings with Hamas, Fatah

25/04/2011

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The Popular Resistance Committees will meet with officials from both the Fatah and Hamas movements in an effort to spur unity efforts between the parties, Secretary-General to the group Abu Qasem Dughmush said Sunday.

The PRC, a coalition of factions in support of resistance against Israel and active only in Gaza, issued a statement saying the meeting came in line with a recent visit to Egypt, where unity was also the central topic.

Meetings will be held separately, Dughmush said, with the aim of "achieving the highest Palestinian interest."

Dughmush said the movement had also discussed truce terms for a deal with Israel, adding that leaders from Hamas, the Popular Front-General command, and Popular Struggle Front had also attended.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=381828.

Tunisian Islamist leader says no to extremism

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Apr 25, 2011

PARIS: A noted Tunisian Islamic thinker has called on the country’s Muslims to reject extremism and restore the true nature of Islam worldwide.

Rachid Ghanouchi, the leader of Tunisia’s Muslims, said Monday at the close of an annual Muslim gathering outside the French capital Paris that extremism takes root in injustice, but must be fought.

He said today Islam “is associated with violence, terrorism ... It is presented as a plague.” But extremism “isn’t a legitimate child of Islam ... our challenge is to respond to restore the image of Islam,” he added.

Ghanouchi founded Tunisia’s Ennahdha party, branded a terrorist group by the country’s ex-leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who was toppled in a January uprising.

Ennahdha is now legal — among 50-some parties formed since Ben Ali fled.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article372554.ece.

Egypt's new PM starts diplomatic tour of Gulf countries on Sunday

Egypt’s interim PM Sharaf’s Gulf countries tour, including Kuwait and Qatar, is welcomed by Saudi ambassador.

Ahram Online, Saturday 23 Apr 2011

Essam Sharaf, Egypt’s interim prime minister, will start touring Arab Gulf countries on Sunday, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

Originally, Sharaf planned to visit the Emirates, but this has been postponed as officials from Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be abroad and unavailable to meet. That leg of the trip was regrouped with another, later tour that includes Oman and Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador, Ahmed El-Qetan, has welcomed Sharaf’s visit and emphasized its importance as the first and stressed that the meeting’s aim will be to strengthen relations on all levels and to discuss several future projects.

Source: Ahram.
Link: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/10620.aspx.