Royal Amnesty in Kuwait Caps Reconciliation Efforts

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. (AP file photo)
Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. (AP file photo)
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Royal Amnesty in Kuwait Caps Reconciliation Efforts

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. (AP file photo)
Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. (AP file photo)

The Kuwaiti government approved during its extraordinary meeting the necessary draft decrees to grant amnesty to indicted Kuwaitis, including those accused of storming the National Assembly in 2011.

The draft decree will be submitted to Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

“The Council of Ministers approved the necessary draft decrees which will be referred to the Amir,” the Cabinet statement said.

It added that the Emir used his constitutional right to grant amnesty to the “indicted sons of Kuwait.”

“Under the Sovereign instructions, the Cabinet approved the necessary draft decrees, which will be tendered to the Emir for final endorsement under Article 75 of the Constitution, according to a statement released by the Cabinet following its extraordinary session,” reported the KUNA official news agency.

The decree will help in ending the political dispute with the parliamentary opposition. It will be issued Monday and will be effective immediately.

Informed sources stated that the amnesty includes 67 lawmakers and activists living in exile in Turkey, including parliamentarian Musallam al-Barrak. It also includes former deputies sentenced to prison in 2017 and seven members affiliated with the Abdali cell arrested on August 13, 2015.



Saudi FM: Cautiously Optimistic about Syria, I Will Visit Lebanon Soon

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah looks on during the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah looks on during the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)
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Saudi FM: Cautiously Optimistic about Syria, I Will Visit Lebanon Soon

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah looks on during the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah looks on during the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah said on Tuesday he was “cautiously optimistic” about the situation in Syria, while revealing that he plans to visit Lebanon in the coming days.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said there was a “great opportunity” to take Syria in a “positive direction.”

The new Syrian administration is “saying the right things in the open and in secret,” he remarked, noting that it was also open to working with the international community to move in the “right direction.”

He stressed the need to exert more efforts to lift sanctions on Syria, urging the international community to help it during its transitional period in rebuilding the state and aiding the Syrian people.

On Lebanon, Prince Faisal said he will visit the country this week. He stressed that the election of a president after a long period of vacuum was a “very positive development.”

Saudi Arabia needed to see real reforms in order to raise its engagement in the country, he stated. “Discussions there are so far a cause for optimism.”

On efforts to avert any war in the region, Prince Faisal remarked that Iran needs to be positive about the ceasefire in Gaza and it must support it.

“I don't see the incoming US administration as contributory to the risk of war, on the contrary, President Donald Trump has been quite clear he does not favor conflict,” he noted.