Preparations for Kuwait-held Afro-Arab summit successful on all spectrums

Preparations for the African-Arab Summit held for the first time outside Africa are going smoothly as the Kuwaiti government has so far provided several activities on the cultural and economic spectrums and has already hosted talks at the senior-level. A number of events that were planned ahead of the November 19-20 summit have already come into fruition, as officials, experts and media from both regions began arriving in the country since early last week. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has taken it upon himself to make certain these preparations are successful and the complete relaxation of the visiting delegates is ensured. Accompanied by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, he paid an inspectional visit to the conferences hall at Bayan Palace, and expressed his delight and satisfaction at what he had witnessed of preparations made to host the summit. On security arrangements, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah paid a visit to the Ministry of Interior's central command centre, where he expressed satisfaction at what he witnessed of preparations for the 3rd Africa-Arab Summit and the ministry's coordination with the military, National Guard and fire and ambulance emergency units. These arrangements had been made clear on various occasions by Colonel Adel Al-Hashash, the Acting Director of Public Relations and Moral Guidance and Security Media Department, who also stressed the readiness of logistical capabilities to accept the incoming visitors. Amid other arrangements made to ensure the flow of traffic on the summit day, the Cabinet made the decision to announce a public holiday for government employees on Tuesday. Also on ports security, the Ministry of Interior's Assistant Undersecretary for Ports Security Affairs Major General Anwar Al-Yaseen said that the sector is actively involved in the implementation of security measures. On media capabilities, the Minister of Information Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah - also the State Minister for Youth Affairs - stressed last Monday that the ministry had already started to provide internal and external coverage in its bulletins and its radio and TV political programmes of pre-summit functions and will continue to do so until the end of the event. Four days later, Assistant Undersecretary for External Media at the Information Ministry Tareq Al-Mezrem said that the summit's press centre will officially open its doors a day later under the auspices of State Minister for Cabinet Affairs and Health Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. One of the centre's halls has been equipped with latest high-tech equipment, including free to use PCs, internet, TV and radio studios, group-conferencing, security and medical emergency preparations and around-the-clock hospitality for visiting media, he added. A second hall includes a press conference podium hosting a team of translators fluent in English, French and Portuguese in addition to a trained set of information ministry employees ready to assist visiting journalists. The ministry has also set up field visits to cultural and tourist destinations in the country for the visiting journalists. These locations include the cultural centre Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah, the Fishermen's Village, the Scientific Centre and Souq Al-Mubarakiya two days ahead of the summit. Invitations have been handed out to over 300 media personnel, including 100 from Africa, 100 Arab and 40 from the Arab Gulf region, along with several international journalists, he also revealed. The centre also groups several Kuwaiti bodies like the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic and Development, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the Kuwait Red Crescent, the National council for Culture, Arts and Letters, along with charity organisations in Africa. On Sunday, Kuwait News Agency, KUNA issued a book titled 'The Arabs and Africa' which documents historical events between the two regions and contains 240 pages of fine print. The agency said that it was keen on translating the book, which had so far been written in Arabic, into English and French. Meanwhile, senior Arab and African officials held preparatory meetings ahead of Tuesday's summit which will continue for a third day, including dual troikas of Arab nations Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq and Benin, Ethiopia and Chad from Africa, along with the Arab League General Secretariat and the African Union Commission. The meeting, chaired by Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah, is expected to draft several resolutions, the Kuwait Declaration and a report on the main joint activities of the African Union Commission and the Arab League General Secretariat and will propose measures to enhance institutional capabilities for the implementation of the 2011-16 African-Arab work plan. The officials are also discussing two reports on the second meeting of the Arab-African ministers of agriculture and food security, and on the performance of the African-Arab Cultural Institute. They are also discussing the establishment of a mechanism to finance joint projects and the recommendations of the Arab-African Economic Forum, which concluded on Tuesday. The Africa-Arab Economic Forum encouraged national and regional financial institutions to continue their support of socio-economic development including on achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and beyond, especially on financing relevant projects in the sectors of agriculture, education, health, energy, drinking water and other social services. Both the African Union Commission and the General Secretariat of the Arab League were called on to organize a forum for financial institution banking systems, investment agencies and investment funds to periodically discuss investment perspectives in the Arab and African regions, along with regular workshops for investors and entrepreneurs. On food security, they called to adopt and cooperate on policies aimed at achieving food security based on sustainability in agriculture, livestock and fisheries. On trade exchange, they called to remove obstacles and difficulties like tariff barriers that hinder the flow of goods and produce between the two regions and to establish African-Arab free trade zones and joint transportation networks to promote bi-regional investment and trade. They also called for the exchange of information, data and regular trade expos in order to introduce commodities and produce available for import and export, along with innovative mechanisms needed to implement the Arab-African Summit decisions related to Arab African economic cooperation, with a view to support sustainable development. The forum was attended by ministers, diplomats, high-level officials, international organizations, intellectuals, academics and private sector and civil society employees from both regions. The forum witnessed sideline meetings which included the signing of several loan and assistance agreements between the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and a number of African nations worth a total of around KD 28.5 million (USD 110 million). These include a loan to Rwanda worth KD 3.6 million (USD 12.24) to contribute to the construction of a major hospital, a loan to The Gambia worth KD six million (around USD 20.4 million) for a contribution to logistical support, a loan to Burkina Faso worth KD 5.8 million (USD 20.5 million) to fund the Ouagadougou Airport project, a loan to Sudan worth KD 13 million (USD 46 million) to finance the launching of an integrated mining project and grant to Somalia worth KD three million (around USD 10.6 million) for the funding of small and micro projects in agribusiness. Kuwait and Kenya also signed two agreements on the avoidance of double taxation and the encouragement of the reciprocal protection of investments on Tuesday. The huge event is also being accompanied by many cultural activities, including an art gallery, a crafts exhibition and displays of traditional dance troupes from countries in the two regions. The modern art gallery, organised by Kuwait's National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, brought together fine arts from Arabia and Africa depicting the history of these cultures. Art on display featured artists from Egypt, Morocco, Senegal and Sudan. Exhibits also included a photograph exhibition organised by the Arab world's renowned Kuwait-based cultural magazine, Al-Arabi, with the theme of these pictures shedding light on Africa. The gallery was inaugurated by Madagascar's Minister of the Crafts Industry and African regional representative to the World Crafts Council Elisa Zafitombo Alibena, along with National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters Secretary General Ali Al-Yoha. The event will continue for a week's time, coinciding with the African-Arab Summit among its various supplementary functions. The gallery was shortly followed a day later by a crafts exhibition, held at Kuwait National Museum, which was inaugurated by State Minister for Cabinet Affairs and Health Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. The exhibition brought together 24 Arab and African nations, including 54 craftsmen from around the world. Meanwhile dance troupes invited to the country from all around have been plying their trade across shopping centres and cultural venues around Kuwait, including the Avenues Mall and Sharq Mall to name a few. All of these arrangements which follow the wise directions of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah have been extremely welcomed and highly valued by a host of the visiting delegates, who in interviews with Kuwait News Agency and Kuwait TV, all stressed their delight and satisfaction with the huge efforts