LOCALARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019

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Kuwait’s First Deputy Premier meetsMacron, delivers message from Amir

Sheikh Nasser Sabah arrives in London on offi cial visit

KUNA photoFirst Deputy PM and Minister of Defence Sheikh Nasser Sabah during his meeting with French President Em-

manuel Macron.

PARIS, April 30, (KUNA): Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Monday dis-cussed with French President Emmanuel Macron a number of is-sues and handed a mes-sage from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on several important issues in the region and matters of mutual interest, Kuwait Embassy in France said.

Both sides discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral re-lationship, especially in the fi elds of culture, health, envi-ronment, military and econom-ic and within the framework of Kuwait Plan 2035.

President Macron stressed pride in the distinguished re-lations between the two coun-tries.

The French president asked Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah to convey his greetings to His Highness the Amir.

Kuwait is a strong partner of France through diplomatic representation and humanitar-ian action, President Macron added.

He noted that his meeting with Sheikh Nasser is an op-portunity to give an overview of international and regional issues, especially the fi ght against terrorism and the situ-ation in the Near East and the Middle East.

Macron thanked Kuwait for its active role as a non-perma-nent member of the UN Secu-rity Council.

For his part, Sheikh Nasser thanked the French president for his warm welcome and ex-pressed Kuwait’s appreciation for its distinguished relations with France.

Undersecretary of the Min-istry of Defense Sheikh Ah-mad Mansour Al-Sabah, Ku-wait’s Ambassador to France Sami Al-Suleiman, French Ambassador to Kuwait Marie Masdupuy and other offi cials attended the meeting, among other offi cials.

Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah arrived in London Monday on an offi cial visit at the invitation of British Defense Secretary Gavin Wil-liamson.

Sheikh Nasser was received by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Kuwait’s Ambassador to the UK Khaled Al-Duwai-san and members of the em-bassy.

An offi cial reception will be held for Sheikh Nasser at the Defense Ministry headquarter, followed by a meeting with British Defense Secretary and then a tour to the House of Commons.

Sheikh Nasser is accompa-nied by Undersecretary of the Defense Ministry Sheikh Ah-mad Mansour Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and a number of senior offi cials.

Fatwa gives nod for ‘Education’to allow SMEs invest in schools

Kuwait’s Amb to Vietnam deniesloan reports

Kuwait proud of PIFSS former directors

All set for ACD meeting

His Highness PM attendsMunicipal Council confab

KUWAIT CITY, April 30: The Fatwa and Legislation Department has au-thorized the Ministry of Education to allow small and medium-sized enterprises to invest in schools play-grounds and cafeterias with the value of each contract not less than KD 50,000, reports Al-Qabas daily quot-ing sources.

The sources revealed the Education Ministry last February had asked the opinion of its legal affairs its depart-ment on the investment of cafeterias and playgrounds of public education

schools through the ministry directly and benefi t from the profi t in order to develop the activities of schools.

The ministry has set up a joint com-mittee of several governmental insti-tutions to study the applications sub-mitted by small and medium-sized enterprises.

A large number of companies spe-cialized in the fi eld of food have been selected and classifi ed as companies with suffi cient expertise in the fi eld of food and meet the aforementioned con-ditions.

KUWAIT CITY, April 30, (KUNA): Kuwaiti Ambas-sador to Vietnam Adnan Al-Ahmad on Tuesday denied media reports on a recent visit by Kuwaiti Oil Minister Khaled Al-Fadhel to Vietnam and on Kuwait’s non-refunda-ble loans to Vietnam.

Al-Fadhel’s visit to the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi was positive and constructive, during which both sides dis-cussed willingness to enhance and expand cooperation in the oil fi eld, Al-Ahmad said in a press statement.

Al-Ahmad stressed that there was no mention what-soever of Kuwaiti loans dur-ing talks between Al-Fadhel and Vietnamese offi cials, as these loans come within the purview of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED).

Kuwaiti Deputy FM in Doha for Asian Meet

KUWAIT CITY, April 30, (KUNA): His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah praised on Tuesday the role of Kuwait Municipal Council in enhancing coor-dination and cooperation with various concerned state bodies in the develop-ment plan.

His Highness’s remark came at the opening ceremony of the fi rst conference of the Municipal Council, which kicked off earlier today under his patronage.

In a press statement, His Highness the Premier stressed the importance of these conferences to review ideas, proposals and initiatives that support the country’s development plans, and achieve the vi-sion of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to transform Kuwait into a fi nancial hub.

The ceremony was attended by Min-ister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs, Fahad Al-Shula, President of the Mu-nicipal Council Osama Al-Otaibi, and a number of high-ranking state offi cials.

Kuwait is proud of former Public Institution for Social Security’s (PIFSS) Director-General Hamad Al-Humaidhi,

former Deputy General Manager for In-formation Technology Ahmad Al-Turki and Deputy General Manager for Invest-ment and Operations Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, said Finance Minis-ter Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf Monday.

This came in a speech delivered by Minister Al-Hajraf during the ceremony held by PIFSS under his patronage in honor of the former directors after a long service with many achievements of the institution.

He affi rmed that their dedicated work has become a strategic cornerstone for the stability of Kuwaiti society, ensuring that all its citizens have a decent, stable and economically secure life.

Al-Hajraf noted that the honored worked amid great challenges and dif-fi culties in order to achieve the ultimate goal of any social security institution is to maintain the fi nancial sustainability of the organization.

For his part, the Director-General of PIFSS Mishaal Al-Othman said that the honoring came to expresses all apprecia-tion and gratitude for these who worked hard for the service of the Kuwaiti peo-ple.

DOHA, April 30, (KUNA): Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah arrived in Doha on Tuesday to head the Kuwaiti delegation to the 16th Ministerial Meeting of Asian Coopera-tion Dialogue (ACD).

During arrival at Qatar’s Hamad International Airport, Al-Jarallah was received by Kuwaiti Ambassador to Qatar Hafeez Al-Ajmi, Director of Protocol Department at the Foreign Ministry of Qatar Ambassador Ibrahim Fakhro and members of the Kuwaiti Embassy in Doha.

The delegation includes Kuwait’s Assistant Foreign Minister for Asia Ambassador Ali Al-Saeed and As-sistant Foreign Minister for Deputy Foreign Minister’s offi ce Ambassador Ayham Al-Omar.

The Asian Cooperation Dialogue

(ACD) was established in June 2002, aiming at strengthening communica-tion among Asian countries by ex-changing ideas among member coun-tries

ACD has held 15 ministerial meet-ings since it was created, the fi rst sum-mit was held in Kuwait upon request from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on October 17, 2012.

Meeting of Asia Cooperation Dia-logue (ACD) starts in Doha

The meeting is part of the ongoing efforts to promote partnerships aimed at achieving integrated economic growth through sustainable strategies in line with the vision of the Asian Co-operation Dialogue Forum 2030.

He stressed Qatar’s full support for the proposals of the member states

on encouraging cooperation in the six main goals of the development plan, which includes energy, fi ghting pover-ty, agriculture, transportation, technol-ogy, environment, tourism and others.

On the sidelines of the ministe-rial meeting, a new agreement with six Asian universities will be signed as part of efforts to support Asian educational companies at all levels.

Al-Hammadi also referred to a fo-rum that will be held to discuss small and medium-sized enterprises with the goal of encouraging businessmen and decision-makers to open new invest-ment horizons in various fi elds with other countries.

He expressed confi dence that the 16th session of the ACD will reach fruitful results and recommendations that will enhance Asian cooperation.

By Ghada Habib

KUWAIT CITY, April 30, (KUNA): His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah inaugurated on Monday Al-Salam Palace Museum, which portrays Kuwait’s long history in a unique fashion, blending past, present, and future.

Al-Salam Palace, formerly known as Al-Dheyafa Palace, was originally estab-lished as an idea envisioned by the late Father Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah in the late 1950s, when he aspired to build a special man-sion for him and his family.

To achieve that, the late Father Amir headed to Egypt to search for a special-ized architect who could turn his vision of the mansion into reality. He eventually commissioned architect Medhat Al-Abed, who designed a round-shaped palace with magnifi cent interior decorations, making it most luxurious building in Kuwait and Gulf countries at the time.

In 1960, during the reign of late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, construction works began for the palace’s basic structure. However, in 1961 and after the offi cial declaration of country’s independence, some changes were made on the palace’s residential plans due to the urgent need at that time for an offi -cial guesthouse for Kuwait’s top visitors, including kings, presidents, and other prominent fi gures, in addition to a place to hold offi cial and international confer-ences and meetings.

Thus, the government decided to com-plete constructions for the spectacular building and transfer its ownership offi -cially to the state. The palace was offi cial-ly inaugurated in 1964, and received its fi rst world leader guest in that same year.

Around 166 world leaders have stayed at Al-Dheyafa Palace since its offi cial opening, including Shah of Iran Moham-mad Reza Pahlavi, who visited Kuwait and stayed as a guest at the palace in 1968.

The palace, which total costs esti-mated nearly KD fi ve million, equaling USD 16.5 million, was characterized by its beautiful and luxurious facilities. Its fancy exterior round-shaped design re-fl ected on its interior design, with its crys-tal chandeliers’ lights visible through its windows, illuminating its superb vicinity at Shuwaikh beach for passersby to enjoy.

Al-Dheyafa Palace continued to re-ceive Kuwait’s guests until 1990, when Iraq invaded the country, destroyed the

palace and stole its contents. Afterwards, the palace faded into oblivion after the country’s liberation in 1991, especially after handing over its role and missions to the newly-built Bayan Palace to host the country’s guests.

The palace stayed abandoned and ne-glected until 2013, when Sheikha Mona Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Head of Historic Documentation Center and the Amiri Diwan Libraries, proposed to restore the historic guesthouse and turn it into a mu-seum that combines various time phases from the 300-year history of Kuwait.

Sheikha Mona’s proposal received ap-proval and encouragement by His High-ness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, prompting the Amiri Diwan to carry out reconstruction of the palace until it was fi nally completed and offi cial inaugurated by His Highness the Amir today.

The newly-restored building houses a collection of rare artifacts and preserve the national cultural heritage of Kuwait. It has been designed to suit the modern generation provided with the latest tech-nological display methods to presents the history of Kuwait to visitors in a creative and innovative manner.

It consists of four fl oors; basement, ground, fi rst, and second. The basement includes an electronic library connected to the Central Library of the Amiri Di-wan, as well as areas dedicated to scien-tifi c research and staff offi ces, storage and service rooms.

The ground fl oor includes exhibition halls for the “History of the Palace” that refl ects the original construction of the Palace, as well as dignitaries who visited and stayed in it.

The fi rst fl oor contains the museum displaying the history of Kuwait through its rulers. It includes nine halls that tell the history of Kuwait since its establish-ment, with most important achievements made during the history of the 15 rulers of the country, with a display of their col-lectibles and personal items.

The Palace is divided into three main sections; the Museum of Kuwait History through its rulers, the Peace Palace His-tory Museum, and the Museum of Civili-zations that inhabited the land of Kuwait.

Furthermore, there are other sections to serve the Museum, including a special suite to receive senior guests of the state, a digital library, a souvenir gift shop, edu-cational halls for school students, and a multi-story parking lot.

KUNA photoAn aerial photo of Al-Salam Palace Museum.

Edifice blends Kuwait’s past, present and future

Al-Salam Palace ... wonderful architectural masterwork