AL-SIDDEEQ, Kuwait- Foreign dignitaries began arriving in the Gulf state of Kuwait on Sunday to offer condolences for the death of emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who was buried earlier in the day.
Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 83, who had been the day-to-day ruler during much of Sheikh Nawaf’s reign due to his ill-health, has been named as emir after the death of his half-brother.
The leaders of fellow Gulf states Qatar and Bahrain met the new emir, while the Iraqi prime minister and Iranian foreign minister also offered condolences. Kuwait was invaded and occupied by Iraq in 1990 and has maritime border disputes with Iraq and Iran.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also met Sheikh Meshal. Kuwait has been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, U.S. Defense Security Lloyd Austin, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi were also to visit the OPEC oil producer.
“Kuwait acts as a stabilizer, providing ballast against the cross-cutting winds of Gulf politics,” said Kristin Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. “Its proactive and largely constructive ties with Iraq and Iran have proved helpful in the face of sharp regional disputes.”
Sheikh Nawaf, whose six-decade career in public service included stints as minister of defense and interior, was buried in Sulaibikhat cemetery in a coffin draped in the Kuwaiti flag, after prayers at Bilal bin Rabah mosque. He died aged 86.
The cause of his death on Saturday has not been disclosed.
POLICY CONTINUITY EXPECTED
Sheikh Meshal, 83, who attended the burial and prayers alongside members of the ruling Al Sabah family, had been de facto ruler of the U.S.-allied Gulf state ever since late 2021 when a frail Sheikh Nawaf handed over most of his duties.
Sheikh Nawaf, whose six-decade career in public service included stints as minister of defense and interior, was buried in Sulaibikhat cemetery in a coffin draped in the Kuwaiti flag, after prayers at Bilal bin Rabah mosque. He died aged 86.
The cause of his death on Saturday has not been disclosed.
As he formally takes the helm of the OPEC member with the world’s seventh-largest oil reserves from his half-brother, Sheikh Meshal is expected to preserve key Kuwaiti foreign policies, including support for Gulf Arab unity, Western alliances, and good ties to Riyadh – a priority relationship.
Kuwaiti academic Bader Al-Saif said the new emir was known for his resoluteness and determination and was expected to continue government efforts to streamline the public sector, a policy that had been pursued by his predecessor, Sheikh Nawaf.
Sheikh Meshal would also likely continue reconciliation efforts, including with its diverse political class, exiled and jailed critics, and within the ruling family, he said
The late Sheikh Nawaf was 83 when he became emir in 2020, at the time the oldest ruler to take power in Kuwait. He was known domestically as a consensus-builder who sought to repair a long strained relationship between parliament and government. He also pardoned dozens of dissidents and critics during his reign.
Sheikh Nawaf’s three-year reign as emir was relatively short by Kuwait standards. His predecessor and brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, reigned for 14 years and shaped the Gulf state’s foreign policy for two generations.
PAYING RESPECTS
Abdullah Sabah Al-Mulla, a 56-year-old Kuwaiti professor, said the nation has lost a “great father” in Sheikh Nawaf.
“He did not put a barrier between him and anyone. To him, all the people were equal,” he told Reuters.
Eid Abdullah Al Fraih, a 60-year-old Kuwaiti retiree, said he was captivated by the late emir’s humility and compassion and that he believed Sheikh Meshal would continue his predecessor’s efforts to improve ties between the government and parliament.
“Kuwait will be prosperous (under his reign). The (political and economic) situation will improve, God willing,” he said.
Under the constitution, the emir chooses his successor, the crown prince, but traditionally the ruling family convenes a meeting to build consensus. Parliament also has to approve it.
Rulers of other Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have in recent years picked their own sons as their designated successors, signalling power would next pass to a younger generation of the ruling family.
Reuters
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