Diplomats recall ultimate leader – India declares Day of Mourning

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TUNIS, Oct 1, (Agencies): A bevy of Arab diplomats on Thursday paid an emotional tribute to Kuwait’s Late Amir His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, saying the world has lost an “ultimate leader” whose humanitarian acts would forever live in the annals of history. “We have lost a great Arab leader with the passing of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad,” Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Tunisia Mohammad Al-Ali told KUNA, as he paid his respects to the late Kuwaiti leader.

Echoing Saudi King Salman bin Abdulazizs words, he said his country had lost a “dear brother,” wishing for a more prosperous future ahead for Kuwait with its new Amir His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at the helm. Grieving over the loss of a leader who “dedicated his life to the wellbeing of his people,” Tunisia’s former foreign minister Noureddine Erray said Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad’s passing is a “great loss to the world and humanity as a whole.” Abdelfattah Mourou, the North African nations former chief lawmaker, was confident of the “smooth transition of power (which took place) in Kuwait,” saying the process would further reinforce the country’s “growing presence” in the region.

“Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad was not only a Kuwaiti leader but an advocate of Arab unity and champion of human rights,” said Moroccos ambassador to Tunisia Hassan Tariq, adding that his country had also lost a genuine friend. Paying their respects to the late Kuwaiti Amir, the Palestinian ambassador to Tunisia Hael Al-Fahoum and chief of the Arab Leagues Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization Mohammed Ould Aamar both remembered him as an “incomparable leader.”

Diverse
Kuwait with demise of the Amir Sheikh Sabah has lost a great and sagacious leader who spared regional and international nations diverse political crises, said Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in the United Kingdom. Dubbing the late Amir, who passed away on Tuesday, as leader and mentor of the Kuwaiti diplomacy, Khaled Al-Duwaisan, the State of Kuwait Ambassador to the UK, said in a statement to KUNA that Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad was a prominent leader who had played a significant role in tackling tension and resolving conflicts in the Middle East since he served as foreign minister.

He was an extraordinary personality, not only at the Gulf and Arab levels, but also at the global level and this fact was substantiated with his designation as Leader of Humanitarian Action by the United Nations (in 2014), Al-Duwaisan said. Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad had a good reputation among global and British quarters particularly due to his role in supporting humanitarian action, the ambassador added.

He recalled Sheikh Al-Ahmad’s role in backing up four conventions for supporting the Syrian people, latest of which was held in the British capital in February 2016. The State of Kuwait Embassy in London will begin, as of today, receiving condolences via its website as a precaution against the coronavirus. The envoy wished success for the freshly proclaimed Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, affirming that he “is the best successor of best predecessor.” His Highness the new Amir, Sheikh Nawaf, will pursue leading the state, guided by the political legacy “he inherited from the late dean of international diplomacy Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.”

Respect
The Government of India has declared Oct 4, a national day of mourning, as a mark of respect on the passing away of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the late Amir of the State of Kuwait on Sept 29, 2020, says a press release issued by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs. The day of mourning will be observed throughout India.

The national flag will fly at half mast on all government buildings and all government entertainment activities remains cancelled on that day. Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar extended heartfelt condolences on the passing away of Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, during a visit to Kuwait Embassy in New Delhi. In a statement to KUNA, Jaishankar said: “This is a very difficult day and I am here to express the condolences of the government and people of India on the passing away of the late Amir. “His Highness was exceptionally well regarded in India. He had contributed a lot to the building of this relationship. He had come here as a foreign minister, as a special envoy, and we were actually looking forward to his visit last year so his passing away was something which has also shaken us and distressed us very deeply. At this time we express our fullest solidarity with the people of Kuwait,” he said.

Jaishankar, who was received by Kuwait Ambassador Jassem Al Najem and the embassy officials, also discussed several issues of mutual interest. During the talks with the Indian External Affairs Minister, the Ambassador recalled the visit of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to India in 2006 soon after he assumed power in the same year. He also remembered the late Amir for his role in fostering international peace and security and his leading role in the global humanitarian fields.

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