Activists condemn Kuwait crackdown on opposition

Kuwaiti opposition MPs decided on Sunday to delay by one day plans to question the prime minister in parliament over a police crackdown on a public gathering, MP Mussallam al-Barrak said."Tomorrow (Monday) we will file to question the prime minister over undermining the dignity of people and imposing restrictions on freedoms," Barrak, spokesman for the opposition Popular Action Bloc, told reporters.

The parliament of the wealthy Gulf state of Kuwait on Wednesday unanimously passed legislation to grant cash and free food to Kuwaiti citizens totalling over $5 billion to mark national occasions.The grants, made last week by Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, stipulate paying 1,000 dinars ($3,580) to each Kuwaiti citizen plus free distribution of essential food items for 14 months.The cash grant will be paid to 1.155 million Kuwaiti citizens on February 24 while distribution of food will start February 1 and last until March 31 next year.

Human rights and political activists called on Sunday for broad democratic and social reform in the energy-rich Gulf states ahead of an annual summit of the regional bloc.The activists urged Gulf Cooperation Council leaders to "support the civil transformation in the GCC states by establishing and backing the state of law, separation of powers ... and adopting direct ballot to elect legislative, local and municipal councils."

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s website, Kuwait, the fourth-biggest oil producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), was the lowest recipient of foreign direct investment among the six Gulf Cooperation Council states in 2010 with US$6.5bn.

Egypt said on Wednesday Gulf states' Arab identity is a "red line" after they accused Iran of trying to destabilise Bahrain, while praising a Saudi-led force that quelled pro-democracy protests there.In a statement, Egypt's foreign minister Nabil al-Arabi said "the stability and Arabhood of the Arab Gulf countries is a red line against which Egypt rejects any trespass."The statement was in response to an Gulf ministerial meeting on Monday that accused Iran of interfering in Bahrain and Kuwait in a bid to destabilise the region.

Gulf Arab monarchies including Saudi Arabia denounced Iran's "flagrant interference" in regional affairs and said Tehran was destabilising their countries, at a ministerial meeting overnight Saturday.Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers said in a statement they were "deeply worried about continuing Iranian meddling" in their region.In addition to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait, the GCC groups Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday deplored fines a Kuwaiti court imposed on a journalist, two MPs and three dailies for statements deemed offensive to the ruling family and premier."These convictions leave us very concerned for the future of free expression and press freedom in Kuwait," the media watchdog said in a statement."All this runs counter to the declared desire of the Kuwaiti authorities to embody democratic ideals in the Gulf," it added.