Official Press Release:
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
Kuwait donates $500 million to Katrina relief efforts
Washington, DC (September 6, 2005) - Today US Ambassador to Kuwait Richard LeBaron thanked Kuwait's government and people for the country's US$500 million pledge of assistance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. "The vast, vast majority of Kuwaitis have been very supportive and sympathetic and have demonstrated deep bonds of friendship between our two societies," Ambassador LeBaron said to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
Today Kuwait's Minister of Information Dr. Anas Al-Rashid also issued a statement on the unprecedented natural disaster which read: "How painful it's been for Kuwait to watch the suffering and destitution caused by Hurricane Katrina. It reminds many Kuwaitis of how they almost lost everything during the invasion in the summer of 1990, and how Americans came to their aide. The Kuwaiti government's donation is the least we can offer the great people of the United States, and it's a gesture from my government and people to say that your friends are with you - and our heart and prayers are especially with the victims of this enormous tragedy." Kuwait's Chamber of Commerce today also called for Kuwaiti businesses to lend support to the aid efforts.
As Kuwait made the pledge yesterday, Energy Minister Shaikh Ahmed Fahd Al-Sabah expressed his condolences toward and solidarity with the American people, saying "It's our duty as Kuwaitis to stand by our friends to lighten the humanitarian misery." Today acting National Assembly Speaker Abdulwahab Al-Haroon praised the Kuwait Cabinet's decision to support hurricane victims by saying, "We cannot forget the tremendous role of the U.S. in standing by U.S. during the invasion [of Kuwait in 1990]."
CONTACT - Dr. Fatma Al-Khalifa, Director, Kuwait Information Office, (202) 338-0211, ext 210 or (301) 320-2428