Kuwait emir Sheikh Jaber dead at 79

KUWAIT CITY – Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah (79) has died after a quarter-century in power marked by the trauma of the Iraqi invasion and the fruits of unprecedented economic prosperity.

Sheikh Jaber, who ruled for 28 years, is the third elderly Gulf ruler to die in the past 15 months, following the deaths of Saudi king Fahd and UAE president and founder Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan. Kuwait sits on 10 per cent of the world’s proven oil reserves.Top oil executives promptly announced that Sheikh Jaber’s death would not affect crude production in the emirate, which pumps some 2,6 million barrels per day (bpd) and has a native population of just under one million.The late emir was from the Al-Jaber branch and Sheikh Saad is from the Al-Salem branch of the Al-Sabah family, the two lines that have traditionally been alternating power.Sheikh Jaber, who ascended the throne on December 31 1977 and was confirmed by parliament a day later, had been ill since suffering a brain haemorrhage in September 2001.Sheikh Jaber survived an assassination attempt in May 1985 when a suicide bomber intercepted his motorcade, killing a number of his guards.He escaped with bruises.Sheikh Jaber’s darkest hour as emir came on August 2 1990, when Iraqi troops stormed over the border, beginning a seven-month occupation that annexed the emirate as the 19th province of Iraq.The emirate was liberated by a US-led international coalition on February 26 1991.The late emir was behind the creation of the emirate’s Reserve Fund for Future Generations (RFFG), a powerful tool that channelled the state’s surplus funds into long-term investments, mostly in Europe and the United States.- Nampa-AFPKuwait sits on 10 per cent of the world’s proven oil reserves.Top oil executives promptly announced that Sheikh Jaber’s death would not affect crude production in the emirate, which pumps some 2,6 million barrels per day (bpd) and has a native population of just under one million.The late emir was from the Al-Jaber branch and Sheikh Saad is from the Al-Salem branch of the Al-Sabah family, the two lines that have traditionally been alternating power.Sheikh Jaber, who ascended the throne on December 31 1977 and was confirmed by parliament a day later, had been ill since suffering a brain haemorrhage in September 2001.Sheikh Jaber survived an assassination attempt in May 1985 when a suicide bomber intercepted his motorcade, killing a number of his guards.He escaped with bruises.Sheikh Jaber’s darkest hour as emir came on August 2 1990, when Iraqi troops stormed over the border, beginning a seven-month occupation that annexed the emirate as the 19th province of Iraq.The emirate was liberated by a US-led international coalition on February 26 1991.The late emir was behind the creation of the emirate’s Reserve Fund for Future Generations (RFFG), a powerful tool that channelled the state’s surplus funds into long-term investments, mostly in Europe and the United States.- Nampa-AFP