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LOCAL ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2017 7 College of Education marks Nat’l Days Under the patronage and participa- tion of the Dean of College of Edu- cation at Kuwait University Prof. Bader Omar Al-Omar, the College of Education organized National Days festivities, which was attend- ed by several teaching staff mem- bers, employees and students of the college. The celebration included various activities including participation of the Department of Technical and Cultural Activities affiliated to the Deanship of Student Affairs as well as the participation of several stu- dents from the college, Guidance Office and Education Technology Center. Photos from the event Kuwait supports Arab, Islamic groups at UNHRC Decorum, loyalty embedded in Kuwait diplomacy: Al-Sharekh KUWAIT CITY, Feb 26, (KUNA): Kuwaiti diplo- macy is synonymous with decency and sheer loyalty, Director General of Saud Al-Nasser Diplomatic In- stitute Ambassador Ab- dulaziz Al-Sharekh said on Sunday. The Kuwaiti envoy made the re- marks in an interview with KUNA, where he spoke of the diplomatic in- stitute’s eagerness to instill in trainees virtues such as decorum and commit- ment. “A successful diplomat is one who strictly cleaves to the nation’s foreign policy, while bearing in mind that a diplomat only implements policies and does not create them,” Al-Sharekh noted. Moreover, he highlighted that a Ku- waiti diplomat should be utterly loyal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that the Saud Al-Nasser Diplomatic In- stitute has produced around 40 percent of the nation’s diplomats, as he hailed the institution as a “beacon of knowl- edge and guidance.” On the Foreign Ministry’s hiring process, Al-Sharekh pointed out that the ministry does not discriminate on the basis of gender, rath- er, it aims to promote gender diversity as advocated “in the Kuwaiti Constitu- tion.” Meanwhile, on the idea to form the Saud Al-Nasser Diplomatic Insti- tute, he said it had been tossed around for a while, particularly, during the time His Highness the Amir was at the helm of the Foreign Ministry. Speaking on seminars and other ac- tivities the institute puts together, Al- Sharekh said that NATO is instrumen- tal in dictating the subjects that require greater focus, after assessment of the country’s political and economic condi- tions. He also added that the institute has invited a slew of notable figures in the political world, including former inter- national foreign ministers that have dab- bled extensively in diplomatic affairs. The Director General of the Saud Al- Nasser Diplomatic Institute underscored the significance of ties with government bodies, including Kuwait University (KU), which is heavily involved in the institute’s activities. On Feb 16, the Saud Al-Nasser Diplomatic Institute held a graduation ceremony, sponsored by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al- Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, produc- ing the institute’s fifth batch of diplo- mats. Meanwhile, the State of Kuwait sup- ports Arab and Islamic groups during 34th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) due to get underway on Monday, said the country’s permanent delegate to the UN. Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghuneim, in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Sunday, said the session would be of paramount significance for it would outline the council’s strategy in 2017, adding participants would exam- ine up to 100 reports about human rights globally. Cultural works in Arab world declining Writers praise Kuwait’s role in spreading child culture SAFAQIS, Tunisia, Feb 26, (KUNA): Elite Arab intellectuals and writers have praised the State of Kuwait’s role in spreading child cul- ture throughout the Arab world. They note that Kuwait has re- mained adamant on supporting print- ed child culture and education and called for holding broad discussions in the Arab intellectual community to work out unified perspective re- garding this type of culture. Kuwaiti writer Heba Mandani, in- terviewed by Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on sidelines of Safaqis International Child Book Fair, said Kuwait has gained wide-spread reputation for creativity in child lit- erature. However, there have been signs that printed works of child literature are losing popularity despite efforts by the ministries of information and education, the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NC- CAL), NGOs and other associations, which regularly hold workshops on children education and encouraging child literary writers. Al-Arabi Ben Jaloun, a Moroccan writer, agreed that cultural works for children are on the decline in the Arab world, exempting Kuwait that has remained adamant and insistent on backing this culture. “I still remember Al-Arabi Al- Saghir magazine that was first pub- lished in 1954 as part of Al-Arabi magazine,” he said, noting that this magazine contributed “to our cul- tural upbringing.” He called for a joint Arab program aimed at sup- porting culture and activities for the children, such as sports, arts, litera- ture and dancing. “The Arab nation will not be able to advance without free culture for children; for the child sound upbringing constitutes the ba- sis for realizing economic and civil development,” he added. Professor Al-Taher Al-Samet from Tunisia underlined Kuwaiti contributions to the child culture and called for unified Arab perspective regarding the intellectual upbringing of the very young. A Kuwaiti delegation is partaking in Safaqis Child Book Fair. The 24th edition of the fair got underway early yesterday, with par- ticipation of 13 countries including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Kuwait Arts Association participated in a fine arts exhibition, which was held at Warsaw, Poland on Feb 20 with the cooperation of the Kuwait Embassy in Warsaw. The exhibition was organized to mark the National Day and the Liberation Day of Kuwait as well as the 11th anniversary of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s ascension to power. It is also part of the cultural exchange between Arab countries and friendly foreign countries. About 30 Kuwaiti artistes as well as a number of Gulf artistes participated in the exhibition, which was titled, “Cultural and Artistic Days in Warsaw”. Iraqis push Continued from Page 1 up, are believed to be holed up in the city with practically nowhere to go, which could lead to a fierce standoff amid a remaining civilian population of 750,000. They are facing a 100,000-strong force made up of Iraqi armed forces, regional Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Irani- an-trained Shi’ite Muslim paramilitary groups. The militants have developed a network of passageways and tunnels to enable them to hide and fight among civilians, melt away after hit-and-run operations and track government troop movements, according to inhabitants. A resident of Hawi al-Josaq who gave his name as Mo- hammed said the troops need to inspect each house to ensure no militants remained. “Even if they just kill one soldier they consider themselves victorious,” he said, as he took a jug of milk from a boy at the door. He said the family had been living on milk and bread for the last two weeks as they were unable to go to the mar- ket. Sniper, machine-gun and mortar fire could be heard. A sol- dier said fighting in the blocks further north was going from house to house. The United Nations says up to 400,000 people may have to leave their homes during the new offensive as food and fuel runs out in western Mosul. Aid groups warned on Friday that the most dangerous phase of the offensive was about to begin. The government is encouraging residents to stay in their homes whenever possible, as they did in eastern Mosul where fewer people fled than expected. Talks Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir held talks in Baghdad with Iraq’s leadership Saturday, the first such visit by a chief diplomat from the kingdom since 2003. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi received Jubeir and his accompanying delegation, a statement from his office said, a key step in efforts to normalise frosty ties. Both sides “discussed cooperation in various fields, in- cluding the fight against the DAESH gangs,” it said, referring to the Islamic State group Iraqi forces are currently battling in the northern city of Mosul. The Saudi minister also met his counterpart Ibrahim al- Jaafari, who said in a statement the visit was “the first by a Saudi foreign minister since 2003.” “This visit is to reestablish relations in a more stable way than previously,” a senior government official said told AFP on condition of anonymity. “It’s the first visit of its kind.” Abadi, who has been at the helm since 2014, has supported efforts to improve strained ties but the road to normalisation has been rocky. Thamer al-Sabhan, whose credentials were received in January 2016, became the first Saudi ambassador to Iraq in a quarter century, after relations were cut following ex-presi- dent Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait. He left the same year after Baghdad demanded he be re- moved following remarks he made to the press about an al- leged plot to assassinate him and criticism he voiced of the Hashed al-Shaabi.
