Tourism blossoms in Kuwait

In an ancient crossroads of desert and sea, a mixture of the 21st century and the timeless coexists

KUWAIT - In this ancient crossroads of sand and sea, a fascinating mixture coexists of the 21st century and the timeless.

Best known in the United States as the country liberated from Saddam Hussein by US and coalition troops in the 1991 Gulf War, and later as the staging point for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, this postage-stamp-size emirate on the Persian Gulf has undergone a dizzying building boom.

Dazzling, futuristic office towers dot the downtown and waterfront boulevards of this sprawling city, while the latest Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs roam its streets in weaving, near-reckless fashion - usually with one cellphone, and sometimes two, attached to the drivers’ ears.
But on the fringes, on the flat, horizon-reaching sands that extend toward Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north, migrating Bedouins still set up tents beside teeming, high-speed roadways that resemble US interstate highways. Sometimes, a satellite dish is positioned beside the tent.

It’s a picture that combines the complexities of the modern Arab state, one that embraces a modernistic, oil-financed march toward the future while managing to nurture the links to its ancient culture and migrating past.
Walk the streets of downtown Kuwait City, and the traditional market, the crowded souk, offers hand-crafted Persian rugs and Kashmir shawls in a shadowy warren of narrow alleys. Heads turn to follow you as your eyes, unaccustomed to the kaleidoscope of the souk, try to absorb the bright colors, rich fabrics, dangling lightbulbs, and beckoning vendors who stand nearly motionless inside each narrow cubbyhole of commerce.

Almost immediately, my attention was seized by a booth with dozens of Indian shawls. My guide frowned slightly as I fingered the light, smooth merchandise hanging from pins and racks along its walls. He tugged on my arm: “There is a better shop down here, a better price.’’

There, a vendor unrolled rug after rug until I found just the right combinaton of color and texture for a price that, even after a few low-key rounds of gestures and bargaining, seemed like a steal. My guide was right.

Western tourists are a relative rarity; indeed, Kuwait has only about 90,000 vacationers per year. But they are not made to feel self-conscious. Whether walking along the outdoor promenade at the upscale, yacht-filled Marina Mall, or strolling among the locals in the souk, the ambience is laid-back and almost cosmopolitan. Smiling greetings and nods of welcome are common; so are the Paris-bought suits and high-three-figure sunglasses.

“There are a lot of Americans at the restaurants and malls, and the locals have much respect for them,’’ said Jenny Aguilar, guest relations manager at the Hilton Kuwait Resort, a luxury hotel built on a wide beach on the gulf. “During the [1991] war, it was the Americans who were here to guard the country from the Iraqis.’’

Many Americans come for business and stay for extended periods, Aguilar said, and their families often follow. As such, top-flight hotels like the Hilton offer an almost Western experience with rows of designer shops, well-equipped health clubs, and expansive pools.

Indeed, in December, a hallway at the Hilton featured a towering Christmas tree, a nightly concert of carols, and even a Santa Claus who mugged for photos with guests wielding smartphones and cameras. “Santa!’’ I said one night in startled recognition. St. Nicholas grinned - he obviously knew his name - but could not converse in English.

One glaring difference at the hotels - a reminder that Kuwait is a Muslim country - is the absence of alcohol. The restaurants in this country feature faux-cocktail bars, where drinks are spiked with fruit juice instead of the hard stuff. “Mixed with mango or pineapple?’’ my waitress asked me one night. My first instinct was to reply, “Mango or pineapple with what?’’ but I fought the urge. As I discovered, those tiny umbrellas in the concoctions are only a playful, winking nod to a forbidden indulgence.

Another reminder is the varying degree of traditional Arab dress. Although many young Kuwaitis of both sexes dress stylishly in expensive, Western-style clothing, many older men and women adhere to centuries-old concepts of proper public appearance. At the Hilton, a Muslim woman swam with her son while wearing a full-length body covering and another for her head.

Kuwait City was settled about 300 years ago and grew quickly, serving as a transit point for trade that linked India, the Middle East, and Europe. The British profited from Kuwait’s strategic location, where shipments of textiles, spices, and other goods crossed on their journey to and from India.

At the dawn of the 20th century, the British agreed to provide Kuwait with naval protection as a curb against the ambitions of the Ottoman Empire. Then, in 1936, the first oil wells were drilled. Kuwait gained independence in 1961.

Today, the pace of change is accelerating further. Along the highways in this metropolitan area of 2.4 million people, the familiar facades of Burger King, McDonald’s, and Pizza Hut are a sign of sometimes jarring change. Fast food, American-style, has come to Kuwait with a muscular visibility that vies for space with the pastel housing and apartment complexes that are mushrooming at astonishing speed out of what was empty desert only a decade or two ago.

The reason, of course, is oil - and lots of it. Ten percent of the world’s reserves are estimated to lie underneath the sands that bake in temperatures over 120 degrees Fahrenheit in July and August. The result is that Kuwaitis are a wealthy people, whose routine services - the province of taxi drivers, hotel staff, and laborers - are performed primarily by non-citizen immigrants from places such as the Philippines and Pakistan.

After a short time here, most visitors will see and sense this division, one of an unapologetic, two-tier society whose yawning gap seems unbridgeable. As such, Kuwait is vigilant about who enters the country and how long they stay. The lack of proper visa credentials - needed both for entering the country and leaving it - can lead to detention.

Entrance visas can be obtained upon arrival at Kuwait International Airport, where waits of an hour or more at a visa-control station are needed to gain approval to enter. Similarly, approval must be obtained to leave the country, where customs officials scrupulously ensure that travelers have not overstayed their welcome.

Once out the doors of the airport, getting around Kuwait is relatively easy. Taxis are everywhere, the drivers usually speak English, and rental cars are available. However, only international driver’s licenses are allowed for foreigners; a US license is not accepted.

Americans who want to take the wheel might find the roadways slightly terrifying. Traffic routinely weaves in and out at high speed, police do not appear to patrol regularly, and I saw several serious crashes on the major highways into and out of Kuwait City - at least one of which had what appeared to be a fatality on the road beside his car.

A stress-free way to soak up the sights is to ask the hotel concierge for a taxi driver who, for a reasonable fee, can act as both driver and guide. That way, tourists can visit multiple locations within a day, stroll and shop at their leisure, and enjoy the convenience of knowing that a ride to the next destination awaits them whenever they choose.

Visitors can nearly always count on dry weather; the country averages only 22 days with rain per year. Dust storms can occur at any time, but most often during the stifling summer. The most comfortable months are from November through March, when average high temperatures oscillate between 67 in January to the low 80s in November and March.

Without worrying about heat exhaustion, tourists will find that “Kuwait has a lot to offer,’’ said Aguilar.

Those offerings range from a panoramic view atop the two soaring Kuwait Towers, which reach 600 feet high; to ancient artifacts at the National Museum; to a day trip to one of Kuwait’s islands. There, a fully crewed dhow, or traditional Arab sailing vessel, can be hired to ply the gulf. The emirate also hosts pearl-diving festivals.

Shopping is a major pastime, and the city is dotted with high-end malls. Nearly everything a shopper can find on Newbury Street in Boston can be found here. Fine restaurants are also an option in the malls and hotels, where the cuisine spans a wide and interesting range from Middle Eastern to Chinese to European. At The Teatro, a restaurant on the gulf, the food is prepared at individual stations, elegantly presented, and cooked to order whether the choice is shrimp, steak, chicken, pasta, or any other of dozens of options. The service is impeccable, the staff attentive but not obsequious, and even the acoustic guitar player - from Japan - as cool and mellow as one might expect in an upscale US dinner club.

For tourists who crave a sampling of the traditional, a walk through the souk is a must. Although a first-time visitor can navigate the maze with only a few wrong turns, using a guide - that daylong taxi driver, possibly - will help find the best stalls, the best deals, and the best experience.

While walking the souk, ask to be taken to the nearby fish market, with its glistening mounds of fish, fresh from the gulf. A large adjoining room, rich with the smell of the sea, serves as a place for the fishmongers to kneel and pray.

Kuwait is a safe place, but common-sense precautions should be taken. Avoid dark places, stay on the major boulevards at night, and be respectful toward the people and their lifestyle, which is more relaxed than in strictly religious Saudi Arabia but remains unmistakably and proudly Muslim.

Millions of US service members, contractors, and business people have passed through here in the last two decades. Now, with the Iraq war over and the US presence winding down in Afghanistan, Kuwait is hoping Americans find another reason to visit.

Read more »

US immigration officials say man who died in Honduras prison fire was wrongly deported

LOS ANGELES — A Honduran citizen living in Los Angeles was wrongly deported in October, and went on to die in last month’s massive prison fire in his home country, immigration officials said Friday.

Nelson Avila-Lopez, 20, was mistakenly deported in October, and was one of the 360 inmates who died in the Feb. 14 fire at the Comayagua prison in Honduras, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told KPCC radio in a statement.
Four years earlier in an attempt to avoid gang recruitment in Honduras, Avila-Lopez crossed the border illegally at age 16 to be with his mother in Los Angeles, KPCC reported.

In September he was detained and slated for deportation, but his lawyer argued Avila-Lopez would face danger from gang members if he had to go back to Honduras, and a stay was automatically granted so his case could be reviewed.

Avila-Lopez’s lawyer, Joseph Huprich, said he talked to the deportation officer and verified the hold status.

“That was the last thing we heard until we got a call from the mother saying, ‘He was just sent out last night,’” Huprich told KPCC, saying the deportation came just over two weeks after they’d been assured the delay was noted.

ICE said in the statement that the deportation was probably the result of a breakdown in communication between the agency and the immigration court. ICE officials said they weren’t notified of the judge’s stay until the day after Lopez was back in Honduras.

But the Department of Justice told KPCC that it sent ICE the court documents in a timely manner.

ICE, the agency that deported Avila-Lopez, also points out that in November an immigration judge denied Avila-Lopez’s motion to reopen his case, and he would have been deported regardless.

“ICE goes to great lengths to ensure no stays are in place, nor court actions pending, prior to affecting an alien’s removal,” the agency’s statement said.

Avila-Lopez, suspected of gang affiliation, was sent to the badly overcrowded Comayagua prison just after his return to Honduras. The prison was teeming with inmates who had ties to gangs with roots in Southern California.

Four months later, before he’d been convicted of a crime, Avila-Lopez died in the world’s deadliest prison blaze in a century.

Avila-Lopez’s mother is now in Honduras seeking her son’s remains, believed to be among the many badly burned bodies that will need DNA testing for identification.

Read more »

Pakistan, India to normalize trade by year's end

By CHRIS BRUMMITT
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan will normalize trade with India by the end of this year, the government said Wednesday, indicating its resolve to improve relations with its regional rival despite opposition from Islamist groups and some domestic industries.

The neighboring, nuclear-armed countries have fought three wars since 1947, and much hostility remains. The push to remove trade barriers between them has led to hopes of closer political ties and, eventually, resolution to their long-standing disputes.

A government statement said Pakistan would phase out restrictions on imports from India by December, part of a commitment it made last year to liberalize trade with New Delhi. Pakistan currently severely restricts imports on a wide range of goods, including textiles and sugar.

The statement said that once the "negative list" of goods had been eliminated by Dec. 2012 then "the process of trade normalization between the two countries would be completed."

Estimates of the value of annual trade between India and Pakistan are around $2 billion, and there has been little change over the last five years. The World Bank estimates trade could grow to as much as $9 billion if barriers are lifted.

Right wing and Islamist groups in Pakistan have protested closer trade ties with India, saying Islamabad should not be cooperating with New Delhi until it gives up its claim to the disputed region of Kashmir, the mountainous area that is at the heart of the nations' dispute.

There has also opposition by some local manufacturers, who fear Indian imports will harm their business.

Pakistani Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said, "We want to normalize trade ties with India, but we will not do it by compromising on the issue of Kashmir." She said the decision was supported by all "stakeholders," a reference to the powerful army, which has the final say on India policy.

Even if limitations are lifted, obstacles remain to increased trade, .

Visa restrictions make it difficult for travel between the two countries, and there are no banking ties. Also, another major terrorist incident like the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, blamed on Pakistani militants, could halt the process.

More than 160 people were killed over three days in the assault on the Indian city of Mumbai, freezing all peace efforts. Last year talks resumed, and the two prime ministers have met. While the leaders have spoken about the need for better ties, there is no immediate prospect of a breakthrough.

Read more »

Irish vote on EU treaty poses ‘crucial risk’

Ireland added another dose of uncertainty to the future of the European Union by setting plans for a referendum on the fiscal treaty designed to keep the debt-swamped continent intact.

The decision came Tuesday, the day after the German parliament approved a fresh €130-billion ($174-billion) bailout package for Greece and the same day that the EU, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank (the so-called troika) approved the next tranche of bailout loans for recession-stricken Portugal.

Although the referendum was expected – the Irish constitution requires democratic votes on sovereignty-transfer decisions – it puts some doubt over Ireland’s ongoing membership in the 17-country euro zone.

If the Irish people reject the fiscal treaty, Ireland’s exodus from the euro zone is not out of the question. That’s because bailout funds from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the new rescue fund that comes into effect in July, cannot be extended to countries that are not part of the fiscal union treaty. Ireland, bailed out once already, may require more funds.

That’s why economists are not dismissing the Irish vote as trivial. “The Irish referendum will be another crucial risk to follow,” Morgan Stanley said in a note Tuesday.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said arrangements for the referendum would be made in the coming weeks. No date has been set for the vote, but various reports said June is the likely date. His government had hoped to avoid a referendum while the economy is fragile (though no longer technically in recession) and many voters are angry.

Ireland’s budget deficit, estimated at 9 per cent of gross domestic product this year, remains stubbornly high and unemployment is rising. The national jobless rate is 14.6 per cent and youth unemployment is more than 29 per cent. The national debt, meanwhile, is climbing relentlessly and is projected to hit almost 120 per cent of GDP by 2014, only slightly less than that of Italy.

The referendum has the potential to polarize voters. The fear in Dublin, and the EU, which had hoped the Irish government could get away with using legislation rather than a referendum, is that voters who are weary of the austerity measures will retaliate with a “No” vote.

Ireland has rejected two EU treaties in the past, though they were approved in follow-up referendums. The Irish rejected the 2008 Lisbon treaty governing the EU and its powers, only to endorse it in a vote a year and a half later.

Mr. Kenny was quick to launch his “Yes” vote campaign on Tuesday with the message that endorsing the fiscal union treaty would translate into a stronger economy. “I am confident that the Irish people will do what is necessary,” he told parliament. “In the end, what this will come down to is a vote for economic stability and economic recovery.”

In December, Irish Finance Minister Michael Noon said a referendum on the fiscal treaty would, in effect, be a referendum on continued membership in the euro zone. The fiscal treaty was endorsed last month by 25 of the EU’s 27 countries (Britain and the Czech Republic opted out).

The treaty would enforce stricter budget discipline and impose fines on countries that exceed their debt and budget deficit limits. It would also allow the EU to review budgets. The treaty was championed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has argued that only German-style fiscal discipline and austerity can prevent a second debt crisis.

A “Yes” vote in the Irish referendum is not assured. A recent opinion poll determined that 40 per cent of the Irish would support the fiscal treaty, with 36 per cent against and the rest undecided.

If the Irish vote “No,” the EU’s fiscal treaty would not necessarily be derailed. It could be launched with as few as 12 countries ratifying it.

News of the Irish referendum initially rattled the markets, but they bounced back quickly. In London, the FTSE-100 index rose and the euro gained 0.4 per cent against the dollar, reaching $1.345.

In spite of the continued deterioration of the Greek, Portuguese and Spanish economies, investors are encouraged by the second Greek bailout, combined with the debt “haircut” that will reduce Greece’s debt by more than €100-billion, and by stabilizing or rising consumer and business sentiment in Germany and some other EU countries.

Read more »

Student Finds U.S. Immigration Laws Tough To Navigate

NORTH MIAMI (CBS4) – The North Miami High School Valedictorian fighting to stay in the United States has hired a new attorney.

On Friday, Daniela Pelaez, 18, retained Nera Shefer to fight a potential deportation back to her native Colombia. On Monday an immigration judge granted Pelaez an order for voluntary deportation.

“As part of the strategy of the case sometimes we as lawyers sometimes recommend to take this. Yes it is something that we have to request,” said Shefer. “But its not offered to everybody and sometimes we do take that in lieu of a deportation order. But at the end of the day, it could have the same effect and it appears in Daniela’s case, it would have that same effect if nothing is done immediately.”

The immigration judge on Monday denied Pelaez’s request for a green card, surprising immigration advocates like Cheryl Little.

“She’s entitled to a green card… it’s my understanding through other means,” said Little, Executive Director of Americans for Immigrant Justice. “I think she has a very compelling case. I think at the end of the day she’ll get it.”

Right now Pelaez has a number of legal options. Immediately her lawyer said she will file an appeal. That process could take two to four years. In the interim, Shefer said Daniela should be able to stay in the United States.

She can also take the route of filing for citizenship under her father. He recently became a permanent resident under his son, Daniela’s brother. Johan Pelaez is a U.S. citizen because of his service in the U.S. Army.

“We are really against the clock,” said Shefer. “We are trying to do everything that is available to us under the law in order for her to stay here permanently.”

Read more »

Serbia wins support for joining EU European foreign ministers back Balkan nation's candidacy despite resistance from neighbour Romania

The Serbian president, Boris Tadic, speaks in Brussels on Tuesday. Photograph: Virginia Mayo/AP


Serbia took a large step towards integrating with mainstream Europe on Tuesday when European Union foreign ministers called for the country to be made a candidate for union membership.

The breakthrough came despite surprising resistance from neighbouring Romania, and followed a deal last week when Belgrade abandoned boycotting the attendance of Kosovo at regional and international meetings because it views Kosovo as part of Serbia and refuses to recognise its independence.

The decision by the foreign ministers, which needs to be endorsed by EU government heads at a Brussels summit on Thursday, puts Serbia on the path to EU membership, leaving behind the legacy of the 1990s when Balkan wars and ethnic pogroms earned it the status of an international pariah.

But while Belgrade now faces long years of arduous negotiations before it can become a member, Brussels has not yet named a date for opening the negotiations. EU governments will push for greater rapprochement between Serbia and Kosovo before agreeing to start talks.

The tensions with Kosovo, the Albanian-majority former southern province of Serbia which declared independence four years ago, scuppered Belgrade's chances of getting an EU green light in December amid clashes on the Serbia-Kosovo border. But last week, under EU mediation, Serbia yielded – under a complicated formula – to Kosovo attendance and representation at international meetings. Previously Belgrade had boycotted any such meetings on the grounds that it does not view Kosovo as a country.

Tuesday's breakthrough was held up for several hours by Romania, which insisted on greater protections and rights for the Romanian ethnic minority in Serbia, an issue that had not previously been a problem.

While it will be many years before Serbia joins the EU, the Brussels green light represents a boost for the president, Boris Tadic, before elections later this year. He will base his campaign on a policy that claims Serbia can join the EU without giving up Kosovo.

Under last week's deal, Kosovo is to be labelled with an asterisk and without the word republic when its officials take part in international and regional meetings. The asterisk refers to a footnote on the United Nations security council resolution on Kosovo's breakaway status and to an international court of justice ruling that the secession was not a breach of international law.

The granting of candidate status to Serbia is to be balanced by giving Kosovo an association agreement with the EU, the preliminary stage to talks about membership. But this is complicated by the fact that five EU countries do not recognise Kosovo's independence.

Read more »

Russia offers to restore ties with Georgia

AFP - Russia on Friday offered to restore diplomatic ties with Georgia for the first time since the neighbours waged a five-day war in 2008 over the status of two of Georgia's breakaway regions.

The foreign ministry said it welcomed a proposal from Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili this week to offer visa-free travel to Russians and was looking to build on this gesture of good will.

"We would like to once again underscore that we remain interested in strengthening ties between the people of Russia and Georgia," the Russian ministry said in a statement.

"We are ready, on a mutual basis, to introduce visa-free travel for the citizens of Georgia. For this, it is necessary for Georgia to ensure ... the safety of Russians visiting Georgia.

"We are also offering to restore diplomatic relations between our countries," the Russian statement said.

Moscow initially severed transport and postal links with Georgia in 2006 following the arrest of four Russian military officers on spying charges.

It banned the import of Georgian wine and mineral water because of alleged health risks that same year.

But relations between the two sides continued to deteriorate until the brief war in August 2008 that saw Russia come under fierce condemnation from the United States and Europe.

Russia's forces secured the territories of Georgia's rebel regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia and later recognised the two as independent states.

Both President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have on previous occasions refused to talk to Saakashvili and said relations between the two sides could only improve once his term expires in 2013.

Russia's announcement came two days before it stages a presidential election in which Putin -- who had completed his second term as president by the time the fighting began -- is expected to return to the Kremlin for a third time.

Georgia welcomed Russia's announcement with extreme caution.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze said she could not understand how her country could restore ties with Moscow when it still recognised parts of Georgian territory as independent states.

"Georgia was forced to cut diplomatic ties with Russia when it occupied our sovereign territories and illegally declared them independent states," Kalandadze told AFP.

"If Russia wants to have three embassies on Georgian territory, then restoring diplomatic relations is naturally impossible," said Kalandadze.

"But if Russia is ready to de-occupy Abkhazia and (South Ossetia), then there are no barriers to our diplomatic ties."

The first signs of a thaw emerged on Tuesday with an address to parliament by the fiercely pro-Western Georgian leader.

Saakashvili told lawmakers that Georgia was "ready to give peace an even greater chance and is taking the initiative to unilaterally cancel the visa regime with Russia".

But he added that he would also continue to struggle for "de-occupation" -- the withdrawal of Russian forces that have been permanently stationed in the region despite Western protests since the war.

Georgia's claim on the breakaway territories is recognised by every major nation except Russia.

Saakshavili's visa offer came three months after the two sides managed to put aside years of disagreement over their mutual border and strike a deal that paved the way for Russia's eventual accession to the World Trade Organisation.

The two sides then agreed to ask an independent company to audit trade in the disputed region and some analysts now see this as a template for solving their disputes.

Read more »