Page 17 - MEOG Week 40
P. 17

MEOG                                       NEWS IN BRIEF                                              MEOG








                                           Kuwait’s emir asks                   REUTERS
       POLICY                                                                   emir and another to finalise pending items.
       Iran tweaks Washington’s  government to stay on,                         EU warns Turkey over

       nose with further fuel              prepare for elections                Mediterranean provocations
       deliveries to Venezuela             Kuwait’s new emir has asked the cabinet   The EU says it could impose sanctions on
                                           to carry on its duties and prepare for
       Iran continues to tweak the nose of   parliamentary elections due this year after the   Turkey over “provocations and pressures” in
       Washington with the delivery of fuel to   prime minister handed in his government’s   a row with Greece over energy resources and
       gasoline-starved Venezuela. The final   resignation, state news agency KUNA   maritime borders.
       tanker in a flotilla of three Iranian fuel   reported on Tuesday.          European Commission President Ursula
       tankers docked at eastern Venezuela’s port   Parliament, which must approve the emir’s   von der Leyen called on Ankara to “abstain
       of Guaraguao on October 4, according to   choice of crown prince, will end its term on   from unilateral actions” in the eastern
       Refinitiv Eikon data and a person familiar   Oct. 8, Speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim later said   Mediterranean.
       with the matter cited by Reuters.   in remarks broadcast on state television.  She spoke early on Friday during a meeting
         The economy of Venezuela, like that of   Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid   of EU leaders in Brussels.
       Iran, is under immense strain because of   al-Sabah met Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad   Earlier, Turkey and Greece set up a military
       US sanctions. By working together, Caracas   al-Sabah, who assumed power last week,   hotline to try to reduce the risk of clashes in
       and Tehran can jointly undermine the heavy   and in line with the constitution submitted   the region.
       sanctions policy directed at both countries by   the government’s resignation “to ensure   Tensions rose earlier this year when Turkey
       the Donald Trump White House. It is thought   ministerial responsibilities are held by those   sent a ship into a disputed area to search for
       that Venezuela is paying for the fuel deliveries   who enjoy the emir’s confidence”, KUNA said.  potentially rich oil and gas deposits.
       with gold.                            It said Sheikh Nawaf expressed his full   BBC
         The three tankers, which began arriving   confidence in the current cabinet, which was
       last week, have delivered some 820,000   formed last December.
       barrels of fuel to the South American country,   Sheikh Nawaf, 83, took the helm of the   OIL
       where severe shortages of gasoline – as well   U.S.-allied OPEC member state following the
       as unreliable power, water and cooking gas   death of his brother Emir Sheikh Sabah al-  Iran’s oil sales to reach
       supplies – have led to a wave of protests in the   Ahmed last Tuesday aged 91.
       neglected interior in recent weeks.   Kuwaitis have been waiting for Sheikh   $5bn in 2020
         “Tomorrow, October 5, the plan to   Nawaf to name a crown prince to help guide
       normalise and restart the gasoline distribution   state affairs at a time when low oil prices and   Iran lost $115 billion in oil exports and non-
       situation begins,” Maduro said in a state   COVID-19 have hit state finances against   oil revenues, and the country’s crude oil sales
       television address. “We have in the last week   the backdrop of continued tensions between   this year will reach five billion dollars at best,
       managed to produce the gasoline and other   Kuwait’s larger neighbours Saudi Arabia and   according to an Iranian economic official.
       products Venezuela needs, in addition to the   Iran.                       Iran’s total oil and non-oil exports will
       good quantity of gasoline that has arrived   The parliament speaker said if the emir   reach $35 billion this year, whereas its
       from abroad.”                       names a crown prince on Wednesday, then he   foreign currency expenditures amount to $50
         Iran has also delivered products to   would call a session for Thursday morning.   billion annually, the chairman of Iran-China
       Venezuela that are helping the latter to restart   If there is no announcement by Wednesday,   Chamber of Commerce, Majidreza Hariri, was
       its sanctions-hit refineries.       then parliament would vote on the candidate   quoted by ILNA news agency.
       BNE                                 at an extraordinary session.           The official warned that his country will
                                             Al-Ghanim said the body would hold two   face a currency crisis for years if exports
                                           sessions on Wednesday, one to honour the late   are not doubled, expressing concern that


























       Week 40   07•October•2020                www. NEWSBASE .com                                             P17
   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20