ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 2 LOCAL HH Amir ‘congratulates’ King Salman on end of Hajj season Al-Sanea praises Saudi services for pilgrims KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27, (KUNA): His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah sent on Saturday a cable of congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al- Saud on the end of the Hajj season. In his cable, his Highness the Amir lauded the success of the Hajj pilgrimage this year. His Highness Sheikh Sabah also expressed gratitude for King Salman and his government’s strenuous efforts in addressing the needs of Hajj pilgrims, wish- ing persistent prosperity for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people. Kuwait’s Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Yaaqoub Al- Sanea commended here on Saturday Saudi services for pil- grims and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud’s reception at the Royal Court in Mina Palace in honor of leaders of Muslim countries performing hajj. KUNA photo His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and his delegation seen disembarking at New York airport. Photo by Muhammad Morsi People seen arriving from Hajj pilgrimage. Kuwait keen on its continuing support to UN Amir’s rep arrives in New York for UNGA meetings NEW YORK, Sept 27, (KUNA): Representative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah arrived in New York to head Kuwait’s delegation to the 70th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session. His Highness the Prime Minister, in a statement shortly after his arrival, said UNGA meetings were held amidst many developments taking place around the globe. The UN is shouldering big responsi- bility vis-a-vis uncertainties and ter- rorist acts threatening security and sta- bility in the Middle East region, he said. His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al- Mubarak called on the international community to live up to its “historic responsibility” to preserve internation- al peace, security and stability, as well as stepping up the fight against terror- ism. “Kuwait is keen on continuing its support to the UN so it can play an active role in helping many countries overcome crises and providing decent life for their people,” he added. He said Kuwait actively contributed to UN efforts to addressing interna- tional disasters and crises, as well as helping development in many coun- tries. His Highness the Prime Minister praised anew the UN’s honoring of His Highness the Amir as “Humanitarian Leader,” and Kuwait as “Humanitarian Center”. His Highness the Prime Minister was received at JFK Airport by senior officials at the Amiri Diwan and the Prime Minister’s Diwan, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah, Kuwait’s Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al- Sabah, Kuwait’s permanent represen- tative to the UN Mansour Al-Otaibi and the Consul General to Los Angeles Abdullateef Al-Yahya. ‘Arab nation stands by Saudi Arabia’ AP chief lauds Saudi King’s Hajj safety review CAIRO, Sept 27, (KUNA): Arab Parliament’s (AP) President Ahmad Al-Jarwan on Saturday commended Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdulaziz’s orders of a safety review aimed at facilitat- ing the rituals of Hajj for pilgrims, in the wake of this year’s deadly stampede. In a statement, Al-Jarwan said King Salman’s “prudence” will prevent the occurrence of such tragic incidents again. Moreover, the Arab Parliament’s President reaffirmed that the Arab nation stands by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and supports its vigorous efforts in holding the annual Hajj pilgrim- age. Al-Jarwan also extended his deepest condolences for the huge loss of life and wished a swift recovery for those injured in the stampede. On Thursday, a stampede in Mina, on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca, killed at least 769 pilgrims and injured 934 others. It is the deadliest incident to occur in the Hajj since the 1990 stampede, which killed 1,426 people. The Saudi King’s reception had a positive impact on the hearts of all those who attend- ed the meeting, Minister Al- Sanea told KUNA in a state- ment. He added that Saudi authori- ties always do their best to offer many services to pilgrims once they arrive in the holy land. Minister Al-Sanea also praised the Kuwaiti Hajj mission’s efforts in serving the Kuwaiti pil- grims and checking on Kuwaiti pilgrims after the recent Mina stampede that killed and injured several. He wished all Kuwaiti pil- grims and Hajj mission a safe return to the homeland. Meanwhile, head of Kuwait’s hajj mission has expressed gratitude to the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud for the reception he held at the Royal Court in Mina Palace in honor of leaders of Muslim countries who currently per- form hajj and all heads of hajj missions. This generous invitation reiterates the Kingdom’s keen- ness in uniting Arabs and Muslims and boosting ties among Muslim people, Kholaif Al-Othaina, head of the Kuwaiti Hajj mission, stat- ed to KUNA. King Salman’s annual recep- tion is a big opportunity for heads of Arab and non-Arab hajj missions to consult and exchange expertise among each other in order to provide better services for pilgrims, Al- Othaina said. He also further commended the elaborate efforts exerted by the Saudi King’s government during current hajj season, not- ing that it showed the Kingdom’s ability in organizing pilgrimage and facilitating pil- grims’ moving between holy sites. Warm welcome to Hajj pilgrim returnees A large number of people warmly wel- comed their relatives, who performed Hajj, at Kuwait International Airport with bou- quets of flowers and chants. The airport had a total of 16 arrival flights from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday with 4,240 pilgrims on board. The administration of the airport and its security systems fully prepared for the arrival of the pilgrims in the last two days. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Director Yousef Al-Fawzan con- firmed the successful implementation of the plan for welcoming the pilgrims. He disclosed Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) had nine extra flights for the pilgrims; in addition to two regular flights, three Saudi Airline flights and two by NAS airlines. On the other hand, Director of Airport Security Department Major General Faisal Al-Seneen said the concerned authorities at the Interior Ministry and DGCA eased all procedures for the pilgrims. He confirmed that Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammed Al-Khalid personally followed up the procedures.