$500 from each Kuwaiti, Qatari citizen to USA hurricane disaster
Gulf-USA, Politics, 9/5/2005

The Arab Gulf states were the first among countries which provided aid to the devastated victims of Katrina hurricane in the United States. On Sunday, Kuwait announced offering $ 500 million while Qatar announced donating $ 100 million.

Kuwait minister of energy Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahd al-Sabah said that the humanitarian aid are but a sort of oil byproducts needed by the devastated USA under these conditions, in addition to other humanitarian aid to alleviate the destructive consequences of the hurricane which hit the three American states overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in the south eastern parts of the country.

Al-Sabah commended the position of the USA in opposing the Iraqi invasion in 1990 and its role in liberating Kuwait. He said that the Americans contributed by the blood of their people, the dearest they have, as he alleged. He also said that Washington ensured protection for three Kuwaiti oil tankers during the 1980s.

So far the aids given by Kuwait is the largest donation given to the USA from any country to help it withstanding the consequences of the destructive hurricane.

One official source in Abu Dhabi said that the United Arab Emirates decided to provide urgent relief aids to the victims of the hurricane including in particular medical items and requirements and humanitarian relief stuffs.

For its part, Saudi Arabia proposed giving aids to victims of the hurricane and simultaneously stressed readiness to increase its oil production in order to compensate any shortage in supplies in the world market that might result from the hurricane.

In al-Manama, one official source said that Bahrain's cabinet decided on Sunday to donate five million dollars as contributions in the efforts made to rescue victims of Katrina hurricane.

Facts: The number of Kuwaiti citizens is about 1 million, with an annual per capita income of about $21,300. This makes the Kuwaiti donation worth about $500 per Kuwaiti citizen. The number of citizens in Qatar is about 173,000, with an annual per capita income of about $23,200. This makes the Qatari donation worth about $500 per Qatari citizen.

The United States is the largest economy in the world, with a per capita income of about $40,000. The United States gives about $64 per US citizen in foreign aid. Countries such as Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands and others give as much as 5 to 6 times per year in official foreign aid as the US does.

Yemen, an Arab state that is a member, along with of Kuwait, and Qatar, in the Gulf Cooperation council states, has a per capita annual income of is about $785 per year (according NationMaster.com).

Iraq, that is an Arab state that is an immediate neighbor Kuwait. Iraq, who has become an impoverished country, pays Kuwait reperations. Iraqis have a per capita income of some $800 per year, according to former US official in Iraq, Paul Bremer.

The US has military bases in Kuwait since after the liberation of Kuwait. The US has a major military base in Qatar which it was forced to move from Saudi Arabia, for control of US airforce operations, such as those conducted in the invasion of Iraq.

The Hurricane that hit the southern parts of the United states has devestated the city of New Orleans, a city which has part of it bellow see level, and has been known to be vulnerable to such an event. This natural disaster is said to be one of the worst, if not the worst, to have hit the United States.

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