bureau $39.00 cash for came part 2 on a. we understand the differences and similarities in cultures across the world so no matter what you see we've been using the calendar for that matter. oh and welcome i'm peter w. watching the news live from our headquarters here in doha coming up in the next 60 minutes the emir of kuwait she. has died in the united states at the age of $91.00 . we'll look at his legacy as a diplomatic mediator in the middle east. fighting intensifies

between as a big john and armenia while the international community race is to find a diplomatic solution. and the world policy is 1000000 deaths from the coronavirus we'll look at why latin america has been the worst affected region. welcome to the program our continuing coverage of the news that broke a couple of hours ago now the death of the amir of kuwait shaikh. sabah he'd been in power since 2006 he was receiving medical treatment in the united states where he died at the age of 91 jamal al sheil takes a look back at his life and his legacy in recent years. had become recognized and relied on as a regional mediator. in 2017 when g.c.c.

member states saudi arabia and the united arab emirates along with egypt accused qatar of supporting what they described as terrorism and imposed a land air and sea blockade it was him who intervened the kuwaiti amir attempted to broker a settlement urged for more dialogue between the gulf rivals and pushed for reforms to prevent future disputes. no question what it meant that we have discussed the situation in the country for most unfortunate dispute between our brothers in the gulf region and our efforts to contain it ship was born in kuwait city in 1929 the son of ahmed their job who was a mirror from 1984 to 1950 for 4 decades he held the post of foreign minister in that time the oil rich country experienced huge economic growth but was also vulnerable to regional struggles although kuwait had supported the iraqi government during the nearly decade long war with iran in the 1980 s.

. then president saddam hussein ordered his forces to invade kuwait in 1998. more than $1000.00 civilians were killed and hundreds went missing during the 7 months iraqi occupation which triggered the 1st gulf war that same year. after u.s. led air campaign forced iraqi troops out of kuwait so bach was closely involved in rebuilding his country. and in 2003 he was appointed prime minister at the time it was widely expected that his next role would be that of crown prince but in 2006 then. his half brother died a new enemy or saddam abdullah saddam was sworn in almost immediately concerns were raised over the state of his health and sparked what's appear to be a power struggle within the royal family. after

a tense 9 day reign the emir abdicated the koichi cabinets we flee nominated as the next leader ending what was seen as a major crisis. in 2015 a suicide bomb exploded in a packed mosque in the east of quaint city killing 26 people. there near immediately rushed to the mosque despite security warning scaring his sympathy with the people in the long life of some of the slovak he witnessed kuwait's so-called golden years of economic growth and darker periods of conflict regional turmoil and political crises towards the end he's well honed skills in diplomacy mediation were increasingly relied on by other gulf states a role here appear to welcome and one that's will be missed we have multiple correspondents gauging reaction for us around the world ellen

fisher is in washington as a big since iran diplomatic editor james bays is at the united nations in new york but 1st jamal sheil is live for us here on the news here in doha jamal for anyone just chiming in to this news just take us through the events of the past 90 minutes or 2 hours or so well earlier on in the day peter there were those initial rumors or reports that the mirror had indeed passed away obviously a lot of people waiting to hear that confirmation and it was roughly around 90 minutes or so ago that maybe just over that that state t.v. broke from its usual programming schedule and started broadcasting verses from the holy koran something that is customary in this part of the world once a death is about to be announced obviously. even though it was expected at some point that the amir was because he was in such bad health and because of his

advanced age it didn't really work hasn't really softened the blow so to speak because of the huge shoes that the late shift. filled to somebody who was not just the leader of one of the gulf cooperation council states not just a regional player but somebody who filled the vacuum when it came for the need for stability for the need for reason the need for some sort of conflict resolution and in that is where a lot of people will be remembering him but also feeling that loss that's announcement by state t.v. obvious me will be followed over the next 3 days by official mourning by closures of state institutions and other government bodies but also an anticipation to wait and find out how the succession process in kuwait will unfold and what it will mean not just for the gulf country but also for the wider region in

terms of the gulf cooperation council as well as the middle east as a whole what's the process of mourning and moving on and remembering which must happen in tandem as well i suppose what's that process going to going to show us over the coming days well really with kuwait it is such a unique country in the region and therefore there are a lot of moving parts that a lot of people will be watching and as you mentioned there it's about this inclination between them but also ensuring that they also. each one of them. is in agreements with the other and complements the others the what i'm looking for here and what you're looking at with regards to kuwait you have a monarchy but you also have a functioning parliaments which does have significant say as to how the country is . rule so whilst there is an heir apparent should know of the brother of the late

or he is 83 years old and that's heir apparent one c. assumes refused to be named as the emir after the elders of the softness the meat's that name then has to get approved by the national assembly which has in the past rejected and i mean in fact the predecessor of the late shift of only lasted for a few days before the parliament removed him because of health concerns there so it's not necessarily a given just because there is a named. heir apparent that you will rule albeit likely that he will but it's not necessarily a given he then has to announce a heir apparent and that's where the kind of power plays take place in order to ensure that there's all the different sections of the ruling family which has 2 main branches in its customary between them they alternate true is the rule on who is the heir apparent as you mentioned that's taken place whilst there is mourning

whilst there will be obviously preparations for state funerals and whilst there is the role of the parliament that is still to be debated considering that the kuwaiti parliament is one that is politically diverse it is made up of different components of kuwait's political factions but also sectarian in the there is also a significant. minority in the country as well all of those are going to play into how this succession will happen but looking at its pizza there doesn't seem and we saw this also obviously with the differences but when we saw the possum of the late still plan of all men there doesn't seem to be a departure from that steady stable approach that has been synonymous with koichi politics even by those who are vying for that position who may not necessarily have been named as we are. successor is true that it's obama the. correspondent here

in doha seeking us through the events of the past 2 astronauts to close thank you for the moment diplomatic it is the james bays joins us live from the u.n. in new york any reaction there yet james. well we still got the u.n. general assembly taking place in the general assembly hall there still playing out speeches of leaders so a lot about that as president present in the united nations no formal statement yet from the u.n. secretary general antonio good terrorists but i've been speaking to someone who's been speaking to him since this news came through he's well aware of the news i was told the secretary general was puts out statements when any world leader dies saying he's saddened but in this case he really is very sad he knew the emir well remember the secretary general has served as secretary general but before that was the prime minister of his own country portugal and was the high commissioner for refugees so he knows the emir very well and is well aware of what i was told is his substantial commitment to regional peace and stability and it was pointed to me

some of the recent things that kuwait has done kuwait at the end of last year finished 2 years on the u.n. security council and during that time they had a key role with regard to the war in yemen because they were able to speak to the u.s. a and to saudi arabia because of their close links in the gulf they were able to pass messages to iran and they played a key role i think in the stockholm agreement which led to at least a part of the puzzle being fixed not completely fixed with regard to the port of data but of course the efforts of the white of peace are still something that saluted the international community also kuwait when it's on the security council took the role of one of the countries that did the coordination on humanitarian affairs with regard to syria and i'm told that even now kuwait is missed because people valued kuwait's very astute diplomacy coates ambassador on the security

council quite so then foreign minister that's now its prime minister and they very much were following in the tradition of the emir because although he was only the emir since 2006 this is a man who's been on the world stage for days. he was his country's foreign minister from 1963 and in fact he was the foreign minister here at the u.n. at the ceremony when kuwait joined the united nations in 1963 and he was also in. in his role as foreign minister when the gulf cooperation council was set up so he is a symbol i think of continuity and stability in a troubled region that's the big picture let's just get to one little anecdote that's worth telling you which is from one of my colleagues here at the u.n. bureau for 01 of our cameraman here and a few years ago he was asked to go and film the emir the emir has a property in new jersey and they were asked to go and film the emir having

a meeting there and when the camera crews in the photographers turned up they knocked on the door they were beckoned in and yet the emir at the top table said no come and join me and he let the cameraman and photographers join him for a meal so i think a little view i think of the human side of this man thanks for that story james and thanks for your reporting we'll talk to you in a bit i'm sure live now to washington and our correspondent there alan fischer alan i mean good relations clearly between the royal household in kuwait city and whoever is sitting u.s. president at least going back to when i think what iraq invaded kuwait 9192. that's right but the relationship is complicated there's been no official reaction yet from either the white house the president or the state department but the americans will be well aware of how we'll the emmy awards that was the american military hospital plane that flew in from kuwait via germany to minnesota in july

that was outfitted with a complete medical team an expert medical team landing in minutes you would expect that he went to the meal clinic one of the world's top hospitals no confirmation from the hospital that he was there and since he arrived here in july we know they need an operation the day after he arrived but since then we've had no update on his medical condition we don't even know yet if the amir was still in hospital and was actually in minnesota when he died as i say that relationship between a kuwait and the united states has been complicated in recent years certainly there is a great growing swell of appreciation towards america in kuwait that stems back to 1901 and of course that is when there was the international coalition led by the president bush who expelled the iraqis from kuwait in a war that lasted just 3 days perhaps so unusual that on the ground in one part of the middle east there is this affection for the americans but over recent years

things have become slightly more closed particularly with donald trump in the white house there was concern in the white house that the emir was building relations with iran there was concern that they did not immediately support the united states when it pulled out of the around nuclear deal in the way that saudi arabia and also israel did there was concern as well that the emir was also building bridges with the chinese too but the president decided that he was going to honor the emir in about 10 days ago here at the white house there was a ceremony where in his absence he was awarded the legion of net it it's one of the highest honors that can be given it. presented sorely at the discretion of the president what is interesting in that event donald trump suggested that kuwait might well be the next nation to recognize israel in the way that the united arab emirates and others have done so that was immediately discounted by the kuwaiti

side well aware of the strength of feeling not just the national assembly in kuwait city but all sort on the ground in kuwait itself so although there is this perfection there is this great connection between the 2 countries and remember there are somewhere between 13 and 20000 american troops based in kuwait depending on whose numbers you believe and the americans still see that very much as a strategic part of their their middle east expansion their middle east efforts expansion is perhaps the wrong word but the middle east presence is perhaps a much better word there has been this complication or the recent years what will be interesting now is to see how that develops 1st of all after the election here in the van by the 4th and of course whoever is put into the prime position in kuwait itself ok allan thank you very much answered big as live for us in the iranian capital tehran and any reaction there yet.

not yet we're still waiting for some reaction but the immediate did visit iran back in 2014 where he met president hassan rouhani but also the supreme leader. the how many now the relationship between iran and kuwait has been friendly complicated and at times somewhat tense going back to the iran iraq war coate supported saddam hussein in fact allowing saddam hussein's forces to use 3 kuwaiti islands to stage attacks against iran at the time the president who is now the supreme leader ayatollah khomeini threatened if they didn't stop saying they could become targets but since then there has been increased trade there has been diplomatic relations and kuwait has tried to play mediator when the united states pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal will kuwait supported that deal and has publicly stated iran's support for iran's right to have a peaceful nuclear program but again there have been tensions in 2011 accused

iran's revolutionary guards al quds force that deals with operations outside the country that they were carrying out subversive activity inside kuwait and in 201723. were arrested in accused of espionage for iran and hezbollah and the iranian ambassador was expelled and also after 2017 kuwait put restrictions on iranian traders but since then there has been dialogue they have been talking this is a close relationship 30 percent of kuwait's population with historical iranian roots and recently as january when after general carson for the money was assassinated by the united states kuwait called in iran's ambassador denying any involvement saying that kuwait was not used by the united states to carry out that assassination and recently the iranian ambassador to kuwait. that iran is not seeking to use quality soil to target u.s.

interests and and he was told by kuwaiti authorities that kuwait would not allow the u.s. to use its soil to carry out attacks against iran so a very complicated relationship and kuwait has been walking that tightrope between the g.c.c. the united states and iran assert thank you very much chance of being there reporting live from tehran let's bring in our own bashara he's our jazeera senior political analyst he joins us now on the line from paris mo on what will the amir's legacy how will it be remembered. well you know. i think it's a bit of a long 3 lines and that actually my sympathize summarize a lot of what but we've heard from our correspondents today and i would say that they on balance and they are stability and reform balance was born out of great suffering from the iraq invasion and i think one years ago kuwait

was basically taken over completely it became a government that they want it that it was liberated and since then kuwait has traded a very fine line between regional and will and that's why we had our own correspondent from washington but about additional china well great is a friend of the united states but it also became part of the so and built chinese project when it comes to the region it also balances out between say iran and saudi arabia within the gulf itself which if you should take sites with solid yet again. so i want to know all this there is. the legacy of kuwait meant bending balance between the various powers and and influences in the region and beyond the question of sympathy was also important because as you said it quits for the lots and with inker weight then inside and the 2nd part of it rather industrious if you will

national assembly that is quite vocal and quite involved in policy making it legislates and so it works as a balance with what the ruling family and hence acquits a bit of a unique situation where did the gulf region it this is sort of come constitutional it's not exactly constitutional monarchy but this mix rules if you well. ensures that both sites have to maintain certain communication bridges and to maintain the stability. within the country and in the region and so in the mass the question of reform is important because as you know the last 10 years have been quite. volatile and that is assisting i don't spring start that now to be clear then you have got there was no champion of doubt of additional out of spring not at all but he would not join that comparable you shouldn't trend in the region you would not

send forces he would not help the papers in that sense are against the people and in a sense kuwait itself has led the we know what's reform of him in the sense of for example women enter the nationalist some big they became elected officials there was a number of reforms within kuwait of course many think they still fall short more is needed but clearly there was a clear path towards reform in kuwait and that was very important in the region that is their sleep. or wrecking. it's. also who are so in a sense the for me it was very important and became so the middle way between the also secret leadership and those who seek comfort ok within that balancing act ma one here is i think if it's a perceived he was perceived in many courses around the middle east as being

a source of in mali and so he was in a more lenient influence you've touched on it james bays touched on it you know the q 80 slash omani involvement in the yemeni peace talks granted they've they've stalled a little bit at the moment compared to where they were 1820 months ago now but did he call that roll out for himself or was the emir of kuwait always going to fulfill that role because of the not immediate history of kuwait but the recent history of kuwait. i think that's a good question and i think both are important one quake as we just spoke it did go through a lot and he said to learn the lessons and it became you know less wall more careful less with mission and and more you know peace with itself and the region

trying to build bridges and balance between powers so it was important and that was driven yes from from from that we get there almost 99 but also you know that me and this is quite you know astounding if you think of it he served as foreign minister from 63 to 2003 that's 40 years of being the top diplomat for the country and kuwait was quite ahead of its time meaning in terms of that of countries that was really way way way up front and for the kuwait and me it perhaps your best 40 years of foreign minister during some part of the times including say you know the oil prices you know the topic and by. the israeli invasion of lebanon the iraq iran war the invasion of iraq and all of that of course you know so it was foreign minister for some 40 years and the 2nd you learnt

the hard lessons and became a citizen. and that certainly helped him when he became a mere ok mowen many things mo and bashar a senior political analyst that talking to us from paris well the crown prince of q 8 is sheikh now off the job he's 83 years old and is the half brother of the current timea now off was named the crown prince in 2006 when the media came to power the crown prince has been active in the kuwaiti government for 52 years after attending university in the united kingdom. full time but account is the director of the center for conflict and humanitarian studies at the doha institute sultan your thoughts at this time please. well obviously this this is a very sad news it wasn't entirely unexpected in the last couple of months there has been some new some news coming out from the united states to guarding the ill

health of the emir but nevertheless it is sad and i think it has left the region. worse off than a few days ago the mayor of kuwait has been recognized for being a unique diplomat over the last 4 decades or so 1st when he served as asms of foreign affairs but also recently as an in your he employed his dramatic skills in a very. special way across the region and led the mediation effort in a number of countries but i think for us those of us who work in the humanitarian he would be remembered as a humanitarian leader and he was in fact nice by the united nations as a leader ringback and for many years one of his close advisers and friends mr abdullah much too was appointed a special envoy for humanitarian affairs to the world and that was

a look at mission of the amazing work that he's done around the world not just in the arab region in africa latin america and elsewhere to the development fund many . efforts are for humanitarian relief and assistance but he himself led all of those efforts i think will be remembered and his work will be missed. relations between different countries in this region sultan can be at least complex stop me if i'm getting this wrong from what you're saying and from what marwan was saying to me a little earlier it seems now that the emir and his country was quite prepared to and this was accepted around the region was quite prepared to implicitly say to other countries look we may disagree on that big issue but when it comes to another significant as you say

a peace process for yemen we have got to be in exactly the same place and just because we disagree on other issues does not mean to say that we cannot have a positive working direction for the good of you whoever that other country may have been and for the good of kuwait. yes absolutely i mean is that one of his qualities i think is the fact that he was extremely patient and you feel with him that he's got all the time for any process that he engages and in yemen he is spearheading of the mediation efforts despite the fact that it did not result in a breakthrough he was very very persistent throughout and he kept the door open and throughout the process until until the very last minute he kept inviting people to come back to the table in kuwait he also did the same with the qatari crisis. not only took an opposition where he refused to boycott qatar but immediately

opened his doors and invited all to come to his tent so to speak to try and resolve the issue diplomatically so i think this is a clear quality that kuwait have had to develop under his leadership because of its recent history that you beijing of iraq to kuwait the fact that you had to balance . forces like iran one side and saudi arabia on the other for a long time that meeting way i think in which he had who sided with iraq and ended up from the perceiving you know quit perceiving serve as the victim of the right to hosting the most important donor conference for iraq and pledging a considerable amount of money for the reconstruction of iraq and many many cases like that and i think these are very special qualities that only the late and the could could have and that's why he did i've known as the wise man of

the region and when it comes to that reputation and that title the pseudonym i guess the wise man of the region when it got front page coverage that the kuwaitis and the omani. yes we're driving the yemeni peace process almost 2 years ago now that was when the revelations came out i think it be fair to say there was a reaction outside of this region saying oh the kuwaitis are involved oh the omanis are involved but the reality is that the amenia and the role of household their toolbox of diplomatic skills was very big because they had been around that block of middle eastern diplomacy several several times sure i mean i'm like i'm on which can be gauging the ak used as being maybe too close to the house he's having to connect a little bit of distance from saudi arabia united arab emirates kuwait managed to

keep equal distance from from 0 and that is really one of the.