Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Her Excellency, Quentin Bryce, Governor-General of Australia is set to travel to Kuwait to commemorate the 20 year anniversary of the liberation of the country from Iraqi rule. This comes as terrorist threats and civil unrest begin to spread throughout the region.

In a tour that is set to conclude on February 27th, Ms Bryce will be representing Australia at several ceremonies marking 20 years since the first Gulf War and 50 years since Kuwait gained independence from the United Kingdom. In addition, she will visit The Australian College of Kuwait and other locations of national interest including sites of Australian wheat imports.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs released a statement claiming “Terrorists have demonstrated intent to conduct attacks in Kuwait against a range of targets, including United States military and identifiably Western targets such as hotels, restaurants and symbols and buildings associated with the Kuwaiti government.”

The visit occurs in conjunction with the news of anti-government protests igniting across the Middle East including Kuwait. Despite this, the Governor-General’s secretary told a Senate committee that the trip shall proceed.