Kuwait donates US$500 million to Katrina relief efforts

On Sunday, the country of Kuwait pledged US$500 million in oil products and other aid to United States Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. It is the single largest donation given to help the victims of hurricane Katrina.

Energy Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahd al-Sabah explained, "The humanitarian aid is oil products that the devastated (U.S.) states need in these circumstances, plus other humanitarian aid to lessen the devastation these three states have been subjected to."

Al Sabah also stated that "It's our duty as Kuwaitis to stand by our friends to lighten the humanitarian misery and as a payback for the many situations during which Washington helped us through the significant relations between the two friendly countries." Kuwait is in fact one of the U.S.'s strongest allies in the Middle East, due to the U.S. protection of Kuwait in 1991 during the Gulf War.

Kuwait's donation was followed by a $100 million donation from Qatar, a small, U.S. friendly peninsula jutting out into the Red Sea.

These donations were brought on as the 22 members of Arab League (based in Egypt) asked Arab countries to donate to the Katrina relief efforts, and sent their deepest condolences to the U.S.