European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes wednesday March 20,1991in the Gulf write Walid Al Meshri a kuwaiti Engineer walks through a lavish Bayan Labite conference room. Gilded renovation project takes priority in Kuwait Byg Regmore Kuwait City api the furniture has arrived the Crystal chandeliers have been rebut in and workers were Busy sunday cutting new Chiffon drapes. At the sumptuous Bayan Palace no Effort has been spared to prepare the ruling Emir a residence a fact that irks some kuwaitis still awaiting water and electricity. A a a a Ltd a a . A everything Here was the Best of the Best a said Walid Al Meshri a Young kuwaiti architectural Engineer who is assisting the army corps of engineers. A a we re going to restore everything just the Way it  the Best of the Best Means Gold plated toilet paper dispensers Craf cd Marble sinks Crystal ashtrays solid Oak doors bulletproof Glass and a new Supply of Chiffon drapes to replace those carted off by the iraqis presumably to Cut them up for women a dresses said Al Meshri. \ ,. A Quot Kuwait was one of the richest countries in the world before Iraq invaded on aug. 2, and its affluent citizens arc proud that Emir Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah lived in such luxury. A a. A but they re upset to learn that the government has proved so efficient at refurbishing the badly damaged. A d it Are still three weeks away. Palace when Basic services such As water and electricity a we ate angry but what can we do a said Khaled Al Khalid a musician interviewed while he waited to buy food at an open air Market. A food water electricity we need everything a a new furniture from saudi Arabia arrived at the Palace March 2,. 12 Days before the. Emir returned from exile in the saudi resort City of taif. While kuwaitis stand in lines for water it cascades Down the Steps of a huge Fountain in the Center of the Palace a a series of 18 identical Marble buildings and a cavernous conference Center. The palaces 2-million-gallon Reservoir has been filled with water drawn from the City a Supply. Said Wayne Urbine a native of Georgia who is heading the . Corps of engineers work at the Palace. Power is supplied by three huge generators powerful enough to run the air  i see the houses of government ministers lit a said Faisal Al a Razoyk a banker and former journalist who was part of the resistance movement during the iraqi occupation a Why not take the generators from the ministers and put them in the food cooperatives Quot. A a. The Emir and other members of the Royal Al Sabah family were scheduled to move in tuesday and one of the build figs is to be used temporarily As the main government offices. V prior to the iraqi invasion the Emif lived at Tasman Palace and worked at sick Palace. The Bayan Palace built at a Cost of hundreds of millions of dollars in 1987, was used primarily for visiting dignitaries. But the Einair bad begun working in its buildings shortly before the iraqis invaded. Bayan Palace was the least damaged of the three but the iraqis still shot up Walls left behind bloodstains from apparent torture and stole everything from Wall telephones to re fridge Rater s. New currency Kuwait City up a Kuwait has ordered its Banks to reopen next week and will Issue a few currency notes to replace those cancelled after the iraqi invasion the governor of the Central Bank said tuesday. Sheik Abdulaziz Al Sabah said that the balances of All accounts would be restored to what they were aug. 1, the Day before iraqi forces invaded the emirate but that kuwaiti and iraqi dinars now in circulation would not be exchangeable a what i can do at the Central Bank is to bring Back the balances of the customers to that of aug. 1,�?� he told a news conference. He said he was not responsible for kuwaiti and iraqi dinars old outside the Banks. A if i opened this door All the looted currency will come Back again to the Central Bank a Al Sabah said. A we have to be careful about  but he said each kuwaiti citizen would receive a Grant of 500 dinars about $1,500. The offer will not include millions of workers from other islamic countries Many of whom stayed in Kuwait throughout the occupation he said. Invasion Dinar and will Issue new notes printed in England during the occupation to replace the old current. But he said the Dinar would open at about the same rate it was before the invasion and would be pegged a to a Basket of currencies that reflect our relations with our major Trade and financial  Iraq had placed the kuwaiti currency on a Par with the iraqi currency during the seven month occupation. The kuwaiti Dinar had been Worth about $3, while the iraqi Dinar was Worth about 30 cents. Al Sabah said the kuwaiti banking institutions regrouped in London after the invasion and a started to reconstruct their records. Such a process took about three months and it was a  he said monday that a the kuwaiti banking system started to meet its foreign obligations and that All a banking units have been instructed to Start their Domestic activities on sunday March 24. A a was the first stage for a period not exceeding three. Months the banking system my conduct limited banking activities such As accepting withdrawals from the 1 accounts of the customers. And to meet the requirements of the commercial sector.�?�. He said some Exchange restrictions would be in Force during the three month period. A but i would like to emphasize that such procedures Are for a temporary period and Are aimed at resolving a disastrous situation. After such a period the banking system will re sum its Normal practices Quot Al Sabah said. He said kuwaitis a facing economic disaster. Production in All sectors ceased aug. 2. Unbelievable looting took place by the iraqi regime. Not a single economic or financial entity escaped the iraqi brutality. Both the private and Public sectors have been seriously hit saying that Iraq seized $950 million in Gold Bullion from Kuwait As Well As Silver and Gold coins Al Sabah expressed a great doubts that this would be returned despite iraqi assurances to the United nations. All foreign currencies Quot Tor the past eight months from Oil revenues have been lost and will continue to be lost for quite some time a he said. A economic destruction is spread All Over Kuwait.shops and businesses remain closed in Kuwait and the country is without running water and electricity and a proper Telephone system. Most residents live on food rations donated by the government. Al Sabah declined to estimate How Long it would take to get Kuwait Back on its feet  plot reportedly used sex cons in Egypt Cairo Egypt up a Iraq recruited nearly 200 former convicts from Egypt to plot terrorist acts against vital installations in their Homeland a Cairo newspaper reported tuesday. The newspaper Al Achhar said nine a other egyptians have been arrested for alleged involvement in a pro iraqi plot to strike strategic and foreign targets. Those arrests followed recent arrests of 68 other suspected pro iraqi extremists. They included an unspecified num Ber of egyptian nationals who had been recruited while living in Iraq. According to initial investigations conducted by Egypt a slate supreme Security prosecutors the nine egyptians were recruited with a group of 191 other egyptian nationals. They were to receive weapons and $1,500 payments to plot terrorist acts in Egypt Al Akbar said. A the iraqi authorities have instructed one of the egyptians involved to strike at any targets in sight in the country while another was Given orders to hit Only foreign targets in Egypt a it said. A fall the egyptians involved Are  the country a leading daily Al ashram reported that two of the nine egyptians a teacher and an accountant were recruited to promote  ideology of iraqis ruling baath party on Egypt a College campuses. Security forces arrested the nine at the red sea port of no Ceiba upon their Arri Val from Iran via Jordan s port of Aqa Al ashram said. A a seven other egyptians had Exposi planted by iraqi intelligence agents such items As tape recorders Wall clo and Ceramic vases the paper said. A one of the egyptians had been s i finally instructed to destroy israelis. Line company offices Quot Al ashram six another had been instructed to whatever targets without waiting for rect instructions from the iraqis