KUWAIT - Shaikh Jabir Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

The Emir, Shaikh Jabir is one of the most enigmatic rulers in the GCC. He has been involved in the petroleum sector since the 1950s and served as minister of oil and finance until he became crown prince in the late 1970s. Now he rarely gets personally involved in the decision making process. But he said to be relatively well informed about everything that goes on in Kuwait and abroad.

One of Shaikh Jabir's main preoccupations is the security of the emirate. He will do whatever it takes to make sure that Saddam Hussein or any other neighbour would not dare invade Kuwait again. But his health is in poor condition and he no longer is as active as it used to be. There are no clear indications of his exact physical condition, but he is said to be much less active than in the past (see detailed profile in APS Review's Gas Market Trends, Vol. 56, No. 25).