HAFR AL-BATEN, 6 April 2003 — Mubarak pulls over and stops next to one of several vendors of camel milk along the Hafr Al-Baten-Kuwait road. He has just come back from Kuwait for the weekend. “All is quiet and normal in Kuwait,” says Mubarak, while drinking his camel milk, which is sold in large quantities along the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. “I come here just for a change of place,” he adds.
This is the case for many Kuwaitis who want a break from war and spend the weekend in Hafr Al-Baten, the biggest Saudi town near the border. “It’s so serene and quiet here,” he says as he sits with his fellow countrymen in the open desert, watching the dying sun on the horizon.
Hafr Al-Baten is important for Kuwaitis as it welcomed a large number of them during the Gulf War in 1991. Now, Hafr Al-Baten has become a favorite place for Kuwaitis who want to escape from the atmosphere of war in Kuwait during the weekend. “Even before the war, we always came here,” says Mubarak. There are Kuwaiti cars at every street corner in Hafr Al-Baten.
Young Kuwaitis come here to enjoy their free time. “Schools are closed because of war,” a group of Kuwaiti youngsters told Arab News at a playground on the outskirts of Hafr Al-Baten along the road leading to Kuwait. “War is a terrifying experience,” Ahmad, a third-grader said. He said he was worried about his Iraqi counterparts. “We love our Iraqi brothers,” he added.
Hafr Al-Baten markets are bustling with people, heavy traffic fills up the streets and goods are selling well. “It is crowded as usual during the weekend,” said Tawfiq, a vendor in the heart of Hafr Al-Baten.
There are no substantial threats from Iraqi missiles in Kuwait, one Kuwaiti observes. “We have not witnessed anything unusual,” said Muhammad, who owns furnished apartments in Hafr Al-Baten. “Occupancy rate is the same as it was before the war.” Some Kuwaitis come here for the weekend and then return to their country.
Abdul Aziz Al-Mutairy, a Saudi resident, said, “The picture of Kuwaiti mass exodus during the 1990 Gulf War is still in my mind, so I prepared myself to welcome my relatives from Kuwait,” he said. However, they didn’t come. “Thank God,” he concludes.
