DUBAI, July 31 (Reuters) - Kuwait telecom operator Wataniya NMTC.KW has appointed Bassam Hannoun as its new chief executive, parent firm Qatar Telecom QTEL.QA (Qtel) said on Tuesday. Hannoun, formerly the CEO of Wataniya Mobile Palestine, will start his new job on Sept. 1. He will be a permanent replacement for Scott Gegenheimer, who resigned in June. ID:nL5E8HCGY6 Acting CEO Abdulaziz Fakhroo will resume his role as deputy CEO.

Qtel owns a 52.5 percent stake in Wataniya, which is also known as National Mobile Telecommunications Co. Wataniya has operations in Kuwait, Tunisia, Algeria, the Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives. ((Dubai Newsroom, +971 4 391 8301, dubai.newsroom@reuters.com)) ((For more information, click on GFN ))