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Prime Minister visits Kuwait-Iraq border
KUWAIT:
Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah and National
Assembly Apeaker Ali Al-Rashed yesterday inspected the borders with Iraq
a few days after Iraqi farmers rioted and prevented a United Nations
team from completing repairs of border markers.
The prime
minister was briefed by security officials on the Kuwaiti preparations
on the borders in the face of the developments to protect Kuwaiti
territory against any violations or aggressions.
Earlier this week, several hundred Iraqis pelted rocks at UN workers who were repairing border markers near Umm Qasr.
The
situation later deteriorated when unidentified people from Iraq fired
shots at the Kuwaiti side which also responded with gunshots.
No injuries were reported in the fire exchange, but the UN-supervised work on the border markers had to be stopped.
The
maintenance of border markers resumed several weeks ago after a halt of
several years after Iraq and Kuwait sorted out a number of outstanding
issues.
Kuwait strongly protested at Iraq and urged Baghdad to
shoulder its responsibilities in preventing such violence in the future,
and also sent another protest to the United Nations.
Sheikh Jaber said
Kuwait hopes that Iraq will perform its duties with regard to the
incident, but insisted that the relations between the two nations are
“much bigger” than being affected by some individuals.
Speaker
Rashed also hoped that such actions on the borders will not be repeated
because this will help develop the relations between the two countries
and help Iraq come out from Chapter 7 obligations.
Head of the
Assembly foreign relations committee MP Saleh Ashour said that the
committee has invited Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al- Sabah
for a meeting next week to discuss the developments on the border.
Ashour
said the Iraqi side should shoulder its political and security
responsibilities to maintain security at the borders because this
reflects positively on bilateral relations.
The lawmaker said
that three border markers have not been repaired and the Iraqi side must
provide the necessary protection to the UN team to complete its mission
which is based on UN Security Council resolutions.
In another
development, Rashed said that the issue of the much publicized KD 1,000
grant to Kuwaiti citizens is “in the hands of His Highness the Amir who
can better assess the matter”. Several MPs have said that Kuwaitis who
will not benefit from the debt relief scheme will be given a grant of KD
1,000.
By B Izzak, Kuwait Times Staff
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
KUWAIT:
Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah and National
Assembly Apeaker Ali Al-Rashed yesterday inspected the borders with Iraq
a few days after Iraqi farmers rioted and prevented a United Nations
team from completing repairs of border markers.
The prime
minister was briefed by security officials on the Kuwaiti preparations
on the borders in the face of the developments to protect Kuwaiti
territory against any violations or aggressions.
Earlier this week, several hundred Iraqis pelted rocks at UN workers who were repairing border markers near Umm Qasr.
The
situation later deteriorated when unidentified people from Iraq fired
shots at the Kuwaiti side which also responded with gunshots.
No injuries were reported in the fire exchange, but the UN-supervised work on the border markers had to be stopped.
The
maintenance of border markers resumed several weeks ago after a halt of
several years after Iraq and Kuwait sorted out a number of outstanding
issues.
Kuwait strongly protested at Iraq and urged Baghdad to
shoulder its responsibilities in preventing such violence in the future,
and also sent another protest to the United Nations.
Sheikh Jaber said
Kuwait hopes that Iraq will perform its duties with regard to the
incident, but insisted that the relations between the two nations are
“much bigger” than being affected by some individuals.
Speaker
Rashed also hoped that such actions on the borders will not be repeated
because this will help develop the relations between the two countries
and help Iraq come out from Chapter 7 obligations.
Head of the
Assembly foreign relations committee MP Saleh Ashour said that the
committee has invited Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al- Sabah
for a meeting next week to discuss the developments on the border.
Ashour
said the Iraqi side should shoulder its political and security
responsibilities to maintain security at the borders because this
reflects positively on bilateral relations.
The lawmaker said
that three border markers have not been repaired and the Iraqi side must
provide the necessary protection to the UN team to complete its mission
which is based on UN Security Council resolutions.
In another
development, Rashed said that the issue of the much publicized KD 1,000
grant to Kuwaiti citizens is “in the hands of His Highness the Amir who
can better assess the matter”. Several MPs have said that Kuwaitis who
will not benefit from the debt relief scheme will be given a grant of KD
1,000.
By B Izzak, Kuwait Times Staff
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
