Kuwaiti amir asks govt to iron out pending issues with Iraq

Kuwait Times - 02 January, 2013

HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has directed the government to work towards resolving all pending issues with Iraq as the two countries move to improve bilateral relations, especially since Iraq is now governed by rulers elected by the people.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al- Sabah, revealed this during his meeting last Sunday with members of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee.

According to sources familiar with the meeting, participants expressed concern about the public movements currently on in Iraq, which the executive and legislative authorities in Kuwait see as “a potential factor that could hurt the relationship between the two countries.”

“The main concern pertains to the continuing sectarian instigation in Iraq which can leave serious impact on Iraq’s relations with its neighbors,” said the sources who spoke to Al-Qabas on the condition of anonymity.

Kuwait and Iraq are expected to sign nine agreements during an official visit to Baghdad in the near future “including the treaty to drop charges pressed by the Kuwait Airways against its Iraqi counterpart,” said the sources, noting at the same time that Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid told the foreign panel members that “Iraq has started maintenance operations for border demarcation.”

The issue is considered one of the most critical ones still pending between the two countries. Meanwhile, the sources revealed that members of the foreign committee asserted the need for Kuwait to “make use of its good relations with Iraq and Iran to improve its regional position.”

They felt that Kuwait, owing to its geopolitical situation, could emerge as “the main key for the relationship between the two countries and the Gulf states.” Regarding Iran, the sources revealed that minister Al-Sabah “expressed Kuwait’s concern” about the Bushehr Nuclear Reactor, especially given “confirmed information” indicating that the plant was shut down for the second time most recently due to an electric error.

There are also growing concerns about Tehran’s ability to run the facility “as the contract signed with Russia has been extended for six months after it expired by the end of 2012.”

“The Iranians struggled to handle the plant even with Russian help, which adds to the growing concern about how they are going to manage alone when the Russian teams leave for good,” the sources said.

Moreover, they added that minister Al-Sabah spoke with the panel about “information about Iran’s plans to build 24 nuclear reactors along the Arabian Gulf coast,” something the minister said “doesn’t lead a positive impression on Kuwait.”

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid also told the panel that Kuwait’s considered the visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the three disputed islands with the United Arab Emirates, as a “violation of an agreement reached between Kuwait and Iran in order to reach a settlement through direct negotiations or the International Court of Justice.”

Furthermore, the sources noted that the minister indicated that “Kuwait continues to carry out negotiations with Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq pertaining to the neritic zone” shared by the four countries.

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