kuwait and iraq work to repair relations
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Kuwait and Iraq work to repair relations

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Kuwait and Iraq work to repair relations

Kuwait City - Arabstoday

Shamlan Alessa, a political scientist at Kuwait University, said: "We've been looking forward to this day for a long time. This is a good step to normalise relations." The Kuwaiti prime minister, Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al Sabah, held discussions with his Iraqi counterpart, Nouri al Maliki, during a one-day trip to Baghdad on Wednesday. After the meeting, the two countries said they would form a committee to improve ties and resolve issues from their troubled past. Abdul Reda Assiri, the dean of the college of social sciences at Kuwait University, said the visit was the biggest détente since the Iraqi army invaded its neighbour in 1990. "Whether it's official or quasi-official", he said, any visit between the two countries is a turning point towards a "normal and progressive" relationship. "Of course, a visit by the prime minister of Kuwait is a visit by the highest official," Mr Assiri said, adding that a sojourn by the head of the government could "marginalise the fear that Kuwaitis always hold of Iraq". The speaker of Kuwait's National Assembly, Jassem al Kharafi, told reporters yesterday that the visit and the Iraqi statements confirm the desire for good relations and a stable region. Kuwait's minister for foreign affairs, Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al Sabah, said the emir would attend the Arab summit scheduled to be held in Baghdad in March. In a press conference after the meeting, he said the joint committee will discuss several concerns "including the issue of debts". Iraq still owes Kuwait about US$21.7 billion (Dh79.7bn) in war reparations, according to the United Nations Compensation Commission, which oversees a fund paid for with five per cent of Iraqi oil sales. Kuwait is owed billions more in loans mostly made when Saddam Hussein's regime fought Iran in an eight-year war, but last year Sheikh Mohammed suggested Kuwait would forgive the loans in return for security and good relations. Payment of the reparations is just one condition that Iraq must fulfil to escape from the remaining sanctions imposed under Chapter Seven of the UN charter. Other issues include co-operation in resolving the fate of Kuwaitis who remain missing since the invasion and the return of stolen artefacts. "The major obstacle was how to solve the border issue, but this was solved last month," Mr Alessa said. He said the two countries are in agreement of where the border should lie except for a small area of Kuwaiti land that is owned by Iraqi farmers. The relationship between the two countries had little chance of improvement while Saddam Hussein remained in power; that changed when he was ousted in 2003 by a US-led invasion. Mr al Assiri said the relationship is thawing because Kuwait wants to support the democratic government that has recently come to power. He said there is an "economic undercurrent" because Iraq is opening up to foreign investment and Kuwait wants to keep its neighbour within the Arab sphere of influence. Mr Alessa said the two countries recently agreed to establish joint ventures in agriculture and industry, where Kuwait's money is invested to create jobs for Iraqis and profit both countries. He said: "Kuwaiti businessmen are already investing in the north, in Erbil, where they have no trouble, and some Shiite companies in Kuwait are investing in the south, in Karbala and Najaf." The improved relations could facilitate investment into the Sunni-dominated centre of the country. Economic co-operation grew when the two countries agreed to share oil from fields that straddle the border in August, bringing another painfully contentious issue to a close. Saddam had accused Kuwait of slant drilling under the sand to steal Iraqi oil before sending his armies south. Diplomatic relations have slowly returned. Iraq opened an embassy in temporary headquarters in Kuwait in 2005 and sent an ambassador in May for the first time since the invasion. "It will take time," Mr Assiri said. "Kuwaitis still have some bad memories of Iraq and it's not an easy process. But the normalising process is like curing an illness: it takes a while."

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

kuwait and iraq work to repair relations kuwait and iraq work to repair relations

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

kuwait and iraq work to repair relations kuwait and iraq work to repair relations

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 09:47 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

To 'eternal style' of late Alaia

GMT 17:12 2012 Wednesday ,16 May

LG unveils new user interface for ICS devices

GMT 15:03 2013 Thursday ,25 July

Belgium under heat wave

GMT 04:59 2015 Tuesday ,01 September

Qatar coral reef at risk from warming seas

GMT 21:51 2016 Friday ,14 October

3 frontier corps personnel killed in Quetta

GMT 14:42 2012 Saturday ,21 January

Bella Cruise debuts new main squeeze

GMT 13:52 2013 Tuesday ,26 March

Indian director talks about Himmatwala remake

GMT 22:26 2017 Sunday ,08 January

1 Turkish soldier, 37 Daesh militants killed

GMT 02:35 2014 Sunday ,29 June

Hilton Jaipur unveils new main restaurant

GMT 20:51 2015 Saturday ,10 January

Twofour54 will train Saudi journalists

GMT 21:47 2015 Tuesday ,20 January

Kuwait shuts newspaper critical of government

GMT 09:38 2013 Tuesday ,31 December

SRA discovers new plant species in UAE
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday