Arab League Secretary Amr Moussa said Wednesday that he felt encouraged following talks he held with Kuwaiti officials "We are working actively to address” the situation between Kuwait and Iraq before the upcoming Arab Summit in Beirut.
Moussa, speaking to reporters before ending his short visit to Kuwait, denied any initiative taken regarding the relations between Iraq and Kuwait. Moussa met last Saturday with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad and discussed the issue with him.
Moussa arrived in Kuwait on Wednesday to advance the Iraqi ideas before Kuwaiti government officials, regarding all issues between the two neighboring countries.
"There are no initiatives over the situation between Kuwait and Iraq…there are certain ideas and proposals” conveyed the Arab League Head, who termed as “positive” his discussions with First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. “We can not say we reached a breakthrough [regarding the situation], but we are working hard to tackling this issue via its international, Arab and regional dimensions”, Moussa added. According to KUNA, he stated that the Kuwaiti officials listened thoroughly to his proposals, adding that further consultations are due to be held.
The application of U.N. resolutions related to the 1991 “War of Liberating Kuwait” “needs action and dialogue, this is what I am doing”.
Regarding the chances of conciliation between Kuwait and Iraq, under the regime of Saddam Hussein, Moussa said this question “was jumping to conclusions. We want to move matters within the international legitimacy and the Arab action”.
“I will tell you after two months”, Moussa replied to a reporter when asked whether the Arab Summit, due to be held in March, will witness progress in the relations between Kuwait and Iraq. Moussa added that the Arab League was protecting the rights of all Arabs, including Kuwait’s. He pointed out that the League was against any military strike against Iraq.
Following his Kuwait visit, Amr Moussa informed Jordan’s King Abdullah II, on the outcome of his efforts to narrow the gap between Kuwait and Iraq, an official source said on Wednesday. The source said that King Abdullah was briefed by Moussa, during a short visit to Jordan after the Kuwaiti visit, about talks he held during his visits to Iraq and Kuwait in an effort to bridge the gap of differences between the two sides. This, he said, was in follow-up to the efforts that had been exerted by the King since the previous Arab Summit, held in Amman.
The source stated that King Abdullah informed Moussa, about efforts that have been exerted by the Arab Leaugue in preparation for the upcoming Arab Summit.
King Abdullah, in return, expressed hope that Moussa’s efforts would be fruitful to Arab solidarity and common Arab goals. A statement released by the Royal Court said Moussa explained the King about the talks he had held with Iraqi President and Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, noting that he “sensed understanding and readiness from the two sides to ensure success of the Arab Summit in Beirut”. (Albawaba.com)
