SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 9, (KUNA): Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah said Wednesday “the historic visit” by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Iraq in late March showed that the two neighbors managed to overcome “the painful experiences” of the Iraqi invasion.
“HH the Amir led Kuwait’s delegation to the 23rd Arab Summit in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, on March 29, and held summit meetings with the Iraqi leaders; this showed clearly that the relations between the two countries were brought back to the normal track of neighborliness and amity,” the minister said. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid made the remarks in an address to the 17th foreign ministers’ meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which opened here earlier today.
“The historic visit gave a strong impetus for the second session of the Joint Higher Commission, co-chaired by the foreign ministers of both sides in Baghdad on March 29 to iron out the sticking issues in the bilateral ties,” he went on.
Dealing with the NAM, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid said the Movement celebrated last year its 50th anniversary but the conditions that led to its inception aren’t there now due to the change of balance of powers in the world.
“Nevertheless, the objectives of the organization are still there, including the quest for a more balanced world order able to respond resiliently to the accelerated global changes, and the need to coordinate the policies and stances of the developing countries on the international arenas in a way to satisfy the aspirations of their peoples,” he argued.
“The challenges and emergencies undergone by the international community compel us to commit ourselves to the principles and objectives of the Movement,” Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid stressed.
“Since late 2010, the Arab region has been undergoing accelerated radical and delicate changes that aroused the concern of the entire international community; the world recognized the rights of the Arab peoples to express their views in a peaceful way based on full respect for human rights and the International Humanitarian Law,” he pointed out.
Dealing with the Syrian crisis, he said: “With profound regret and sadness we follow up the vicious circle which entered its second year and resulted in the loss of thousands of innocent lives and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of others.” Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid reaffirmed Kuwait’s support to the plan of the UN-Arab League Joint Envoy for Syria Kofi Annan aiming to put an end to the violence in the Arab country and meet the aspirations of Syrian people based on the relevant resolutions of the Arab League.
As for the Palestine question, he said it is the core Arab-Israeli conflict, condemning Israel for persisting in violating the human rights of the Palestinian people and continuing the illegal Jewish settlement expansions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“The illegal systematical practices of the Israeli occupation authorities aim to change the demographic structure in the occupied territories through forcing the Palestinians to leave their homes, thus undermining the international efforts aiming to revive the long-stalled peace talks,” Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid cautioned.
He urged the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibility for forcing Israel to implement all relevant Council resolutions notably the ones numbered 242, 338, 1,397, 1,515 and 1,860.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid also highlighted the need to rid the Middle East off all weapons of mass destruction and declare the region nuclear-free zone.
He urged the international community to deal seriously with this issue and force Israel into joining the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in order to preserve peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Kuwait and Iraq discussed prospected agreements for cooperation in security and oil and cultural sectors.
The talks between Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, were held at a meeting on the sidelines of the 17th ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, currently hosted by the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
In a statement to journalists after the meeting, Zebari said he reviewed with Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid works of the Kuwaiti-Iraqi Ministerial Commission that has recently held a meeting in Baghdad.
The Iraqi minister added that he and the Kuwaiti official affirmed adherence to previously-signed accords and discussed a number of proposed accords, expected to be examined at the next meeting of the committee, such as those that tackle security and cultural cooperation, protection of investments, averting double taxation and cooperation at joint oil fields.
Zebari indicated that His Highness the Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, would pay a visit to Iraq by the year-end, noting that it would embody the good and brotherly ties binding Kuwait and Iraq.
Separately, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid met with his Serb counterpart, Vuk Jeremic, discussing regional and international issues. The meeting was attended by several Kuwaiti officials and diplomats.