KUWAIT CITY, March 7: The National Assembly discussed the government’s preparations to deal with the consequences of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war in a special session Monday. This is in response to the request of the government and several MPs to hold a special session for the abovementioned purpose. As per the request of the government, the special session was held behind closed doors. The session was later declared public, during which Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al- Ghanim disclosed that His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid and the concerned ministers conducted a presentation on the precautionary measures that will be taken in case of emergency. The Assembly approved the recommendations of MPs Hamad Al-Matar, Osama Al-Shaheen and Abdulkareem Al- Kandari as follows:

■ Expedite the establishment of a public authority for crisis management considering the successful experience of advanced countries in this field,

■ Assign Kuwait Investment Authority to purchase farms to guarantee food security,

■ Increase the capacity of storages for grains,

■ Strengthen coordination between institutions and security authorities in recording radiation leaks,

■ Develop the early warning system,

■ Ensure ample supply of medicines for treating the effects of exposure to nuclear radiation. Also, MPs Abdullah Al-Turaiji, Hesham Al- Saleh, Ahmed Al-Hamad, Khalid Al-Anzi and Khalil Al- Saleh recommended assigning the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) to conduct a study on granting licenses to international servers via satellite to prevent damages to land and sea Internet cables.

Disclosed
On the other hand, Al-Ghanim disclosed that he had a meeting with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah who issued his directives and asked him to convey the Amiri message to the MPs. He said HH the Amir asked the MPs to put national interest above all else and do everything to fortify the internal front, especially in this critical period which witnesses serious international and regional developments including the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Al-Ghanim revealed His Highness the Amir asked the MPs to handle the situation with the utmost level of wisdom, take into consideration the current conditions, and do everything to protect Kuwait. He added His Highness the Amir urged the MPs to avoid disputes, refrain from misusing their constitutional tools, and focus on cooperation. In another development, Al-Ghanim sent condolences to the family of the late parliamentary icon Dr Ahmed Al-Khatib. He pointed out that Al-Khatib represented a unique school of political and social work throughout his career since he participated in drafting the Constitution and his membership to the Founding Assembly until his death. In this context , MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji submitted a proposal to name a main street or an official institution after Al-Khatib to memorialize his remarkable service for the nation.

The National Assembly holds a regular session on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss a number of topics namely an interpellation motion against Minister of Public Works Ali Al-Mousa. Legislators are scheduled to kick off tomorrow’s session by endorsing minutes and filed reports, then they will proceed with procedures of the interpellation addressed to Al-Mousa, who doubles as the Minister of State for Youth Affairs, by MP Abdullah Al-Mudhaf. Al-Mudhaf, who filed his motion on February 16, would question the minister over purported complacency in combating corruption in the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fisheries and failure to take punitive action against officials involved in irregularities. He is also charging minister Al-Mousa with breaching constitutional jurisdictions and those of officials serving in the fisheries’ department. Kuwait Constitution’s Provision 100 entitles every MP to grill the prime minister and cabinet members on matters within their jurisdictions. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff and Agencies