Talabani urges “quiet” handling of issues with Kuwait

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani on Monday called to ensure a “quiet” handling of all pending issues with Kuwait. This came during his reception in his Baghdad-based residence of the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill. “Talabani expressed his rejection of attempts to disturb the relations between Iraq and Kuwait,” according to a statement received by IraqiNews.com news agency. A few days ago, a number of Kuwaiti parliamentarians urged their government to recall its envoy from Baghdad in protest of “attacks” by Iraqi MPs and demands to halt the payment of reparations. Last October, Kuwait posted an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time since 1990. The emirate insists that if Iraq wants to exit from UN sanctions, it must fully comply with obligations like payments of war reparations, settling its debt and the demarcation of land and maritime borders. It also wants the return of Kuwaiti property stolen during the occupation and also remains of Kuwaiti POWs believed to have been killed under Saddam. Five percent of Iraqi oil revenues are transferred into a special UN fund for compensation. Kuwait has received about $31 billion U.S. dollars from Iraq but another $22 billion remains unpaid. Iraqi lawmakers had urged a halt to reparation payments to Kuwait for Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion, with some wanting the emirate to compensate Iraq for its role in the 2003 US-led invasion. SS (S) 1