Iraq, Kuwait, surpassed difficult circumstances, Kuwait’s Parliament Speaker says

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com – Iraq and Kuwait have surpassed the difficult circumstances, the Speaker of Kuwait’s National Council (Parliament), Jassem al-Khurafy, said on Sunday, adding that the current visit by an Iraqi Parliamentary delegation for Kuwait would open the chance to settle all the suspended issues between both countries. Iraq’s Parliament Speaker, Usama al-Nujeify, on his part, has said his delegation’s visit to Kuwait “represents a new era in the relations between the two neighboring countries.”    The Kuwaiti “al-Qabas” Newspaper has quoted Khurafy, during his reception of Nujeify on Saturday as saying: “We confirm Kuwait’s keenness to support the fraternal relations with Iraq, due to the historic links connecting the two sisterly countries.” Khurafy pointed out that both countries “have managed to overcome the difficult circumstances that had passed over the bilateral relations, thanks to the wisdom to the Emir (Prince) of Kuwait and the Iraqi President.” The Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Usama al-Nujeify, had arrived in Kuwait on Saturday, leading a delegation representing the Iraqi Parliament. Al-Qabas quoted Khurafy as having reiterated the “significance of relations between the two countries and their fraternal peoples,” saying that the visit of the Iraqi Parliamentary delegation, on such high-level, “would help to achieve an opportunity for knowing each other.” “We highly assess the current democracy in Iraq and the Iraqi trend towards supporting the pan-Arab activity, that would help to unify the Arab position in the international arenas,” he said. Noteworthy is that the dossier of relations between  Iraq and Kuwait includes several suspended issues, most outstanding of which is the compensations Iraq is paying due to its occupation of Kuwait in 1990, as well as Kuwait’s position towards Iraq’s exclusion from UN Charter’s 7th Article, along with the issue of joint borders between both countries and the remains of Kuwaitis, lost in Iraq. Nujeify, on his part, al-Qabas newspaper said had stated that “the Iraqi Parliamentary Delegation’s visit, on such a high-level, reflects the deepness of relations and great respect by Iraq for neighborly and sisterly Kuwait.” “Our visit represents a new era in the developed relations to achieve a continuous and strong partnership between the two fraternal peoples, based on mutual cooperation, respect and the fraternal relations between them,” Nujeify concluded. FT / SKH 867