Iraqi Technical Delegation to visit Kuwait Sunday on its Grand Mubarak Port

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: An Iraqi Technical Delegation, led by government’s Advisor, Thamer al-Ghadban, is to arrive in Kuwait next Sunday for a 2-day official visit, to discuss the dossier of Grand Mubarak Port, according to the Kuwaiti al-Siyasa Newspaper on Friday.   The newspaper quoted Kuwaiti official sources as saying that “Kuwait is prepared to reply all the questions by the Iraqi delegation and to present all the documents proving the safety of the Kuwaiti measures and the Port’s non-impact on the movement of navigation in Iraq’s Khor-Abdullah Port, as well as the organization of a field visit for the Iraqi delegation to the site of the Port, with the presence of experts by the related parties.”   “The said sources have reaffirmed that Kuwait shall receive the Iraqi delegation, for the second time in less than 3 months, with the first visit that took place on May 26 th last, in the aim of eliminating the Iraqi fears towards the Mubarak Port and joint cooperation with transparency and respect of international laws and norms related to naval movement,” the newspaper said, adding that the Iraqi delegation would include experts from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Transportation, the Commission of Navigation Advisors and the Iraqi Ports Company.   Kuwait had announced last April its beginning to construct the Grand Mubarak Port , after one year of Iraq ’s announcement of in its intention to build its Grand Faw Port in the Gulf.   Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Development Minister, Ahmed al-Fahad, had pointed out that the project Kuwait had signed with the South-Korean Hiondai Company, would be “a friend for environment,” pointing out that it aims to achieve great goals and to achieve hopes and ambitions of the Kuwaiti people, who had always hoped to build a port in such strategic and active position, thing that would change Kuwait into a financial and commercial center on both Regional and International levels.   Iraq, on its part, had strongly criticized the project, which its government and Parliament officials had described the project with harming Iraq’s interests and to strangle the narrow water course, leading to the Iraqi ports, demanding Kuwait to change the venue of the Port, in order to avoid harming Iraqi interests.   SKH (FT) 654