Kuwait may freeze loans, aid to Syria

One of the subjects for discussion during yesterday's (Sunday) cabinet meeting was the option of stopping loans and financial aid to the Syrian government, according to a news report published the same day. Quoting a government insider, the report indicated that Kuwait is contemplating the possibility of adopting this policy until it becomes clear how the international community will handle the continuing Syrian crisis. On another issue, a number of MPs have reacted angrily to the statements by an Iraqi lawmaker who warned that Iraqi militant groups could invade Kuwaiti territories and carry out attacks against Kuwaiti targets if construction work at the Mubarak Al-Kabeer port continues. The Iraqi MP, Kazim Al-Shemmari of the Iraqiya White Party, said in a recent statement that Iraqi militants could 'easily' invade and carry out attacks in Kuwait, adding that the Iraqi government would similarly be able to easily avoid accountability by claiming that the attacks were carried out by militant outlaws. The only truth mentioned in Al-Shemmari's statement is the fact that it reveals the true criteria by which the Iraqi government is dealing with Kuwait - by allowing some parties to make whatever statements they wish, which in reality reflect the hidden agenda of the Iraqi government", said MP Musallam Al-Barrak, further suggesting that the current controversy over Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port isn't about potential threats to Iraq's maritime activity "but reflect Iraq's unwillingness to recognize Kuwait's marine boarders. Fellow MP Nadji Al-Abdulhadi expressed "shock" at the contradiction between Al-Shemmari's statements, and the statements of Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari who confirmed that the Mubarak Al-Kabeer port which Kuwait is building on the east of Boubyan Island won't hurt maritime activity in Iraq's territorial waters. "Zebari is well aware of international regulations", said Al-Abdulhadi, adding curtly, "It appears, however, that MP Al-Shemmari isn't even aware of what his country's foreign minister sa id. MP Hussein Al-Mizyed also condemned Al-Shemmari's statement, while another Kuwaiti lawmaker, Falah Al-Sawagh, urged Al-Shemmari to "let the Iraqi government know about those threats instead of issuing naive warnings to Kuwait. Meanwhile, another Iraqi MP Aliya Nasif, also a member of the same Iraqiya White Party, urged her country's foreign ministry in a recent statement to "bear responsibility for the Kuwaiti violations in light of its lack of vision regarding Kuwait's measures to step up military presence at the Boubyan Island.