KUWAIT CITY, 11 December 2003 — Key members of Kuwait’s elected National Assembly said in remarks published yesterday that they do not approve of their nation restoring diplomatic ties with Iraq just yet.
A member of Iraq’s Governing Council, Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, reportedly said that Kuwait had agreed to receive an Iraqi ambassador, marking the renewal of diplomatic ties.
Al-Jaafari was quoted by a Kuwaiti newspaper on Tuesday as saying that Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah told him that ties could be restored between the two nations and suggested that a new Iraqi ambassador be sent to Kuwait to begin work.
“It’s too early for this decision and all the people and MPs reject the presence of an Iraqi ambassador,” MP Ali Al-Hajeri was quoted by Al-Anbaa newspaper as saying.
“There are other pending problems and issues that are more important than exchanging ambassadors; also the deteriorating security conditions do not allow taking such a move,” MP Hussein Mazeid told the paper.
Another MP, Abdullah Rai Al-Fahma, said the government should first consult with the Parliament on such a decision.
