Iraq seeks to settle Kuwaiti issues through investments; Dec

[Stillw8n]

Iraq seeks to settle Kuwaiti issues through investments; Decision on CH VII expected in June by UNSC

BAGHDAD, Feb. 5 (AKnews) – The Iraqi government wishes to settle its issues with Kuwait through the implementation of investment projects for Kuwaiti companies in Iraq.

It is hoped that the initiative will convince Kuwait to help lift the UN’s Chapter 7 sanctions imposed on Iraq.

Maryam al-Rayes, an adviser to the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said the PM will discuss the issue during his scheduled visit to Kuwait at the end of March. Plans for an earlier visit were postponed.

“Kuwait wants to have good relations with Iraq based on the exchange of economic and commercial interests between the two countries,” said Rayes.

There are several issues lingering between Kuwait and Iraq that frequently spark tensions between the two neighbors: shared oil fields, land and water border demarcations, and the controversial Kuwaiti Mubarak Port which Iraqis believe will take business away from their ports and affect fishermen working in the Gulf.

Iraq is also criticizing Kuwait for its support of the UN’s Chapter 7 sanctions that were imposed on Iraq after the Second Gulf War in 1991. Kuwait demands reparations for the Iraqi invasion, disclosure of the fate of Kuwaiti MIAs and the return of the remains of Kuwaiti POWs.

Without Kuwait’s approval, it is unlikely that the UN Security Council will lift the Chapter 7 sanctions.

A decision on Chapter 7 is expected to be made by the UN Security Council in June.

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