Kuwait expects smooth solution to standoff with Iraq

[Stillw8n]

Kuwait expects smooth solution to standoff with Iraq

Kuwait is waiting for the final report from the Iraqi authorities concerning the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port

The standoff between Kuwait and Iraq over the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port will end through understanding and coordination between the two countries, a senior Kuwaiti official has said.

“Kuwait is waiting for the final report from the Iraqi authorities concerning the findings and recommendations of a technical committee that investigated the matter,” Khaled Al Jarallah, Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary, said, quoted by Al Watan daily.

The construction of the port has waded into controversy after tensions flared following claims by Iraqi lawmakers said that the mammoth project would strangle its shipping lanes in the Gulf. Kuwaiti officials have dismissed the fears, insisting that the port would benefit the whole region.

Despite an escalation of the war of words between lawmakers and media from both countries, analysts ruled out any risk of an armed conflict.

Al Jarallah said during a ceremony at the Dutch embassy in Kuwait that the relationship between the two countries was normal and there is constant communication in various fields.

Commenting on the parliamentary escalation towards Syria, the Kuwaiti official said that there were gatherings at the Syrian embassy in Kuwait and that the police had secured the area.

The gatherings were a matter of opinions and some MPs expressed their opinions through them. However, he said that it was “too early to discuss the recognition of the Syrian Transitional Council.”

Kuwait in August pulled out its ambassador from Damascus for consultations, one day after Saudi Arabia recalled its envoy from the Syrian capital. Bahrain also withdrew its top diplomat on August 8. Qatar was the first Gulf Cooperation country to bring home its chief of diplomatic mission in Damascus after an attack on the embassy building.

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