Baghdad - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki pledged that
friction between Iraq and Kuwait could be settled by dialogue, in
the latest attempt to contain tension between both countries, local
media reported on Thursday.
'Calmness and dialogue will help resolve all the problems
inherited from the deposed regime,' al-Sabah newspaper quoted
al-Maliki as saying following his meeting with Kuwaiti ambassador to
Iraq Ali al-Mu'min on Wednesday.
The meeting came as al-Maliki attempts to contain a week-long
media and political showdown between both countries triggered after
Kuwait urged the United Nations not to lift sanctions on Iraq before
Baghdad paid back its debts and the remaining war reparations for the
invasion of the Gulf state by former president Saddam Hussein in
1990.
'The two brotherly and neighboring sides can ensure their rights
through dialogue,' Maliki said.
Enraged by Kuwait's stance, Iraqi members of parliament (MPs) have
called on their government to file a complaint to the UN Security
Council against Kuwait for its part in supporting the US-led invasion
to the country in 2003.
They also urged a halt to the reparation payments and demanded
compensation for Iraqis who, they say, had been sacked by the Kuwaiti
government following the 1991 'liberation war.'
In a tit for tat, Kuwaiti lawmakers urged their government to
recall the ambassador from Baghdad in protest what they saw as
'attacks' by Iraqi MPs.
Iraq has been urging the Security Council to lift the remaining
sanctions, particularly those concerning war reparations. The move
would enable the country to exit from the terms of Chapter 7 of the
United Nations charter, which allow for the imposition of sanctions
on states with respect to 'acts of aggression.'
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said during a recent visit to
Baghdad that the world body is considering lifting all sanctions as
the Security Council is due to conduct a review in June.
Kuwait, however, urged the UN to reconsider the move. Kuwaiti
officials said their country has received about 13 billion dollars in
war reparations from Iraq but another 25.5 billion dollars remain
unpaid. Kuwaiti officials also say that Baghdad owes their country
around 16 billion dollars in other debt.
Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on Tuesday called
for a mending of differences with Kuwait for the good of the two
peoples, Aswat-al Iraq reported.
Al-Hasemi said the Iraqi leadership is holding meetings with
Kuwaiti diplomatic representatives to discuss the Iraqi-Kuwait
relations and contain the rift.
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