By KUNA,
Kuwait : Kuwait reiterated Tuesday its commitment to assisting Iraq in restoring its cultural, social, economic and political institutions and welcomed the Baghdad government’s commitment to the dismantling of all militias, while stressing importance of protecting the country’s refugees.
This came during the address of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah at the inauguration of the Third Expanded Ministerial Conference of the Neighboring Countries of Iraq.
— His Highness the Prime Minister named three “important commitments” of Kuwait with Iraq’s entry into a new era following the fall of the former regime.
The first of these is “assisting our brothers in Iraq in restoring the construction of the cultural, social, economic and political institutions of the state,” he said, adding that this “shall not materialize without the assurance of Iraq’s independence, complete sovereignty, national unity, integrity, Islamic and Arab identity and calling upon all Iraqi ethnic elements to promote national unity.” Moreover, he emphasized “the importance of adhering to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of Iraq,” stressing that “interfering and exporting political disputes will transform it (Iraq) into a battle ground for armed conflict, threatening its security and stability which in turn will have impact on the security and stability of the region as a while.” As for the second of Kuwait’s commitments, he said his country “denounces all acts of terrorism in all shapes and forms suffered by our brothers in Iraq, and urges the international community as a whole to support the Iraqi government to combat it, including the efforts to prevent the use of Iraqi territories as a base for terrorism against neighboring states and vice versa, and to support joint efforts to prevent the illegal movement of terrorists and weapons to and from Iraq.” His Highness Sheikh Nasser took this occasion to welcome the Iraqi governments commitment to dismantle and disarm all militias and illegally armed groups, saying that this “shall contribute effectively in draining the sources of illegal armament, and open broad horizons toward political dialogue which will assist all elements of the Iraqi society to realize national conciliation, security and social peace.” Furthermore, he said Kwuait’s third commitment was in the form of its interest in the humanitarian aspect of displaced Iraqis, saying that it “believes that their protecting, fulfillment of their urgent needs, maintaining their security is a joint responsibility shared between Iraq and the international community.” In this regard, he referred to the recent initiative of Kuwait in granting a voluntary donation to the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to be allocated to displaced persons inside Iraq.
“It is important to urge all international parties to increase their humanitarian support for displaced persons and refugees, and to set suitable conditions for their safe return to their homes in a way that preserved their dignity and stability,” he said.
His Highness the Prime Minister said his country was honored to host this conference “through which it (Kuwait) emphasizes to the whole world our utmost interest in Iraq’s stability and security by means of consultations and discussions of the best ways to accomplish our aspirations for a bright future for this brotherly country.” He said the meeting “reaffirms the continuous concern of the international community to contribute and participate in realizing the aspirations in an effective and direct manner.