Kuwait posted an ambassador to Baghdad last October for the first time since Iraq invaded the emirate in 1990. “The issue of Kuwaiti debt and war reparations can be decided only by the Kuwaiti parliament through a law,” Sawwagh said. “These are obligations under UN resolutions.” Foreign ministry Undersecretary Khaled Al Jarallah, in a statement cited by the official Kuna news agency, regretted the “escalation by certain (Iraqi) media which accused Kuwait of harming Iraq,” despite huge support Kuwait has given to Iraq. He reiterated that Kuwait “understands the request of brothers in Iraq to exit from Chapter 7 and Kuwait is working for that” but Iraq had international obligations towards Kuwait which looked forward to these being settled.
Iraq has been pushing to exit from Chapter 7 of the UN charter imposed after Saddam Hussein’s forces invaded Kuwait in August 1990. They were driven out seven months later by a US-led international coalition. Parliament speaker Jassem Al Khorafi also called for any issues with Iraq to be settled through diplomatic and official channels, not in the media. The head of parliament’s foreign relations committee, MP Marzouk Al Ghanem, told reporters the panel will meet the foreign minister on Sunday to discuss the issue. Ghanem urged MPs to be cautious in their comments. Islamist MP Waleed Al Tabtabai called for the withdrawal of Kuwait’s envoy to Iraq “until voices that attack Kuwait stop.” Several other Kuwaiti MPs strongly rebuffed what they called “provocative” statements by their Iraqi counterparts, especially on debt, war reparations and the demarcation of borders.
Iraqi MPs on Monday urged a halt to reparation payments to Kuwait over the 1990 occupation, with some wanting the emirate to compensate Iraq for its role in the US-led 2003 invasion.
