Wednesday, February 10th 2010
February 10, 2010
‘Govt should not use public money according to its whims’
KUWAIT CITY, Feb 9: Kuwait should be cautious in taking any action concerning the proposal on investing in Iraq, instead of collecting compensation for damages caused by the invasion, MP Dr Daifallah Buramiya said Tuesday. Claiming the Kuwaiti government has started writing off the Iraqi debts under the pretext of investing in Iraq, Buramiya argued the government is aware that security is one of the deciding factors for investment in any country.
He wondered why the Kuwaiti government seems keen on investing in Iraq despite the worsening security situation in the country. He went on to say that even in case the security situation in Iraq stabilizes, it is still not feasible to invest in the country due to lack of trust as Iraq does not recognize international conventions and agreements. He asserted the greediness of Iraq was apparent not only during the reign of Saddam Hussein, but also during the tenure of his predecessors who tried to occupy Kuwait.
Buramiya stressed the government should not use public money according to its whims and it has no right to agree on the cancellation of debts in favor of investments without obtaining approval from the National Assembly. He said the government’s insistence to handle the Iraqi debts on its own is a clear manifestation of its outright disregard of the Parliament.
Attitude He attributed the attitude of the government towards its legislative counterpart to the lawmakers who supported the executive authority in the previous grilling sessions. He called on these lawmakers to mull over their stand on issues concerning the citizens, especially since the government has rejected the loans purchase proposal. He accused the government of prioritizing the welfare of Iraqis over that of the Kuwaitis. Commenting on the same issue, MP Dr Faisal Al-Muslim stressed any discussion on the conversion of Iraqi debts into investments is unacceptable as it contravenes the sovereignty of Kuwait. He said the Kuwaiti government should focus on the collection of Iraqi debts and compensation, warning the lawmakers will use their constitutional tools to closely follow up this issue.
On the other hand, MP Dr Maasouma Al-Mubarak clarified the compensation issue is controlled by international agreements, while the Iraqi debts are linked with the bilateral relations, so in principle there is nothing wrong in investing in Iraq as payment for its debts to serve the interests of both nations.However, she stressed the need to guarantee the investments and wait until the security situation in Iraq improves.MP Naji Al-Abdulhadi contended Kuwait should accept the investment proposal as it needs the Iraqi gas to achieve its developmental goals.
arabtimes
