5/24/2010ISCI chief commends deep Iraq-Kuwait ties
NAJAF, Iraq, Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) Chairman Ammar Al-Hakim lauded here Monday deep relations between Iraq and Kuwait at both governmental and popular levels.
During a meeting with a Kuwaiti media delegation visiting the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, he said, "We always remember good relations between both brotherly peoples, and we seek to develop and strengthen them." He hailed the ongoing visit of the Kuwaiti delegation, led by Adnan Al-Rashid and MP Adnan Al-Mutawa, and accompanied by Kuwaiti Ambassador in Baghdad Ali Al-Momen.
He said the visit comes at critical circumstances Iraq is facing, chiefly complications bearing on new government formation efforts, hoping that it would lead to "pushing matters forward." He urged the Kuwaiti ambassador in Baghdad and Iraqi Ambassador in Kuwait Mohammad Hussain Bahr Al-Uloom, who were present in the meeting, to act for finessing outstanding issues between Iraq and Kuwait and for consolidating bilateral political, social, economic and popular bonds.
Concerning ongoing efforts to form a new Iraqi government following the recent general polls, Al-Hakim believed that balance among all Iraqi factions would ensure the rights of everyone to represent the Iraqi people.
Asked why no new government has been made up so far, he said, "Those who used to feel marginalized in the past now feel confident, and it is our responsibility to maintain this confidence." Therefore, he suggested a delineated vision over some issues, especially controversial ones, and consensus on a governmental program for diagnosing and resolving problems and setting priorities.
In this context, he called on all Iraqi factions and groups to sit together at the negotiating table to ponder over all unsettled issues and suggest a single vision for the country's future.
He also suggested an approach for formulating alliances among winning blocs to make up the next government and choose a president of the republic.
Al-Hakim went on to say that his council had proposed the formation of a new national unity government due to the fact that western democracy under the current circumstances in Iraq and in light of social diversity would be injurious to the Iraqi society.
Otherwise, a majority government that wields over 50 percent of parliamentary seats will then have to be the next option, the ISCI leader pointed out.
He expressed hope that the Iraqi government makeup problem would be resolved as soon as possible, calling on everybody in the country to be aware of being key partners in the process. For his part, Kuwaiti Ambassador in Iraq Ali Al-Momen said his country is seeking to cement its relations with its neighbor, Iraq, reminding of Kuwait's humanitarian assistance to Iraq even before the downfall of Saddam Hussein's defunct regime.
He said the Iraqi side had presented a large number of favorable matters regarding a settlement to outstanding issues between Iraq and Kuwait.
Also during the meeting, Iraqi Ambassador in Kuwait Mohammad Hussain Bahr Al-Uloom stressed the significance of continuously developing Iraqi-Kuwaiti cooperative relations.
He said, "We are looking forward to more development of relations in the economic, cultural, health, constructional and educational fields." He added that his country is determined to fend off anything that could negatively affect bilateral relations between both neighboring nations.
Since he won the recent general polls, Iraq's Iraqiya List leader Ayad Allawi has been seeking to form a new Iraqi government, showing resolve that many problems and obstacles hindering a government makeup could be wiped out.
The situation in the country remains tense after elections in March, with no bloc having yet assembled a majority to form a government.
Iraqi leaders are under pressure to quicken the pace of forming a new government as the US eyes a deadline of August 31 to withdraw about half of the 94,000 troops on the ground.
The shape of the new leadership will determine how fast and how extensively Iraq, holder of the world's third-largest oil reserves, can develop its economy, and to what degree sectarian violence can be avoided.
Caretaker Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's State of Law group had won 89 seats to former Prime Minister Allawi's 91 in the recent Iraqi elections.
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