Kuwaiti prime minster to visit Iraq
KUWAIT CITY (Agencies)
Kuwait's premier has accepted an invitation to visit Iraq, in what would be a first since the former president Saddam Hussein's forces invaded the Gulf emirate 18 years ago.
Iraqi Finance Minister Bayan Jabr Solagh delivered the invitation to Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah on Sunday during a visit to discuss debt and war reparations, according to an official statement on Monday.
"The premier accepted the invitation and its date will be determined soon through diplomatic channels," said the statement, quoted by the state-run KUNA news agency.
It said the emirate was awaiting the return to Baghdad of Iraqi
President Jalal Talabani who is convalescing in the United States following heart surgery last month.
Sheikh Mohammad said that during the visit, Kuwait's newly appointed ambassador, former army chief Ali al-Momen, would present his credentials --becoming the first ambassador to Baghdad since the 1990 invasion.
Many issues to settle
The two neighbors have yet to settle a number of issues related to debt and war compensation estimated at tens of billions of dollars.
Kuwait has claimed damages from Iraq for the invasion and the seven-month occupation by Saddam's forces, which were expelled in 1991 by a U.S.-led coalition.
Iraq is required to pay five percent of its oil revenue into a fund created by the U.N. Security Council to pay compensation for war damage linked to the Kuwait occupation.
As Iraq seeks to rebuild after five years of bloodshed, its government is hoping for reconsideration of the percentage of its oil exports earmarked to settle post-conflict damage claims from the invasion of Kuwait.
Iraq in April called on Gulf states to waive compensation and debt. The United Arab Emirates last month waived seven billion dollars that Baghdad owed and other states have promised to do the same.
The Iraqi government announced on Sunday that Finance Minister Bayan Jabor had left for Kuwait for a visit that would include discussion of debt and reparations. Figures released at the time showed the U.N. compensation fund has received claims worth 354 billion dollars, but had approved payments of just over 52 billion dollars, including around 45 billion dollars for Kuwait.
The fund had paid out more than 21 billion dollars, including around 11 billion dollars for Kuwait.
Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 which toppled Saddam, Washington has been pressing its Arab allies to forgive Iraqi debts and to restore high-level diplomatic ties.
In August, Jordan's King Abdullah became the first Arab leader to visit Iraq since 2003, and other regional countries are taking steps to resume full relations.
Even as violence drops sharply in Iraq, state visits are still usually shrouded in secrecy for security reasons.
On Sunday, Iraq's national media centre reported that Saudi
Arabia would soon open an embassy in Iraq, but did not say when.
Baghdad is also seeking forgiveness of loans Kuwait made to
Iraq during its war with Iran in the 1980s -- but many in Kuwait are still bitter about the 1990 invasion.