Dinar Iraq News
Iraq-Kuwait Relations News:Kuwait-Iraq relations move in right direction – Forget the past, look into bright future
Posted on December 10, 2012
Iraq’s Deputy Premier for Energy Affairs Hassan Al-Shahrastani with Kuwait Journalist delegation.
KUWAIT: Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for
Energy Affairs Dr Hassan Al-Shahrastani called upon journalists and
writers in Kuwait and Iraq to focus on the interests of the people of
the two countries and publish the real picture to explain the link that
connects the two neighbours, to help overcome the past and look forward
to the peoples’ ambitions. Al-Shahrastani spoke during a reception
hosted for the Kuwaiti media delegation that visited Iraq, accompanied
by Iraqi Journalist Union leader Moayyid Al-Lami and a delegation from
the union.
He emphasized on the need to take a
responsible stand instead of raising old topics. Al-Shahrastani focused
on the necessity to concentrate on the interests of the people of the
two countries, and the political and economic aspects with a sincere
intention to overcome the past and build the East Arab countries based
on respect for freedom of expression. Al-Shahrastani said that there are
issues which can pose problems for the two countries in the Iraqi
Parliament and Kuwaiti National Assembly but also said that the right
intention helps to solve the problems.
Regarding the issue of electricity in
his country, he said that shortage in power was before 2003 and after
the fall of the previous regime, the need for electrical power has
increased greatly. He attributed this to the economy opening up and the
rising income of the Iraqi families. He added that contracts have been
signed to build new power stations with capacity that reaches 15,000
megawatts, and some of them have been functioning since last month while
others are expected to work this month. Al- Shahrastani said that these
stations are set to meet the power needs of his country.
Al-Shahrastani pointed that all these
stations operate on gas, especially since the Baghdad government intends
to increase oil production over the coming years. He pointed out that
Kuwait needs Iraqi gas like Saudi and Oman, and explained that Iraqi
government considers local demand as top priority in petrochemical
industry and only after that, supplies to its neighbours. He hailed
cooperation in the field of energy with Kuwait government as more than
one contract has been signed with (Kuwait Energy) to develop the oil
fields. One among them is the Ghazi field which is close to the Kuwaiti
border and another field is close to the Iranian border. Al-Shahrastani
added that he personally wanted to give the chance to Kuwaiti companies
which he considered as good motivation for economic integration between
both the countries.
Al-Shahrastani said oil reserves in Iraq
are now at 143 billion barrels and this figure does not include
possible reserves and expected reserves. Pointing that Iraqi government
has signed oil contracts with large international companies to increase
Iraqi production to 12 million barrels a day, he accused local
authorities in Kurdistan province of attempting to smuggle oil, and
revealed that the new attempt this time is via Turkey. About Kurdistan
province reaching agreements with foreign companies directly, he said
the Iraqi government’s stand is fixed and cannot change and is based on
the constitution which states that oil and gas is the property of all
Iraqis, and no party can contract to produce it and export it – except
through the government.
The Kuwaiti media delegation included
the Chairman of Kuwaiti Journalist Association Ahmad Yousuf Behbehani,
Editor-in-Chief of Al-Anbaa Daily Yousuf Al- Marzouq, Editor-in-Chief of
Al-Nahar Daily Emad Bu Khamseen, Chairman of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)
Rashed Al-Ruwaished, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Rai Daily Majid Al-Ali and
Editor-in-Chief of Kuwait Times Daily Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan and Deputy
Editorin- Chief of Al-Yaqtha magazine Dalia Behbehani in addition to the
Director of Kuwait Journalist Association and coordinator of the
delegation visit Adnan Al-Rashed and member of Kuwait Journalist Board
of Director Jassem Kamal and photographer Majid Al-Sabeji. Iraq’s
Transportation Minister Hadi Al- Ameri expressed optimism about better
Kuwait-Iraq relations in the future and said Iraq wished to improve its
relations with the state of Kuwait at all levels to secure a better
future based on mutual interests. Speaking during a meeting with Kuwaiti
journalists’ delegation, headed by Kuwait Journalists’ Association
chief Ahmad Behbehani, Al-Ameri said, “Relations with Kuwait began
moving in the right direction and both countries should now be looking
towards a bright future in which mutual economic interests could be
achieved, and forget the past which was caused by the former regime.” He
said the Iraqi people were also a victim of their own regime. Giving
the example of Europe, which he said was today moving ahead to secure
common economic interests despite the fact that it went through a period
of wars, the Iraqi minister expressed optimism that Kuwait and Iraq
will also similarly overcome the painful past and boost mutual
confidence. He said the former regime heaped untold suffering upon both
Kuwaiti and Iraqi people by detaining many whose fate was still unclear.
He said both the countries were working to resolve their differences
under international supervision.
In this context, he mentioned Iraq
Airways dispute and said both sides have agreed to settle it by
following certain conditions. Al-Ameri expressed hope that the Kuwait-
Baghdad and Baghdad-Kuwait line will be opened soon to move the mutual
relations to a new level, adding that Arab Aviation companies were
demanding an increase in the number of flights. He said Iraq was looking
forward to build the second or third largest port in the world in
Al-Fao area with a capacity of 23 million containers per year, including
23 piers. He said the Mubarak port that Kuwait plans to build does not
affect Al-Fao port, but it does affect the ports of Um Qasr south and
north in addition to Khan Al-Zubair, which is in a narrow and shallow
sea area where Iraq dug the water passage during the 1970s. He said Iraq
believes Kuwait has full sovereignty and a right to build Mubarak Port,
but only wished that the location of the port be moved a little so as
not to harm the traffic of Iraqi ports.
He said the two countries have discussed
this issue and agreed to go in for international arbitration. Al-Ameri
spoke about railroad links with Kuwait and said it was important to have
a railroad that connected the countries of eastern Arab world, as this
will serve the region in many ways. He called for linking east with west
at a later stage to strengthen relations between countries even
further. He said Iraq was keen on developing relations with Kuwait and
there was not one Iraqi political bloc that was against this. He urged
the Kuwaiti businessmen to avail the investment opportunities in Iraq.
Meanwhile, KJA Director and Coordinator
of the visit, Adnan Al-Rashid, lauded the visit, which followed close on
the heels of a similar visit by Iraqi journalists to Kuwait and was in
continuation of the media and popular contacts between both countries.
Al-Rashid also lauded the support of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber
Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, along with that of information and foreign
ministers to ensure the visit’s success. Al-Rashid also thanked the
Iraqi and Kuwaiti embassies of both countries for facilitating the
visit. He lauded the efforts that made it possible to meet Iraqi
officials in the media office of the prime minister, the president and
the parliament. Al-Rashid lauded the information and culture committee
in the Iraqi parliament and President of Iraqi Journalists Union for
their efforts to make sure the visit was a success as it came ahead of a
visit by HH the Prime Minister of Kuwait to Iraq.
The Kuwait Journalist delegation
included Al-Anbaa Editor-in-Chief Yousuf Al-Marzouq, Annahar
Editor-in-Chief Emad Bukhamseen, Kuna Editor-in-Chief Rashid
Al-Ruwaished, Al-Rai Editor-in-Chief Majid Al-Ali, Kuwait Times
Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al- Alyan, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Yaqza
Magazine Dalia Behbehani, as well as Director of KJA, Coordinator of
the visit Adnan Al-Rashid, member of KJA Board of Directors Jassim Kamal
and Photographer Majid Al-Sabej. The meeting was attended by Charge-de
Affairs at Kuwait Embassy Khalid Al-Qinae and President of Iraq
Journalists Union Moayad Al-Lami. — KUNA
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Iraq-Kuwait Perhubungan News: Kuwait-Iraq hubungan bergerak dalam arah yang betul - Lupakan masa lalu, melihat kepada masa depan yang cerah
KUWAIT: Iraq Timbalan Perdana Menteri untuk Hal Ehwal Tenaga Dr Hassan Al-Shahrastani menyeru wartawan dan penulis di Kuwait dan Iraq untuk memberi tumpuan kepada kepentingan rakyat kedua-dua negara dan menyiarkan gambar sebenar untuk menjelaskan pautan yang menghubungkan kedua-dua negara jiran, untuk membantu mengatasi masa lalu dan tidak sabar-sabar untuk cita-cita rakyat. Al-Shahrastani bercakap dalam satu majlis yang dianjurkan untuk delegasi media Kuwait yang melawat Iraq, diiringi oleh Kesatuan Wartawan Iraq pemimpin Moayyid Al-Lami dan delegasi dari kesatuan.
Beliau menekankan mengenai keperluan untuk mengambil pendirian bertanggungjawab bukannya menaikkan topik lama. Al-Shahrastani tertumpu kepada keperluan untuk menumpukan perhatian kepada kepentingan rakyat kedua-dua negara, dan aspek-aspek politik dan ekonomi dengan niat yang ikhlas untuk mengatasi masa lalu dan membina negara-negara Timur Arab berdasarkan menghormati kebebasan bersuara. Al-Shahrastani berkata bahawa terdapat isu-isu yang boleh menimbulkan masalah kepada kedua-dua negara di Parlimen Iraq dan Kuwait Perhimpunan Kebangsaan tetapi juga berkata bahawa niat yang betul membantu untuk menyelesaikan masalah.
Mengenai isu elektrik di negara itu, beliau berkata bahawa kekurangan dalam kuasa adalah sebelum tahun 2003 dan selepas kejatuhan rejim sebelumnya, keperluan untuk kuasa elektrik telah bertambah dengan banyak. Beliau mengaitkan ini kepada ekonomi membuka dan peningkatan pendapatan keluarga Iraq. Beliau menambah bahawa kontrak telah ditandatangani untuk membina stesen janakuasa baru dengan kapasiti yang mencapai 15.000 megawatt, dan sebahagian daripada mereka telah berfungsi sejak bulan lepas manakala yang lain dijangka untuk bekerja pada bulan ini. Al-Shahrastani berkata bahawa stesen-stesen ini bersedia untuk memenuhi keperluan kuasa negaranya.
Al-Shahrastani menegaskan bahawa semua stesen-stesen ini beroperasi pada gas, terutama sejak kerajaan Baghdad bercadang untuk meningkatkan pengeluaran minyak sejak tahun-tahun akan datang. Beliau menegaskan bahawa Kuwait memerlukan gas Iraq seperti Saudi dan Oman, dan menjelaskan bahawa kerajaan Iraq menimbangkan permintaan tempatan sebagai keutamaan dalam industri petrokimia dan hanya selepas itu, membekalkan kepada jirannya. Beliau memuji kerjasama dalam bidang tenaga dengan kerajaan Kuwait sebagai lebih daripada satu kontrak telah ditandatangani dengan (Kuwait Tenaga) untuk membangunkan medan minyak. Salah seorang di antara mereka adalah bidang Ghazi yang terletak berhampiran dengan sempadan Kuwait dan bidang lain adalah berhampiran dengan sempadan Iran. Al-Shahrastani menambah bahawa dia sendiri mahu memberi peluang kepada syarikat Kuwait yang dia dianggap sebagai motivasi yang baik untuk integrasi ekonomi antara kedua-dua negara.
Al-Shahrastani berkata rizab minyak di Iraq kini berada di 143000000000 tong dan angka ini tidak termasuk rizab mungkin dan rizab yang dijangkakan. Menunjuk bahawa kerajaan Iraq telah menandatangani kontrak minyak dengan syarikat-syarikat besar antarabangsa untuk meningkatkan pengeluaran Iraq 12 juta tong sehari, beliau menuduh pihak berkuasa tempatan dalam wilayah Kurdistan cuba menyeludup minyak, dan mendedahkan bahawa percubaan baru kali ini adalah melalui Turki. Mengenai Kurdistan wilayah mencapai perjanjian dengan syarikat-syarikat asing langsung, beliau berkata pendirian yang kerajaan Iraq itu adalah tetap dan tidak boleh mengubah dan adalah berdasarkan perlembagaan itu yang menyatakan bahawa minyak dan gas adalah harta semua rakyat Iraq, dan tiada pihak boleh kontrak untuk menghasilkannya dan mengeksport - kecuali melalui kerajaan.
Delegasi Kuwait media termasuk Pengerusi Kuwait Persatuan Wartawan Ahmad Yousuf Behbehani, Editor-in-Chief Al-Anbaa Daily Yousuf Al-Marzouq, Editor-in-Chief Al-Nahar Daily Emad Bu Khamseen, Pengerusi Kuwait News Agency ( KUNA) Rashed Al-Ruwaished, Editor-in-Ketua Al-Rai Daily Majid Al-Ali dan Editor-in-Chief Kuwait Times Daily Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan dan Timbalan Editorin-Chief majalah Al-Yaqtha Dalia Behbehani di samping Pengarah Persatuan Wartawan Kuwait dan penyelaras lawatan delegasi Adnan Al-Rashed dan ahli Lembaga Wartawan Kuwait Pengarah Jassem Kamal dan jurugambar Majid Al-Sabeji. Iraq Menteri Pengangkutan Hadi Al-Ameri menyuarakan keyakinan tentang lebih baik Kuwait-Iraq hubungan pada masa depan dan berkata Iraq berharap untuk memperbaiki hubungan dengan negeri Kuwait di semua peringkat untuk menjamin masa depan yang lebih baik berdasarkan kepentingan bersama. Bercakap semasa mesyuarat dengan delegasi, yang diketuai oleh Kuwait Wartawan Kuwait wartawan Persatuan Ketua Ahmad Behbehani, Al-Ameri berkata, "Perhubungan dengan Kuwait mula bergerak ke arah yang betul dan kedua-dua negara kini perlu melihat ke arah masa depan yang cerah di mana ekonomi bersama kepentingan boleh dicapai, dan melupakan masa lalu yang disebabkan oleh rejim bekas. "Beliau berkata rakyat Iraq juga mangsa rejim mereka sendiri. Memberi contoh Eropah, yang katanya hari ini bergerak ke hadapan untuk menjamin kepentingan ekonomi biasa walaupun fakta bahawa ia telah melalui tempoh peperangan, menteri Iraq menyuarakan keyakinan bahawa Kuwait dan Iraq juga akan sama mengatasi masa lalu yang menyakitkan dan meningkatkan keyakinan bersama . Beliau berkata rejim bekas menimbun penderitaan terperi kepada kedua-dua Kuwait dan rakyat Iraq dengan menahan banyak yang nasib masih tidak jelas. Beliau berkata kedua-dua negara telah bekerja untuk menyelesaikan perbezaan mereka di bawah pengawasan antarabangsa.
Dalam konteks ini, beliau disebut Iraq pertikaian Airways dan berkata kedua-dua belah pihak telah bersetuju untuk menyelesaikan ia dengan mengikuti syarat-syarat tertentu. Al-Ameri melahirkan harapan bahawa garis Kuwait Baghdad dan Baghdad-Kuwait akan dibuka tidak lama lagi untuk bergerak hubungan bersama ke tahap yang baru, sambil menambah bahawa syarikat Penerbangan Arab menuntut peningkatan dalam bilangan penerbangan. Beliau berkata Iraq tidak sabar untuk membina pelabuhan kedua atau ketiga terbesar di dunia di kawasan Al-FAO dengan kapasiti 23 juta kontena setahun, termasuk 23 jeti. Beliau berkata pelabuhan Mubarak bahawa Kuwait merancang untuk membina tidak menjejaskan Al-FAO pelabuhan, tetapi ia tidak menjejaskan pelabuhan Um Qasr selatan dan utara di samping Khan Al-Zubair, yang terletak di kawasan laut yang sempit dan cetek di mana Iraq digali laluan air pada tahun 1970-an. Beliau berkata Iraq percaya Kuwait mempunyai kedaulatan penuh dan hak untuk membina Mubarak Port, tetapi hanya berharap bahawa lokasi pelabuhan bergerak sedikit supaya tidak membahayakan lalu lintas pelabuhan Iraq.
Beliau berkata kedua-dua negara telah membincangkan isu ini dan bersetuju untuk pergi dalam untuk timbang tara antarabangsa. Al-Ameri bercakap tentang hubungan kereta api dengan Kuwait dan berkata ia adalah penting untuk mempunyai kereta api yang menghubungkan negara-negara dunia Arab timur, kerana ini akan menjadi rantau ini dalam banyak cara. Beliau dipanggil untuk menghubungkan timur dengan barat pada peringkat kemudiannya untuk mengukuhkan hubungan antara negara-negara yang lebih jauh. Beliau berkata Iraq adalah berminat untuk membangunkan hubungan dengan Kuwait dan tidak ada satu blok politik Iraq yang menentang ini. Beliau menggesa ahli perniagaan Kuwait untuk merebut peluang pelaburan di Iraq.
Sementara itu, KJA Pengarah dan Penyelaras lawatan, Adnan Al-Rashid, memuji lawatan, yang diikuti dekat pada tumit lawatan yang sama oleh wartawan Iraq ke Kuwait dan merupakan kesinambungan daripada media dan kenalan popular di antara kedua-dua negara. Al-Rashid turut memuji sokongan HH Perdana Menteri Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, bersama-sama dengan maklumat dan asing menteri untuk memastikan kejayaan lawatan. Al-Rashid juga mengucapkan terima kasih kepada kedutaan Iraq dan Kuwait kedua-dua negara untuk memudahkan lawatan. Beliau memuji usaha yang dibuat ia mungkin untuk bertemu dengan pegawai Iraq di pejabat media perdana menteri, presiden dan parlimen. Al-Rashid memuji maklumat dan jawatankuasa budaya di parlimen Iraq dan Presiden Wartawan Kesatuan Iraq untuk usaha mereka untuk memastikan lawatan itu adalah satu kejayaan kerana ia datang menjelang lawatan oleh HH Perdana Menteri Kuwait ke Iraq.
Termasuk delegasi Kuwait Wartawan Al-Anbaa Editor-in-Chief Yousuf Al-Marzouq, Annahar Editor-in-Chief Emad Bukhamseen, Kuna Editor-in-Chief Rashid Al-Ruwaished, Al-Rai Editor-in-Chief Majid Al-Ali , Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, Timbalan Editor-in-Chief Yaqza Majalah Dalia Behbehani, serta Pengarah KJA, Penyelaras lawatan Adnan Al-Rashid, ahli Lembaga KJA daripada Pengarah Jassim Kamal dan Jurugambar Majid Al-Sabej. Mesyuarat itu dihadiri oleh Bertanggungjawab de Hal Ehwal di Kuwait Embassy Khalid Al-Qinae dan Presiden Kesatuan Wartawan Iraq Moayad Al-Lami. - KUNA
Source:
Kuwait Times
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