UN chief backs Kuwait efforts to solve Gulf crisis

The United Nations fully supports mediation efforts led by Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah to solve the Gulf crisis, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said yesterday.

His “confirmation” of full support to Kuwaiti mediation came during his meeting with the Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly Marzouq Ali al-Ghanim. The UN Secretary-General is currently visiting Kuwait as part of a tour of the region.

The emir of Kuwait met the UN Secretary General and his accompanying delegation on the occasion of his visit to the country. Guterres expressed thanks and appreciation for the leading role played by the emir in the humanitarian domain.

Kuwait First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Hamad al- Sabah also met with Guterres.

During the meeting, they reviewed aspects of co-operation between Kuwait and the United Nations, its agencies as well as developments in the regional and international arenas.

The Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA) reported that the Guterres-Ghanim meeting dealt with a number of urgent issues in the region, especially the Palestinian cause, the Syrian crisis and the file of terrorism.

Al-Ghanim stressed during the meeting the importance of the United Nations and its various agencies to play a bigger and more influential role in pushing Israel to comply with the resolutions of the international legitimacy regarding the rights of the Palestinian people and to prevent their daily aggression. He stressed the need for the United Nations to play its ethical role with respect to the rights of the Palestinian people politically and humanely.

Guterres, who will travel to the occupied Palestinian territories today, stressed the importance of implementing the two-state solution and the clear UN position rejecting Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories.

With regard to terrorism, the two sides stressed during the meeting the seriousness of this phenomenon, pointing out that terrorism has no religion and it is important to address it internationally and regionally through a broader political, cultural, economic and security perspective.

Meanwhile, Kuwait is expecting the arrival of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was scheduled to start a Gulf tour yesterday.

Al Jazeera said that the date of Lavrov’s visit has not yet been determined, but he is scheduled to meet both the Kuwaiti emir and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Al Jazeera correspondent quoted sources saying that Lavrov’s tour includes the UAE but not Saudi Arabia, because “he believes the solution to the Gulf crisis lies in Abu Dhabi”.

Gulf Times