Kuwaiti officials meet UN chief

Regional, international developments discussed

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 27, (KUNA): Kuwait’s National Assembly Speaker Marzouq AlGhanim held talks on Sunday with visiting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is currently touring the region. AlGhanim and the UN official dissected major issues including the Palestinian cause, the conflict in Syria and terrorism.

“It is imperative to ramp up pressure on Israel to abide by international law that ensures that Palestinians’ rights are protected and Israeli aggressions are halted,” Al-Ghanim said. Meanwhile, Guterres, who will be in the Palestinian territories on Monday, said that the UN denounces Israel’s settlement policies.

On the conflict in Syria, the UN chief acknowledged Kuwait’s support of the war-torn nation, citing a series of conferences the country has hosted for the sake of the Syrian people. He added that Kuwait leapt into action while the international community was hesitant to make a move. Both officials also collectively agreed to take critical steps to rid the world of the scourge of terrorism. The meeting brought together a number of UN and Kuwaiti officials.

Visiting

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Sunday met with visiting United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

During the meeting, they discussed aspects of existing cooperation between the State of Kuwait the UN and its agencies, along with the latest regional and international developments.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled extolled the UN chief’s efforts to uphold regional and international security and stability. The UN chief lauded Kuwait’s key humanitarian role and support to UN humanitarian and development activities across the world.

The meeting was attended by Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah, Assistant Foreign Minister for the First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister’s Office Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah and Assistant Foreign Minister for Protocols Ambassador Dhari Al-Ajran and Assistant Foreign Minister for the Deputy Foreign Minister’s Office Ambassador Ayham Al-Omar and several other Kuwaiti diplomats.