80 Iraqis leave Kuwait by road
‘MoI ready to receive new evacuation lists’
KUWAIT CITY, May 9: For the second time, the Iraqi Embassy organized a land trip for its citizens in cooperation with Kuwait’s ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs – about 80 Iraqis left the country on board six Kuwaiti buses, passing through Safwan border, reports Al-Rai daily.
Members of the Iraqi community gathered in front of their embassy, where Director of Border Ports Brigadier Iyad Al-Haddad took the convoy to the border. He confirmed that the Kuwaiti authorities provided facilities and support for the stranded Iraqi community for the second time, including beneficiaries of the Ministry of Interior’s decision to exempt violators of the Residency Law from paying fines. He affirmed the ministry provided logistical support for these people to leave the country by land.
Al-Haddad revealed some Iraqis did not benefit from the ministerial decision concerning Residency Law violators due to Iraqi administrative matters and procedures, affirming the names of these Iraqis were forwarded to the concerned authorities for consideration. He said the Ministry of Interior is ready to receive new evacuation lists.
Regarding his participation in the evacuation of Saudi citizens through Nuwaiseeb border, Al-Haddad disclosed “a number of citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have left within the framework of the evacuation process carried out by its embassy. At the same time, Nuwaiseeb border is ready to receive Kuwaiti returnees, whenever the political leadership gives the green light to do this.”
On Kuwaiti trucks stuck at the port of
Safwan, he said the issue is under discussion by the government to determine when it will allow the trucks to enter.
On the other hand, Chargé d’Affaires at the Iraqi embassy Muhammad Al-Husseini confirmed the embassy organized the second land trip as part of Iraq’s evacuation plan for its citizens from abroad. The second land trip are for 85 Iraqis, including those who hold American citizenship, as the embassy granted them entry visa to Iraq, in addition to the Jordanian wife of an Iraqi.
Regarding the four cases that could not benefit from the decisions of the Ministry of Interior, Al-Husseini said: “We are in contact with the Kuwaiti side to facilitate their departure at the earliest. The embassy is ready to organize other land trips when the appropriate number is reached. As for flights, we have announced that when the number is complete, we will evacuate our citizens by air. The stranded Iraqis prefer to travel by land because most of them are residents of Basra and the neighboring governorates. Basra authorities will receive Iraqi citizens in the allocated quarantine centers.”
On discussions with the Kuwaiti side regarding the suspended Kuwaiti trucks, he disclosed: “We are in contact with the management of border ports in Kuwait to end this issue.” He thanked the ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs for their cooperation in providing facilities for all the stranded Iraqis to leave Kuwait. He praised the fruitful and generous cooperation of the Ministry of Interior in providing buses to transport the stranded Iraqis and open Abdally border for them.