Government pleased with steps to lift sports ban
Cabinet touts UNSC resolution against Israeli settlements
KUWAIT: The Cabinet yesterday lauded recent measures that had been taken at the national level to lift the ban on the sports sector enforced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). During its weekly meeting, the Cabinet praised these measures that had been taken in coordination with the National Assembly, on the basis of national and constitutional responsibilities, hoping that these efforts would result in restoring the national activities in full and ending the compulsory suspension.
The Cabinet was examining the steps taken by the Public Authority for Sport (PAS) regarding the Parliament recommendation for lifting the suspension, in light of a presentation during the meeting by the Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah.
Sheikh Salman, also the Minister of Information, briefed the ministers about PAS’ bill to overhaul the sports sector. The proposed law, to be examined by the parliament before endorsement, urges for temporary lift of the suspension. It is compatible with latest sports legislations, the Olympic Charter and does not contradict with the Constitution or the State.
PAS had also called on FIFA and the IOC to dispatch a delegation to Kuwait to discuss the sports issue with the government and the parliament, as a prelude to working out “a consensus formula acceptable by all the parties,” said Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak AlSabah, the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, reading the cabinet statement after the meeting, held at Bayan Palace and chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber AlMubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
The sports authority had addressed the Asian Football Confederation, the IOC and FIFA regarding these measures. Moreover, the authority talked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on steps that could be taken by the Kuwaiti embassies, as well as the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs on the new sports bill to set up a public authority to combat doping.
New Year
At the start of the session, the ministers addressed congratulations to His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Crown Prince as well as the Kuwaiti people on the New Year. They also extended good wishes to the Arab and Muslim nations. They examined a joint message addressed from the presidents of Mauritius and the United Mexican States, in their capacity as chairmen of the UN team charged with water affairs, to His Highness the Amir, alluding to the task plan endorsed last September, urging for a new full-scale approach to address global water issues, in the hope of attaining the sixth goal of the 2030 sustainable development plan.
The Syrian crisis
The ministers were briefed by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the extraordinary ministerial Arab session, held last Monday, addressing the Syrian issue, in addition to the fourth Arab-Euro Ministerial Meeting, the special session of the executive commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, recently hosted by Jeddah, also to discuss Syria namely the tragic situation in Aleppo.
Sheikh Sabah Khaled urged the Syrian regime to stop military operations against the unarmed Syrians, calling on the UN to activate relevant resolutions. Moreover, the foreign minister restated that the Syrian crisis could only be resolved through negotiations, according to relevant Geneva resolutions and the Security Council resolution 2254, vowing to spare no effort in backing the Syrian people.
The minister informed his colleagues about measures that had preceded release of the two Kuwaitis who were detained in Iran, praising role of the Kuwaiti embassy in the Islamic Republic and cooperation of the Iranian authorities that led to the speedy release of the two citizens.
They also looked into a recommendation by the utility commission regarding preservation and prices of fresh food and materials. The cabinet mourned demise of Mohammad AlMousherji, the former minister of awqaf and Islamic affairs, expressed condolences to Ouaihan and Gu’ood families following the yacht accident on Saturday that resulted in death of a number of members from the two families.
Israeli settlements
Meanwhile, the Cabinet commended a recent resolution by the UN Security Council (UNSC) condemning Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. The cabinet said in a statement issued following the meeting that Resolution 2334 came in harmony with the UNSC’s historical responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, and embodied the international community’s stand based on the illegitimacy of Israeli settlements in Palestine.
It hoped that the fresh move would contribute to resuming the Middle East peace process and providing a congenial atmosphere for establishing a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital in line with relevant international legitimacy resolutions and Arab Peace Initiative. The cabinet further reiterated Kuwait’s support to all efforts aiming to find a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue and putting an end to the sufferings of the Palestinian people.
Terrorist attacks
In the meantime, the ministers deplored the recent terrorist attacks in Berlin and Zurich as well as the burning of two Turkish soldiers alive. In this context, it vehemently denounced these heinous terrorist crimes and all forms and manifestations of violence and terrorism, which target innocents and violate divine religions, ethical and human principles, and values as well as diplomatic norms. It also reaffirmed Kuwait’s call for the international community to step up efforts to wipe out international terrorism.