‘Taste of Kuwait’ part of bid for UN non-permanent seat
NEW YORK: Kuwait Mission to the UN hosted in the heart of Manhattan an event aiming to promote the country’s culture and heritage. The “Taste of Kuwait” event, that took place at the Permanent Mission of Kuwait, welcomed top diplomats and election officers representing countries from all over the globe experiencing food and ambiance. The halls of the Kuwait Mission were decorated to give a closer vibe of the Middle Eastern country with the tent from the past and the food booths each displaying a certain dish savory and sweet.
The invitees saw a short film that showcases how Kuwait is becoming a Food Capital, and heard a brief speech delivered by Kuwaiti Ambassador to the UN Mansour Al-Otaibi about the country, its history and brief comparison of the before and after oil living. In his speech, Ambassador Al-Otaibi highlighted the outcome of a number of elements that influenced the culture, primarily the geographic location of Kuwait, the climate and the surrounding environment, as well as the culture of its inhabitants.
Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Al-Otaibi said the event that took place comes as part of a series of events they have organized within their Security Council campaign for a nonpermanent seat for the period 2018-19. “Throughout these events, we aim to promote the culture and heritage of the State of Kuwait, as well as the customs and traditions of its people,” he added. Kuwait has been campaigning for some time now, promising in many occasions to continue the country’s support to the UN so it can play an active role in helping many countries overcome crises and provide decent live for their people. UN Security Council elections will be held on June 2, 2017.
Palestinian issue
Meanwhile, Kuwait has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to assume its responsibility and take required steps to resume the Middle East peace process. In his keynote speech during the Security Council’s meeting late on Thursday on the Middle East situation, Kuwait’s permanent delegate to the UN, Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said the Palestinian issue has been yet unsolved - several resolutions were taken in this regard.
He noted that such resolutions did not come into effect due to Israel’s intransigence as it rejected, frankly and flagrantly, the implementation of resolutions of international legitimacy. Despite this, the international community is “regrettably” unable to press Israel to implement such resolutions, he noted. Ambassador Al-Otaibi said that illegal practices committed by Israel on the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, are relentlessly ongoing and aggravated the sufferings of the Palestinian people who have been reeling under difficult social and economic circumstances in the Gaza Strip, which has been under the attacks of Israeli forces, he said.
Such practices violate severely human rights, and international and human law, he pointed out. “Sought after peace should be based on international legitimacy resolutions, the Road Map and the Arab Peace Initiative, resulting in granting the Palestinian people all its political rights, including the establishment of its own independent state with East Jerusalem as capital,” Al-Otaibi said. He also reiterated Kuwait’s support to outcomes of the Paris Peace Conference of January 15, 2017, which reaffirmed the two-state solution as the only way for a permanent peace in the Middle East. — Agencies