MP Abul vows unfaltering defense of Kuwait at IPU
Role of Kuwait’s National Assembly extolled
GENEVA: Member of the Kuwaiti parliamentary caucus MP Dr Khalil Abul affirmed yesterday that he and his fellow legislators would not be complacent in defending the country at international quarters. Members of the Kuwaiti caucus held a meeting with officials of the human rights committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in coordination with the Chair Gabriela Barron, to discuss complaints delivered to the IPU against the Kuwaiti parliament, he said on sidelines of a meeting that grouped Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem and Barron, late on Friday.
The discussions tackled protests forwarded by the Israeli Knesset against the Kuwaiti parliamentary caucus and charges that the Kuwaiti parliament had taken antiSemitic stances. They also dealt with a complaint filed by the former MP Abdulhamid Dashti concerning his lifted parliamentary immunity, as well as protests by lawmaker Shuaib Al-Mwaizri. MP Abul said such complaints are tantamount to protests against the State of Kuwait, rather than “a parliament, institution or individual.”
Assembly’s role
IPU President Gabriela Barron had confirmed the existence of several complaints against the Kuwaiti parliament, while at the same time praising it at the regional and international levels. This came in a press statement after meeting Ghanem and his accompanying parliamentary delegation in Geneva on Friday evening.
Barron said in a statement that meetings will be held to discuss the complaints against the Kuwaiti parliament at the IPU, appreciating transparency and commitment of the Kuwaiti parliament and its speaker to search for the facts behind these complaints. “It is good that there is cooperation from parliament to discuss issues related to parliamentary human rights,” she said.
Barron praised the active and positive participation of the Kuwaiti National Assembly in the meetings and committees of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, pointing out that the enthusiasm and responsibility shown by the Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly and the accompanying parliamentary delegation are important and strong for the development of cooperative relations between Kuwait and the international community. She stressed the importance of the role of the Kuwaiti National Assembly at the regional and international levels, adding that the IPU needs the assistance of the Kuwaiti National Assembly to achieve the strategies that were set for the next stage.
She expressed concern about the consequences of the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem “and we had a position on this matter more than a month ago and reviewed the developments at the Arab, regional and international levels and we are happy to work and cooperate with the Kuwaiti parliament on all Arab and international issues.”
In the meantime, Ghanem said that “during our meeting we discussed several complaints, not one complaint against Kuwait by the Zionists, as well as a former deputy and current one as I previously reported.”
“Through our meeting with the President of the InterParliamentary Union, we have been told that there are those who provide them with false information. I assure the Kuwaiti people that I and your brothers, members of the Kuwaiti parliamentary caucus, will not allow anyone who would dishonor Kuwait and provide international organizations with lies and misleading information,” he stated. Al-Ghanem expressed his thanks and appreciation to the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union for her praise of the role of the Kuwaiti National Assembly at the regional and international levels and its participation in achieving the strategy adopted by the Union in the coming stage.
He stressed that “this good reputation of the Kuwaiti parliament on the regional and international organizations was built by us and by men of glory before us and no one will succeed in distorting the image of the Kuwaiti parliament or Kuwait abroad,” adding that he will inform the Kuwaiti people on the details immediately upon his return to Kuwait.
On the other hand, Ghanem said that the meeting touched on many important topics, chiefly the Palestinian issue, in his capacity as chairman of the Palestinian steadfastness committee formed by the Arab Parliamentary Union and charged with transferring the Arab position to the world’s important parliaments on the Palestinian issue. He pointed out that the President of the InterParliamentary Union has honorable positions on the Arab issues, foremost of which is the issuance of a statement rejecting the American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Zionist entity. “The President of the InterParliamentary Union was in support of the fair Arab issues in many forums and I share her opinion, which she put during her meeting with us,” he added.
IPU law Meanwhile, member of the Kuwaiti parliament Ali Al-Deqbasi said yesterday that he was aspiring for modifying constituent law of the IPU. Deqbasi, member of the Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation currently on a mission at the IPU headquarters, said he was seeking the amendments for ensuring the states that violate human rights and UN principles do not occupy seats in the union. This proposal is ideal for facing
Lawmaker aspires to change IPU constituent law
arrogance and intransigence of states and entities that breach human rights and principles of the international legitimacy, he said in a statement.
Kuwaiti MPs, at the international level, have been rallying Arab and Islamic forces to face such abuses by several states, namely “the Zionist entity (Israel)” which has continued to breach international legitimacy’s resolutions by committing more crimes, he said. The Kuwaiti parliament, which is respected and admired by the Arab and Islamic groups at the IPU, adheres to UN resolutions and international laws. The credit goes for this admiration to His Highness the Amir who exerted efforts at the international quarters and result of the State of Kuwait balanced policies to bolster global security and peace. —KUNA