Baker starts Gulf tour for the Iraqi debts
Gulf-USA, Politics, 1/20/2004

The White House announced that the presidential envoy, former secretary of state, James Baker, started a tour on several Gulf states in order to consult with its leaders over reducing due debts owed by Iraq or canceling them.

An official statement said that Baker will visit Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia on January 19 to 22 in order to discuss reduction of due official loans to be paid by Iraq." The statement continued that Baker will discuss with the Iraqi leaders Iraq's loans.

Iraq got loans from the Gulf states during its war with Iran, but the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein considered them as gifts.

Well-informed American sources said that certain officials who had hoped that the Gulf states will exempt Iraq from refunding these loans, as Washington did, believe that these countries' hesitation in taking such a decision to ensuring extra aid to Iraq, does not relate only on what these countries say "that there is no internationally recognized legitimate government in Baghdad," rather relates to what the sources consider as an exaggerated concern by the Gulf states or other Arab governments, especially in Jordan on " the future of the Arab Sunni in Iraq."

These sources see that these governments, especially the government of Saudi Arabia want to keep the paper of loans in its hand, until the political scene becomes clearer in Baghdad, especially for the Sunni- Shiite balance.

Previous Stories:
  Baher al-Oloum asks for exporting the Iraqi oil via Kuwait   (11/20/2003)
  Kuwait will not give up rights to Iraqi compensations   (10/30/2003)
  Madrid's donors pledge about 13 billion for Iraq   (10/25/2003)
  Kuwait rejects US and Iraqi Council to forgive debts   (9/29/2003)
  A Gulf tour for Abi Zeid   (7/15/2003)
  US permit diplomats to return back to 4 Gulf states   (4/23/2003)
  $1.7 billion US in Arab debts to Iraq   (1/14/2000)

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