Abbas apologizes for Kuwait over PLO's position towards the Iraqi invasion
Palestine-Kuwait, Politics, 12/13/2004

Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization PLO Mahmoud Abbas responded to the Kuwaiti pressures which demand an official Palestinian apology over the position adopted by the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat some 14 years ago concerning the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and considered as a supporter to this invasion.

Upon Abbas's arrival at Kuwait's airport in a visit which is considered the first for a Palestinian official at this level since 1990, he gave apology in the name of the PLO to Kuwait and to the Kuwaiti people. He said replying to a press question on the position of the PLO on the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait "we apologize to Kuwait and the Kuwaiti people over what we had done."

The Palestinian delegation which includes in addition to Abbas, the interim chairman of the Palestinian National Authority Rouhi Fattouh, the prime minister Ahmad Qurei, the foreign minister Nabil Shaath and the Kuwaiti minister of information Muhammad Abu al-Hassan.

While the Kuwaiti prime minister Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah announced yesterday his country's welcome of the Palestinian delegation, stressing that differences between Kuwait and the Palestinian authority ended and there is no need for apology, many Kuwaiti parliamentarians and politicians refused the visit of the delegation to their country.

Hours before he headed for Kuwait, Abbas expressed his hope that a page of pain will be closed in the "Palestinian- Kuwaiti relations" and the two sides will be able to open a new page that brings back confidence to "historical relations linking the two sisterly leaderships and peoples." He explained that he will discuss with the Kuwaiti officials the economic aids. He added "we will discuss it with them and we will leave it for them to judge these matters."

The visit of the Palestinian delegation came one month after the death of Arafat and several days after the visit carried out by the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Kuwait during which he talked with its leaders on the "need of supporting the new Palestinian leadership." In May, Abbas paid a visit to Kuwait but it was private during which he took part in a political forum organized by the Kuwaiti parliament and was received then by senior Kuwaiti officials.

Previous Stories:
  For the first time since 14 years, a Palestinian media delegation in Kuwait   (10/4/2004)
  Kuwait: we recognize Arafat, but not dealing with him   (10/1/2004)
  Kuwaiti Foreign Minister condemns Yassin's assassination   (3/25/2004)

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