Talks between prince Hassan and al-Dakhil restore warmth between Jordan and Kuwait
Jordan-Kuwait, Politics, 1/6/1999

The governments of Jordan and Kuwait have started on Monday a real step toward bringing about political closeness, easing tensions that came up in 1990-1991, during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Jordanian officials said that the visit of Kuwaiti Deputy Premier and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Abdul Aziz al-Dakhil to Amman "reveals a genuine Kuwaiti desire to restore relations between the two countries," especially as al-Dakhil is the first high-ranking Kuwaiti official who has visited Jordan in more than eight years.

Jordanian Crown Prince Hassan Bin Talal called upon the Kuwaiti minister during their talks to "reread history in order to understand Jordan's position, which has been ever in defense of the nation's causes, and the right of its people to live in peace and security."

The crown prince asserted that Jordan had "paid a heavy price for what had taken place in the region in the 1990s," in reference to banning the Gulf states' aid since the Gulf crisis, adding that the evacuation of more than a half-million refugees to Jordan and the closure of the Gulf markets before the Jordanian labor force "all led to a drastic economic crisis in Jordan." Prince Hassan reiterated Jordan's call for "releasing the Kuwaiti prisoners held in Iraq."

Al-Dakhil, who announced that he is carrying a message to Crown Prince Hassan from Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah said, "relations between the two countries are developing positively."

He expressed Kuwait's appreciation for "Jordan's position concerning the Kuwaiti prisoners held by the Iraqi regime."

Al-Dakhil added that Sheikh al-Sabah's message to the Jordanian crown prince deals with "bilateral relations and reassertion of our firm stand on the need that Iraq has to abide by UN Security Council resolutions and to admit that its invasion of Kuwait was a violation of international legitimacy."

Al-Dakhil added that the message also asserts "Kuwaiti positions towards the brotherly people of Iraq and our care to preserve its unity and territorial integrity."

When asked about reopening the Jordanian embassy in Kuwait, al-Dakhil said there are messages exchanged between the two countries officials and "hopefully, during the very near visit of Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdulllah al-Khatib we will discuss arrangements relating to this issue."

Taking part in the talks between Crown Prince Hassan and al-Dakhil were Jordanian Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh, al-Khatib, chief of the Jordanian royal court Jawad al-Anani, the director of the Arab states department at the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry Suleiman al-Qassam and the Kuwaiti charge d'affairs in Amman, Faisal al-Mukheizem.

Previous Stories:
  Kuwaiti minister in Amman to prepare for detente in relations   (1/5/1999)
  Kuwaiti prime minister meets Jordanian minister of planning   (7/1/1998)
  Four Jordanian prisoners back home   (5/14/1998)

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