Arab League to continue carrying its missions despite difficulties

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa on Monday reassured Kuwaiti Parliament speaker Jassem El-kherafi he was not overstepping his authorities.

Let him rest assured, said Moussa in brief comment on recent statements by Kherafi that the Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa "has overstepped his authority" in his role as mediator in the Kuwait-Iraq problem. Al-Khurafi said that Moussa's action may threaten the attendance of the coming Arab Summit, implying that Kuwait and perhaps others would not attend the Arab summit if the Iraq-Kuwait reconciliation issue is pursued. This comes following statements by Iraq that it is willing to welcome any inspection delegations by Saudi Arabia or Kuwait to any location in Iraq in order to search for missing and prisoner Kuwaitis claimed by Kuwait to be held by Iraq, a claim Iraq denies.

Moussa said the Arab League Chief would continue to carry out his obligation, duty and specific missions despite all difficulties.

In statements, Moussa reaffirmed that most of the news reports about his recent Iraqi -Kuwaiti contacts were not precise and many were baseless.

"The reason behind this was an agreement between the Arab League, Kuwaiti and Iraqi officials to keep the outcome of talks and coordination under wraps at this point, "Moussa said.

The Iraqi -Kuwaiti case is very sensitive and requires a special diplomatic handling, he added.

"The pan-Arab organization is currently coordinating with Arab heads of state and government on ways to settle the Iraq-Kuwaiti conflict, "Moussa said.

Moussa, meanwhile, noted that the Iraqi-Kuwaiti file was being dealt with within the framework of the Arab League and the UN Security Council.

"There is no contradiction between the authorities of both organizations, "he said.