Parliamentary committee in Kuwait investigates the fuel of the American army

The Kuwaiti Ummah council ( parliament) approved unanimously yesterday the formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate corruption accusations in the deals providing the American army in Iraq with fuel.

The Kuwaiti prime minister, Sabah al-Ahmad, who attended the session, together with 8 minister said "we are happy that the Ummah council investigates in accusations addressed to the Kuwaiti oil establishment so as the people of Kuwait will know the full reality." The Kuwaiti minister of energy Sheikh Ahmad Fahd al-Ahmad al-Sabah submitted a contract by the Kuwaiti oil establishment for providing the American occupation forces in Iraq with oil-by products and gas to the attorney general to investigate over any violations concerning it.

Al-Sabah attributed his decision to the desire to put an end to what has been rumored recently by people and press reports on the contract.

The Kuwaiti minister considered that submitting this matter to the judiciary is an evidence that Kuwait does not work in the dark, rather within enacted legislative frames. He stressed that if it is found out there is a mistake, then there will be no one above the law.

Results of reviewing preliminary accounts revealed in December 2003 that there is an evidence to that the Halliburton's "K Brown and Root company" had increased the pricing of fuel by 61 million dollars that it had provided to Iraq via a contractor from al-Baten, which is the Kuwaiti developmental company for trade marketing.

Earlier, the Kuwaiti minister of energy stressed that the Kuwaiti government has no connection to the Halliburton case. It was said then that Kuwait did not violate any laws as the local contractor was chosen by the Americans, rather than through the Kuwaiti oil establishment responsible for the oil sector in Kuwait.