Kuwait oil drilling rights

Kuwait's parliament moved to curb the government's executive powers for fear it might sign domestic oil production and exploration deals with foreign firms, a leading MP said.

"The aim of the request is to make the government not even use its executive powers before consulting parliament first," MP Nasser al Sanea, head of parliament's finance committee, said.

Parliament late on July 28 approved a recommendation presented by Sanea, requesting the government to present parliament with any proposed deals for joint oil exploration and production with foreign firms.

But the three requests relating to the oil industry which were passed are largely "political and not constitutional obligations" as they were not made law, a political source said.