DOHA, March 15, (Agencies): Kuwaiti National Assembly (Parliament) Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi sounded the alarm on Monday about a potential military offensive against Iran. In an interview by Qatar’s Al Sharq newspaper, the speaker admonished that the use of force to resolve the Iranian nuclear dossier would bring catastrophic consequences to the entire region. Al-Khorafi reiterated his country’s principled position rejecting the looming launching of a military strike at Tehran from Kuwaiti territories, hoping that all parties involved could find a settlement to the problem through dialogue, rather than sanctions that would surely affect the Iranian people. In this context, he stressed that the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is a right that is enshrined in the international law, saying now that Western countries and the US are concerned over the Iranian nuclear file, the region’s peoples are equally worried about the Israeli nuclear activity.

“Kuwait’s opposition to any military act against any of its neighboring country through its territories is a principled stance that runs compatible with the Kuwaiti constitution,” he said. On a proposed Gulf parliament, Al-Khorafi said it is a developed idea in the philosophy of cooperation among the GCC member states, but, he said, there are several obstacles scuttling the application of this idea. The main obstacle in this respect is slowness in the march of Gulf integration and unity, he said. On inter-Arab relations, he wished that the recent reconciliatory initiative by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah could be used as a springboard for a final settlement to all outstanding Arab disagreements.

He also looked forward to seeing Arab leaders continue their backing to development projects and programs decided during the Arab Economic Summit in Kuwait in January 2009. Regarding Iraq, he said this neighboring Arab country is steadily developing in democracy, security and stability in spite of obstacles and impediments facing its people. Iraq’s stability is a core element of regional stability, he said, reaffirming Kuwait’s unshakeable support for Iraq’s security and territorial integrity. In relation to Palestine, the top Kuwaiti legislator called on all Palestinian factions to bury the hatchet and get into reconciliatory steps as soon as possible so that they could continue their struggle for regaining their legitimate rights.

He also urged Palestinian leaders to live up to their responsibility for the time being by achieving national reconciliation and setting Palestinian unity as their top priority.
Moving to the relationship between Kuwaiti parliament and government, he said it is a shared responsibility between the executive and the legislature to have a stable relationship.
“This relationship should be based on constitutional principles and commitments, and efficient political performance,” he said.
He added the government had secured the required parliamentary majority in the recent four interpellations when it committed itself to the constitution and performed satisfactorily.
However, he maintained, the door is now open for the government to go ahead with its program of action following a period of threatened grilling and interpellations.
On mass media, he said although the media are a key partner in democracy, they have positive and negative impacts on democratic practice.
Just out of keenness on national mass media and their role and position, he believed that it is necessary for mass media to reassess their performance and methods.
Sanctions
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday the time was nearing for sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme, as Tehran has rejected Western efforts to find a negotiated solution.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Merkel said: “I made clear that we are coming to the phase where there should be sanctions against Iran.”
“Iran has not accepted the constructive offers we have made and has even rejected them,” she added.
Merkel’s comments came a day after French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the European Union was ready to impose unilateral sanctions as Western powers struggle to forge a consensus within the UN Security Council.
Germany is one of six powers negotiating with Iran over its nuclear programme, together with permanent, veto-wielding Security Council members the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France.
China, which recently replaced Germany to become Iran’s biggest trading partner as a big buyer of its oil, is seen as less keen on fresh sanctions, while Russia has also expressed misgivings.

Duties
China fully knows what it should do as a global power in the effort to halt Iran’s nuclear push, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said in an interview published Monday.
“China is perfectly aware of the scope of its responsibilities and its obligations, including the position it holds on the international stage and as a permanent member of the (UN) Security Council,” Prince Saud told Al-Riyadh newspaper.
He underscored that China is a “member of the six-party international group dealing with the Iran nuclear crisis,” adding Riyadh supports the group’s work, and he hoped Iran would cooperate with its efforts.

“We hope that Iran would cooperate with those efforts, and to see an end to the crisis in a way that would serve in making the region free of all weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons in particular,” he said. Saud was responding to a question about Riyadh’s official denial last Friday that Saudi officials had discussed with visiting US Defence Secretary Robert Gates pressuring China to support more sanctions on Iran. Gates told journalists two days before that it was a part of his talks with Saudi King Abdullah and other officials, but in an official statement the Saudi government said the issue was not discussed. Washington has been seeking Saudi help in pressuring China to distance itself from Iran to support a new round of UN sanctions on Tehran. China depends on both Saudi Arabia and Iran for a large part of its crude oil imports.

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British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on a visit to China Monday that the veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council were on the same page on how to tackle Iran.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on a visit to China Monday that the veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council were on the same page on how to tackle Iran.
Miliband’s comments came ahead of talks in Beijing with Chinese leaders which he said would focus on efforts to resolve the international standoff over Tehran’s disputed nuclear drive.
China, a close ally of Iran, is the only permanent Security Council member that has so far refused to agree to tougher sanctions against the Islamic republic despite mounting pressure from the West.
But Miliband said the permanent Council members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — “are all agreed on a dual-track strategy, which is on the one hand engagement with Iran and at the same time pressure.”

Miliband said he would discuss with Premier Wen Jiabao, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and other officials “how we can address the real threat that the Iranian nuclear programme poses to international stability and security.”
Miliband also dismissed the idea that Britain and China had a “conflictual relationship” after ties were strained in recent months over climate change and human rights, and their differences on Iran.
“I think it is very important that we have a strategic relationship with China,” he said during a visit to a training facility for China’s UN peacekeepers ahead of talks with Chinese leaders on Tuesday.
“The world needs China to play a responsible role but China needs the world as well.”
Miliband’s younger brother Ed, the British climate change secretary, had accused China of “hijacking” the global climate change talks in Copenhagen in December — charges that Beijing has denied.

Thugs
The wife of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi charged on Monday that a group of “thugs” paid by “corrupt” government officials had vandalised the apartment block where the family lives in Tehran.
“About 50 people, including four or five women gathered in front of our building with the support of intelligence and police forces and shouted slogans against” opposition leaders, Karroubi’s website, Sahamnews, quoted his wife Fatemeh Karroubi as saying.
“They vandalised the building. These are thugs who are on a payroll,” she added.
News reports Monday said that a group of hardliners had on Sunday besieged the Tehran home of Karroubi, shouting death slogans and calling for him to be put on trial.

The Fars news agency Monday identified the small but vocal crowd which gathered outside the apartment block as “students and families of martyrs” of the Iran-Iraq war.
Pictures carried by the pro-government Borna news agency showed the building defaced with red colouring while slogans pronouncing “Death to Karroubi” were scribbled on the walls.
The building had also been plastered with death slogans against main opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and former president Mohammad Khatami.
“We want the judiciary to put the leaders of sedition on trial as soon as possible,” Fars quoted the protesters as saying. They also denounced Karroubi as a “hypocrite” — the term used by Iranian officials for the enemies of state.
Some brandished placards reading, “Karroubi is a Mossad agent” — linking the two-time former parliament speaker to the intelligence service of Iran’s archfoe Israel.