WASHINGTON, Sept 30, (Agencies): US Vice-President Joe Biden met Thursday at the White House with His Highness the Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah for talks on the Arab Spring and the country’s thorny ties with Iraq.
The pair discussed a range of issues, “including the changes underway in the region as a result of the Arab Spring, and the importance of resolving outstanding issues between Kuwait and Iraq,” the White House said.
They stressed the “enduring ties” between the two countries, 20 years after US troops helped to liberate Kuwait following the 1990 invasion by the regime of former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein, which sparked the Gulf War.
Iraq is still paying war reparations to Kuwait.
Following the meeting, Kuwaiti Ambassador in Washington Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah told KUNA and Kuwait Television that the meeting was so friendly and fruitful that it involved several issues of mutual interest.
He quoted Biden as reaffirming US commitment to Gulf security in general and Kuwaiti security in particular.
They also discussed the planned US withdrawal from Iraq and the ongoing developments in the Arab world, notably the so-called Arab Spring, the ambassador said, noting that they shared the same views on several regional issues.
They also considered the issue of Kuwaiti prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, said the Kuwaiti ambassador, quoting Sheikh Nasser as calling on Biden to do his best to resolve the issue.
The Kuwaiti ambassador said “there is a personal relationship between the Prime Minister and the US vice-president”, making it certain that his visit to Washington was fruitful
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also met Sheikh Nasser on Thursday.
Following the meeting, the Kuwaiti Ambassador said talks between both sides were “positive, constructive and candid”, involving several bilateral, regional and international issues.
The Prime Minister has also met Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen on bilateral military cooperation and Gulf region, and the future US role in Kuwait and the Gulf region following US withdrawal from Iraq, he said.
He quoted the US general as reiterating Washington’s commitment to Gulf security in general and Kuwaiti security in particular.
Sheikh Nasser also met George Washington University President Steven Knapp, who, speaking to KUNA and Kuwait Television, hailed the talks as very good.
Knapp hailed relations between his university and Kuwait, the ambassador pointed out.
The talks were attended by HH the Prime Minister’s accompanying delegation.