UNITED NATIONS, Sept 23, (KUNA): Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah on Tuesday met with Ibrahim Gambari, the UN Special Adviser on the International Compact with Iraq, on the efforts made so far and the next steps ahead. In a statement to KUNA and Kuwait TV following the “good” meeting, and in answer to KUNA questions, Gambari said both officials had identical views on the “need to maintain the interest in the Compact but to recalibrate it to take account of the change of realities,” in reference to the new security environment, including the US withdrawal from Iraq.
He said “perhaps we should have a meeting of the Baghdad Coordinating Group sometime in early November, then wait for major steps after the elections in Iraq.” Asked what the next steps would be, Gambari said to “recalibrate the Compact, stressing Iraq for reintegration with the neighbouring countries and the international community, also stressing trade and investment, the environment, all governance issues, economic reform and national reconciliation.

“That’s the way we seem to be going.” On whether Iraq has progressed enough to deserve to join the international fold, Gambari said “my charge is really essentially the Compact, which is more both political and economic and I think, neighbouring countries value this framework and will try to continue.”
Pressed further on whether Iraq is now politically and economically sound, Gambari said “we have to keep working on what unites, rather than on what divides.”
Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah on Tuesday met with the International Peace Academy President Terje Roed-Larsen to discuss a wide range of issues pertaining to the Middle East, mainly the Lebanese issue.

Concern
“We’ve been going over all issues in the Middle East because everything is intertwined. My primary concern is the Lebanese issue. But we also discussed the general regional situation and I think my good friend the Foreign Minister and myself see eye to eye on absolutely all issues,” Roed-Larsen, also UN special envoy on the Lebanese-Syria issue, told KUNA and Kuwait TV in answer to KUNA questions following the meeting.
“We’re sharing the same views on what are the good news in the region, which is the revival of the Palestinian Authority and that now the majority of people in both Israel and Palestine are strongly favouring the two-state solution which calls for longer term stability in the region,” he added.

“We also discussed our concerns about the developments in the region, and we have agreed to stay in very close contact and I will most probably visit Kuwait this fall to continue our discussions,” he announced.
In answer to a question about the lack of progress in the tripartite meeting that grouped US President Barack Obama, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day, Roed-Larsen said he had a feeling nothing much would happen in New York.
But “it gives us more reason to work with the parties and all concerned players in order to seek to kick start a peace process. I hope it will happen here, if it doesn’t, it will give us an even stronger motivation for trying even harder.” In a message to the Lebanese people, he said what is “now important is that everybody supports the Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. Lebanon needs stability and in order for its stability, it is necessary to have a working cabinet.”
“It is now of vital importance that President Michel Suleiman and the Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri get all the support from all parties of good will in Lebanon. This is the crucial issue for the country at this moment,” he said.