March.12.2009

A high-ranking Kuwaiti diplomat has said his country remains keen on safeguarding Iraq's independence and unity and the interest of its people.
Kuwait's ambassador to Japan Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi said ties with neighboring Iraq have been improving since the country's 2003 liberation by Coalition forces in which Kuwait played a major role by allowing these troops to use its territories to launch combat operations.
Otaibi, who recently hosted a farewell party for his Iraqi counterpart Ghanem Al-Jumaili on ending his tenure here, told KUNA that Kuwait has and is still playing a role in the reconstruction of Iraq.
Citing an example, he said that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces used Kuwaiti bases to conduct operations into Iraq since 2004 until last December.
Highlighting the importance of the visit to Baghdad by Kuwait's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al-Sabah, Otaibi said Kuwait is awaiting the naming of an Iraqi ambassador to Kuwait.