By B Izzak

KUWAIT: MP Khaled Al-Otaibi called on Sunday for demarcating maritime borders with Iraq to serve the national interests of the country, as the foreign minister is scheduled to hold technical and legal talks with an Iraqi delegation. Otaibi said in a statement the demarcation will strengthen Kuwait's sovereignty, safeguard territorial waters and start the long-delayed development of the northern parts of the country.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah was scheduled to start technical and legal talks with Iraq on Sunday in a bid to resolve a host of outstanding issues, including the demarcation of the maritime borders. Otaibi expressed hope the two neighboring countries succeed in resolving all outstanding issues to pave the way for cooperation between them and exploit investment opportunities. He added that reaching final solutions to the issues between Iraq and Kuwait will help, among other issues, stop illegal incursions of Iraqi military boats into Kuwait's territorial waters.

Meanwhile, MP Abdullah Al-Mudhaf said on Sunday he and other lawmakers are planning to submit an amendment to the Assembly's internal charter to clearly state that Assembly sessions can be held without the need of the presence of ministers. Since its inception in 1962, the Assembly has adjourned all sessions when there was no minister in the chamber. The practice was at times based on a controversial article in the constitution, which stipulates that the representation of the government in Assembly sessions is mandatory.

But Mudhaf claims this article had been wrongly interpreted to make the presence of at least one minister essential for Assembly sessions to be legal. He insisted the correct meaning of the article is that the government must attend Assembly sessions and cannot shun them. The current Cabinet has stopped attending Assembly sessions since Jan 10 over allegations the Assembly is pressing with populist laws that are costly to state coffers.

The government also resigned about a month ago and no one has been asked to form a new Cabinet, which MPs say has obstructed the work of the Assembly and the interests of the people. Mudhaf said the amendment will clearly state that Assembly sessions are legal even if the government does not attend them.