KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with Kuwait's Permanent Representative to the UN headquarters in New York Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi. - KUNA

KUWAIT: His
Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at
Bayan Palace yesterday Kuwait's Permanent Representative at the UN headquarters
in New York Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi. Meanwhile, Ambassador Otaibi said
that Kuwait had scored some vital diplomatic achievements through its 2018
non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council (UNSC). Speaking on the most
significant efforts by the State of Kuwait during the first period of its
second membership, Ambassador Otaibi said that after four decades from its
first run, Kuwait had proved to the world that it is a nation involved in
important global issues.

On June 2, 2017,
Kuwait gained 188 of 192 votes necessary to join the UNSC as a non-permanent
member, said Ambassador Al-Otaibi, affirming that Kuwaiti diplomacy had always
stood on a moderate and balanced platform, which championed world peace as well
as welfare and justice for all. "Chairing the UNSC in the second month of
membership was not an easy task," he said, lauding the Kuwaiti leadership
and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their supportive stance during Kuwait's
tenure.

In its February
Presidency of the UNSC, five resolutions were passed, four press statements
issued, and 33 meetings were held, indicated Otaibi, noting that the main focus
of Kuwait was to put forward Arab causes, specifically the plight of the
Palestinian people suffering from the unethical and inhumane Israeli occupation
of their land. He added that the Kuwait efforts in the Palestinian regard was
crowned with Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas participation in a
Kuwait-chaired UN Security Council meeting.

Syrian crisis

On Syria,
Ambassador Otaibi said that alongside Sweden, Kuwait managed to push for the
approval of resolution 2401, unanimously adopted on February 24, 2018. It
called for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria for 30 days. The senior diplomat
also touched on Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad
Al-Sabah's participation in several UNSC meetings, namely the one organized by
Kuwait on maintaining global peace and security with the participation of
current UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and former General Secretary Ban
Ki-Moon. Back on Syria, the Kuwaiti senior diplomat said that Kuwait and Sweden
pushed on December 13, 2018 for a renewed mechanism of humanitarian aid
deliveries in Syria, which was resolution 2449.

In regards to
Yemen, Kuwait had played an important role to put an end to the conflict in the
fellow Arab country through its UNSC membership, said Otaibi. Kuwait was part
of the efforts to approve resolution 2451 regarding the humanitarian situation
in Yemen, said Ambassador Otaibi who called on all involved parties of the
conflict to abide by the results of the national dialogue, UNSC resolutions
concerning Yemen, and the outcome of the recent Sweden Yemen talks.

Kuwait, recently,
transported Yemeni delegations to the Stockholm talks, as well as providing
$250 million to various humanitarian entities and organization to ease the pain
of those caught in the conflict of Yemen, affirmed the Ambassador.

Returning to the
issue of Palestine, Ambassador Otaibi said that Kuwait tried to push for UNSC
resolutions for the sake of Palestinians; however, the veto - regularly used by
a number of UNSC permanent members - usually stood in the way. Kuwait had
always been keen on supporting the humanitarian cause in Palestine, donating
this year a sum of $50 million to UNRWA, revealed Otaibi.

Rohingyas' plight

Beyond promoting
Arab causes whether in Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Lebanon, the State of
Kuwait also managed to stand with humanitarian causes such as the plight of the
Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar, noted Ambassador Otaibi. He indicated that
via Kuwait-State-owned planes, Kuwait transported UNSC members from the UK and
Peru and other countries to the region of conflict to have a better
understanding of the horrific situation.

On other Kuwaiti
achievements during the membership, Otaibi said that Kuwait launched the idea
of preventative diplomacy, a stance in which diplomats and diplomatic measures
play an important part in halting aggression and maintaining security and
peace. In coordination with the Netherland, Sweden, and Ivory Coast, the State
of Kuwait forwarded approved resolution 2417, a document strongly condemning
the starving of civilians, unlawfully denying humanitarian access as warfare
tactics.

In connection
with the liberation of Kuwait in 1991 from the Iraqi aggression and occupation
of 1990, Ambassador Otaibi highlighted the environmental impact of the horrific
past event on the environment during several UNSC proceedings. On his
predictions for the second year of Kuwait's membership, Al-Otaibi said that the
State of Kuwait would chair the UNSC in June of 2019, affirming that his
country will continue to promote just causes as well as security and peace in
the deliberations. - KUNA