Kuwait Mps Urge Gcc To Expel Russian Envoys Over Aleppo

Opposition MPs in Kuwait urged Gulf Cooperation Council nations Tuesday to expel Russian ambassadors over what they called Moscow’s role in “genocide” against civilians in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

The lawmakers also signed a motion calling on the newly elected Parliament to hold an emergency meeting next week in support of the city. “There is a genocide being committed against civilians in Aleppo amid total international negligence,” Islamist MP Jamaan Al-Harbash told a small rally in the Parliament building.

“We call on the Gulf states to expel Russian ambassadors … and to open fund-raising campaigns at mosques,” he said. The GCC groups energy-rich Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, all of which have diplomatic ties with Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Abdullah Fahhad, another Islamist MP, demanded the expulsion of the envoys of both Russia and Iran, another Assad ally.

MP Waleed Al-Tabtabai said that a protest will be staged on Wednesday outside the Russian embassy in Kuwait City over its military backing for Assad. The Islamist-dominated opposition in Kuwait won nearly half of the 50 seats in a snap general election last month.

The United Nations said on Tuesday it had credible reports of pro-government forces in Aleppo executing dozens of civilians including women and children as the crucial battle for the city neared its end.

The UN human rights office said at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, were reported to have been killed in recent days. Meanwhile, MP Riyadh Al-Adsani has urged HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to revise the economic reform document and present plausible solutions because not all Kuwaitis can afford the rising prices of gasoline and electricity. He unveiled his plan to present a draft law on reducing electricity fees, indicating it is unthinkable to raise fees by 1,200 percent considering its negative impact on citizens with low income. He claimed the economic reform plan that the government presented to the previous Parliament is nothing but a scheme to destroy the economy. He said the Ministry of Finance has conducted a study on the proposal to impose tax system in 2018, especially since other Gulf States intend to impose value-added tax (VAT).

He also pointed out that citizens can no longer tolerate the wastage of public funds in public institutions, asserting the premier’s statement that the welfare State has ended is totally unacceptable. “If the government cannot control companies, the Parliament can monitor them.

The era of favoritism and weak Parliament is over as the time for accountability has come,” he stressed. He said the prime minister should extend a helping hand to resolve issues like unemployment, housing and corruption. He believes there is no deficit, because Kuwait has 600 billion bonds and investments in Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA). On another development, Al-Adsani told the 27 opposition members that he disagrees with them on many issues, clarifying he attended only one of their meetings and his vote during the election of Speaker was based on his own conviction.

 

SOURCE : ARABTIMES

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