Kuwaiti MP Wasmi: Fighting Corruption Is a Top Priority

An aerial view shows Kuwait City. (Reuters)
An aerial view shows Kuwait City. (Reuters)
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Kuwaiti MP Wasmi: Fighting Corruption Is a Top Priority

An aerial view shows Kuwait City. (Reuters)
An aerial view shows Kuwait City. (Reuters)

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al Sabah launched the first steps of comprehensive national reconciliation and began a new era of dialogue based on tolerance, cooperation and construction, announced lawmaker Obaid al-Wasmi.

In a televised speech, Wasmi said the National Dialogue Committee has drawn up a roadmap, noting that corruption and recovering state funds are at the top of its priorities for the next stage.

In September, the Emir launched a national dialogue to resolve the growing differences between the government and the National Assembly that had led to a political stalemate.

He also tasked a committee of the heads of the country’s top three authorities to propose the terms and conditions for pardoning some Kuwaitis who have been convicted during past periods, ahead of issuing a pardon decree.

About 40 members of the parliament appealed to the Emir to pardon convicts in various cases. The government said the Emir wanted to resolve all outstanding issues, achieve political stability and cooperate with all parties.

The pardon decrees were issued on Monday after the cabinet approved them during a special session.

Wasmi said in his speech that the deputies were tasked with one of the most complex missions, noting that regional and international developments require putting Kuwait’s interest above all.

The regional security and economic challenges and the political transformations in the world necessitate directing efforts to achieving the interests of the state and the sustainability of its resources, continued the MP.

Wasmi stressed that “the three authorities are one body based on cooperation and distributing tasks, not competition.”

He explained that the committee has drawn up a roadmap with specific goals, asserting that it will preserve the constitution.

The committee will not waive any of the state’s right to oversight and legislation, he said, adding that issues of corruption and the recovery of looted funds will be a top priority.



UAE Coast Guard Evacuates 24 People from Oil Tanker Crash in the Gulf of Oman

FILE PHOTO: Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
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UAE Coast Guard Evacuates 24 People from Oil Tanker Crash in the Gulf of Oman

FILE PHOTO: Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo

The Emirati national guard said it evacuated 24 people from an oil tanker Tuesday after a collision between two ships just east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

The United Arab Emirates national guard said it deployed its coast guard’s search and rescue boats to the site, 24 nautical miles off the country's coast, and that the crew was evacuated to the port of Khor Fakkan.

The strait is the strategic maritime entryway to the Arabian Gulf and sees about a fifth of the world’s oil pass through it, according to the US Energy Information Administration. In 2024, an average of 20 million barrels of oil traveled through it daily.