Monday Morning newspaper (Lebanon)
November 10, 2003

Kuwaiti women will obtain their rights

Do you think Kuwaiti women will obtain all their rights?
Jassem El-Kharafi: [Pictured] It’s only a matter of time. Our female fellow-citizens now enjoy unlimited rights, and they have their role to play in order to have their political rights recognized. They have the right to vote in cooperative societies, student federations and associations that benefit the public. Women occupy posts in the civil service and professional associations. There are reports that the National Assembly will be dissolved. Is this true? Such an act of dissolution lies within the prerogatives of His Highness the Emir. Not even the prime minister can dissolve it. Are you satisfied with the way the Assembly has been fulfilling its obligations? If I told you that I was satisfied, I would not be speaking frankly. But at the same time, we have no means of resolving our problems other than through democracy. Any person in a position of governance is obliged to practice it. We must use democracy wisely; otherwise the country will founder in chaos.

Events in Iraq

What is your view of what is happening in Iraq?
Jassem El-Kharafi: It’s a sign of the terrorism and repression that ravaged the country for many years. We in Kuwait are proud that our emirate is the only Arab state to have taken a position favorable to the liberation of Kuwait. Some people describe what has happened in Iraq as an occupation. We consider it a liberation. We’re thankful it was a rapid and easy operation. Iraq must now take advantage of this liberty and reunify its ranks in order to set in place a truly democratic regime which alone will be capable of resolving all problems through dialogue, not violence. If it fails to achieve this objective, it will be said that the Arab peoples do not deserve democracy because they do not know how to make proper use of it.

Is Iraq moving towards partition?
Jassem El-Kharafi: I don’t think so, since there is virtual unanimity against partition on both the Arab and international levels, as well as in Iraq itself. As a citizen of a Gulf country, I hope that unity will be achieved among member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The GCC members are the Arab states most disposed to embark on the path of unity and their experience can be of benefit to their fraternal countries.

A sad fate

What of Saddam Hussein?
Jassem El-Kharafi: God is patient, but sooner or later He will punish evildoers as they deserve. The present existence of Saddam Hussein bears witness to the wisdom of the Creator, who is now dealing a just chastisement to that miscreant as he flees from one hiding place to another, bereft of family or friends, a fugitive hoping desperately to escape those pursuing him. What a sad fate!

What about the compensation owed to Kuwait as a result of the Iraqi invasion?
Jassem El-Kharafi: In Kuwait we make a distinction between what we have a right to, on the one hand, and our duty to help Iraq, on the other. We don’t confuse the two. We were present at the Madrid conference of donors and our contribution to the reconstruction of Iraq is the most substantial. We’re not going to make the issue of war reparations something that embitters relations and causes hatred between our two peoples. Kuwait does not base its dealings only on the logic of material matters; Baghdad does not appreciate what Kuwait accomplished during the phase of liberation.

Has this question been raised with Paul Bremer, the US civil administrator in Iraq?
Jassem El-Kharafi: Is this matter something to be decided by one who knows nothing of what he speaks? Kuwait is in touch with the UN Security Council and the United States to find solutions to all the problems thrown up in the post-war phase.

Is there cooperation in this respect between the Kuwaiti National Assembly and European parliaments?
Jassem El-Kharafi: We’re working to develop relations with Arab, Islamic and other states. Nearly two months ago, we handled these relations through coordination in regard to America’s position on the Kuwaiti prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, where there is no regard for human rights, human dignity or the Geneva Conventions.

The cause of Palestine

What about Palestine?
Jassem El-Kharafi: We are joining our efforts to those of the great Arab family to defend the Palestinian cause, closing ranks to face Israeli aggression. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait set the Arabs back several years and seriously compromised inter-Arab solidarity. We in Kuwait feel ashamed that the Arabs have to attend international conferences without being able to present a united front or to join in a common stance on a final communiqué.

How would you describe Kuwaiti relations with Iran?
Jassem El-Kharafi: Whatever particular issue in contention happens to be, I don’t believe that it should be debated in the pages of newspapers. According to my modest experience, misplaced statements only envenom contentious issues rather than promote their settlement. I’m optimistic about the distinctive relations established by Iran with the member-states of the GCC; the present government in Teheran is at pains to deal with its neighbors on the basis of wisdom and moderation. Through dialogue, we shall obtain excellent results in the interest of all concerned. All the problems concerning our frontier with Saudi Arabia have been resolved and a fruitful cooperation can now begin among all the countries of the region.

My heart is with Saudi Arabia How would you describe what is happening in Saudi Arabia?
Jassem El-Kharafi: My heart is with the kingdom. Those who carry out these attacks do not realize the great prejudice they cause to their country and their people. These attacks coincide with a fierce offensive from the outside. If errors have been made, they cannot be rectified by other errors. We mustn’t lose sight of the good done by the kingdom, not only to the Arabs but also to the whole Islamic nation. Nor must we fail to notice the plots hatched against Saudi Arabia by the Zionists to discredit it in the eyes of American and world opinion.

Are you satisfied with the Arab situation in general?
Jassem El-Kharafi: Not at all.

Are there disagreements among members of the Gulf Cooperation Council?
Jassem El-Kharafi: I wish that inter-Arab relations were comparable to those existing among the member-states of the GCC, which always manage to deal with their quarrels and to consolidate their cooperation in the common interest. There was a war between Bahrain and Qatar, and the governments of the GCC member-states intervened to reestablish concord between the two fraternal states. That was possible because there is a minimum of respect on the part of GCC leaders for one another. Then too, there is an abiding sense that the GCC must be preserved. But the Gulf Cooperation Council and the style of its leaders are not up to the level of our ambitions as a people. We want greater rapidity of action. At the same time, I appreciate the wisdom of these leaders and their stand in Kuwait’s favor during the Iraqi invasion of our territory. The GCC actively contributed to our liberation.

How are your relations with Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the prime minister?
Jassem El-Kharafi: Personally I have great respect and esteem for Sheikh Ahmad, who is a great brother. I was his colleague when I served in the cabinet of the crown prince, before becoming head of the legislature. A cooperation between us is necessary, the more so since we feel such respect and appreciation for each other. We have a duty of implementing the will of the Emir, working to safeguard Kuwait and its inhabitants. This doesn’t mean there are no disagreements between us.

What could you say about your relationship with Nabih Berri, speaker of the Lebanese Parliament?
Jassem El-Kharafi: It’s a distinctive relationship, even on the personal level.

And your relations with the media?
Jassem El-Kharafi: The media are the Fourth Estate and have an important role to play, not content to merely report the news to a world which has become a global village. What happens in Lebanon has repercussions in other Arab countries.

What is your analysis of the situation in Lebanon?
Jassem El-Kharafi: I urge the Lebanese to preserve their homeland and avoid internal dissensions.

What about the oil-bearing deposits in the North of Kuwait?
Jassem El-Kharafi: The state is disposed to exploit them, though without abandoning any of its constitutional or juridical rights. We ask the government to take the steps necessary to maintain these rights when the time comes to exploit these oil fields. The government has reacted favorably and has laid before Parliament the text of a law defining the procedure by which these oil fields will be exploited. Our difference with the government lies in the fact that certain members of the Assembly are demanding that any agreement should be entrenched in the form of an Act of Parliament, while the cabinet believes it preferable to enact a single law and agree a single contract for each oil field by itself. This question will be addressed by the financial committee of the National Assembly.

Why the delay in implementing the project?
Jassem El-Kharafi: The error originates in the government, which has neither known what it wants nor the way of moving into the implementing phase. When the bill was transmitted to the legislature, no clear idea was given of the way the contracts would be executed.