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The Rediff Interview/ Kuwait Ambassador Abdullah A Almurad

'We hope this Iraqi regime listens to the voice of reason'

Ever since that momentous day on August 2, 1990, when Iraqi troops marched into Kuwait, the world has never been the same. The United States led a coalition of countries under the banner of the United Nations and for the first time since the end of World War II, the Soviet Union kept quiet (a year later, the Soviet Union would cease to exist!), thus marking the end of the Cold War.

As the world marked 10 years of that momentous day on August 2 this year, Kuwaiti Ambassador to India, Abdullah A Almurad spoke to rediff.com's Amberish K Diwanji on the decade gone by and on Indo-Kuwaiti relations.

How do you look back on the invasion and the ten years since?

We in Kuwait remember all that happened that fateful day. Iraq was a country which we always regarded as a brother, as a good neighbour with whom we shared a very special relationship. Historically, we have always been together. Kuwait and Iraq have shared a long political relationship and after the independence of Kuwait in 1961, we had an embassy in Baghdad, which meant that Iraq recognised Kuwait as an independent, sovereign country. The two countries signed a memorandum for bilateral relations and even the border's demarcation was discussed.

That is why on August 2, 1990, we were shocked to see Iraqi troops invade our country. Even today, if you ask a Kuwaiti why it happened, he will say he does not know. Really, we don't know why it happened!

It was nothing but ambition on the part of the Iraqi president, Saddam Hussain. For what? What was our mistake? What had we done? Even if there is some tension between two countries, it cannot be solved by wars. The Iraqi regime is responsible for what happened to Kuwait, to the Kuwaiti people, to the Iraqi people who are like our brothers and also to the whole region. Hundreds of thousands of our friends came to help us because of the mistake made by this man -- Saddam Hussain.

Ten years later, we are still waiting for our brothers and sisters who were taken from Kuwait by the Iraqi troops as prisoners of war. We have the documents left behind by the Iraqis in Kuwait that show that 600 Kuwaitis were taken to Iraqi jails. Maybe some were killed after being tortured, but according to international law and the Geneva Convention, the Iraqi regime is responsible for the POWs. If they are dead, they must tell us how they died, where they died and give us their remains.

Ten years after the war, we still face a threat from the Iraqi regime. We cannot trust either this regime or the man who once invaded our country. Iraq continues to have the same arrogant attitude towards Kuwait. Iraq can do anything to Kuwait or to the other countries in the Gulf region.

To win our trust, Iraq has to comply with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions. They have to return our people and property, co-perate with us, say they are sorry for their mistake.

We cannot forget all that has happened and that too, for no fault of ours.

How do you see India's role in the war?

To be very honest, we were in the beginning shocked to see the (then) Indian minister for foreign affairs go to Iraq and meet the head of the Iraqi regime. But the Indian government very quickly corrected its mistake. India is among the first foreign countries with which Kuwait established diplomatic relations. India has had links with the Gulf region for thousands of years and Kuwait is part of the Gulf region. Recently -- in July 2000 -- your Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ajit Panja visited Kuwait. Now the two countries share a very good relationship and we want it to remain that way.

Strategically, there is no distance between Kuwait and India at a time when the world is changing. India has the second highest labour force in Kuwait (after Egypt). Second, our commercial relations are being developed, economic ties are being strengthened. The two countries have the ability and the willingness to strengthen their relationship.

One of India's complaints is that the Arab world does not see its point of view. For instance, recently the Organisation of Islamic Countries passed a resolution on Kashmir. What are your views on this?

I have not read that resolution of the OIC. But of course, it is normal that there are differences concerning Kashmir. We think that the right thing to do will be to sit at the negotiating table and discuss the issue within the framework of international law, the UN, and the friendship of the two countries -- India and Pakistan -- because you are the same people. This is how we think in Kuwait. Kashmir should not be a source of tension.

Sanctions still continue against Iraq. For how long is it going to be so?

We are certainly not happy to see our brothers in Iraq suffer. But really, the sanctions are not responsible for the Iraqi people's suffering; if there is anyone responsible for their unhappiness, it is the Iraqi regime.

What I think is that the Iraqi regime does not want the sanctions to be lifted. If they want the sanctions lifted, they can apply to the UN Security Council. Other countries have been defeated in war earlier, have had sanctions imposed on them and then the sanctions have been lifted. If the Iraqi regime wants sanctions lifted, they will have to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions. For the past 10 years they have not done so. Iraq wants the sanctions lifted on its conditions such as to get the money back, build the armour again, to threaten other countries in the region again.

Kuwait is US's greatest ally in the Gulf, while the other closest ally of the US is Israel. How do you view this perspective?

We have a very close relation with the US. It does not mean that because Israel has a very good relation with the US, we too have a good relation with Israel. Kuwait is one of the rare countries that has no contact with Israel even today. We have not had any meetings with them nor have we been together in any regional conference. Kuwait believes that Israel must comply with international resolutions concerning any problem. We think that they have to withdraw from Arab territories in Golan and give the Palestinians their own territory.

How do you view India's growing relation with Israel?

India relation with Israel is New Delhi's concern, not ours. Our concern is what we hear about the military cooperation. We don't know, but we hear this from you, from the media, about what is going on between India and Israel. Especially in the nuclear and strategic area, we are afraid and we have a right to be afraid. We want to keep this region safe, secure and peaceful.

India is close to both Iraq and Kuwait. Can it play a role in improving ties between the two countries?

For Kuwait and Iraq to come closer again, it is easy. We have nothing against the Iraqi people but we have everything against the Iraqi regime and there can be no improvement in our relationship unless the regime goes.

We were the first in the region to help the Iraqis before the war. After the war, we are still helping the people in the north and in the south, but of course we can't help the people in Baghdad because the Iraqi regime won't allow it.

What India can do is put pressure on the Iraqi regime concerning our Prisoners of War, which is a humanitarian case. Maybe India can tell the regime to either release the POW or give the Kuwaitis the reason for not doing so.

What has been India's reaction in this matter

India and others are trying to help. We hope this Iraqi regime listens to the voice of reason and heeds the voice of its friends like India and other countries.

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