Local FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2014
Kuwait and Egypt: Ties that bind By Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief CAIRO: Interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour yesterday met a Kuwaiti media delegation comprising of editors-in-chief of Kuwaiti newspapers, the director of Kuwait Journalists Association and KUNA’s editor-inchief. Q: What are the most important issues to be discussed at the 25th Arab Summit due to be held in Kuwait on March 25, and do you expect the summit will succeed in realizing joint work and help clear tensions? A: Since 2000, when the summit is regularly held, it has been discussing various issues that affect the interests of Arab peoples from East to West. I personally believe that certain issues will be more dominant in this summit, such as the Palestinian issue in view of the efforts exerted by US Secretary of State John
Mansour meets the Kuwaiti media delegation.
Interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour welcomes Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan.
Kerry to come up with a suitable framework to resume serious peace negotiations that would lead to a real solution and allow Palestinians establish an independent state on lands occupied in 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital. It is also obvious that the summit will address the worsening Syrian crisis that has caused a disastrous humanitarian crisis. There is no way out of this crisis except by a political solution backed by both the international community and regional powers. Arabs will have a major role to play in reaching this solution and I would like to highlight that none of the parties will benefit from the ongoing armed conflict that will negatively affect everybody’s interests in and outside Syria. Fighting terrorism will surely be prioritized on this summit’s agenda after our Arab nations and people started suffering from blind terrorism that aims at intimidating our peoples and taking over our countries. Egypt
will be keen on inviting Arab sister countries to activate the Arab anti-terrorism agreement in order to eliminate terrorism and prevent terrorists from having any safe havens and spiritually or financially support them. Finally, I believe working on developing the mechanism of Arab cooperation must strongly addressed in view of the changes in both regional and international arenas, which leave us no choice but combine our efforts and coordinate our attitudes and policies to defend our joint interests as Arab peoples. Q: How do you view the role Kuwait, under leadership of HH the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, can play in clearing tensions in Arab relations as well as enhancing Arab consolidation? A: We have great confidence in the wisdom and capability of Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad to use hosting the Arab summit to fulfill the Arab world’s leaders’ and peoples’ aspi-
rations towards a better future, facing the challenges and dangers surrounding us and supporting joint Arab frameworks. Q: In the aftermath of the Jan 25 and June 30 revolutions, what are the most important issues Egypt will bring to the summit? A: This summit is of significance because the Arab situations need a ‘wakeup call’. Crises are increasing in our lands. The Palestinian issue has still not reached a just solution. The dangerous situation in Syria has been having negative impacts within other Arab societies. Many regional and international countries care about the situation in Syria and some of them are calling for intervening. As Arabs, we have to and can solve our own problems once we decide to join efforts and utilize our potentials. Egypt carries these concerns to the summit and will make proposals to revive the active Arab role in protecting the region and achieve