Iraq Accuses Kuwait of Provocation with Gulf War CelebrationIraq on Sunday accused neighboring Kuwait of provocation for holding celebration of its liberation from Iraq's seven-month occupation in the 1991 Gulf War.The celebrations were "provocative" because they coincided with the latest aggression of the United States and Britain against Iraq, Hamid Said, deputy minister of information and culture, was quoted by the official Al-Qadissiya newspaper as saying on Sunday. Former U.S. President George Bush and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were among the dignitaries in Kuwait on Sunday to celebrate the emirate's national day and a decade of liberation from the Iraqi occupation. A U.S.-led multinational coalition drove Iraqi occupation troops out of Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War. This was all the more provocative because it coincided with the "criminal role" of the U.S. who supported Israeli repression of the Palestinian intifada (uprising), Said said. This could trigger "an explosion" of the situation in the region, the official said. U.S. and British warplanes, taking off from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, struck communication and control sites south of the Iraqi capital on February 16, killing two civilians and injuring 20 others. Iraq has vowed to retaliate against the U.S. and Britain, as well as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for collaborating with them in attacking Iraq. Iraq claimed that the air strikes came amid Iraq's vehement support for the Palestinians against Israel since late September last year. More than 400 people, mostly Palestinians, have been killed and thousands others injured in their clashes with Israeli soldiers. |
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