Jordanian King Arrives in Kuwait to Boost Bilateral TiesJordanian King Abdullah II arrived in Kuwait City Sunday for a three-day visit, which will primarily address the bilateral relations between the two countries.Abdullah was greeted at the airport by Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jaber al Ahmad al Sabah, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Sheikh Sa'ad al- Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah and a large group of other high-level officials. Abdullah and Sheikh Jaber are scheduled to hold official talks, which both sides have said will concentrate on the overall ties between Jordan and Kuwait. Relations between Kuwait and Jordan once soured due to Amman's sympathy with Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War sparked by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. The bilateral ties, especially the political links, were restored after King Abdullah paid an official visit to Kuwait in September 1999. Kuwait has expressed belief that Abdullah's present visit, his second to Kuwait as the Jordanian monarch, would lead to further understanding and rapprochement between the two Arab states. Meanwhile, observers here said that the Kuwaiti-Jordanian talks are also likely to tackle a number of outstanding issues in the economic aspects. They said Jordan, a desert kingdom, poor in resources and heavily dependent on foreign markets, is looking forward to Kuwait to open its market for Jordanian products and provide Jordan with oil at low prices. Amman also expects Jordanians could be employed in Kuwait, as was the case before the Iraqi invasion, the observers added. In addition to talks on bilateral ties, the Jordanian king is also expected to discuss with his Kuwaiti hosts possibilities for a reconciliation between Kuwait and Iraq, as recommended by an Arab summit, held in Amman last March. The Amman Arab summit, in another attempt to restore Arab solidarity, failed to bridge the deep rift between the two Gulf War foes. |
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