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Kuwait Airways says won’t concede on Iraq debt
State-owned Kuwait Airways will not make
any concessions or give up a single fils in a row with neighbour Iraq over war reparations, its chairman said in remarks published Wednesday.
Baghdad and Kuwait have been locked in a long-running dispute over billions of dollars in reparations from Iraq, including some $1.2bn related to aircraft and parts seized during former dictator Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.
On Saturday, Iraq's media adviser Karim al-Nuri said Kuwait authorities seized the Iraqi Airways office in Amman while also freezing $1.5m worth of assets.
"We will not compromise one fils," Kuwait Airways Chairman Hamad al-Falah told the al-Anbaa daily. “Kuwait Airways sought several times to end this crisis, yet Iraq didn't show any seriousness to pay the due amounts. What Iraq wants is to settle the debts without paying any money," he said.
In May 2011, Iraq said it would dissolve Iraqi Airways over the next three years and pursue private options to dodge asset claims made by Kuwait over their 1990-91 war.
Last year, Kuwait tried to seize one of the Iraqi carrier's planes in London after obtaining a High Court order against Iraqi Airways that including freezing its assets worldwide.
The airline has halted flights to Britain and Sweden under threat that its planes would be seized by Kuwait.
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State-owned Kuwait Airways will not make
any concessions or give up a single fils in a row with neighbour Iraq over war reparations, its chairman said in remarks published Wednesday.
Baghdad and Kuwait have been locked in a long-running dispute over billions of dollars in reparations from Iraq, including some $1.2bn related to aircraft and parts seized during former dictator Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.
On Saturday, Iraq's media adviser Karim al-Nuri said Kuwait authorities seized the Iraqi Airways office in Amman while also freezing $1.5m worth of assets.
"We will not compromise one fils," Kuwait Airways Chairman Hamad al-Falah told the al-Anbaa daily. “Kuwait Airways sought several times to end this crisis, yet Iraq didn't show any seriousness to pay the due amounts. What Iraq wants is to settle the debts without paying any money," he said.
In May 2011, Iraq said it would dissolve Iraqi Airways over the next three years and pursue private options to dodge asset claims made by Kuwait over their 1990-91 war.
Last year, Kuwait tried to seize one of the Iraqi carrier's planes in London after obtaining a High Court order against Iraqi Airways that including freezing its assets worldwide.
The airline has halted flights to Britain and Sweden under threat that its planes would be seized by Kuwait.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
