Ban praises Kuwait emir for helping address sticky issues with Iraq

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon commended the "flexibility and endeavors" of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki to addressing thorny issues between the two countries. "This is the fifth time I visit Iraq as a UN Secretary General and the last time was in December 2012, and I have seen the courage of the governments of Iraq and Kuwait in looking forward for a common future and establishing a new phase of cooperation," Ban told a joint news conference with Al-Maliki following their talks. "Many achievements have been realized over the past years thanks to the flexibility of Prime Minister Maliki and His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah," he added. Kuwait helped in Iraq's exit from Chapter VII of the UN Charter, and the Gulf country has expressed desire to boosting relations with its northern neighbor. Ban said he and Al-Maliki discussed the security situation, upcoming parliamentary elections and relations between Baghdad and the Kurdistan province, as well as relations with Kuwait and the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 100,000 people. He underlined importance of the 2nd donors conference to help the Syrian people, due in Kuwait on Wednesday. "We discussed in details the situation in Syria and its impacts on Iraq," said Ban. He thanked the Iraqi government and people for hosting the Syrian refugees. Ban called on the donors to contribute to alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people.