Al-Bashir hails Kuwaiti big role in humanitarian action

KHARTOUM, Oct 22 (KUNA) -- Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir said that Kuwait has become a main supporter to humanitarian action, stressing choosing Dr. Abdullah Al-Matouq as UN Humanitarian Envoy is in line with the state's role in this respect.
Al-Bashir made these remarks on Wednesday while receiving UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres in the presence of a host of senior officials, including Kuwaiti Ambassador to Sudan Talal Mansour Al-Hajeri.
"Al-Bashir thanked the State of Kuwait, its government as well as people for their continuing support to Sudan and for their honorable humanitarian role across the globe," Kamal Hassan Ali, State Minister of Social Welfare, said in a statement after the meeting. "Al-Bashir vowed to cooperate and coordinate with all international organizations working in humanitarian action and in particular those which support refugees as Sudan is hosting a large number of them, he added. He noted Sudan puts all capabilities under the service of the UN to be in favor of all refugees.
For his part, Dr. Al-Matouq expressed his gratitude to president Al-Bashir, Sudan and its citizens for hosting generously hundreds of thousands of refugees.
"We will show to the entire world that Sudan is exerting huge efforts in supporting refugees and will call on all organizations, which abused it, to stop distorting the country's image," Dr. Al-Matouq said.
"Sudan is playing an exceptional role toward refugees, so we are proud of this move," he pointed out.
Al-Matouq and Guterres held a series of meetings with some ministers interested in humanitarian action and paid visits on Tuesday to camps of refugees in the White Nile, the borders with South Sudan.
Also Al-Matouq and Guterres held a joint press conference in which they expressed their satisfaction with the visit's outcomes. They stressed that such visit strengthens partnership between the UN and Sudanese government to provide required supports to refugees.
Both voiced grave concern over the growing number fleeing South Sudan, appealing to donors' bodies to provide more financial assistances to accommodate the hiking number of refugees. (end) hha.hm