KUWAIT, Dec 26 (KUNA) -- The Government on Monday lauded recent measures that had been taken at the national level to lift the ban on the sports sector enforced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Cabinet at its weekly session praised these measures that had been taken in coordination with the National Assembly, on the basis of national and constitutional responsibilities, hoping that these efforts would result in restoring the national activities in full and ending the compulsory suspension.
The Cabinet was examining the steps taken by the Public Authority for Sport (PAS) regarding the Parliament recommendation for lifting the suspension, in light of a presentation during the meeting by the Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah.
Sheikh Salman, also the Minister of Information, briefed the ministers about PAS' bill to overhaul the sports sector.
The proposed law, to be examined by the parliament before endorsement, urges for temporary lift of the suspension. It is compatible with latest sports legislations, the Olympic Charter and does not contradict with the Constitution or the State PAS had also called on FIFA and the IOC to dispatch a delegation to Kuwait to discuss the sports issue with the government and the parliament, as a prelude to working out "a consensus formula acceptable by all the parties," said Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, reading the cabinet statement after the meeting, held at Bayan Palace and chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
The sports authority had addressed the Asian Football Confederation, the IOC and FIFA regarding thee measures. Moreover, the authority talked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on steps that could be taken by the Kuwaiti embassies, as well as the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs on the new sports bill to set up a public authority to combat doping.
At the start of the session, the ministers addressed congratulations to His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Crown Prince as well as the Kuwaiti people on the new year (2017). They also extended good wishes to the Arab and Muslim nations.
They examined a joint message addressed from the presidents of Mauritius and the United Mexican States, in their capacity as chairmen of the UN team charged with water affairs, to His Highness the Amir, alluding to the task plan endorsed last September, urging for a new full-scale approach to address global water issues, in the hope of attaining the sixth goal of the 2030 sustainable development plan.
The ministers were briefed by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the extraordinary ministerial Arab session, held last Monday, addressing the Syrian issue, in addition to the fourth Arab-Euro Ministerial Meeting, the special session of the executive commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, recently hosted by Jeddah, also to discuss Syria namely the tragic situation in Aleppo.
Sheikh Sabah Khaled anew urged the Syrian regime to stop military operations against the unarmed Syrians, calling on the UN to activate relevant resolutions.
Moreover, the foreign minister re-stated that the Syrian crisis could only be resolved through negotiations, according to relevant Geneva resolutions and the Security Council resolution 2254, vowing to spare no effort in backing the Syrian people.
The minister informed his colleagues about measures that had preceded release of the two Kuwaitis who were detained in Iran, praising role of the Kuwaiti embassy in the Islamic Republic and cooperation of the Iranian authorities that led to the speedy release of the two citizens.
They also looked into a recommendation by the utility commission regarding preservation and prices of fresh food and materials.
The cabinet mourned demise of Mohammad Al-Mousherji, the former minister of awqaf and Islamic affairs, expressed condolences to Ouaihan and Gu'ood families following the yacht accident on Saturday that resulted in death of a number of members from the two families. (end) rk