By Al'a Al-Huwaijel
BASRA, Iraq, April 3 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti real estates in Basra city are safe and there is no power that could change the status of the properties' ownership, said an Iraqi official Tuesday.
Speaking to KUNA while meeting with a visiting Kuwaiti media delegation, Governor of the Southern Iraqi city, Asaad Al-Eidani said that properties, belonging to prominent Kuwaiti families, still exist and were protected by documentation and official statistics.
Any attempt to change the ownership of the real estates must go through the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra and the Iraqi authorities, said governor Al-Eidani who affirmed that such process could only be done via original documentation and authorized procedures.
He affirmed that any Kuwaitis eager to visit their real estate in Basra are welcomed to do so, adding that many Kuwaiti families refused to sell their properties; therefore, they are the rightful owners of the locations.
The governor lauded the State of Kuwait for all its efforts to assist Iraq, noting that the recent Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq (KICRI), attended by 75 nations, have reflected Kuwaiti strong interest in the welfare of Iraq.
The Iraqi official welcomed Kuwaiti involvement in investment and business ventures in Basra and elsewhere in Iraq, affirming that this would reflect positively on Kuwaiti-Iraqi relations.
The situation in Basra, especially within the security domain, had improved tremendously due to the defeat of the so-called Islamic State (IS), said the Iraqi official.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti media delegation also met with head of the Basra's governorate council Waleed Kitan who briefed them on various service projects in the governorate. The official said that Basra was eager to witness the participation of Kuwaiti investors in numerous ventures in the city.
The Kuwaiti media delegation arrived Sunday for talks with local officials and visit archeological sites in the nearby Thi Qar Governorate.
The delegation also includes KUNA Deputy Director General for Editorial Saad Al-Ali, Chief Editor of Al-Anbaa Newspaper Yusu Al-Marzouq, Chief Editor of Kuwait Times Abdulrahman Al-Ulayyan, Media Advisor at His Highness the Prime Minister's Diwan Hassan Al-Sayegh, and others. (end) ahh.gta