By Eman Al-Awadhi KUWAIT, Jan 11 (KUNA) -- US President George W. Bush has promised to "seriously" take into consideration Kuwait's request for the return of its four citizens held in Guantanamo prison, said Kuwait's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah on Friday.
"His Highness the Amir brought up the issue of Kuwaitis detained in Guantanamo ... and President Bush promised to take this request into serious consideration and notify us as soon as possible with measures that will be taken in this regard," he told KUNA following a meeting between the two leaders at Dar Salwa.
Sheikh Mohammad said His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said at the meeting that the continued detention of the four Kuwaitis at Guantanamo was "an insult to the principle of American justice, and hoped that they would be handed over to Kuwaiti authorities." His Highness the Amir noted that the former eight Kuwaitis detained at Guantanamo that were handed back were now "good citizens and work hard to prevent youth from falling victims to extremist ideologies, which is proof of Kuwait's ability to contain its sons and rehabilitate them for the good of the nation." Moreover, the foreign minister said the "important talks" between the two leaders included the issue of establishing an independent Palestinian state.
"President Bush reiterated his intent to see the establishment of a Palestinian state before the end of his term (at the White House) ... and His Highness the Amir said efforts of the US Administration to bring justice to Palestinians and guarantee their right to establish an independent state would no doubt be supported by the international community." His Highness the Amir and President Bush also discussed the situation in Iraq and efforts of the US Administration to instill stability, as well as the need to support the Iraqi government.
"President Bush thanked Kuwait for the support it was presenting to Iraq and for hosting the neighbors meeting that will be held in April of this year, " Sheikh Mohammad added.
They also spoke about Iran, saying that it was "important for the Iranian government to clarify any ambiguity with regard to its nuclear program, especially as IAEA reports still indicated the need for greater transparency in this regard." President Bush had arrived in Kuwait earlier today on a two-day visit, coming from Israel. His regional tour will also take him to Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Tomorrow, the US president will address his country's troops stationed in Camp Arifjan, and meet with prominent Kuwaiti women activists. (end) ema KUNA 112153 Jan 08NNNN