Kuwait makes second complaint in two weeks to Iraq

[struggle4progress]

KUWAIT: Kuwait's Foreign Ministry complained to Iraq yesterday, for the second time in less than two weeks, of repeated incursions from the Iraqi side of their shared frontier and attacks on Kuwaiti border police. The state-owned Kuwait News Agency said the ministry undersecretary, Mohammed Al-Roumi, handed a written protest to the Iraqi charge d'affaires and asked him for a "quick response" from the Iraqi government. Kuwait had summoned the Iraqi diplomat, Hamed Al-Sharifi, Aug 23, to protest shooting at a police border patrol from the Iraqi side of the border.

The desert line was demarcated by the United Nations in 1993, two years after the Gulf War that liberated Kuwait from a seven-month Iraqi occupation under former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It gave Kuwait 11 oil wells, some farms and an old naval base formerly considered in Iraq. Kuna did not elaborate on the new incidents. However, dailies reported yesterday that armed individuals made two attempts Friday night to ambush Kuwaiti border patrols but they were thwarted. Officials could not be reached for comment.

These repeated border incidents were harming the ties between the two countries, and threatening the security and sovereignty of Kuwait, the Foreign Ministry said. There were no reports of casualties in either incident. Last summer, hundreds of Iraqis staged demonstrations against a metal barrier Kuwait was building along the frontier. The two countries resumed diplomatic relations at a low-level and reopened their border after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, partially launched from Kuwait ..

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/Navariednews.asp?dismode=article&artid=1914609037

[Erika]

1. W better tell the troops hands off on Kuwait

Kuwait has a very elitist populace. All men turning 18 are given a house free of charge. Free medical care and free education through College.

Paid for by U.S. reliance on ME oil. W and Cheney have never been happier or profited more. The W twins will never have to worry about working in their life times.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Looks like Iraq wants back what it rightfully belongs to her

and the Kuwaitis can't count on the US to bail them out this time.

Considering that what triggered Saddam's invasion of Kuwait was Kuwait's slant drilling into Iraqi's oil deposits, it is poetic justice that Kuwait gets some measure of what they deserve.

[MADem]

4. Rightfully? Bullshit.

Iraq is a construct of the WEST.

A bunch of warlords owned chunks of it before a bunch of Europeans and an American started drawing bullshit lines on a map.

The warlord bastards in Kuwait have as much right as the warlord bastards who used to have chunks of Iraq.

The difference is, the warlord bastards in Kuwait did a better job of making strategic alliances to ensure they kept their lucre.

But rightful? Please.

[IndianaGreen]

5. Iraq is as much a construct of the West as Israel is

Iraq has legitimate grievances against Kuwait, a nation of thieves!

[MADem]

6. Well, Israel has jackshit to do with a discussion of how "Iraq" was

created. And Israel has no oil. But good feint.

Kuwait, 'nation of thieves' was another good feint.

Bottom line--all a bunch of assholes. Guys in turbans, doled out land by fat bastards in tight suits, high collars, and greasy sweat, with a goal of divvying up oil profits between them. That's the whole picture.

There are no saints in this painting. And no "rightful" land for "Iraq." Iraq is a nation of warlords and serfs/acolytes. Alliances, strongmen and weak followers.

Only the strongest survive at this point.

[daleo]

7. Not all oil company executives wear turbans

"...fat bastards in tight suits, high collars, and greasy sweat, with a goal of divvying up oil profits between them. That's the whole picture."

[MADem]

9. Hey, try reading

The fat bastards in the suits are the western oil executives. The guys in turbans were the original sheikhs who held sway over their little patches of earth.

Two sets of folk.

[Nihil]

10. Israel was created in the same way as Iraq was.

As you say, "there are no saints in this painting".

The point was that both countries were created by the deeds of
politicians and both/neither have the same extent of "rightful"
ownership today.

Sauce for the goose, etc..

[MADem]

11. So were plenty of countries in that region...there's still no nexus.

Jordan was created in the same fashion. Why not bring them up?

Look at the stupid Arab states--same deal. No one hauls them into every thread.

It's like every time a discussion gets into the neighborhood of the greater middle east, someone has to hoist the Israeli flag and point to them, as though they somehow CAUSED the difficulty, no matter what the difficulty under discussion might be. It's a bit disturbing on a number of levels to see this sort of thing.

Now, we know that Israel (or Jordan for that matter) had nothing to do with the disagreement vis a vis oil drilling and fields between Iraq and Kuwait.

So why toss the bomb?

[Nihil]

12. True enough ... and they are all equally valid or invalid.

You stated "Iraq is a construct of the WEST" and IG responded that
so was Israel.

I don't think anyone is "hoisting the Israeli flag and pointing to
them, as though they somehow CAUSED the difficulty" (unless that was
meant to indicate your own strawman).

What they *are* doing is pointing to the hypocrisy of claiming that
one case is "rightful" whilst the other somehow isn't.

Either both are or both aren't (and by both I mean "all cases of"
rather than just pedantically Iraq and Israel).

[MADem]

13. No, go to the initial post, which talks about the tiff between Kuwait and

Iraq. It doesn't say jackshit about Israel. Why? Because Israel has NO ROLE in this matter.

Why not point out the hypocrisy of installing King Abdullah the First, father of Hussein, grandfather of the present King, in Jordan? Why not carp about the absurdity of the shape of Jordan, created because grampa didn't think he was getting his props? After all, at least THAT country shares a border!

And, FWIW, these creations did not happen contemporaneously with Israel. The Arab states predate WW2, Israel happened afterward.

I'm sorry, I have to say I don't buy your argument. Israel has no role whatsoever in a discussion about an Iraqi-Kuwaiti spat, except to turn up the heat in an unproductive fashion and for no good reason.

[IndianaGreen]

14. You are the one that said that Iraq was an artificial construct

and I responded to that statement by pointing out that Iraq was not the only artificial construct of Western colonialism or Western influence, Israel being the most recent one.

Nihil called you on it, and now you are trying to squirm out of it!

[MADem]

15. Why not say JORDAN?

It was established at the same time. Or how about SYRIA?

Why Israel, which didn't come into being until decades later? And isn't even NEXT DOOR?

I'm not squirming, I am asking you flat out why are you bringing up a country that is NOT contiguous with the countries in the original post, and was not even created at the same time?

Surely, if you wanted to come up with another "western construct" there were others that make more sense in the context of the discussion.

But it's more fun to push that button. For WHATEVER reason.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MADem]

17. I beg your pardon?

You really know NOTHING about me and my perspective on the nations there. OTOH, you make no bones about where you sit. But thanks for playing!

I happen to have lived in the Arab and Southwest Asian region for many years. I call things as I see them; as I have actually SEEN them, first hand.

I don't rely on propagandistic horseshit from sources that are full of idealistic notions, but woefully short on facts.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MADem]

19. Ha!!! Now I'm a WHITE COLONIAL!!!!!!!

I'd suggest you insist upon a refund from that CLAIRVOYANT CORRESPONDENT'S COURSE you took! :rofl:

Lame, there, IndianaGreen. Tres lame! That wasn't up to your usual efforts, that was a weak, inaccurate toss. Generally you are much more rude, insulting, snarky, though you do score points for consistency in your inaccuracy...off your feed today?

[IndianaGreen]

20. Your culture shapes your perception of other cultures

much as the Crusaders that when entering Constantinople proceeded to slaughter every infidel they saw. No one bothered to tell the Crusaders that many of those they murdered were Christians.

[MADem]

21. It certainly does. And you know absolutely nothing about MY culture

and my ethnicity and my historic roots, yet you make false claims of understanding to buttress your weak and ineffectual arguments.

Attacking people with nonsensical ideas about what you think they are, rather than discussing the actual issues is a really cheesy and lame tactic. And dragging Israel into EVERY Middle East discussion, to include oil spats between two contiguous nations, displays either a strong ignorance of the Arabian and Southwest Asian regions, or a strong desire to be King of the Topic Derailers.

[Javaman]

22. ...

:popcorn:

[MADem]

3. Be very nervous...those freedom loving peoples (GHWB's words)

in Kuwait may find themselves overrun by a Shi'a militia that encompasses forces from both sides of the Iran-Iraq border. And oops, we don't have no spare troops, do we?

It's gettin' close to "grab the oil" time, I'm thinkin'...Land first, multinational deals later!!

Ask Halliburton!

Watch out, Bahrain!

[eccles12]

8. Why did they give Kuwait 11 Iraqi oil fields in 1993? Kuwait was already

slant-drilling into Iraqi oil fields and the UN would not pay any attention to Saddams requests against Kuwait, which is one of the reasons he invaded Kuwait. Kuwait is already the one of richest little ME nations. So rich they could hire the US and UK to fight their wars for them while the children of the royals came to the US and played in NY and CA while US solidiers waged a war on their behalf. Now we are about to face another conflict as Iraq tries to take back what was theirs. As history, if honest, will show, Saddam knew his people and the people of the surrounding area and history will show that he was mostly correct about his own actions to protect his government and his country. Yeah, I know he was a bully but what would any other leader do to people who tried to overturn their government, assassinate them, or steal their country's resources?

[TexasLawyer]

23. kick

a fairly scary news item