NEWYORK: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas awarded Kuwait Representative to the UN headquarters in New York Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi the “Star of Jerusalem” medal in recognition of his outstanding role and diplomatic efforts to support Arab causes. In a statement to KUNA, Otaibi expressed gratitude for being honored by the Palestinian president, and conveyed greetings of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to the Palestinian President.

He added that this honor is a tribute to Kuwait and its foreign policy, stressing Kuwait’s keenness on supporting issues of the Arab nation. The Kuwaiti ambassador stressed the long-standing supportive stance of the Kuwaiti leaders, government and people towards the fair question of Palestine. He also stressed the importance of continuing efforts to support the Palestinian people in their cause with all available means, to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

In this regard, Otaibi praised the high-level coordination between the Kuwaiti and Palestinian delegations in the United Nations. Moreover, the Kuwaiti diplomat congratulated the Palestinian government on the chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China, expressing Kuwait’s readiness to support the brothers in Palestine during this important presidency.

For his part, Palestine ambassador to the UN Riyadh Mansour praised the “firm and clear” position of Kuwait towards the Palestinian cause. “Last year, we went through very complex and difficult circumstances, especially in the Security Council, and where Kuwait represents the Arab Group in that period. Ambassador Mansour Otaibi played an exceptional role in defending the Palestinian cause and confronting all attacks against the Palestinian cause,” he said. He added that this performance gave an exceptional dimension to Kuwait during its membership in the Security Council. - KUNA