Ministers briefed on investigations on citizen's murder

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah chairs the Cabinet’s meeting yesterday. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The Cabinet on Tuesday affirmed that members of the National Assembly enjoy the right to grill ministers according to the Constitution and the Parliament by-law. Reading a statement after the weekly Cabinet session, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said the ministers examined the address from National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem to His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, attached with the interpellation motion filed by MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri to Minister of State for Housing and Minister of State for Services Yasser Abul. In this respect, the ministers affirmed that the interpellation is a right guaranteed by the Constitution for every member of the National Assembly, stressing however that practicing this right must be within framework of the constitutional legitimacy, as regulated by the Constitution, the National Assembly by-law, rules of the Constitutional Court with respect of the grilling and for realizing and meeting public interests. During a parliamentary session on April 26, Minister Abul announced he was ready to mount the stand at the parliament to respond to the interpellation by Muwaizri. Muwaizri is seeking to question the minister about purported failure to bring into account the companies that made grave errors in construction of government houses in northwestern Al-Sulaibikhat, Jaber Al-Ahmad and Sabah Al-Ahmad, breaking the laws with respect of the housing projects in Al-Metlaa and Khairan and misleading the lawmakers. The Parliament is also expected to witness, on May 10, interpellation of His Highness the Premier over alleged administrative irregularities claimed by three other MPs.

Investigations

Meanwhile, Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Inferior, addressed the session about preliminary investigations into killing of the Kuwaiti citizen, Mohammad Met'eb Al-Shallahi, in Ankara recently. He presented the executives with circumstances of this ugly crime, praying to His Almighty to bestow upon his family endurance ability.

With respect of national projects, the ministers examined the annual report of the government performance follow-up apparatus, where its president Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and other officials in the division presented a detailed report about the 2016 works. This presentation included instructions addressed from His Highness the Premier and the Cabinet as well as remarks by the State Audit Bureau regarding the apparatus performance. The Cabinet tasked the apparatus and the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning to coordinate between them to follow up on execution of state's development projects.

International issues

During yesterday's session that was chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister, the Cabinet praised the Saudi Ministry of Interior for uncovering a terrorist cell in Al-Harrazat district in Jeddah. Members of the busted cell are suspected collaborators in terrorist attacks on worshippers at the Holy Mosque in Makkah and targets elsewhere in the kingdom.

The Cabinet has renewed the call on the international community to "embody global solidarity for fighting all forms of terrorism, affirming support of the State of Kuwait for any effort that might contribute to wiping out and crushing terrorism." The ministers expressed deep regret at the recent crash of the Cuban aircraft, claiming lives of all passengers. They extended condolences to the Cuban Government and people over this painful tragedy. They congratulated Sultan Muhammad V on his coronation as Malaysia's King, expressing good wishes to him and hoping the good ties between Kuwait and Malaysia would grow further.

In the beginning of the session, His Highness the Premier briefed the members about the visit to the country by the Italian premier, results of a visit by the Kazakh foreign minister, who addressed an invitation to His Highness the Amir to attend the first Islamic Summit on Sciences and Technology due in Astana in September. He also invited His Highness to the conclusion of the Expo-2017 fair.

In the meantime, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah informed the Cabinet about results of the recent GCC meeting that grouped the ministers of foreign, internal and defense affairs. The meeting, held in Riyadh last Thursday, aimed at bolstering inter-GCC cooperation in the political, security and defense sectors, in addition to examining efforts for combating terrorist organizations. - KUNA