His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah presides over cabinet weekly meeting. — KUNA photos

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Cabinet yesterday regretted the killing of Grand Mosque Imam Sheikh Waleed Al-Ali and Sheikh Fahad Al-Husseini in a recent attack on a restaurant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The Cabinet emphatically condemned this criminal act that targeted innocents in breach of all heavenly religions and human values, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said in a statement following a weekly Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet offered sincere and heartfelt condolences to the two Kuwaiti martyrs' families, the minister said.

Meanwhile, Kuwait has submitted a formal request to Burkina Faso to join ongoing investigations over a 'terrorist' attack on a restaurant in the Western African nation that killed two prominent Kuwaiti citizens and religious scholars. Kuwait's Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah met the Burkinabe Ambassador to Kuwait Abu Bakr Koty on Monday, where he handed him a memorandum stating that Kuwait wishes to join the probe into the attack that left scores of people dead, including Kuwaitis Waleed Al-Ali and Fahad Al-Husseini. A number of foreign ministry officials were present during the meeting.

Also, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah informed the Cabinet about the recent arrests of fugitives involved in a 'terrorist cell' known as Al-Abdali, to which the Cabinet expressed gratitude to security forces for their efforts to protect the nation's security. The Cabinet was also acquainted with a proposal by an economic affairs committee to boost work efficiency in the country's ports, specifically, plans to move some navigation lines from Al-Shuaiba to Al-Shuwaikh port.

On a related note, the proposal also entails a measure calling for a more smooth and prompt customs clearance process in the ports, which requires staff members to be available round-the-clock to handle clearance procedures for a number of government bodies. Minister of Commerce and Industry and Acting Minister of State for Youth Affairs Khaled Al-Roudhan briefed the Cabinet on concrete steps the Ministry of Commerce has taken to grant commercial permits to fledgling companies in a timely manner, where 2,500 permits have been issued since April.

The Cabinet discussed a number of recent global happenings, including a van attack in the Spanish city of Barcelona and knife assaults in Russia and Finland, all of which left scores of people either dead or injured. The Cabinet denounced these criminal acts, as it underscored its vehement condemnation of terrorism in all its forms.

In another development, Kuwait ministers have welcomed the visit by Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhang Gaoli's to Kuwait. They stressed the significance of this visit to the promotion and development of bilateral cooperation between both friendly countries in all fields, saying that it is a good chance for both sides to exchange views on several issues of mutual interest and efforts to maintain regional and international security and stability. - KUNA