KUWAIT: Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah said on Thursday that Kuwaiti security authorities are keen to work with the British side for strengthening security measures in order to ensure the security and safety of airports and planes. Speaking to reporters following the conclusion of the seventh session of the Kuwaiti-British Joint Steering Group held in Kuwait, Jarallah said Kuwaiti security authorities attach much attention to the issue of airport security and there is coordination with the British side and other friendly countries such as the US, along with some European countries, regarding the tightening of security measures.

There are security measuring being taken now and there will be more security steps in the future with a view to ensuring the security and safety of the Kuwait International Airport and Kuwaiti planes, he added. On the initialing by Kuwait and Britain of two draft agreements on extradition and judicial assistance in criminal matters, he stressed the significance of the extradition agreement to the State of Kuwait, saying "we have long looked forward to signing it".

Efforts were exerted by the Kuwaiti side in this regard, the last of which was a visit by National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem to Britain last September, where the agreement was mainly discussed, Al-Jarallah said. Ghanem's visit was preceded by a tour by Minister of Justice, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Yaqoub Al-Sane to Britain last February, during which he stressed Kuwait's eagerness to exert all legal efforts to redress relevant legal flaws.

"This agreement, once put in effect, would enable us to communicate with the British side in order to receive some defendants in Britain," the Kuwaiti official noted. On the extension of visas for Kuwaiti patients receiving medical treatment in Britain, he said: "The British side showed understanding and readiness to cooperate with the Kuwaiti side in this regard."

On military cooperation between both sides, he said: "Cooperation in this field is existing and old, and there is coordination and exchange of visits between officials of the ministries of defense, along with training the Kuwaiti army and providing it with sophisticated equipment on part of the British side. This cooperation is on the right track, thus ensuring security and stability in the country."

On the seventh session of the Kuwaiti-British Joint Steering Group held in Kuwait, Jarallah said the meeting handled many subjects regarding economic, investment, military, security and health cooperation. He pointed to coordination between Kuwait and Britain over an international donor conference for Syria due in London in February. - KUNA