BASRA: The Kuwaiti media delegation meets head of Basra governorate council Waleed Kitan yesterday

BASRA, Iraq: Kuwaiti properties in Basra are safe and there is no power that can change the status of the properties' ownership, an Iraqi official said yesterday. Speaking to KUNA while meeting a visiting Kuwaiti media delegation, Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani said properties belonging to prominent Kuwaiti families still exist and are protected by documentation and official statistics. Any attempt to change real estate ownership must go through the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra and the Iraqi authorities, said Eidani, who affirmed that such a process can only be done via original documentation and authorized procedures.

He affirmed that any Kuwaitis eager to visit their properties in Basra are welcome to do so, adding that many Kuwaiti families refused to sell their properties; therefore, they are the rightful owners of the sites. The governor lauded Kuwait for all its efforts to assist Iraq, noting that the recent Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq (KICRI), attended by 75 nations, reflected Kuwait's strong interest in the welfare of Iraq.

Eidani welcomed Kuwaiti involvement in investment and business ventures in Basra and elsewhere in Iraq, affirming that this will reflect positively on Kuwaiti-Iraqi relations. The situation in Basra, especially within the security domain, has improved tremendously due to the defeat of the so-called Islamic State, the Iraqi official said.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti media delegation also met head of Basra's governorate council Waleed Kitan, who briefed them on various service projects in the governorate. The official said Basra is eager to witness the participation of Kuwaiti investors in numerous ventures in the city. The Kuwaiti media delegation arrived on Sunday for talks with local officials and to visit archeological sites in the nearby Thi Qar governorate. The delegation includes KUNA Deputy Director General for Editorial Affairs Saad Al-Ali, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Anbaa Yusuf Al-Marzouq, Editor-in-Chief of Kuwait Times Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, Media Advisor at HH the Prime Minister's Diwan Hassan Al-Sayegh and others. - KUNA