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Middle East and North Africa

Kuwait government refuses to accept justice minister resignation

A US politician accuses him of supporting terrorism

© EPA/RAED QUTENA

AL-KUWAIT, April 7. /ITAR-TASS/. The government of Kuwait refused to accept the resignation of the Minister of Justice, Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Nayef al-Ajmi that entered his plea on the previous week. The comments of al-Ajmi are quoted by several Kuwaiti outlets on Monday.

“In compliance with the political leadership’s instructions, I will continue my service to Kuwait that I’ve begun in two agencies,” the al-Qabas daily quotes the minister. A similar comment by al-Ajmi was published by Al Rai newspaper: “To His Highness the Emir I say: your wish is my command”.

Al-Ajmi noted that his resignation is linked to health issues and not to recent accusations by US Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen who said that the minister might have been sponsoring terrorists in Syria.

“It is known in Kuwait that the emir instructed to open charities affiliated to mosques,” the Kuwaiti politician stated on the previous week. Al-Ajmi also noted that the head of state, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah constantly sent to the Syrian people “messages about the culture of non-armament”.

US Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen in one of his statements in March said that al-Ajmi “has a reach experience in sponsoring the jihad in Syria”. He added that the ministries controlled by al-Ajmi allowed non-governmental organizations to raise funds for Syria. This measure “is easily used by Kuwaiti sponsors of terrorists”, Cohen said.

The Kuwaiti minister, for his part, dubbed such statements “rootless and unreasonable”, and the cabinet of Kuwait pointed to “non-acceptance of terrorism in any of its manifestations”.

Unlike other Arabian monarchies, Kuwait supports the policy of non-armament of Syrian militants and engages exclusively in humanitarian programs. However, the emirate does not ban the fundraising by non-governmental entities, including through social networks. Funds collected this way are often used for buying guns for mujahidins fighting in Syria.

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Middle East and North Africa

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