US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States is moving to designate Kuwait as one of its non-NATO major allies and begin discussions with the Kuwaiti government that would lead to a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries, reported Washington File.
Powell held talks on Monday, September 15, 2003, in Kuwait City with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al-Sabah. In addition to FTA discussions, the secretary said that they conferred about Kuwaiti detainees as well as the fate of the country's citizens that remain unaccounted for following the 1991 Gulf War. "[W]e are very sensitive to this issue and want to do everything that we can," he said.
The United States is Kuwait’s largest supplier, and Kuwait is the fifth-largest market in the Middle East for US goods and services. US exports to Kuwait in the first seven months of 2003 totaled 846.6 million, according to the US Census Bureau. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
