Activities of Secretary-General in Kuwait, 25–27 June

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Kuwait from Paris on Saturday night, 25 June.

On Sunday morning, the Secretary-General held a town hall meeting with United Nations staff at UN House.

He then met with Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait, and expressed his deep appreciation and gratitude for Kuwait’s strong backing of the efforts of his Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, on the ongoing Yemen peace talks in Kuwait.  The Amir presented the Secretary-General with a medal.

The Secretary-General also met that day with Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al Sabah and First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sabah Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah.  The Secretary-General also paid a courtesy call on former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber.

The Secretary-General also spoke to the Yemeni delegations in Kuwait and urged them to prevent any further deterioration of the situation in Yemen and to show the responsibility and flexibility required to arrive at a comprehensive agreement ending the conflict.  He also urged the release of all prisoners, including political detainees, journalists, civil society activists and others as a goodwill gesture ahead of the Eid holiday.  (See Press Release SG/SM/17883.)

On Sunday evening, Mr. Ban attended an Iftar dinner hosted by First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah.

The Secretary-General also spoke that day by phone with Haider al Abadi, Prime Minister of Iraq, where the Secretary-General expressed concerns over reports of serious human rights abuses against civilians displaced from Fallujah and welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision to establish an investigative committee to look into the allegations. 

The Secretary-General departed Kuwait City for Tel Aviv, Israel, early on Monday morning, 27 June.