KUWAIT: The government is going ahead with its procedures on the treatment of environmental conditions in the southern area of Um Al-Hayman and that it will not lose steam as "this is its duty ," Minister of Communication and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Dr Mohammed Al-Busairi asserted here yesterday.

Al-Busairi made this remark when answering the press on the concerns by some members of parliament that government might neglect treatment of the pollution issue at Um Al-Hayman "as a sort of state stubbornness" against those members who withdrew of the closed-door National Assembly session aimed at discussing the interpellation made by member Khaled Al-Tahous against H.H. the Prime Minister in his official capacity.

Al-Busairi added that "government cannot at all act like this," pointing out that the governmental procedures on addressing any issue is not determined by whether there is an interpellation or not, but it is defined by "the government's duty" on such issues. He went on to say that at the forefront of these issues tackled by the government is the pollution in the southern area of Um Al-Hayman, making clear that government is rest assured to its procedures in this respect and that "it is on track and achieve
s successes through the compliance of many factories owners in this area.

Al-Busairi concluded by on this issue saying that, "there is a big environmental improvement not only in the southern area of the country, but also in all areas of Kuwait as a whole." In the same vein, Al-Busairi said that government's request on discussing the interpellation in a closed-door session, "is not something new, especially as there are precedents for such thing," pointing to what the government prepared of scientific answers, documents and statistics to be presented during the discussion.

He also said that government "had hopes that the member of parliament who filed the interpellation would listen along with other MPs who supported him to the replies of H.H. the Prime Minister if they really were seeking truth and reform," making clear that the withdrawal of member Tahous from the session squandered the opportunity of putting the truth out for all to see on Um Al-Hayman pollution issue." - Kuwait Times