BEIRUT, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Economy Minister Amin Salam said Saturday that he had borne positive intentions when requesting Kuwait's aid in Beirut port's rebuilding, which sparked condemnation from the Kuwaiti government.
At a press conference held in his ministry to respond to the Kuwaiti side's concerns, Salam highlighted that Lebanon is keen to uphold the brotherly ties with Kuwait and the mutual respect that "will not be affected or disturbed by anything."
His response came after Kuwait protested at his statement issued on the anniversary of the Beirut port blasts saying that with "a stroke of pen" Kuwait can release a loan from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) for the rebuilding of Lebanon's damaged wheat silos.
The Kuwaiti foreign ministry condemned Salam's remarks as "contradicting the most basic political norms and reflecting a limited understanding of the nature of decision-making in the State of Kuwait, which is based on constitutional and institutional foundations."
At his press conference, Salam said he did not intend to use the "stroke of a pen" phrase to "override the constitutional and legal principles and mechanisms in force" by Kuwait or Lebanon.
"Based on the commitment made by the State of Kuwait three years ago in building silos, we intended to use the phrase 'a stroke of a pen' that is used in the local dialect to indicate that the matter can be implemented quickly," he noted.
He added he was aware that such a decision "can only be done through careful institutional, constitutional and administrative work, and we did not intend to go beyond the constitutional and natural path in the dealings between the two brotherly countries."
In 1969, Kuwait funded the construction of wheat silos in the port of Beirut, with a capacity of 120,000 tons, through a loan provided by KFAED.
On Aug. 4, 2020, the port of Beirut witnessed an explosion that destroyed the facility and a big part of the city, killing over 220 people and injuring thousands of others. ■
