Kuwait still won't forgive Iraqi debt

Source: Associated Press

By DIANA ELIAS, Associated Press Writer

KUWAIT CITY - Kuwaiti lawmakers' refusal to forgive Iraq's debt has shone a troubling light on the lingering bitterness many of its neighbors feel toward Saddam Hussein's rule — and their suspicion of Iraq's new Shiite-led government.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki struggled against those misgivings when he tried this week to persuade Kuwait to forgive most of his country' $15 billion debt.

Cancellation of Iraqi debt is expected to figure high on the agenda of the May 3-4 international conference on Iraq at Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheik.

The United States has been strongly pushing for Iraq's creditors to follow its lead and write off Iraq's debt, as one way of helping the country get on its feet financially.


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