Kuwait's interior minister says authorities will use force against those seeking chaos

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahd Yousef Saud Al-Sabah said Saturday that authorities will use force against anyone attempting to sow discord between Kuwait and Iraq, speaking at a joint press conference with Basra Governor Asaad Al-Idani at the Safwan border crossing. Sheikh Fahd said Kuwait and Iraq share historic friendly relations and that official visits between the two countries would continue. He pledged a firm stance against efforts to drive a wedge between the two peoples, saying sedition would be crushed at its outset. The interior minister said he had personally followed a disruption two days earlier at the Abdali border crossing and announced that the post would return to normal operations within 48 hours. He added that movement and trade between the two countries would continue and that anyone trying to obstruct it would face a firm response. Basra Governor Al-Idani said the visit was intended to demonstrate high-level coordination and deliver a message of brotherhood to Gulf states. He said the two governments remain determined, through joint efforts, to preserve security and stability despite regional crises.