Kuwaiti FM denies meeting Livni in New York
Justice minister said to have met with diplomats from Arab states, including many that have no relations with Israel, last week
Kuwait has reportedly denied that its foreign minister met with Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, along with a host of other Arab ministers, at an informal banquet in New York City on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The Israeli news site Walla reported Saturday that Livni, a former foreign minister, had attended a dinner in New York last week with foreign ministers and senior officials from a number of Arab nations, among them some that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
However, a Kuwaiti foreign ministry official said that “this report is baseless,” according to Turkish news site Haberler, denying Sheikh Khaled al-Sabah had attended any such dinner.
Another Kuwaiti official, Ahmed al-Sadoun, a former speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, wrote on Twitter in response to the report that his government “must clarify whether the foreign minister had attended such a meeting” because “the Zionist entity [Israel] is an enemy state with which Kuwait has no relations,” according to a translation provided by Haberler.
Livni’s office has not offered any comment on the report.
Livni was in New York last Monday, officially to attend a formal event organized by former US president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who is expected to run for president in 2016.
However, according to Walla, following the event, she was invited to a small dinner of about 20 people that was closed to the media.
Among the reported attendees were Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby, Lebanese foreign minister Jubran Bassel, Egyptian foreign affairs minister Sameh Shukri, Jordan’s foreign minister, Nasser Judeh, Kuwaiti foreign minister, Sheikh Khaled al-Sabah and United Arab Emirates foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed.
Also said to have attended was Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal al-Saud, former director of Saudi intelligence and a former ambassador to the US, who told Livni warmly at a security conference in Munich earlier this year that he understood “why you are the negotiator for Israel.”
The group discussed various regional issues, including Israel-Palestinian peace prospects and fighting terrorism.
It was not clear if the meeting was held under the auspices of Israel’s Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Ministry could not be reached for comment.
Livni, the only Israeli at the dinner, served as foreign minister from 2006 to 2009, during which time she fostered ties with the Arab world, including meeting with Qatari and Omani officials.
Though officially serving as justice minister, Livni was tasked with managing talks with the Palestinians over nine months from 2013 to 2014.
The Times of Israel Community.